CUSTER BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL MONUMENT • MONTANA II i«l M A Three-pronged Campaign the valleys of the Rosebud and Little Big­ location of the Indian encampment. The main body of hostile Indians concen­ horn. From a high point on the divide, About 2 p.m. as they neared the river, they trated in southeastern Montana Territory, Custer's scouts spotted signs of the Sioux- sighted a band of Sioux warriors a short dis­ Custer Battlefield south of the Yellowstone River. Here were Cheyenne encampment about 15 miles away tance ahead. Custer ordered Reno to pursue their hunting grounds. Here, too, as a rally­ in the valley of the Little Bighorn. At almost them. ing point for resistance, was the dynamic the same time, a few Indians, erroneously pre­ Urging his command forward at a sharp National Monument Sioux leader, Sitting Bull. sumed to be scouts from the Indian encamp­ trot, Reno took after the fleeing Indians. He Army plans called for three converging ment, were discovered near the cavalry pursued them to the Little Bighorn, crossed the river, and continued down the valley. As Scene of one of the last important Indian resistances to the westward columns—from south, west, and east—to column. Fearing that the Indians in the valley he neared the present site of Garryowen Post march of the white man's civilization, in which Lt. Col. George A. close in upon the Indians and force them to return to their reservations. The first contact would be warned and would escape if he did Office, the Indian village came into view. Custer and his immediate command met defeat and death. was a battle in March, fought by part of Brig. not act immediately, Custer ordered his From its southern fringe, Sioux warriors in Gen. George Crook's column approaching troops forward. The divide was crossed heavy force rode out to intercept him. On two hot June days in 1876, the valley of of the Indian Wars have been reinterred in from the south. Later, on June 17, Crook about noon. During a short halt, Custer re­ After Reno's battalion left the main col­ the Little Bighorn River in Montana was the the National Cemetery at this monument. was attacked by a large Sioux-Cheyenne force organized the regiment into 3 battalions. He umn, Custer continued on north along the scene of bitter warfare between white man about 25 miles southeast of Custer Battlefield. retained 5 companies under his immediate east side of the river. and Indian. Here, 261 regular soldiers and After a hard-fought battle, Crook withdrew command; 3 companies each were assigned attached personnel of the United States Army and played no part in the Battle of the Little to Maj. Marcus A. Reno and Capt. Frederick Causes of the Campaign Against the Sioux Reno's Fight in the Valley lost their lives in one of the most important Bighorn. W. Benteen; and 1 company was assigned to battles of the northern Indian Wars. in 1876 Meanwhile, the columns from west and guard the slow-moving pack train. When the Indians rushed out to fight him, For the troopers of the 7th U.S. Cavalry When the Civil War ended in 1865, the east marched to their meeting place at a Immediately, Benteen was ordered to scout Reno formed his men into line. Forward Looking across the Little Bighorn to the scene of Reno's action in the valley from a restored Maj. Gen. George A. Custer in 1865. Regiment who fought here, the Battle of the white man's great westward emigration re­ point on the Yellowstone River about 70 the bluffs to the left of the main force. As they rode, appalled by the numbers of Sioux trench at the Reno-Benteen defense site on the bluff. Courtesy, Signal Corps, U.S. Army. Little Bighorn was another of the fierce sumed with vigor. Collisions with the In­ miles northeast of Custer Battlefield. Col. soon as Benteen had left, the Custer and Reno ahead. Reno believed that his force could struggles in the Indian Wars which finally dians inevitably arose. The frontiersmen John Gibbon's column had marched from battalions took leave of the pack train and not charge through the horde in front of him mount was given and a line of battle was tion was distributed. By about 5 p.m., la­ Fort Shaw, Montana Territory. Brig. Gen. headed down what is now Reno Creek toward and that his best chance was to dismount his quickly formed while the horses were led to boriously carrying their wounded, Reno's resulted in conquest of the Great Plains. For pushed into the Indians' domain with scant The Indians saw that their treaty guaran­ Alfred H. Terry, who commanded the entire the Little Bighorn River and the supposed men and fight on foot. The order to dis- the timber near the river. Outflanked by column began moving northward to join the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians, it was a regard for the sanctity of hunting grounds tees meant nothing to these men. They expedition, had led the other column from warriors, the troopers themselves soon with­ Custer. great victory, but their last, in their stubborn or the fine print in treaty agreements. The watched the sincere but unsuccessful efforts Fort Abraham Lincoln, near Bismarck, Da­ drew into the timber. When they reached a high bluff now called defense of an independent, nomadic way of Indians, shoved farther and farther back by of the Government to halt the stream of Maj. Marcus A. Reno, Seventh United States Capt. Frederick W. Benteen, Seventh United kota Territory. The 7th Cavalry made up the Indians infiltrated this wooded area and Weir Point, about a mile from their start­ life. this relentless tide, resisted the invaders. miners coming into the Indian lands. They Cavalry. Photo by D. F. Barry. States Cavalry. Photo by D. F. Barry. largest contingent of this latter column. eventually surrounded the battalion. To ing place, they observed many mounted In­ During the battle, Lt. Col. George A. To bring an end to the Indian conflict, the saw that even when the Army evicted hun­ save his men from certain destruction, Reno dians milling around in the distance, about 4 Custer and every member of his immediate Government, in 1868 at Fort Laramie, Wyo., dreds of miners, thousands more came to fill On June 21, Terry outlined his plan of led them in a wild retreat across the river and miles ahead (on what is now called the command of about 225 men were killed. induced about one-half of the hostile Sioux their places. Finally, convinced that the attack. The plan was made without knowl­ up onto the bluffs on the east side. Sioux Custer Battlefield). But nothing could be They were 5 miles north of the rest of and Cheyenne to sign a treaty. By its terms, peace agreed to in 1868 had been broken, the edge of Crook's fight just 4 days previously. warriors attacked the troopers unmercifully seen of Custer or his men. the regiment when they made their stand they were given the western half of present Indians began to leave their reservations and Custer was to proceed southwestward and during the retreat, and casualties were high. against the Indians and not one man survived South Dakota for a permanent reservation, to listen to those among their chiefs who place his force south of the Indian concen­ The mass of Indians sighted the troopers to tell the story of this part of the battle. with hunting rights extending to the Big counseled renewed resistance to the white tration, which was supposed to be in the It was about 4 p.m. when Reno's battalion on Weir Point and began to gallop toward Ever since this somber news first shocked the Horn Mountains of Wyoming. man. valley of the Little Bighorn River. Gibbon, finally reached the bluffs. Routed, exhausted, them. Soon the soldiers were on the defen­ with Terry accompanying, was to march up and nearly out of ammunition, they might sive, fighting off the Indians. Judging that Nation more than 80 years ago, mystery has Less than 6 years later, in 1874, Colonel The Indians became more and more hos­ the Yellowstone River, then up the Bighorn have been annihilated if the main body of their original position on the bluffs was the surrounded "Custer's Last Stand." Custer led the 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment on tile. In anticipation of an outbreak, the In­ and Little Bighorn Rivers, placing his force Sioux had not now hurried northward after best one for defense, Reno and Benteen made This National Monument memorializes the an official reconnaissance into the Black Hills, dian Commissioner, in December 1875, across the Indians' northern line of retreat. Custer's column. A few moments later, Ben­ an orderly withdrawal to it. sacrifices and heroism of the United States heart of the Indian reservation. Prospectors issued an ultimatum to the Indians ordering Terry's objective was to catch the Indians teen, back from his scout to the left, joined Fierce fighting continued, finally broken Army in the conquest and pacification of the who accompanied the expedition discovered them to return to their respective reservations between the two forces, thus compelling them the shaken Reno. off by the Indians when darkness came. As western frontier. Appropriately, remains of gold. When the news spread, hordes of gold before January 31, 1876. Weather condi­ to make a stand. the tired men rested fitfully, they wondered many soldiers who were killed in other battles seekers invaded the region. tions prevented the peaceful Indians from about Custer. They assumed that he either complying with the order; the more hostile The Reno-Benteen Siege was holed up like themselves or had been groups made no attempt to obey it. The Sec­ The Battle Begins The National Park System, of which this area is a unit, is dedicated to conserving the The combined command now made ready forced northward toward the Terry-Gibbon retary of the Interior, who administered In­ Custer began his march to the south on June scenic, scientific, and historic heritage of the United States for the benefit and inspiration for action. Sounds of heavy gunfire to the column. No one dreamed that he and all his dian affairs, then called upon the War De­ 22. At dawn of the 25th, his column was a of its people. north indicated that Custer was engaged. As men lay dead on their battlefield to the north. partment to enforce the order. few miles east of the divide that separates soon as the pack animals came up, ammuni­ At dawn on the 26th, the Indians renewed 3 2 4 5 their attack against the harried band on the Under war chiefs Lame White Man, Crazy hill. Wounded men suffered terribly from Horse, and Two Moon, the Indians covered thirst in the dusty heat and many heroic deeds their movements by using the many ravines CUSTER BATTLEFIELD were performed that day—some of them by a and ridges that mark the battlefield topog­ group of volunteers who left the hill en­ raphy. A favorite tactic was to creep up trenchment to go to the river and get water close, then, on the principle of mortar fire, NATIONAL MONUMENT . MONTANA for the wounded men. to arch arrows into the groups of soldiers. By late afternoon the Indians began to Thus the Indians wrought havoc without ex­ withdraw. A few of them stayed behind, posing themselves to retaliation. When de­ however, to keep the besieged soldiers under fenses were weakened, they could then finish fire until 6 p.m. In the valley below, the the soldiers off in final, deadly rushes. great Indian encampment filed off toward Beyond these bare facts, little is certain. the Big Horn Mountains. Custer's actions suggest what his battle plan might have been. Perhaps he intended to ride quickly to the opposite end of the village Terry and Gibbon Arrive—The Custer and deliver a devastating cavalry charge Fight Reconstructed through it from the north, thus catching the Through the night of June 26—27, Reno's village between his and Reno's attacks. command remained on the bluffs. On the Whatever his plan was, it died with him. morning of the 27th, scouts of the Terry- In the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the View from Custer Hill: Markers in foreground show where Custer's men fell; visitor center Gibbon column, which had approached from 7th U.S. Cavalry lost the 5 companies that and National Cemetery appear in distance. the north, discovered the dead of Custer's were under Custer. The other 7 companies command on the ridge where they fell east of of the regiment, under Reno and Benteen, the river. Subsequently, contact was made suffered additional casualties of 47 dead and How To Reach the Monument pits and trenches on the original defense lines. Then, stopping along the route on with Reno's command. It was then that the 52 wounded. Altogether, the dead num­ Custer Battlefield is in southeastern Montana, your return, you can read the interpretive Reno-Benteen group first learned of Custer's bered 261 officers, men, civilians, and Indian about 15 miles south of the town of Hardin. signs and markers located at the other im­ fate. scouts. Except for Custer and his officers, U.S. 87 passes just a mile west of the monu­ portant battlesites. As soon as the scene of Custer's stand was those killed in the battle are buried around ment. State Route 8 connects the monument No camping or picnicking facilities are discovered, attempts to reconstruct his battle the base of the granite memorial on the Cus­ with U.S. 12 at Broadus, Mont. available at the monument. There is a motel plan and actions began; and such is the lure ter Battlefield. Most of the officers' bodies near the monument entrance and additional of the battle's mystery that reconstructions are were exhumed and sent elsewhere a year after accommodations are at Hardin and Lodge still attempted today. Definitely known are the battle. Custer's remains are interred at About Your Visit Grass. these facts: (1) About 3 p.m. Custer and his West Point. You can visit the battlefield from 7 a.m. to immediate command were on the east side of Indian losses are not known. Probably 6 p.m., Memorial Day through Labor Day; at Administration the Little Bighorn, headed in a northerly less than 100 were killed. other times of the year, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. direction; (2) some miles farther on they Just inside the monument entrance is the Custer Battlefield National Monument is ad­ moved onto the ridge now called Custer Hill, visitor center, open at the same times indi­ ministered by the National Park Service, U.S. The Monument dismounted, fought, and were destroyed by cated above, except from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Department of the Interior. A superintend­ possibly 2,500 to 4,000 Indian warriors; (3) Custer Battlefield was made a National Ceme­ during the off-season. Here maps, photo­ ent, whose address is Crow Agency, Mont., when Reno's command reached Weir Point tery by order of the Secretary of War in 1879. graphs, and dioramas tell the story of the is in immediate charge. between 5 and 6 p.m., observers could not It was transferred from the War Department battle. We suggest that you come to the detect Custer's command, although they did to the National Park Service, U.S. Depart­ visitor center before you begin your tour of Mission 66 see a large mass of mounted warriors about 4 ment of the Interior, in 1940. The name was the battlefield. Mission 66 is a program designed to be com­ miles northward. changed to Custer Battlefield National Monu­ During the summer, National Park Service pleted by 1966 which will assure the maxi­ Indian accounts reveal some features of the ment in 1946. The 1.2 square miles of the ranger-historians conduct tours and give his­ mum protection of the scenic, scientific, wil­ Custer fight. Early in the struggle, war chief monument contain the National Cemetery, torical talks about the area. derness, and historic resources of the Na­ United States Department of the Interior Gall of the Uncpapa Sioux led a mounted the ridge where Custer and his men made You can best reconstruct this historic battle tional Park System in such ways and by such FRED A. SEATON, Secretary charge which apparently overwhelmed the their stand against the Indians, and, in a sep­ by driving first to the Reno-Benteen defense means as will make them available for the southern part of the battleline. However, arate section upstream, the site of the Reno- site (about 5 miles from the monument en­ use and enjoyment of present and future NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, CONRAD L. WIRTH, Director most of the fighting was done on foot. Benteen defense perimeter. trance) where foot trails lead to restored rifle generations. 1959 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1959—0-496533 6 7 8