Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse was a war leader of the Oglala Lakota and one of the most determined defenders of the Plains way of life against American expansion. Revered among his people for his courage and his refusal to compromise, he fought to keep the Lakota free on their own land as the United States closed in.

He was a central figure in the resistance of the 1860s and 1870s, as the discovery of gold in the sacred Black Hills brought a flood of settlers and soldiers onto Lakota territory in violation of treaty. Alongside Sitting Bull, he helped lead the alliance of Plains nations that defended their homeland.

In June 1876, Crazy Horse led his warriors in the defeat of George Custer's cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn — the most famous Native victory of the Plains wars. But the triumph brought an overwhelming military response, and the free Plains life he fought for could not survive it.

Worn down by relentless pursuit and a harsh winter, Crazy Horse surrendered in 1877 and was killed months later while in military custody. He never signed a treaty and never lived on a reservation, and he remains an enduring symbol of Native resistance and dignity.