Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Battle of Little Bighorn
Caption: An 1899 lithograph from the Werner Company of Akron, Ohio, entitled Custer Massacre at Big Horn, Montana - June 25, 1876.
In late 1875, some Sioux and Cheyenne Native Americans left the reservation they were living on. They were angry. White men had been looking for gold in the Black Hills. The Black Hills were very important to the tribes that lived near them. To the Native Americans, the Black Hills were sacred land.
The government did not want the Native Americans to leave the reservation. It wanted the Black Hills' gold. The government sent in the army to force the Native Americans back to the reservation.
In June of 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Custer led a group of soldiers toward the Little Bighorn Valley. Custer had been a strong leader during the Civil War. He was not worried about any battles with the Native Americans. Custer was sure that his soldiers were stronger.
On June 25, Custer found a group of Native Americans. There were about forty warriors in the group. He decided to attack. Scouts warned him that there were a lot more warriors in a village nearby. Custer didn't listen.
