The battle of little bighorn

The battle of little bighorn

1. The battle of little bighorn was the most decisive defeat for the U.S army during all of the indian wars

   • Chiefs Crazy horse and Sitting Bull refused to accept the peace of of 1868
     • Gold was discovered in the Black hills in 1874
       • The sioux refused to sell their land in the Black Hills
         • The government ordered the sioux into small reservations when the sioux refused they were declared hostile.

2. General Phillip was sent to defeat the sioux

   • In june 1876 US armies, led by the generals Alfred Terry and John Gibbon met at the yellowstone river
     • Gibbon was set to march up the Little Bighorn River and LT Custer was ordered to march round the Wolf mountains
       • As part of a two pronged attack on the sioux camp

3. The sioux had been joined by the Cheyenne and Arapho, making an army of more than 3000 warriors armed with rifles

   • Custer marched his men through not round the Wolf Mountains to arrive at the sioux camp first.
     • Custer divided his 600 men into 3 groups

4. Custer sent Captain Fredericks Benteen scouting and sent Major Marcus Reno to attack the sioux village from the south

   • Custer headed north of the village with 215