Document 8: The Battle of Little Bighorn
In 1868, the U.S. and Lakota Indians signed a treaty that created a large reservation for
the Lakota people in Wyoming, Montana, and Dakota Territories. This included the Black
Hills, which were sacred to the Lakota. When gold was discovered there in 1874, miners
rushed to the area. Rather than
protect the Indian territory, the
U.S. government protected the
settlers intruding on the Lakota’s
land. The Lakota were forced to
take matters into their own
hands, and began to conduct
raids against the settlers. When
the U.S. government ordered the
Lakota back to their reservation,
they refused.
Pictured above: Sitting Bull
­Lakota holy man and chief who led the
Lakota to victory at the Battle of Little Bighorn
­Also a holy man: had a vision in which he saw
the defeat of U.S. forces before Little Bighorn
The Lakota, under the command of Chief Sitting Bull, gathered
with Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians near the Little Bighorn River
in Montana. U.S. Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer
and his troops stumbled upon this village on June 25, 1876.
Underestimating the number of Indians gathered at Little Bighorn
(around 2,000 in total) and impatient to fight, Custer ordered his
men to attack. It was only when U.S. forces had began their
charge on the village did Custer realize he was outnumbered four
to one. Hundreds of Lakota warriors overwhelmed Custer’s
troops, killing them all in a battle that is often called “Custer’s Last
Stand.” The Lakota had proven that the Plains Indians would not
easily be beaten by U.S. forces.
News of the massacre shocked Americans. Even
more determined to stop the Indian threat to settlers,
General Philip Sheridan ordered thousands of U.S.
troops to the region to hunt down the Lakota Indians
and force them to surrender.
In Your Answer Packet...
Document 8: The Battle of Little Bighorn
● On page 3 of your answer packet, answer Document 8 Questions:
○ Who was Sitting Bull?
■ Describe
○ What happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn?
■ Summarize the Battle (who fought, why, who won, etc)
○ How did the U.S. military respond to the Battle of Little Bighorn?
■ What did General Sheridan do?