The Battle of Little Big Horn

Introduction 

The year in which The Battle of Little Big Horn was fought was 1876, yet its significance is found in the fact that it was the culmination of some 400 years of wars between the various tribes of Native Americans on one side, and the American military at the other end. According to the history of the said battle, some two hundred and sixty soldiers lost their lives, yet the same also provided for two important events. The first, this battle was a victory for the two principle tribes of Sioux and Cheyenne involving approximately four thousand brave Indian soldiers. Secondly, the Battle of Little Big Horn was also the culmination of all earlier battles spread over a period of some 4 centuries, hence its importance in the books of American and world history. 

A brief overview on the reasons and factors for the onset of this particular 'Battle of Little Big Horn' reveals that by the year 1876, most of the Native Americans had been forced to reside in specific territories and given the name of 'Reservations'. Yet there were still pockets of Native Americans who refused this forced migration within their homeland, and areas where they had been living for centuries prior to the arrival of the white settlers from the European continent. One factor, which perhaps served as the pivotal role, was the discovery of gold in the regions of Black Hills, home to the famous Sioux and Cheyenne nation of Native Americans. Though majority of these tribes agreed to leave these areas where gold was discovered, yet there were few brave Indians who sought to battle for their rights for their ancestral lands, and hence the subject battle. (Dorfman, 2002)

An overview from the perspective of the American colonists reveals that the nation has already come out of the traumas of the Civil War, and had just begun to settle down with opportunities for practically every white settler found in the different areas of agriculture, mining, and manufacturing. The involvement of Native American tribes was assumed to be a hurdle for those interested in mining, and that too for the precious commodity of gold.