Custer's Indian Allies at the Little Bighorn

 

George Armstrong Custer relied heavily on Native American scouts. These men, primarily from the Arikara and Crow tribes, served the U.S. Army to strike against their traditional enemies—the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho.

The Arikara provided around forty scouts, including the famed Bloody Knife, Custer's favorite and trusted guide. Several Arikara, like Bloody Knife, Bobtail Bull, and Little Brave, died in the fighting. The Crow contributed six key scouts, such as Curley, White Man Runs Him, Goes Ahead, Hairy Moccasin, Half Yellow Face, and White Swan. Familiar with the terrain in their own historic lands, they spotted the vast encampment from the Crow's Nest overlook and delivered dire warnings Custer largely ignored.

Their service highlights the complex alliances of the Indian Wars, where Native warriors fought on both sides of the conflict.

Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time

Gold, Murder and Monsters in the Superstition Mountains