Battle of Little Bighorn: Textbook

The Battle of Little Bighorn was fought on January 25,1876 at Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory. Federal Troops were led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer against the Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. Sitting Bull was the holy man who led his people against the resistance of the United States Government. It was Sitting Bull's vision had motivated the natives to fight. Sitting Bull had a vision in which he saw the 7th Cavalry's defeat led by Custer.

Before the Battle of Little Bighorn tensions had rise since the Americans discovered gold on Native American lands. It was an accidental discovery of gold on the western border of the Sioux reservation. This was the reason for Americans settling in and wanting Native American lands, because of the gold. The Native Americans believe it was the Americans who started the war because they came into Native American lands and began pushing the Natives out. They moved them out of their land by burning their tipis destroying all their food and belongings and even killing Natives. Kate Bighead a Cheyenne Indian told this story stating that General Custer had Killed Chief Black Kettle and his band.

The Native Americans began to fight back. General Custer had to confront the Native Americans at Little Bighorn, however; he was unaware of how many number of Native Americans were fighting under Sitting Bull's command. Custer and the 7th Cavalry were outnumbered and destroyed by Sitting Bull and his band and this became known as Custer's Last Stand.