Tuesday, August 02, 2016

Vacation Views: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, located in Crow Agency, Montana, is the location of the Battle of the Little Bighorn (also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass) which took place on 25 and 26 June 1876 between elements of the US 7th Calvary and a combined force of Lakota-Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho, resulting in the single greatest US Defeat in The Great Sioux War.  268 US casualties and 41 known Native American casualties are recorded.



The current cenotaph, under which the bodies of the troopers are.  Officers are located below in the National Cemetery.  George Custer is now buried at West Point.


Last Stand Hill.  This is looking south.  The markers indicated where the bodies were found.  This would have been the last view Custer and his troops had:



There is a path down to the battlefield which is is marked by the fighting retreat of the 7th Calvary with white markers:





The Horses are remembered as well:


The Native Americans have added a memorial as well, commerating the warriors that fought there to preserve their way of life.  It is a very tastefully done memorial:





They have also begun to add markers for the Sioux and Cheyenne Warriors killed that day:



The museum that is on the grounds is quite well done and includes a good video on the battle (and has a fine bookstore with no sales tax).  It is a bit a haul to get there from a lot of places, but well worth the time for a visit.

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for the pictures. You say it's "a bit of a haul to get there" ... heck, it's a 3-day drive to reach the U.S. from here. I'll settle for your pictures & narrative. :)

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    1. It was a two day haul for us to get to where we were staying in Montana, then another four to get from there to the Battlefield. That said, I would like to go back again, perhaps in slightly cooler weather, and walk around more.

      Glad the pictures and narrative will help suffice!

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  2. There is a native american outfit that provides horseback rides of various durations on the battlefield. I plan to do one, as it would give a great perspective on this historic event.

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    1. I saw them while we were there. It would be a very interesting perspective to get.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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