1876 — June 25, Battle of Little Bighorn ~Little Bighorn River, SE MT Territory–315-~363

— 584 Wikipedia. “Battle of Little Bighorn.” 1-15-2023 edit accessed 1-15-2023. (No sources.)
— 268 7th Cavalry Regiment killed.
— 6 7th Cavalry Regiment wounded who later died of wounds.
–up to 300 Native American “Nations of the plains.” “31 (up to 300) killed.” (No source.)
— 10 Native American non-combatants.
— ~363 Searl, Molly. Montana Disasters: Fires, Floods, and Other Catastrophes. 2001, p. 80.
— 210 Custer’s forces and a civilian reporter (no survivors).
— 53 Major Reno-Captain Benteen skirmish with Natives several miles away.
–~100 Native Americans (principally Ogallala Dakota and Northern Cheyenne).
— 315 Wikipedia. “Battle of Little Bighorn.” 1-15-2023 edit accessed 1-15-2023. (No sources.)
–268 7th Cavalry Regiment killed.
— 6 7th Cavalry Regiment wounded who later died of wounds.
— 31 Native American “Nations of the plains.”
— 10 Native American non-combatants.
— 263 National Park Service. “Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Montana.”*
— ~260 Britannica (Gregory J.W. Urwin). “Battle of the Little Bighorn.” 1-5-2023 update.**
–210 U.S. soldiers who followed George A. Custer into the Battle of Little Bighorn.
–~50 known deaths among Sitting Bull’s followers.
— 200 Lt. Col. Custer and unit of the U.S. 7th Cavalry. (History.com)

*The National Park Service number does not include any of the opposing Native American deaths.

**Britannica entry does not include the 53 soldiers lost in the Major Reno and Captain Benteen skirmish with a Native force several miles away the same day. If those deaths were to be included the death toll would be at least 313.

Narrative Information

NewsinHistory.com: “….The antecedent for the fighting of the summer of 1876 goes back to the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, in which the Lakota were promised that a huge swath of territory, known as the Great Sioux Reservation and including the sacred area of the Black Hills, would be theirs forever. Despite this, the U.S. government sent Custer on an expedition into the Black Hills in 1874, and gold was discovered—leading to an inevitable gold rush of crazed miners who cared not a whit for honoring Indian treaties. Although the army at first tried to keep the miners out of the Black Hills, this soon proved impossible and the corrupt administration under President Grant decided to ignore the Fort Laramie Treaty.

“All Arapaho, Cheyenne and Lakota Indians were ordered to abandon the Black Hills and relocate to some tightly restricted, barren reservations by Jan. 31, 1876. After that date, any Indians not complying would be declared “hostile” and attacked. A large force of Indians, led by such renowned chiefs as Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Gall, disregarded the government’s command and gathered on the plains of Montana for the summer buffalo hunt. The army set out to destroy them.

“A three-pronged attack was organized involving around 2,400 soldiers. From the West came a column led by Colonel John Gibbon. From the East came a column led by General Alfred Terry, including Custer and the 7th Cavalry. The third element of the attack was a column coming from the South, led by General George Crook. All three columns were supposed to converge on the Indian camp and wipe it out. However, it did not happen that way, and the first setback for the army was the Battle of the Rosebud [see separate document on the June 17, 1876 battle in which 29 and perhaps as many as 77 died, according to sources.]

Searl: “….even though the Indians had won the battle, the results were disastrous for them in the long run. After the famous battle, the Indians scattered, many of them going back to the reservation. Public outrage against the Indians was escalated by the death of Custer and his men. Although they many have won the battle, they lost the war. Sadly, it was a war that should never have been waged. Unlike natural disasters, which seldom give adequate warning to humans in their vicinity, this disaster could have been prevented. If Custer had stuck to the original plan and waited for General Terry and Colonel Gibbon to assemble their troops before they attacked the Indian village, the soldiers would have stood a better chance for success. If General Sheridan had shown more reason and not issued an ultimatum to the proud warriors, or if the government had honored its original treaty with the Indians, there would have been no reason for the battle to have taken place.”

Sources

Britannica (Gregory J.W. Urwin). “Battle of the Little Bighorn.” 1-5-2023 update. Accessed 1-15-2023 at: https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Little-Bighorn

History.com. “Battle of the Little Bighorn.” 12-21-2020 update. Accessed 1-15-2023 at: https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/battle-of-the-little-bighorn

National Park Service. “Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Montana.” Accessed 1-15-2023 at: https://www.nps.gov/libi/index.htm

Searl, Molly. Montana Disasters: Fires, Floods, and Other Catastrophes. Boulder, CO: Pruett Publishing Co., 2001.

Wikipedia. “Battle of Little Bighorn.” 1-15-2023 edit accessed 1-15-2023 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Little_Bighorn