Crazy Horse and Custer

1. Two Warriors, Two Worlds

Crazy Horse and Custer, like their societies, were as different as life and death.

Parallel lives. Born around the same time (Crazy Horse 1841, Custer 1839), these two American warriors led remarkably parallel lives, both dying violently within a year of each other. They were "war lovers," men of aggression, supreme courage, and natural-born leaders who were always first to charge and last to retreat. Neither drank, both were avid hunters, and both loved horses, finding endless delight in galloping across the Great Plains.

Contrasting backgrounds. Despite similarities, their worlds were fundamentally different. Crazy Horse grew up in the communal, nomadic Oglala Sioux society, where property was for use, not accumulation, and individual freedom was paramount. Custer was raised in a disciplined, ambitious Ohio family, part of a rapidly expanding American society that valued individual wealth, progress, and conquest. Their paths, though parallel, were set on a collision course.

Inevitable clash. Their lives converged on the Great Plains, a vast, contested territory. They met only twice on the battlefield: first on the Yellowstone in 1873, and finally on the Little Bighorn in 1876. Their story is a microcosm of the larger conflict between two irreconcilable cultures, one seeking to preserve a traditional way of life, the other driven by an insatiable desire for expansion and "progress."

2. Societal Foundations: Freedom vs. Progress

The American is a new man who acts on new principles.

Sioux individualism. Crazy Horse's Oglala society emphasized individual freedom and communal sharing. Children were rarely punished, learning through observation and imitation. Leadership was consensual, not authoritarian, with no single chief holding absolute power. This fostered fierce independence but hindered unified action against external threats.

• No compulsion: Individuals did as they pleased, so long as no one was hurt.
• Egalitarian: Wealth (ponies) was given away to prevent class divisions.
• Fluid leadership: Chiefs were peacemakers and orators, not commanders.

American dynamism. Custer's America was driven by ambition, hard work, and a belief in "manifest destiny." Education instilled discipline and respect for authority, preparing individuals for a competitive, hierarchical society. Progress was visible everywhere, fueled by an insatiable desire to transform nature and expand territory.

• Work ethic: Labor was seen as godly and rewarded.
• Social mobility: Anyone could become rich or famous.
• Conquest: Expansion was crucial for economic and social vitality.

Clash of values. These divergent societal values inevitably led to conflict. The Sioux's communal, present-focused existence clashed with America's individualistic, future-oriented drive. The white man's concept of "improving" the land justified dispossessing Indians who "neglected" it, setting the stage for war.

3. The Lure of Combat and Personal Glory

Fighting for fun is rare. Only such men as … Custer and some others, attacked whenever they got a chance, and of their own accord.

Shared passion for war. Both Crazy Horse and Custer were "war lovers," finding immense joy and purpose in combat. For Crazy Horse, warfare against rival tribes like the Crows and Shoshonis was a source of honor, a test of bravery, and a means to acquire horses. For Custer, the Civil War was a "glorious war" that offered rapid promotion, fame, and the thrill of the saber charge.

Bravery as currency. In both societies, bravery was the most admired masculine virtue. Crazy Horse earned his status as a "shirt-wearer" through daring feats, while Custer's reckless courage propelled him to general officer rank at a young age. Both men deliberately exposed themselves to danger, leading from the front and inspiring their followers.

• Crazy Horse: Counted coup, stole horses, never left a wounded comrade.
• Custer: Led saber charges, volunteered for dangerous missions (e.g., balloon reconnaissance).

Contrasting objectives. While both sought glory, their ultimate goals differed. Crazy Horse fought to protect his people's way of life and win prestige within his tribe, often with minimal casualties. Custer fought for personal fame, power, and the Union, often at a high cost in lives, viewing combat as a "sport" or "chase" against the "game" of the enemy.

4. The Fetterman Disaster: Indian Triumph

With eighty men, I can ride through the entire Sioux nation.

Underestimating the enemy. In 1866, Captain William Fetterman, a Civil War veteran, boasted he could defeat the entire Sioux nation with just eighty men. This hubris, coupled with the Army's general contempt for Indian fighting capabilities, set the stage for a devastating defeat at Fort Phil Kearny. Fetterman's inexperience with Plains warfare and his disregard for caution proved fatal.

Red Cloud's strategic genius. Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, and other hostile leaders orchestrated a brilliant three-year siege of the Bozeman Trail forts. Their strategy focused on cutting off supplies and luring soldiers into ambushes. Crazy Horse, a skilled tactical leader, refined the decoy tactic, drawing out unsuspecting troops.

• Indian alliance: Oglalas, Miniconjous, Hunkpapas, Cheyennes, Arapahoes united.
• Guerrilla tactics: Hit-and-run raids, constant harassment, cutting off wood and water.
• Effective intelligence: Scouts monitored fort activities and troop movements.

The Fetterman Fight. On December 21, 1866, Crazy Horse's decoy party successfully lured Fetterman and eighty-one soldiers beyond Lodge Trail Ridge, directly into a massive ambush of two thousand warriors. The soldiers, armed with single-shot rifles, were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and continuous arrow fire. Fetterman and all his men were killed, marking one of the U.S. Army's worst defeats in the Indian Wars.

• Decoy strategy: Crazy Horse feigned retreat, drawing Fetterman into a trap.
• Overwhelming force: Two thousand warriors against eighty-one soldiers.
• Devastating outcome: All eighty-one soldiers killed, at a cost of only thirteen Indian lives.

5. Custer's Plains Debut: Ambition and Blunders

I did not marry you for you to live in one house, me in another. One bed shall accommodate us both.

Post-Civil War career. After the Civil War, Custer's volunteer commission expired, reducing him to a captain. He sought new opportunities, rejecting politics and business for the allure of the frontier Army. His assignment to the 7th Cavalry in Kansas in 1867 offered a chance to restore his fame, tarnished by political entanglements and a court-martial.

Hancock's disastrous campaign. General Winfield Scott Hancock's 1867 expedition, with Custer leading the 7th Cavalry, aimed to clear Indians from Kansas and Nebraska. Despite a massive force, Hancock's ignorance of Indian ways and his burning of a Cheyenne village provoked a widespread war. Custer, initially eager for combat, found himself frustrated by the elusive enemy.

• Lack of intelligence: Neither Hancock nor Custer understood Plains Indians or their tactics.
• Provocation: Burning a friendly Cheyenne village turned many tribes hostile.
• Elusive enemy: Indians easily evaded the slow-moving infantry and artillery.

Custer's personal struggles. Custer's first Indian campaign was marked by blunders and personal anxieties. He deserted his command to find his wife, Libbie, fearing a cholera outbreak, leading to his court-martial. His men, suffering from poor conditions and lack of success, deserted in droves. Despite these setbacks, Custer's determination to prove himself as an Indian fighter remained unwavering, fueled by his ambition and love for Libbie.

• Desertion crisis: Many soldiers abandoned the campaign due to harsh conditions and lack of morale.
• Personal risk: Custer's solo hunting forays and desertion of command.
• Libbie's influence: Her presence and well-being were paramount to Custer.

6. The Black Hills: Gold, Greed, and Broken Treaties

Whether right or wrong, those railroads will be built, and everybody knows that Congress, after granting the charts and fixing the routes, cannot now back out and surrender the country to a few bands of roving Indians.

Economic imperative. The Panic of 1873 plunged America into a severe economic depression. Seeking a solution, President Grant's administration turned its attention to the Black Hills, rumored to hold vast gold deposits. Opening these lands, despite the 1868 treaty granting them to the Sioux "forever," was seen as a way to stimulate the economy and provide hope for the unemployed.

Custer's expedition. In 1874, Custer led a large expedition into the Black Hills, ostensibly to establish a fort and survey the area, but secretly to confirm the presence of gold. His glowing reports, widely publicized, ignited a massive gold rush, drawing thousands of prospectors into Sioux territory.

• Expedition composition: 1,000 men, including cavalry, infantry, scientists, miners, and reporters.
• Custer's reports: Exaggerated claims of gold "at the grass roots" and the Hills as an "Eden."
• Public reaction: Sensational news fueled a massive influx of miners, violating the treaty.

Sioux resistance and loss. The Sioux, who considered the Black Hills sacred, were outraged. Crazy Horse, still mourning the loss of his daughter, They-Are-Afraid-of-Her, to cholera, led small, retaliatory raids against miners. However, there was no unified Indian opposition to Custer's expedition, as many hostiles were far to the west, and agency Indians were divided on how to respond. The government, unable to legally acquire the Hills, eventually used economic coercion, threatening starvation if the Sioux did not cede the land.

7. Custer's Political Ambitions and Downfall

If I were an Indian, I would greatly prefer to cast my lot among those of my people who adhered to the free open plains rather than submit to the confined limits of a reservation.

Post-war disillusionment. Custer's political views, initially pro-South Democrat, evolved but remained complex. He opposed slavery but held racist views, and his support for President Johnson's lenient Reconstruction policies alienated Radical Republicans. His participation in Johnson's "swing around the circle" further damaged his standing with the powerful Republican establishment.

The post-trader scandal. In 1875, Custer became embroiled in a scandal involving corrupt post traders and Secretary of War William Belknap, who was selling traderships for kickbacks. Custer, financially strained and morally outraged, provided information to Democratic newspapers, hoping to expose the corruption and potentially advance his own career.

• Financial hardship: Custer and Libbie were broke despite his fame.
• Moral outrage: Custer viewed the corruption as undermining Army morale.
• Political opportunity: Democrats sought to use the scandal against President Grant in an election year.

Clash with Grant. Custer's testimony before a House committee implicated Belknap and President Grant's brother, Orvil. This infuriated Grant, who already disliked Custer for his criticisms of Indian policy and his arrest of Fred Grant. As the 1876 Sioux campaign approached, Grant, in an act of political retaliation, ordered Custer relieved of command and arrested for leaving Washington without permission.

A desperate appeal. Facing the humiliation of missing the campaign, Custer desperately appealed to General Terry, who, in turn, persuaded Grant to reinstate Custer, albeit under Terry's overall command. This episode highlights Custer's ambition, his willingness to take on powerful figures, and the political machinations that permeated the post-Civil War era.

8. The Great Sioux War: A Final Stand

Sitting Bull had great power over the Sioux. He was a good medicine man. He made good medicine. Many Indians believed him. He knew how to lead them. He told the Sioux many times he was not made to be a reservation Indian. The Great Spirit made him a free Indian to go where he wanted to go, to hunt buffalo and to be a big leader in his tribe.

Mass exodus to the Powder River. In early 1876, a massive exodus of agency Indians joined the hostiles in the Powder River country. This was driven by government starvation tactics at the agencies and the irresistible appeal of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse for one last summer of freedom, buffalo hunting, and fighting. The hostile camp swelled to unprecedented numbers, creating a formidable force.

• Agency conditions: Starvation and corruption at reservations.
• Hostile appeal: Promises of buffalo, Sun Dances, and a fight against soldiers.
• Unified front: The largest gathering of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors in decades.

Sitting Bull's vision. At a grand Sun Dance on the Rosebud, Sitting Bull, through extreme self-torture, received a vision of soldiers falling into the Indian camp "like grasshoppers, with their heads down and their hats falling off." This prophecy galvanized the warriors, convincing them of impending victory and bolstering their morale.

Crook's defeat at the Rosebud. On June 17, 1876, Crazy Horse led 1,500 warriors to intercept General George Crook's column on the Rosebud. In a fierce, uncoordinated battle, the Indians fought with unprecedented ferocity, often engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Crazy Horse's tactical leadership, combined with the bravery of his warriors, forced Crook to retreat, effectively putting him out of action for weeks.

• Indian ferocity: Warriors abandoned traditional distant fighting for close combat.
• Crazy Horse's leadership: Organized the interception and rallied forces.
• Crook's retreat: A significant Indian victory, boosting confidence.

9. Little Bighorn: Custer's Last Gamble

I could whip all the Indians on the Continent with the Seventh Cavalry.

Custer's overconfidence. Despite warnings from scouts about the immense size of the hostile camp, Custer remained supremely confident in the superiority of the 7th Cavalry. He believed he could defeat any number of Indians, a conviction reinforced by his Civil War successes and previous encounters on the Plains. His ambition for a decisive victory, potentially leading to political advancement, fueled his aggressive approach.

Flawed strategy. On June 25, 1876, Custer, under General Terry's overall command, located the massive Indian village on the Little Bighorn. Ignoring Terry's implicit orders for caution and cooperation with Gibbon's column, Custer divided his 611-man regiment into four parts, sending Major Reno to attack the village from the south, Captain Benteen on a flanking maneuver, and keeping five troops for himself to attack from the north.

• Division of forces: Custer split his regiment into three main attacking columns and a pack train.
• Lack of reconnaissance: Custer attacked without knowing the enemy's strength or exact position.
• Underestimation of enemy: Believed Indians were fleeing, not preparing for battle.

Crazy Horse's decisive action. While Reno's attack faltered and was driven back across the river, Crazy Horse, having anticipated Custer's flanking maneuver, led a thousand warriors to intercept Custer's five troops. Crazy Horse's force, appearing from an unexpected direction, overwhelmed Custer's exhausted and strung-out command.

• Reno's retreat: Major Reno's column was routed, failing to pin down Indian forces.
• Crazy Horse's flank attack: Led a massive charge from the north, catching Custer by surprise.
• Overwhelming numbers: Custer's 225 men faced approximately 2,500 warriors.

Custer's defeat. In a battle lasting less than an hour, Custer and all 225 of his men were annihilated. Crazy Horse's tactical brilliance, combined with the overwhelming numbers and fierce determination of the unified Indian forces, secured the greatest victory for Native Americans in the Plains Wars. Custer, outgeneraled and outmaneuvered, paid the ultimate price for his ambition and overconfidence.

10. Crazy Horse's End: A Hero's Surrender

It is well. He has looked for death and it has come.

Post-Bighorn pursuit. Following the Little Bighorn victory, the great Indian camp dispersed. The U.S. Army, shocked by Custer's defeat, launched a relentless campaign, reinforcing its forces and adopting a strategy of total war. Crazy Horse, with dwindling numbers of warriors, continued to resist, leading raids against miners in the Black Hills and evading Army columns throughout the summer and fall of 1876.

Economic coercion and surrender. The U.S. government, unable to defeat the Sioux militarily, resorted to economic warfare. Congress passed a bill cutting off all provisions to the Sioux until they ceded the Black Hills and the Powder River country. Facing starvation and relentless pursuit, Crazy Horse, prioritizing his people's survival, made the difficult decision to surrender.

• Government policy: Starvation tactics forced Indians onto reservations.
• Crazy Horse's dilemma: Protect his people or continue a losing fight.
• Surrender terms: Promises of a new agency in exchange for peace.

Crazy Horse's capture and death. On May 6, 1877, Crazy Horse, accompanied by his people, surrendered at Camp Robinson. He was disarmed and dehorsed, stripped of his freedom. Despite his dignity and the respect he commanded from many officers, he became a pawn in agency politics. Fearing imprisonment and betrayal, Crazy Horse resisted an attempt to confine him in the guardhouse on September 5, 1877. In the ensuing struggle, he was bayoneted by a soldier and died shortly after.

• Agency intrigues: Red Cloud and other chiefs, jealous of Crazy Horse's influence, spread rumors of his intent to rebel.
• Betrayal: Crazy Horse was lured to the guardhouse under false pretenses.
• Tragic end: Bayoneted while resisting confinement, dying a prisoner.

Legacy of two warriors. Custer's death at Little Bighorn cemented his legend as a tragic hero, while Crazy Horse's surrender and assassination marked the end of the free Plains Indian way of life. Both men, driven by courage and ambition, met violent ends in a conflict that reshaped the American continent, leaving behind complex legacies of heroism, tragedy, and the clash of civilizations.