Today in Labor History January 8, 1877: Crazy Horse and his warriors fought their final battle against the U.S. Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana Territory. Just six months earlier, Crazy Horse and Chief Gall had led Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors in the routing of Custer and the 7th Cavalry in the Battle of Little Bighorn. Many bands of Sioux and Cheyenne had returned to the reservations to get food and supplies in preparation for winter. However, Congress had demanded that they cede the Black Hills in exchange for these goods, and they replaced the civilian contractors in charge of these supplies with army soldiers. This convinced many people to avoid the reservations and mistrust the U.S. government even more than they already did. Then, in December, U.S. troops defeated Sitting Bull’s band, as well as Dull Knife's Cheyennes, who had trekked through snow to join Crazy Horse. Considering their weakened condition and the approaching winter, Crazy Horse tried to negotiate peace with the army. The army responded by murdering Crazy Horse's delegation. Consequently, they continued fighting. The final battle occurred on January 8, 1877. While only 3 people died on each side and the battle was essentially a draw, the U.S. treated it as a strategic victory in light of their recent humiliation at Little Big Horn, and because it showed they could avoid defeat under harsh winter conditions.
🅸🅶
🆁🆁🅴.
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