The Battle of the Little Bighorn

Summary

The Battle of the Little Bighorn occurred on June 25-26, 1876, in Montana Territory when a combined force of Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors defeated the 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The battle resulted in the deaths of Custer and approximately 268 of his men, making it the U.S. Army's most significant defeat during the Indian Wars. The victory, led by leaders including Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, represented the peak of Native American military resistance to U.S. expansion into the Great Plains. Despite this tactical victory, the battle ultimately accelerated U.S. military efforts to force Plains tribes onto reservations.