THE LITTLE BIGHORN

In 1876, United States soldiers were sent to make the Sioux and Cheyenne
Indians move onto a reservation—a section of land where they would
have to stay. But the Indians decided to fight for their sacred hunting
grounds and their freedom.

Lieutenant Colonel George Custer, commanding the Seventh Cavalry, was
ordered to get behind the Indians and trap them. But Custer divided his
men into three groups. Then, with one group of about two hundred men, he
attacked the Indians near the Little Bighorn River. The Indians, under
Chief Crazy Horse, greatly outnumbered the soldiers. Custer and all his
men were killed. One horse, named Comanche, was the only survivor.

This battle, which took place in Montana, is known as the Battle of the
Little Bighorn. But, for a long time, many people thought of it as
Custer’s Last Stand. Today, the battlefield is part of the Little
Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana.

This painting by Frederic Remington is called Custers Last Stand.