ORDER OF BATTLE // January 1, 1876
Battle of Slim Buttes
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
1 sides catalogued · combined 1,200 estimated
United States
1,200
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Slim Buttes, fought September 9–10, 1876, on the Great Sioux Reservation, marked the first significant U.S. Army victory since the defeat of General George Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn in June 1876. Fought between forces under George Crook and Miniconjou Sioux fighters including American Horse and Crazy Horse, the engagement reversed a period of sustained reversal for the army and demonstrated that U.S. forces could press offensive operations against Lakota resistance into the autumn of the campaign season. Within the broader arc of the Great Sioux War of 1876–1877, Slim Buttes signaled a shift in momentum after Little Bighorn had left the army on the strategic defensive.
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