LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL MONUMENT

The 7th Cavalry Monument on Last Stand Hill

On June 25th-26th, 1876, the Battle of the Little Bighorn took place between the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment and a combined force of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapho warriors. It was the most famous battle of the Great Sioux War of 1876 and it resulted in an overwhelming victory for the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho. The battle was fought near the Little Bighorn River in south-central Montana.


At the time, the American press painted the commander of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, as a hero who was slaughtered with his men by barbaric Indians. This romanticized version of the battle has largely been dismissed by historians who now view Custer as an officer of questionable ability who disobeyed orders and the Sioux confederation as people who were merely defending their way of life from an attacking force that was bent on destroying them.

We saw the visitors center and museum at the park before moving out to view the monuments at Last Stand Hill (formerly Custer's Hill) and Reno's Hill (about 3.5 miles south of Last Stand Hill). We also viewed the Custer National Cemetary. There is a monument to the Sioux who fought in the battle but we weren't able to find it.

The 7th Cavalry Monument

The marker at the 7th Cavalry Monument

The 7th Cavalry Monument

The Supreme Commander and her Uncle George on Last Stand Hill

A sign warns of rattlesnakes on one of the trails

Grave markers on Last Stand Hill

Greave markers on Last Stand Hill

More grave markers with the Visitors Center at the foot of the hill

The Visitors Center at Little Big Horn National Park

Custer National Cemetary at Little Bighorn National Park

Wooden Leg Hill

Marker at the Horse Cemetary on Last Stand Hill

View of the 7th Cavalry Monument from the Horse Cemetary



The Visitors Center as seen from Last Stand Hill looking toward Custer National Cemetary

Custer National Cemetary near the Visitors Center at Little Big Horn

Custer National Cemetary at Little Big Horn National Park

The Visitors Center at Little Bighorn

Custer National Cemetery

Custer National Cemetary

The hills through which Custer's forces advanced

The Little Big Horn River runs through the grassy hills

The Little Bighorn River

A monument at the Reno-Benteen battlefield about 3.5 miles south of Last Stand Hill

Another view of the monument at the Reno-Benteen battlefield

Grave markers at the Reno-Benteen battlefield

A closer view of the same markers

The Little Bighorn River below the Reno-Benteen battlefield

Grave marker at the Reno-Benteen Battlefield

Another grave marker at the Reno-Benteen battlefield

I did a poor job of capturing the image of this marker