On this day in 1876, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his men died at the Battle of Little Bighorn.

In June of 1876, the government sent in troops under the command of Brigadier General Alfred H. Terry to locate and rout the Indians. Terry, taking the main body of men up the Yellowstone River, hoped to block the movement of the Indians at the mouth of the Little Bighorn River, while Custer and the 7th Cavalry were to travel up the Rosebud River and cross the Little Bighorn River, thus, it was hoped, trapping the Indians between the two groups. Some three days into his march, Custer abandoned the plan when he rather suddenly encountered a large group of Sioux and Cheyenne encamped nearby. Envisioning a three-pronged attack, he ordered Captain Frederick Benteen and Major Marcus Reno to lead troops on either side of the river, while he would advance to the northwest and surprise the encampment from the north. Reno, who attacked first (and long before Custer reached the northern edge of the camp), was clearly overwhelmed by the Indians, and he retreated across the river, losing his strategic edge. He was joined by Benteen’s fresh troops, and the combined forces dug in and continued to fight. At Reno’s retreat, however, the major force of Indians, by then alerted to Custer’s presence, rode to the attack and completely vanquished Custer and his men within an hour, leaving more than 200 dead.

Read more about the Battle of Little Bighorn at Brittanica.com

I have traveled all over the west taking time to visit Washington state, the beaches of California and even Vegas vacations, but my favorite destination has always been the Black Hills and the surrounding area.

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