Battle of the Little Bighorn

Significance

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, fought June 25–26, 1876, along the Little Bighorn River in the Crow Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana Territory, was the most significant engagement of the Great Sioux War of 1876. Combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho defeated the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, killing 268 U.S. soldiers against estimated Sioux casualties of 100–168. The defeat—among the most complete suffered by the U.S. Army in the Plains Wars—shocked the American public and accelerated the federal military response against the Lakota and their allies, ultimately driving the broader campaign toward its conclusion in 1877. The battle became a defining moment in the cultural memory of both the United States and the Lakota people, known to the latter as the Battle of the Greasy Grass.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (11)