Crazy Horse: The Oglala leader who defied the US government all the way to Little Bighorn

Crazy Horse’s Final Triumph Over Custer’s Cavalry

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana marks the spot where Crazy Horse led his most famous charge against George Custer’s battalion.

Born with unusual fair skin and curly hair, this Oglala war chief earned his name from a vision of a warrior riding untouched through battle.

Unlike other leaders, he refused to sign treaties with the U.S. government. On June 25, 1876, Crazy Horse joined Sitting Bull in the fight that wiped out Custer’s entire command of 280 men.

Here’s the story of the uncompromising warrior who never surrendered until starvation forced his hand.

Custer’s Scouts Spotted Sitting Bull’s Village At Dawn

The sun barely peeked over the horizon that Sunday morning of June 25, 1876, as men and boys took their horses to graze. The tired Seventh Cavalry had stopped to rest at 2 a.m. after a long march.

When Bloody Knife, one of Custer’s scouts, warned they would “find enough Sioux to keep us fighting two or three days,” Custer brushed him off.

“I guess we’ll get through them in one day,” he replied, totally missing what waited for his troops.

Thousands Of Native Americans Gathered In A Massive Camp

A huge village stretched along the Little Bighorn River flats that day. Between 6,000 and 7,000 Native Americans had set up at least six camps side by side.

The Cheyennes camped at the northern end near a ford where Medicine Tail Coulee and Muskrat Creek met the river. The Oglala made up the largest group, with the Hunkpapa close behind in numbers.

Together, these two tribes had around 700 lodges. Custer’s Crow scouts told him it was the biggest native village they’d ever seen.

Custer Split His Forces Into Three Groups At Noon

Around midday on June 25, Custer made a choice that would cost lives. To stop Sitting Bull’s followers from escaping, he split his regiment into three groups.

He sent Major Marcus A. Reno with three companies to charge straight into the village from the south.

Captain Frederick W. Benteen took three more companies to block Indians trying to flee southward.

Custer led five companies to attack from the north, spreading his forces across miles of rough land.

Warriors Rushed To Defend Their Families When The Alarm Spread

Word of soldiers coming spread quickly through the village. Sitting Bull helped organize the defense and moved women and children to safety.

Crazy Horse gathered many warriors to fight the attackers. Two Moon, a Cheyenne chief, rode through his camp shouting, “I am Two Moon, your chief. Don’t run away. Stay here and fight.”

Many Indian elders reacted slowly at first.

“We sat there smoking,” one later said, not fully seeing the threat until warriors rushed to their horses.

Reno’s Men Fled In Panic After Their Attack Failed

Major Reno’s troops crossed the Little Bighorn and started shooting at the village, even at non-fighters. Within minutes, hundreds of Indian warriors showed up to face them.

The battle lines quickly turned messy – “Sioux, then soldiers, then more Sioux, and all shooting,” as one witness said. The warriors soon beat Reno’s troops, forcing them to run back across the river.

Many soldiers died during this scared retreat, and survivors climbed steep bluffs to safer spots.

The General Moved North As His Men Heard Gunfire

Custer reached the mouth of Muskrat Creek and Medicine Tail Coulee around 4:15 p.m., just as a small group of soldiers turned back from the river toward higher ground. The troops with Reno, now dug in about four miles south, heard three rounds of heavy gunfire starting around 4:25 p.m.

According to Red Horse, a Lakota warrior, “Custer’s troops made five different stands.” Each fight lasted only about ten minutes. Native American fighters quickly surrounded Custer’s men on three sides.

Brief Clashes Erupted Along The Backbone Ridge

The battle happened in quick, deadly clashes starting near Minneconjou Ford, then moving to Calhoun Ridge, Calhoun Hill, and the Keogh site.

Just before the final collapse, Custer’s men held a single line along the half-mile ridge from Calhoun Hill to Custer Hill. Though they lost men, most of the force stayed together.

The fighting looked like a running battle, with survivors from each clash moving along the ridge toward Custer at the far end.

The War Chief Led A Surprise Attack That Changed Everything

What broke the soldiers’ defense was a sudden charge over the ridge by many mounted warriors. Many witnesses said Crazy Horse personally led this key attack.

The Lakota said Crazy Horse guided a huge group of warriors who beat the cavalrymen in a surprise attack from the northeast.

After firing their rifles at the charging warriors, the soldiers had to reload their single-shot guns. In that key moment, Crazy Horse and his men rushed over the ridge into the soldier’s positions.

Soldiers Panicked As Their Battle Line Collapsed

Chaos broke out among the troops as Crazy Horse’s charge cut through their line.

The soldiers around Calhoun Hill suddenly found themselves cut off from those closer to Custer Hill. Warriors broke directly into the soldier formations, clubbing and stabbing them up close.

The military chain of command fell apart as officers died and panic spread. One Native American witness described the final phase: “Then the shooting was quick, quick.

Pop-pop-pop very fast. Some of the soldiers were down on their knees, some standing.

Custer Made His Last Stand With Forty Men

About forty men gathered on Custer Hill for a final defense around their commander. According to Indian accounts, this last group managed to fire several volleys before being beaten.

“At last all horses killed but five,” recalled one warrior. “Once in a while some man would break out and run toward the river, but he would fall.”

The fighting moved so quickly that most Native American accounts agree the entire Custer fight lasted less than half an hour from first clash to the final soldier’s death.

Not A Single Soldier Survived The Swift Defeat

When the dust settled, Custer, nine officers, and 280 enlisted men lay dead on the battlefield.

David Humphreys Miller, who interviewed the last Lakota survivors between 1935 and 1955, found that the entire Custer fight lasted less than 30 minutes.

Other Native American accounts claimed the battle took only “as long as it takes a hungry man to eat a meal.”

Crazy Horse’s leadership proved crucial – without his decisive charge that split the cavalry forces and prevented reinforcements from linking up, the battle might have ended very differently for the 7th Cavalry.

Visiting Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Montana

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is at Crow Agency, Montana off Exit 510 from Interstate 90. Entrance costs $25 per vehicle or $20 for motorcycles.

The visitor center is closed Monday-Thursday through fall 2025 for construction. You can walk the Deep Ravine Trail with self-guided booklets and drive the 4.5-mile battlefield tour road to the Reno-Benteen site. Red granite markers mark where warriors fell, including Crazy Horse’s memorial.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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