The Last Stand

Tomb of the Unknown at Garryowen where on the 50th anniversary in 1926 a Sioux Indian and an Army General had a "burying of the hatchet."

Custer

Sitting Bull

Indian Memorial
Indian Markers
Memorial marking the mass grave of 220 soldiers.
Last Stand Hill with markers where soldiers died.
Bad Hand
Reno's Tomb Stone

We are at the 7th Ranch RV Camp in Garryowen, Montana overlooking the Little Bighorn Battlefield. The battle took place 132 years ago on June 25 and 26 with the famous "last stand" happening on the 25th. The battle was between the 7th Cavalry led by Lt. Col. G.A. Custer and 1500-2000 Lakota-Cheyenne Indians led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. The name Garryowen comes from an old Irish drinking tune that became the regimental marching song of the 7th Cavalry. You can hear the tune and get information on the town and museum, which was very interesting, here. We visited the battlefield and took an interpretive tour with a Crow Indian. We also visited the Custer National Cemetery where the remains of the enlisted men are buried in a mass grave. All of the bodies of the officers killed that day where moved to Eastern cemeteries and Custer is buried at West Point. The park service has changed the way the information about the battle is presented with a more balanced view of the Indians. There is a new Indian Memorial and red grave stones placed where Indians were killed saying they died defending their way of life. In the battle every man and all but one horse under Custer's command of five companies were killed that day. Additionally, 53 men in six companies under Benteen and Reno were killed over the two days before cavalry reinforcements drove the Indians away. Throughout the battlefield white grave stones mark where more than 260 soldiers and attached personnel were killed. Among the dead for the army were Crow Indian scouts and four relatives of Custer, including two brothers. Red grave stones mark the few places where they know particular Indians were killed, but there are only a few of these since most of the bodies were removed by family members immediately after the battle. At the battlefield visitors center we heard a presentation on the plains Indians by Michael Bad Hand Terry who did an excellent job of explaining how these people lived in the late 1800's. The adjacent cemetery has 5000 plots with soldiers from the Spanish American War to Viet Nam. Major Reno, who many blamed for Custer's defeat, is the only 7th Cavalry officer buried there and that did not happen until his remains were reburied there in 1967.