On June 26, 1876, troopers of the U.S. 7th Calvary Regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer engaged in fierce fighting with Indians of the Teton Sioux and Northern Cheyenne tribes near the Little Big Horn River in Montana. Prior to the battle, the U.S. Government embarked on a campaign to round up rogue members of the two tribes that refused to relocate to designated reservations. Custer and his force of approximately 600 men were part of a larger detachment seeking to locate and attack these groups. On June 25, Custer’s scouts discovered an Indian village and Custer prepared to attack the following day. Perhaps underestimating the large size of the village, Custer divided his forces into three parts, sending Captain Frederick Benteen and his men scouting for Indians southwest of the village and ordering Major Marcus Reno to attack the south end of the village, while Custer himself led a force of approximately 200 men toward the northeast end of the camp. An overwhelming number of Indians quickly routed Reno and his men. With Reno’s force in retreat and Benteen too far away to provide immediate support, Custer’s force became isolated and every trooper was killed. The destruction of Custer and his men at The Battle of the Little Bighorn shocked the American public, especially because Custer had been a popular figure during the Civil War. For the Teton Sioux and Northern Cheyenne, their greatest victory would ultimately spell their defeat as the United States increased their efforts to bring the Indians under control.

Researched, written, and narrated by University of West Florida Public History Student Sean Baker.