Little Bighorn Battle Marked 150 Years Ago

On June 25, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and soldiers from five of the 7th Cavalry's twelve companies were killed when Native American warriors surrounded their position at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Men in the unit killed their horses and used the bodies as defensive positions.

The engagement occurred two weeks before the United States marked its centennial on July 4, 1876.

Background on the Battle and Its Aftermath The outcome was reported as a victory for Native American forces and a defeat for U.S. cavalry units. A cavalry horse named Comanche, wounded multiple times, survived and later served as a symbol during centennial observances. The deaths of Lakota Chief Sitting Bull in 1890 and the events at Wounded Knee in 1891 followed the battle.

The plan had been advanced during the prior administration. Wendell Yellow Bull, an Oglala Lakota County commissioner and Marine veteran, had been consulted during earlier review of the medal revocation. Yellow Bull is the great-grandson of Joseph Horn Cloud, a survivor of Wounded Knee, and has recounted testimony from Dewey Beard, who survived both the Little Bighorn battle and Wounded Knee.

Signs at the Little Bighorn National Monument battlefield site that referenced broken promises to Native American tribes were removed earlier this year. An order reversing the removal was later issued by a federal judge. It remains unclear whether the signs will be reinstated before scheduled commemorations of the battle's 150th anniversary.