Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse was an Oglala Sioux war leader who led his tribe's warriors into combat, most famously at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876.

Fast Facts

1. Born: ca. 1840, on south Cheyenne River
2. Died: September 5, 1877
3. Tribe: Oglala, part of Lakota Sioux
4. Major battles: Battle of the Rosebud, Battle of the Little Bighorn
5. Responsible for defeat and decimation of U.S. 7th Cavalry under leadership of General George A. Custer
6. Final resting place is unknown
7. Crazy Horse Memorial sculpture in South Dakota

Brief Biography

Born in the early 1840s, Crazy Horse became known among the Lakota Sioux as a fierce and fearless warrior, and he began leading raiding parties against Native American enemies of the Sioux, and eventually, American railroad surveying groups and U.S. soldiers. He participated in Red Cloud's War in the 1860s, and in the 1870s, as white settlers, soldiers, and speculators began moving into Sioux territory, organized armed resistance against the invasion. In 1876, after General George Armstrong Custer attempted to lead the 7th Cavalry on an invasion of a Sioux encampment at Little Bighorn, forces led by Crazy Horse surprised the U.S. soldiers, killing every last man, including Custer. Crazy Horse was later taken into custody, and while being transfered at Camp Robinson, died after being bayoneted by a guard during a struggle. His body was buried at an undisclosed location that remains unknown to this day.

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