Battle of the Little Bighorn
1876 AD · 19th Century
On June 25-26, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led approximately 700 men of the 7th Cavalry Regiment against a large encampment of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho along the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory. The engagement was part of the Great Sioux War, sparked by the U.S. government's attempt to seize the Black Hills after gold was discovered there in 1874, violating the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. Warriors led by Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and Chief Gall defeated Custer's divided force, killing 268 soldiers including Custer.
Key Figures
George Armstrong CusterSitting BullCrazy HorseChief Gall
Locations
Little Bighorn BattlefieldCrow Indian Reservation
Topics
Greasy GrassLittle BighornSiouxArapahoCheyenneGreat Sioux War
Connected Events — 2 Connections
Civil War created a generation of experienced military officers like Custer and provided surplus military equipment and manpower that was redirected toward western expansion and Indian Wars after 1865 American Civil War Begins
Gold discovery in California in 1848 established the pattern of gold rushes driving westward expansion and conflicts with Native Americans, directly leading to the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1874 that violated the Fort Laramie Treaty and sparked the Great Sioux War California Gold Rush
The Time Detectives® · Cadet Mission
Investigate This Event
Place it on the timeline. Earn points. Master the connections.
New to The Time Detectives?
Learn what it is →