The Killing of Crazy Horse

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 Crazyhorse was born in 1840 at bear butte near rapid city in dakota.  crazy horse belived in the great spirit and to seek guidance crazy horse would preform a vision quest, he would go to beaver creek Dakota or bear butte and fast with no food or water for several days, during this time the body beomces weak and opens the mind to receive a vision, crazy horse saw a rider on horse back, with white lighteing strikes painted along its side,crazy horse was told to live a simple life, care for his people especially the poor.When preparing for a battle with his enemies The Crow Indians Crazy Horse would always preform a ritual, &throw dust over his horse and body,& wear only 1 single red tail hawk feather in his hair ,he also had white stripes painted on his body and place a small brown stone behind his ear and take no scalps in a battle. A close freind of Crazy hores horn chips was a spiritual adviser and would translate dreams & visions for crazy horse...

After their Loss the US Army commanding General 1869 - 1883 - William Tecumseh Sherman wrote a letter to President GRANT

"We must act with indictive earnestness against the Sioux, even to their extermination, men, woman & children. Nothing less will reach the root of the case."

WILLIAM SHERMAN COMMANDER US ARMY.

In 1873 William Sherman wrote another letter to a colleague which reads "During an assault on the Indians, the soldiers cannot pause to distinguish between male or female, or even discriminate against age. As long as resistance is made death must be meted out, but the moment resistance ceases, the firing ceases.

Crazy Horse was a brave warrior who cared for his people, sick - old poor Crazy Horse was always their for them offering food & safety protecting their land from white settlers from The East Cost of America.

The Red Tailed Hawk was part of Crazy Horse guidance - like a guardian spirit- Crazy Horse was told by the Holy Man Horn Chips to "remember" the mental, spiritual, discipline - clarity & focus of the hawk. Crazy Horse would ride into battle wearing the whole body of a hawk tied to his hair. Bear Butte North Dakota was a spiritual / holy place for the Lakota & Cheyenne, Crazy Horse went to Bear Butte to look for a vision / dream & seek wisdom from The Great Spirit.crazy horse believed in his medicine & would paint red zig zag streaks on his horse before battle, sometimes he would paint lighting bolts and hailstones.

"Nobody knows what he looked like because he didn't want to be photographed. He did not want his image taken by the white man. I believe he didn't trust anything that had to do with the white man. Total and absolute resistance even to the point of not being photographed by his enemy people, told by Mardell Plainfeather.

Told by black elk he says of crazy horse, he would go about the village without noticing people or saying anything. In his own teepee he would joke, and when he was on the warpath with a small party, he would joke to make his warriors feel good. But around the village, he hardly ever noticed anybody, except little children. All the Lakotas like to dance and sing, but he never joined a dance, and they say nobody ever heard him sing. But everybody liked him, and they would do anything he wanted or go anywhere he said.in

In 1871 Crazy horse's younger brother lttle hawk was killed during a horse raiding campaign south of the platte river, againist the Crow tribe who were mortal enemies of the lakota sioux.

When Crazy Horse learned of his brother little hawks death he took a dangerous journey acoss enemy territory to recover Little Hawk's remains. In a ceremonial act, Crazy Horse killed Little Hawk's horse to ensure that its spirit would accompany his younger brother to the spirit world.

durring 1874 gold was discovered in the black hills of south dakota, thereafter miners and settlers tresspassed on the indian lands and illegally began mining for gold and would not leave even though the black hill's belonged the indians, rather than remove the miners and the settlers the goverment tried to pursuade the indians to sell the black hills, when cheif red cloud and spotted tail refused the us goverment were now frustrated that their efforts had failed and the goverment gave the sioux and ultimatium to move off their lands onto assigned reservations or be attacked by the full force of the us military, the indians had until 31st January 1876 to give away the states of montanta and dakota & their freedom and move onto a reservation.

in the fall of 1875 crazy horse was living with the northern oglala in present day north east Wyoming and montana a few months before the 6th of december when the commissionor of indian affairs backed by the interior and war department issued the ultimatium to the sioux.

at the start of 1876 general crook was preparing to attack the sioux all across their lands in the us states of dakota and montana. on the 1st march 1876 crook set out from fort fetterman with over 900 troops along with crow and shoshone indian scouts. here is the 1st important fact about crazy horse's murder, Frank Grouard joined crook as a lead scout in fort fetterman, however before he joined crook he lived with cheif sitting bull until he was caught stealing horse from a friendly tribe and lied to sitting bull when their owners came looking for the return of their stolen horse;s. in 1873 Frank grouard then fled sitting bulls camp and joined the camp of crazy horse, big road and he dog, but now on the freezing cold morning of the 17th of march 1876 frank grouard was leading the soldiers under the command of colonel reynolds towards the camp of northern cheyennes & cheif tow moons. Frank grouard had infomred reynolds that the camp they were to ambush that freezing morning was crazy horse. just before the soldiers surprise attack, frank grouard shouted out to the camp and said crazy horse you said you wanted to fight well here we are lets fight! over 300 soldiers and crow scouts charged the sleeping village on the 17th march 1876 and shot towards the childern and women as they ran screaming for their lives through the freezing snow. after 5 hours the soldiers burned the indian village and stole 700 indian ponies of which 500 were recpatured later that night. The camp that was attacked was not crazy horse, and the northern cheyennes had to walk for miles in bare feet throuh freezing snow and seek refuge in the camp of crazy horse on the tongue river.

Frank Grouard lived with crazy horse before becoming an army scout in February 1876 and here we have 1 of the most important people involved in the killing of crazy hose , & we will explore this in more detail during the events that led to the killing of crazy horse.

general crook and his huge force, now numering 1300 soldiers including 300 crow and shoshane scouts, continued tresspassing on indian land, now camped in rosebub valley montana on the afternoon of the 17the june, crook was attacked by 1000 siuox cheyenne & arpapho indians, durring the battle of the rosebud, crazy horse led his warriors into battle Crazy Horse fought in the Battle of the Rosebud by leading a large group of over 1,000 Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. He fought bravely with a tactical approach, using flanking maneuvers and horse-mounted charges to disrupt General Crook's forces. crazy horse engaged the enemy in direct hand to hand combat and also directed attacks that nearly succeded in drawing the soldiers up the rosebud valley and into an ambush. after 6 hours of fighting and skirmishes the battle of the rosebud was over and crook retreated back to goose creek west of billings montana crazy horse and his warriors stopped the advance of general crook which prevented crook from meeting up with general gibson & terry. in june 1876 colonel george armstrong custer was moving west from Fort Abraham Lincoln, through montana, on the 25th of june custer was infomred by his crow scouts that an indian village was ahead on the big horn river, custer along with his officiers benteen & reno and 600 soldiers of the 7th calvery decided to surprise the indians and attack from 3 seperate positions.mjor marcus reno led the 1st charge into the village and murdered cheif gall's wife and 2 young daughters, shot like fleeing buffalo. as captain frederick benteen slowly advanced towards the village, custer ch