Summary Of The Battle Of Little Bighorn

Not surprisingly, the American and Indian accounts of the Battle of Little Bighorn differed highly. In the Cameron Report, the US Secretary of War writes to President Grant what action the US troops took prior to the battle and why they took these actions. Towards the end he tells of the ongoing battle with the Indians. Kate Bighead was a non fighting member of the opposition, and she recounts the battle much differently. However, she does not tell much of American actions prior to the war, and so it’s important to analyze the Cameron Report first.
Cameron begins his report by explaining the situation prior to the battle. He states that, following a period of time in which the Indian nations were pushed westward, a treaty bound them to certain
There is no way to put together the two sides: Cameron says that the US soldiers were being attacked, as well as peaceful Indians, while Bighead says that they were attacked and moved consistently, and only joined with Sitting Bull to defend themselves. The two agree though regarding who attacked first: it was certainly the United States army. The battle is recorded completely differently. Cameron says that the original attack in the winter failed due to tough weather, but the attack in the spring is working. He states that there were only hostile sections left of the Sioux, and requested money to help the effort. Kate was eye-witness to one battle, in which it was quite clear that the Indians won. Many US soldiers committed suicide in an uneven fight. The Indians said that it was a spirit which caused the whites to go crazy and kill themselves. She then states that, following another attack, they had to once again relocate. The two reports thus differed majorly, and due to the lack of clarity on each side, it’s hard to figure out what actually happened. One can only guess that both sides were optimistic, and that the fighting was even, with some routes by the Indians on the US and multiple retreats by the Indians. The accounts are very different and contrast each other at