Little Bighorn Battlefield

The weather is warm today, in the low 80's, much like it was on June 25 and 26, 1876, when General GA Custer led 210 men of the 7th Cavalry to their deaths.  The men wore uniforms of wool and carried a complete pack, including McClellan saddles which were extremely heavy.

They faced a combined Indian encampment of Arapahoe, Lakota, and Cheyenne numbering between 1,500 and 2000 warriors led by Sitting Bull.

Their are not enough words to describe the solemnity of this place.  Both sides were fighting for a cause, the Indians for a complete way of life, and the Army to protect westward expansion from the east.

Arguments will go on for years, but know this:  As you look around you from the top of Last Stand Hill, you feel the spirits of the brave souls of both sides.  It is an amazing place.

General Custer, having divided his 600 men into 3 groups, devised a plan to attack a large Indian encampment from 3 directions.  Unfortunately, his intel was dismal to say the least, and all three groups came under attack on the afternoon of June 25.  After a night of feverishly digging defensive positions into the hillsides, the Cavalry came under attack again on the morning of June 26 by warriors who had slipped close under cover of darkness to within a stones throw.  Custers group was killed to the last man.  Five miles south, the other two groups under Major Reno and Captain Benteen were decimated trying to reach Custer, and only a few survived when the warriors withdrew after the Last Stand Hill battle was over.

This iron fence surrounds the makeshift cemetery created just after the battle.

Markers have been placed where men of both sides fell.  The sad thing about this area is that there are many, many markers scattered about the hills.

The majesty of these hills belie the tremendous sacrifice, death and destruction visited upon both parties in the Indian Wars.  Only the wind is left to tell the tales.

Adjacent to the battle site, a national cemetery has been created for veterans of all of our conflicts.  The scouts that traveled with General Custer were ordered to safety at 3:30 pm, before the battle started on the 25th.  Two of those scouts are buried in the cemetery with honors.

The National Park Service has done an admirable job of presenting the facts of those two fateful days without undue bias, but instead with great sympathy for the nations, people and families involved.

Rest in Peace.