On this date, June 25, 1876, on a patch of green hillside in southeast Montana, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer and his company of more than 211 soldiers were killed by Lakota and Cheyenne Indians led by Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and Gall. The Bozeman Times would be the first newspaper in the country to report the devastating news.

The Lakota refer to this battle as the Fight at the Greasy Grass. They called the Little Bighorn River the Greasy Grass because the tall dewy grass would brush against the bellies of their ponies making them look greasy.

photo by Dave Wooten
photo by Dave Wooten
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America was stunned when hearing about what had happened to Custer and his men. Many would refer to the fight as a massacre, not understanding that it was Custer and his soldiers that attacked the Lakota and Cheyenne in their own lodges and on their own land.

Today, 140 years later, the Battle of the Little Bighorn is probably the most studied and talked about battle in United States history. Let us remember all who fought there, Lakota, Cheyenne, and U.S. Army soldiers, and especially those who lost their lives there.

If you would like me to give you a tour of the Little Bighorn Battlefield, let me know! You can find out more about my tours at CrazyHorseTours.com.

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