On this day in 1876, the Battle of Little Bighorn took place, a major defeat of the U.S. Army by the combined forces of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho that caused the death of Colonel George Custer. The event, also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was one of the most significant military actions in the Great Sioux War.

The battle began on the morning of June 25th when Colonel Custer led an attack on an encampment of combined tribes. His strategy was to seize as many "non-combatants" as possible (i.e., women, the disabled, and children), and force the men to surrender to protect their families.

Custer drastically underestimated the amount of indigenous people present, however, and no member of his attacking battalion survived their charge on the camp. Despite the victory, the seizure of indigenous lands continued unabated. Days after the battle, Crazy Horse (a leader in the Sioux resistance) surrendered to the government and died in state custody.

As a result of the Battle of Little Bighorn, the U.S. government threatened to withhold all food aid to reservations if the Sioux did not cease hostilities and cede South Dakota land. Threatened with starvation, they complied in 1877.