NewsCrazy Horse’s birthplace and date are disputed. He was born about 1840 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Crazy Horse and Rattle Blanket Woman were his parents. They were Oglala Sioux.
The exact date and place of Crazy Horse’s birth are unknown. He was presumably born in or around the Black Hills of South Dakota about 1840. Crazy Horse was his father’s name, and Rattle Blanket Woman was his mother’s. They belonged to the Lakota Sioux Oglala Band.
Crazy Horse’s youthful perspective was crucial. A horseman appeared to young Crazy Horse. The stranger told Crazy Horse not to wear a war bonnet, tie up his horse’s tail (a Lakota ritual), or collect trophies in combat. Crazy Horse was to dust himself before combat. The speaker declared Crazy Horse will not die by enemy attack or gunfire. This inspired Crazy Horse.
Crazy Horse saw and took part in the events that led up to the Sioux War of 1876-1877, which included the Powder River Campaign, Red Cloud’s War, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Crazy Horse was a key figure in all of these events. He signed no treaties, eschewed white men’s practices, and shunned reservation life.
At the Battle of the Rosebud, Crazy Horse and 1,200 warriors defeated General George Crook. Eight days later, he helped defeat the 7th Cavalry at the Little Bighorn.
After the Little Bighorn, Lakota and Cheyenne bands dispersed. The U.S. Army pursued the bands to the Great Sioux Reservation. Crazy Horse wintered on the Tongue River in south-central Montana Territory. He lost to Colonel Nelson Miles’ troops on January 8, 1877. The military’s unrelenting pursuit and Wolf Mountain’s loss led Crazy Horse to submit. Crazy Horse surrendered Fort Robinson with 1,100 followers on May 7, 1877.
After the Little Bighorn, Lakota and Cheyenne bands dispersed. The U.S. Army pursued the bands to the Great Sioux Reservation. Crazy Horse wintered on the Tongue River in south-central Montana Territory. He lost to Colonel Nelson Miles’ troops on January 8, 1877. The military’s unrelenting pursuit and Wolf Mountain’s loss led Crazy Horse to submit. Crazy Horse surrendered Fort Robinson with 1,100 followers on May 7, 1877.
After the Little Bighorn, Lakota and Cheyenne bands dispersed. The U.S. Army pursued the bands to the Great Sioux Reservation. Crazy Horse wintered on the Tongue River in south-central Montana Territory. He lost to Colonel Nelson Miles’ troops on January 8, 1877. The military’s unrelenting pursuit and Wolf Mountain’s loss led Crazy Horse to submit. Crazy Horse surrendered Fort Robinson with 1,100 followers on May 7, 1877.
