Qualla: Battle of the Little Bighorn

Battle of the Little Bighorn: Introduction

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Anynobody, CC BY-SA 4.0. "You and I are going home today by a road we do not know." Crow scout Half Yellow Face spoke these words to George Custer on the morning of June 25, 1876, as the 7th Cavalry prepared to descend into the Little Bighorn Valley. Government estimates said 800 hostile warriors awaited them. In reality, thousands of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho had gathered for the summer buffalo hunt, creating the largest concentration of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho ever assembled. By evening, Custer and 210 of his men would lie dead on the Montana hillsides.

Image: Anynobody | CC BY-SA 4.0

Battle of the Little Bighorn: A Collision Course

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain. The 7th Cavalry rode into a trap of its own making. Indian agents had reported no more than 800 "hostiles" in the region, failing to account for the thousands of reservation Lakota and Cheyenne who had slipped away to join Sitting Bull for the summer hunt. Custer's scouts told hi...

Image: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided | Public domain

Battle of the Little Bighorn: The Village Fights Back

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unidentified photographer, Public domain. Reno's attack collapsed within minutes. Bloody Knife, his Arikara scout, was shot in the head at his side, spraying the major with blood and bone. Outnumbered and outflanked, Reno's men fled across the river in disorder. Warriors from multiple Lakota bands and the Northern Cheyen...

Image: Unidentified photographer | Public domain

Battle of the Little Bighorn: Last Stand Hill

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Edgar Samuel Paxson (1852–1919), Public domain. Custer's battalion reached the ridgeline above the village, but instead of finding women and children to take hostage as his strategy required, they found warriors streaming up the ravines. The fight lasted perhaps an hour. The five companies under Custer's direct command were an...

Image: Edgar Samuel Paxson (1852–1919) | Public domain

Battle of the Little Bighorn: Reno Hill

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit The New York Times, Public domain. Four miles southeast, the survivors dug in. Reno and Benteen's combined forces held a hilltop through a day and night of siege, fending off attacks from warriors who could have overwhelmed them. The army awarded 24 Medals of Honor for the defense, most to soldiers who risked thei...

Image: The New York Times | Public domain

Battle of the Little Bighorn: Aftermath and Memory

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Winkelvi, CC BY-SA 4.0. The American centennial celebrations of 1876 were overshadowed by news of the disaster. Congress responded by expanding the army and passing the "sell or starve" rider, cutting off all rations to the Sioux until they ceded the Black Hills. Within two years, the great bands had be...

Image: Winkelvi | CC BY-SA 4.0