The Indigenous Women Who Fought at the Battle of Little Bighorn | TheCollector

"The Battle of Little Bighorn is also known as "Custer's Last Stand." The name of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876), who led the 7th Cavalry Regiment in the U.S. Army against a coalition of Native American tribes near the Little Bighorn River in Montana, will forever be linked to his defeat at Little Bighorn and to the humiliation of his persona."

"The Battle of Little Bighorn was the direct result of the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, in present-day South Dakota. In 1868, with the Treaty of Fort Laramie, the American government established the Great Sioux Reservation, an area set aside for the Lakota people. Here they were promised they could live "forever" in peace, on "land that would be theirs as long as grass grow, wind blow, and the sky is blue,""

"The Great Sioux Reservation included the Black Hills. Under the leadership of Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), the 18th president of the United States, the American government attempted to persuade the Lakota to sell their lands, but they refused. On June 25, 1876, the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army, led by George Armstrong Custer attacked an encampment of approximately 6,000 to 7,000 Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho along the Little Bighorn River in the Crow Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana."

The Battle of Little Bighorn, commonly called Custer's Last Stand, linked George Armstrong Custer's name to his defeat and personal humiliation. The discovery of gold in the Black Hills and the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie set the context; the Great Sioux Reservation included the Black Hills but the Lakota refused offers to sell the land. On June 25, 1876, Custer's 7th Cavalry attacked an encampment of roughly 6,000–7,000 Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho along the Little Bighorn River. Approximately 258 of Custer's men were killed or mortally wounded, including Custer.

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