• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • ISLAMIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN (LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD)

December 9, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Little Bighorn, Montana (1876 AD)

The Battle of Little Bighorn was arguably the most famous engagement in the centuries-long series of wars between the United States and its predecessors and the Native American tribes who populated the North American continent.  Featuring two of the Indian Wars’ best known antagonists, Armstrong Custer and Crazy Horse, it was also the greatest Native American history in the wars, though in the end it failed to put a stop to the relentless drive of pioneers and settlers arriving in the American west.  The Battle of Little Bighorn made Crazy Horse a household name, and in the end he became a hero not only among the various western indian tribes but among all Americans.  The battle is now commemorated by the descendents of both sides.

History

The history of the Indian Wars in the United States traces its roots back to the arrival of the first settlers in the 17th century, but the conflict west of the Mississippi did not begin in earnest until the mid-19th century.  In the years before, during and after the American Civil war, settlers from both the East Coast and Europe began swarming into the Great Plains in search of land for farming and grazing, as well as to make fortunes searching for mineral wealth.

In the area now encompassed by the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming, native American tribes including the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapahoe were well established.  These tribes in their remote territories avoided involvement in the wars that previously had engaged their eastern brethren.  However, by the late 1870s, despite a treaty in which the American government recognized the automony of these lands, white pioneers began encroaching in the areas.  This process was accelerated by the discovery of gold in the black hills, which encouraged the arrival of thousands of well-armed prospectors.

From 1868 to 1875, the two sides managed to maintain a semblance of peace; but in 1876 open hostilities broke out in what became known as the Great Sioux War.  Thousands of Nativa Americans, led by such luminaries as Sitting Bull, arose in defiance of the broken treaties and set out to protect their land.  In response, the United States began sending in large military forces to deal with the rebellion.  Most notably, they sent in the U.S. Seventh Cavalry under the command of civil war hero Colonel Armstrong Custer.  In June Custer’s cavalry set out to crush the native forces.  However, he seriously underestimated his opponents, especially the indian war chief Crazy Horse, and foolishly divided his forces.

Thanks to this tactical blunder, and to the vastly superior scouting on the part of Crazy Horse’s forces, Custers troops found themselves divied and outnumbered at every turn.  Eventually cornered on what is now known as Custer Hill, a large part of the Seventh Cavalary made their last stand.  The American forces present suffered nearly 100 percent casualties, including Custer who was killed, and this accounted for nearly half of the 7th.  This victory was the greatest moment of glory for the native Americans in the Indian Wars, but in the end only put off the final day of reckoning for a little while.

Visiting

There are several sites along the Little Bighorn River associated with the battle.  These have been incorporated in the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.  This area includes the large exposed field where Custer’s Last Stand took place, and the cemetery where most of the fallen from the battle are buried.  A large, obelisk-like monument stands in the cemetery to commemorate the battle and the fallen.  Also of related interest is the Crazy Horse Monument located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, which commemorates the battle from the victor’s stand point.

The Little Bighorn Battlefield is located on the Montana prairie, approximately seventy miles east of Billings.  It is an open site.  There is no charge for admission.  Website: www.nps.gov/libi (official website).

Filed Under: Battlefield Tagged With: US-Pacific Northwest

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2023 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.