Native Warriors on Both Sides of the Battle of Little Bighorn

As part of our document spotlight series, today we bring you primary sources related to the Battle of Little Bighorn.

One hundred and forty-one years ago, from the evening of June 25, 1876, to dusk on the 26th, General Armstrong Custer and his troops engaged in battle with the Sioux and Cheyenne at the Battle of Little Bighorn in Montana Territory.  As was often the case from the colonial through the expansion eras, Native Americans aligned on both sides of the battle; although in this case, only a few Army Scouts were involved with Custer.

Access Primary Sources in the National Archives Catalog:

• Copy of General Alfred Terry’s telegram reporting the Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25, 1876, and the defeat of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer.
• First Report of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, From Gen. Alfred H. Terry, Montana, to Assistant Adjutant General R.C. Drum, Chicago June 27, 1876

Sioux & Cheyenne Leaders at the Battle:

U.S. Army Scouts:

Several detailed accounts of this event and events following can be found across the internet, including:

• From the National Park Service
• The Archives of the West (PBS)
• Smithsonian Magazine (includes Native Accounts)
• National Archives’ Prologue Magazine Articles:
  • Custer’s Trials: A Life on the Frontier of America
  • A Victor in Defeat: Chief Gall’s Life on the Standing Rock Reservation