Little Bighorn Battlefield

August 25 – 28, 2021

We had some routing options for heading south and east from Kalispell, Montana. Route 83 around Swan Lake and Seeley Lake won. This was a pretty drive along Flathead National Forest between mountain peaks. We continued on smaller roads and US highways until we hit I-90 in Garrison. We stopped for the night in Butte, Montana at the Butte KOA Journey (which overlooked downtown Butte). Along the way we followed a motorhome towing a car with what we thought was a Florida license plate. We verified that when we passed them. They ended up in the site next to us at the KOA – a really nice couple from the Tampa area.

The next morning we left the KOA headed east on I-90 for Garryowen, Montana.

Garryowen

Garryowen is on the Little Bighorn River a few miles south of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and within the boundaries of the Crow Indian Reservation. The Custer Battlefield Museum (currently closed) is located on the former site of Sitting Bull’s camp, on the famous Garryowen bend of the Little Bighorn River, a traditional summer hunting campsite for many Plains Indian tribes. As the Seventh Cavalry approached in late June of 1876, this was the site of one of the largest Indian gatherings ever recorded in North America.

visitmt.com

Our basecamp in Garryowen was 7th Ranch RV Park. Getting to the campground required a mile long drive on a gravel road but the road was well maintained. Upon arrival we had to wait a bit as they were only processing one RV at a time due to Covid precautions. Once checked in, we were escorted to our site and presented with tokens good for free ice cream sandwiches (which they make). The campground is set on a hill with great views all around but the sites are not level which, with the jacks down, raised the door side tires off the ground. That night not only did it rain, it hailed. Fortunately we didn’t have any damage but our dog hated it.

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Little Bighorn Battlefield

The next morning we drove 5 miles to the Little Bighorn Battlefield (also known as Custer’s Last Stand and to the Lakota and other Plains Indians, the Battle of the Greasy Grass). We stopped first at the Visitor Center for maps and my Passport stamp. There we were fortunate to join a ranger talk which was extremely informative.

Setting the stage

In 1874, an Army expedition led by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer found gold in the Black Hills, in present-day South Dakota. At the time, the United States recognized the hills as property of the Sioux Nation, under a treaty the two parties had signed six years before. The Grant administration tried to buy the hills, but the Sioux, considering them sacred ground, refused to sell; in 1876, federal troops were dispatched to force the Sioux onto reservations and pacify the Great Plains. That June, Custer attacked an encampment of Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho on the Little Bighorn River, in what is now Montana.

Smithsonian

Who was George Armstrong Custer?

Fought to free the slaves

Born in New Rumley, Ohio on December 5, 1839, George Armstrong Custer graduated last in a class of 34 from West Point in June, 1861. Joining the Cavalry during the Civil War, Custer quickly distinguished himself as reliable and quick to volunteer. By the end of the Civi War, he had attained the rank of Major General and commanded an entire Cavalry Division. On April 8, 1865, Custer’s cavalry advanced on Appomattox Station, capturing several trains containing Lee’s desperately needed supplies, capturing 25 pieces of artillery, and taking almost a thousand prisoners. He was present on April 9 when General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate troops to General Ulysses S. Grant using his wife’s dish towel as a flag of truce. (Incidentally, did you know that Grant’s longtime friend Lt. Colonel Ely S. Parker, a Seneca leader from the Tonawanda Reservation in New York, penned the formal copy of Grant’s letter of Lee’s surrender and terms)?

Court-martialed

After the war ended and the Volunteer Army was demobilized, Custer was demoted to his regular army rank of captain. A year later he was promoted to Lt. Colonel of the newly formed 7th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Riley Kansas. While serving under General Winfield Hancock, Hancock’s men and Custer were sent to enter into peace negotiations with the Southern Cheyenne and Kiowas along the Arkansas River. After this campaign, Custer was promptly placed under arrest and charged with: absence without leave from his command, conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline, as well as for ordering deserters shot without trial and refusing them medical attention. The court-martial found him guilty of all charges and he was sentenced to one year of suspension from rank without pay.

Campaigns and promises

In response to increasing Indian raids along the Arkansas valley, the U.S. Army dispatched a winter campaign in 1868. Custer, who had been reinstated, was to command the 7th for the campaign which culminated with the Battle of the Washita on November 27^th, 1868. Here Custer’s 7^th attacked an unsuspecting village of Southern Cheyenne led by Chief Black Kettle where they killed all the warriors. Following orders, Custer’s men spared women and children whenever possible.

In 1869, Custer attended a traditional council of Cheyenne chiefs, including High Bull and the Cheyenne Arrow Keeper Stone Forehead. The purpose of the council was to make a peace agreement. The chiefs informed Custer that by smoking the red pipe, he had agreed to all the terms they had discussed. From that day forward, Custer promised, “I will no longer attack or kill a Cheyenne.” Before Custer left the tipi, the Arrow Keeper took the ceremonial pipe and emptied the tobacco on Custer’s boots, saying that if Custer broke his promise he would turn into those ashes.

In 1873, the 7th was charged with protecting the Northern Pacific Railroad Survey as it moved along the Yellowstone investigating sites to lay rail. The Lakota, among other tribes, took particular issue with the construction of the railroad. Soon, the Lakotas were attacking survey sites regularly. While neither party realized it at the time, this would be the first contact between Custer, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Gall and other notable Lakota figures.

Black Hills Gold

The following summer of 1874, the 7th was sent to survey the Lakota’s Black Hills. Rumors had begun circulating that the Black Hills were full of gold. Opportunistic men began to enter the hills in search of riches. Meanwhile, homesteaders had been frequently raided by Lakota war-parties. The army sought to establish a fort in the Black Hills to deter mining invasions and protect Lakota land, as well as have a site within the Sioux lands for the purposes of preventing further raiding. The 7th was charged with finding a proper site for a fort to be built. Along for the expedition, at the behest of Custer, were two professional miners. During the summer expedition, gold was discovered and accompanying journalists quickly sent word back east. The rumors of gold in the Black Hills that had been circulating for over fifty years had now been confirmed, and a new gold rush was on.

Scandal testimony

In late 1875, high ranking officials in Washington were accused of the misappropriation of federal funds meant to help pacify Indian tribes. In March and April of 1876, Custer testified before a congressional committee that Secretary of War Belknap was involved. In addition, Custer’s testimony attached President Grant’s own brother Orville to the corruption. This put Custer in a precarious situation with President Grant, who was presently overseeing the final planning stages of an offensive on non-treaty Lakota and Cheyenne for the upcoming spring.

The Indian Encampment

In response to the flood of miners and settlers entering the Black Hills in violation of the Treaty of Fort Laramie and the mass murder of buffalo by General Sheridan, the Plains Indians (the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho) banded together to protect their sacred lands. Wary of talk and broken promises, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and other chiefs gathered with several thousand followers in southern Montana in the Little Bighorn River Valley. This was in direct defiance of the U.S. government’s orders for all Indians to remain on reservations. 

Sitting Bull’s Vision

Prior to the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull participated in the Sun Dance along with 5000 Lakota warriors. For hours and hours Sitting Bull danced in circles, going without food and water for 2 days. His brother Jumping Bull cut 50 pieces of flesh from each arm. Totally exhausted, Sitting Bull collapsed on the ground where he had a vision. He told his brother:

Wakan Tanka (Holy Spirit) told me to look just below the sun where I saw many Long Knives falling into camp. The Long Knives looked like grasshoppers, they had no ears, their feet were above their heads.

Wakan Tanka told Sitting Bull the Long Knives (soldiers) would die because “they do not have ears,” but warned him not to touch or steal any of their belongings. As it came about, Sitting Bull foresaw the upcoming Battle of Greasy Grass, known to whites as Custer’s Last Stand.

David Bunnell

Battle of Rosebud Creek

In response to the Indian defiance, the U.S. government sent three columns of troops to the area to attempt a three-pronged attack on the encampment. General Gibbon led cavalrymen from the east, while General Terry advanced with his men from the west, and General Crooks descended with his column from the north. Crooks traveled with 262 Crow and Shoshone warriors who warned him that the Sioux force in the area was significant. On June 17, the Sioux and their allies surprised Crooks and a battle ensued along Rosebud Creek —  a precursor to the Battle of Little Big Horn. Even though significantly outnumbered, Crooks’ men stood their ground with invaluable help from the Crow and Shoshone, while the Sioux retreated.  

Battle of Little Bighorn

The morning of June 25 was a slow one in the Indian gathering as they were still celebrating what they considered a victory at Rosebud Creek. Many had danced through the night and were late risers. As the day’s heat increased, large numbers of adults and children went swimming in the river. The first report that U.S. troops had been spotted came mid afternoon but most of the camp remained unconcerned. The first warning to bring warriors on the run probably occurred around 3 o’clock, when some horse raiders – Indians working for the soldiers, as it turned out – were seen making a dash for animals grazing in a ravine not far from the camp. Peace quickly gave way to pandemonium.

Custer’s regiment was part of the largest column, coming from Fort Abraham Lincoln. General Alfred Terry commanded the campaign, and Custer was Terry’s subordinate. On June 22^nd, under orders from Terry, Custer’s 7th had been sent ahead of the rest of the column in hopes that they could be the striking force for what was most assuredly a large collection of Lakotas not far ahead of them.

The 7th Cavalry, numbering about 600 men, located the Indian camp at dawn on June 25. Custer divided his regiment into three battalions. He kept five companies under his command and assigned three companies each to Major Reno and Captain Benteen. One company was assigned to guard the slow-moving pack train.

Benteen was ordered to scout the bluffs to the south. Custer and Reno headed toward the Indian camp in the valley of the Little Bighorn River. Near the river, Custer turned north toward the lower end of the encampment.

Reno advanced down the valley to strike the upper end of the camp. He soon ran into a large force of Lakota warriors and was forced to make a disorderly retreat to defensive positions on the bluffs. Benteen, who was then under orders to hurry to Custer’s aid, joined Reno on the bluffs. Unfortunately no one knew precisely where Custer had gone. Heavy gunfire suggested that he was to the north. After distributing ammunition, Reno and Benteen moved in that direction. Captain Weir was dispatched with an advance company to scout ahead. They reached a high hill where they could see the battlefield but the firing had stopped and Custer and his men were not visible. When Reno and Benteen’s remaining forces joined Weir, they were attacked by a large force of Indians. Reno ordered a withdrawal back to their original positions on the bluffs. Here they entrenched and held their defensive position throughout that day and most of the next. The siege ended when the Indians withdrew as the columns under Terry and Gibbon approached.

In the end, 263 soldiers and approximately 80 Lakota and Cheyenne lay dead on the battlefield. Custer was among them. 

Last Stand Hill

On this knoll Custer and approximately 41 men shoot their horses for breastworks and make a stand. Approximately 10 men, including Custer, his brother Tom, and Lt. William Cooke, are found in the vicinity of the present 7th Cavalry memorial. Other soldiers are found within the enclosure area below the knoll.

nps.gov

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Indian Memorial

Unlike Custer’s command, the fallen Lakota and Cheyenne warriors were removed by their families, and “buried” in the Native American tradition, in teepees or tree-scaffolds nearby in the Little Bighorn Valley. The story of the battle from the Native American perspective was largely told through the oral tradition.

Until recently, no memorial had honored the Native Americans who struggled to preserve and defend their homeland and traditional way of life. Their heroic sacrifice was never formally recognized – until now.

In 1991 the U. S. Congress changed the name of the battlefield and ordered the construction of an Indian Memorial. In 1996, the National Park Service – guided by the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Advisory Committee, made up of members from the Indian nations involved in the battle, historians, artists and landscape architects – conducted a national design competition. In 1997, a winning design was selected.

nps.gov

(If you are interested in more about the battle as told from a Native Indian perspective click here).

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A devastating charge led by Crazy Horse and White Bull cut down retreating soldiers of Companies C and I, who were attempting to join Custer’s command on Last Stand Hill.

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From Reno and Benteen’s defensive position, volunteers were sent down the ravine to the river to fetch water. Sharpshooters provided cover from the ridge. The 4 sharpshooters and the 15 volunteer water carriers all received the Medal of Honor.

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Aftermath

Although the Sioux and Cheyenne won one of their greatest victories at Little Bighorn, the battle actually marked the beginning of the end of their ability to resist the U.S. government. News of the massacre of Custer and his men reached the East Coast in the midst of nationwide centennial celebrations on July 4, 1876. Outraged at the killing of one of their most popular Civil War heroes, many Americans demanded an intensified military campaign against the Native Americans.

history.com

Crazy Horse

After the victory at Little Bighorn, U.S. Army forces led by Colonel Nelson Miles pursued Crazy Horse and his followers. His tribe suffered from cold and starvation, and on May 6, 1877, Crazy Horse surrendered to General George Crook at the Red Cloud Indian Agency in Nebraska. He was sent to Fort Robinson, where he was killed in a scuffle with soldiers who were trying to imprison him in a cell.

history.com

Sitting Bull

After the battle, Sitting Bull toured the battlefield. Seeing Custer and all his men dead on the hillside, their bodies stripped and mutilated, should have been a proud moment for him, but Sitting Bull was saddened and deeply angry. His people did not obey Wakan Tanka about not touching the fallen soldiers, taking things from them and thus their descendants would be made to suffer by the revengeful families of these Long Knives.

David Bunnell

In the wake of The Battle of Little Bighorn, the incensed U.S. government redoubled their efforts to hunt down the Sioux. At the same time, the encroachment of white settlers on traditionally Indian lands greatly reduced the buffalo population that the Sioux depended on for survival. In May 1877, Sitting Bull led his people to safety in Canada. 

With food and resources scarce, Sitting Bull surrendered to the U.S. Army on July 20, 1881 in exchange for amnesty for his people. He was a prisoner of war in South Dakota’s Fort Randall for two years before being moved to Standing Rock Reservation where he was shot and killed by Indian police officers.

history.com

Custer National Cemetery

Like many other national cemeteries, Custer National Cemetery was created after those killed in battle were already buried here. Between 1877 and 1881, troops garrisoned at nearby Fort Custer (modern-day town of Hardin, Montana) regularly gathered remains for reburial, recovered graves, and policed the battlefield for exposed bones. The first of these details disinterred and collected all identified officers, except Lieutenant John Crittenden. Lt. John Crittenden was left where he fell at the request of his family until 1932. General Custer was reinterred at West Point while most of the others were shipped to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and other private cemeteries back east at the request of their families.

In order to protect these graves, General William Tecumseh Sherman issued General Order No. 78 in 1879 . This designated part of the Custer Battlefield as a national cemetery.

By 1881, a memorial was erected in honor of the Seventh U.S. Cavalrymen who perished on the battlefield. Prior to installment of the monument, a trench was dug around the base into which all of the bodies that could be found to that date were placed. Though an attempt was made to rebury all of these individuals, bones discovered since have been buried in the National Cemetery as “Unknowns.”

In 1890 the army erected white marble government headstones to preserve the locations of the original 7th Cavalry casualty sites.

nps.gov

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We really enjoyed our visit to the Little Bighorn Battlefield. The information presented in the Visitor Center, ranger-led tours, and the driving tour was incredible. We learned so much about this historic battle.

On our way back to our campground, we stopped at the Custer Battlefield Trading Post and Cafe for Indian tacos on fry bread.

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Leaving Montana Behind

We had a great time exploring the Big Sky Country but it was time for us to move on.