Battle of the Little Bighorn

I am sort of a history buff. I enjoy reading history and seeing historical sights and places. Deputation, though the years, has offered our family the opportunity to visit such places as Washington D.C., Appomattox Courthouse, Gettysburg, Liberty Hall and the Liberty Bell, among other places. One of those other places that I just had the opportunity to re-visit was the Battle of the Little Bighorn Monument in Montana. The experience begins with a video and displays in the Visitors’ Center. Following the center you walk up the hill and see the place where the Last Stand took place and you can read the names of the fallen soldiers on the monument at the top of the hill. Next comes the horse monument where the remains of the soldiers' horses where buried. The soldiers themselves shot their horses and used their bodies for protection against the fire of the Lakota warriors. A visit to the Indian Monument commemorating those who fought to preserve their way of life against the onslaught of the growing white man’s culture and presence ends the tour of Last Stand Hill. All in all it is a very touching and sobering visit. The Bighorn monument, like Gettysburg, draws emphasis that our country was born, grown and matured through conflict. It also raises questions that are difficult to answer: Could the American Indian have been incorporated into the expanding nation without their way of life being destroyed? Would history have been different if our founding fathers had implemented George Washington’s desire to grant full citizenship to the American Indian from the beginning of our country? How could the Washington government wage a war of extermination against the American Indian when it had recently gone through a horrible Civil War to guarantee freedom and rights to all within its boundaries? How can the string of broken treaties be explained away and justified by American History? Why do present day activists use the Native American Heritage in a deceptive manner, ignoring the fact that the different tribes were often at war with each other? How much different would the present day plight of Native Americans be had the US government acted in good faith with them from the beginning?

History is what it is and we can’t change it. We may try to reinterpret it and rewrite it but the fact remains, it is what it is. Our big challenge is to try to learn from it and not to repeat its mistakes.

 Below are some pictures taken at the monument and at the adjoining National Cemetery.

Marker showing the spot on the hill where Gen. Custer fell.

Monument to the soldiers who fell here. The remains of many of them are buried beneath the monument.

Inscription at the bottom of the monument.

The soldiers' horses are honored here.

In the last years markers have also been added to show where warriors fell.

My favorite sign to see anywhere!

Wooden Leg, Cheyenne warrior who fought in the battle.

From the Indian Monument.

Indian Memorial.

Detail.

Dr. Marquis interviewed many of the warriors who fought in the battle and later wrote several books about the battle.

Grave of White Man Runs Him, one of Custer's Indian scouts. Custer released the scouts before the battle and encouraged them to try to make it to safety.