Saturday June 12, 2010, 1:41 pm

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND HERE:

http://www.astonisher.com/archives/museum/crazy_horse_big_horn.html

Saturday June 12, 2010, 1:42 pm
Crazy Horse's Story of the Battle
An Oglala Sioux's account of the Battle of the Little Bighorn

THE MOST STRIKING thing about the following Chicago newspaper account of Crazy Horse's surrender in 1877 is how absent Crazy Horse is from it.

Although it contains the closest thing we have to Crazy Horse's version of what happened at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse never actually spoke with the Chicago Times reporter who wrote the story. Instead, he communicated through a spokesman, Sioux war chief Horned Horse.

Imagine it -- Crazy Horse rode into Fort Robinson, Nebraska, on May 6, 1877 at the head of a procession of people and ponies that stretched on for miles, but somehow he managed to escape capture by the American press!

It's as if he was never there -- at his own surrender -- but that was typical of Crazy Horse. In fact, Crazy Horse is the only great figure in American history who never allowed his soul to be captured, as the Sioux conceived it, meaning he never allowed his image to be captured in life, either by photograph or artist's hand.

The only evocative eye-witness description of Crazy Horse that appeared in the American media during his lifetime was an anonymous New York Sun reporter's 1877 observation that "his eyes are exceedingly restless and impress the beholder fully as much as does his general demeanor."

ON THE BATTLEFIELD, Crazy Horse's personal bravery was legendary. At the Little Big Horn, for instance, the Arapaho warrior Waterman said Crazy Horse was the bravest man he ever saw, and the Sioux warrior Little Soldier said "the greatest fighter in the whole battle was Crazy Horse."

But personal bravery was really not the point for Crazy Horse. Unlike many Sioux and Cheyenne warriors -- who lived for the Homeric ecstasy of individualistic heroism on the battlefield -- Crazy Horse was not there for ego or for show; he was there to seize control of the battle and kill the enemies of the Dakota and Cheyenne.

Called "the Napoleon among the Sioux" by Frank Grouard, Crazy Horse was the tactical genius of the Plains Indian Wars. He "liked to have his battles all planned out in his head," as He Dog recalled, but actually he was most dangerous in fluid, rapidly evolving battlefield situations that put a premium on the commander being able innovate, and in this sense Crazy Horse resembled Confederate General Bedford Forrest, the most modern of the great 19th century American generals.

Beginning with the Battle of the Platte River Bridge in 1865 and the Fetterman Massacre two years later -- where Crazy Horse led the decoys for Red Cloud in a battle that saw all the American soldiers killed -- Crazy Horse developed tactics designed to isolate portions of the American force, which then could be destroyed piecemeal, like Royall on the Rosebud and Custer on the Little Bighorn.

Analytical and disciplined, Crazy Horse recognized early on that the Americans' greatest strength on the battlefield was their command structure and corps discipline. And so, while he devised tactics to break down that corps discipline, he also worked to instill it in his own men.

Crazy Horse could make a whole battle turn on the flash of a mirror in his hand or the scream of his eagle bone war whistle, as General George Crook learned at the Battle of the Rosebud and General Nelson Miles learned at the Battle of Wolf Mountain.

AT THE LITTLE BIGHORN, Crazy Horse led his crack troops in charges that shattered the defenses of first Reno and then Custer, which started the Seventh Cavalry's death song. Then Crazy Horse was one of the greatest warriors of all time, standing with the heroes of legend.
Crazy Horse
eye-witness
resources on Astonisher.com:
* Crazy Horse in action at the Little Bighorn: Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho accounts

* Crazy Horse in action at the Rosebud: Sioux, Cheyenne and American accounts

* Crazy Horse in action against the Crow, Shoshoni, Araphaho and Ute: Crazy Horse's love of his younger brother, Little Hawk

* Crazy Horse Remembered: Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Crow and American accounts

* The Winter Count of Crazy Horse's Life: circa 1840 - 1877

* The Complete Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger: May 6, 1877

* The May 7, 1877 Chicago Times story

* Bogus Crazy Horse Photos: Crazy Horse and Black Shawl Woman (Not)

* Sioux and Cheyenne battlefield tactics during the American wars of conquest





Iron Hawk and Standing Bear described how Crazy Horse's first flanking charge of the battle "broke Reno's left wing" in the timber and sent his men fleeing for their lives, and Flying Hawk described how Crazy Horse personally rode among the American soldiers and "killed a lot of them with his war-club." Then after he disengaged from Reno, Crazy Horse led his combined Sioux and Cheyenne force to flank Custer's retreating men.

Flying Hawk described how Crazy Horse "shot them [American soldiers] as fast as he could load his gun" while he studied the situation. Then He Dog and Wooden Leg said Crazy Horse and Cheyenne war chief Lame White Man led more-or-less simultaneous charges from opposite sides of the Calhoun Ridge which split Custer's right flank. In the deadly melee that followed, Red Feather described how Crazy Horse rode between the two split portions blowing on his wild, unearthly Eagle Horn. Crazy Horse drew withering fire but escaped untouched.

And finally, near the end, Ohiyesa said Crazy Horse, Ice Bear and Little Horse led the final charge that annihilated the last Seventh Cavalry survivors on Last Stand Hill, and Flying Hawk remembered how Crazy Horse personally rode after, caught and killed an American soldier who tried to escape on horseback.

Crazy Horse was chosen commander-in-chief of the joint Sioux and Cheyenne army the next day -- as he was on the Rosebud nine days before -- and according to Short Bull, Crazy Horse led the Indians' stately withdrawal from the Little Bighorn witnessed by Medal of Honor winner Charles Windolf.

THE BATTLE of the Little Bighorn is often viewed as the apogee of Crazy Horse's military career, but actually the Battle of the Rosebud eight days prior was probably his greatest moment.

At the Little Bighorn, there was no Indian commander-in-chief. The Indians had not planned to fight; they simply reacted to Custer's unprovoked attack, so Crazy Horse was one of many more-or-less equal corps commanders that day, including Gall, Crow King, Red Horse, Rain In The Face, He Dog, Hump, Big Road, Spotted Elk, Lame White Man, Two Moon, and other notables. See Crazy Horse at the Little Bighorn for more info.

On the Rosebud, however, Crazy Horse was commander-in-chief of the combined Sioux / Cheyenne force and planned the first strike. He and his men rode all night to catch General George Crook in the Valley of the Rosebud, and everyone who saw the Indians' initial charge that day -- 1,500 fiercely painted warriors of the "best cavalry in the world" coming at full gallop and full cry -- never forgot it for the rest of their lives. It was a true "holy shit" moment because Crazy Horse caught Crook's main force off their horses at rest. Here are John Bourke, John Finerty and Henry Lemly's eye-witness accounts.

Crook survived Crazy Horse's opening charge on June 17, 1876 -- thanks to the fierce valor of his Crow and Shoshoni scouts -- but Crazy Horse's deft use of the fleet and supremely mobile Sioux and Cheyenne cavalry -- controlled by mirror flash from higher ground -- ultimately secured a grand strategic victory for the free Sioux and Cheyenne, eliminating Crook's army from the subsequent action on the Little Bighorn, and setting up everything that was to come with Custer. See Crazy Horse at the Rosebud for more info.

JUST AS HE never allowed the Americans to capture his soul (not many can say that, even to this day), Crazy Horse was never defeated on the battlefield by the Americans. After fighting General Nelson Miles to a draw in his last battle at Wolf Mountain in January 1877, Crazy Horse decided that fleeing to Canada with Sitting Bull would only inflict more hardship on his people. So he surrendered, riding into Fort Robinson, Nebraska, with nearly 1,000 followers on May 6, 1877.

Crazy Horse's surrender was the raison for the story below, which originally ran in the May 7, 1877 Chicago Times. Barely four months later, the U.S. Army murdered Crazy Horse while he was in "protective custody," part of a drumbeat of atrocities and war crimes committed by invading American soldiers against Native Americans that foreshadowed the atrocities and war crimes committed by invading American soldiers against native populations in Afghanistan and Iraq a century and a half later.

In fact, this is a major theme in American history. This is how America was made, and how America made and continues to make mujahidin bent on fighting America to the death, for Crazy Horse was a holy warrior as much as any Islamic jihadist, posessing the combined dream power of all the elements, as the Sioux understood them.

"When he rode into battle," Kingsley M. Bray wrote in his excellent new biography, Crazy Horse: A Lakota Life, "Crazy Horse was not simply a naked warrior with a curious paint design: his being crackled with the awesome destructive powers of the total cosmos."

Saturday June 12, 2010, 1:43 pm

PLEASE VISIT WEBSITE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY!

THANK YOU!

Saturday June 12, 2010, 1:48 pm
He was an amazing man.

Saturday June 12, 2010, 2:04 pm
Absolutly outstanding and fascinating reading. Thank you so much Kat.

Saturday June 12, 2010, 2:28 pm
Great read many thanks for shareing with us Kat.

Saturday June 12, 2010, 2:45 pm
Amazing point in history...An incredible victory for Native Americans...Thank you again,Kat.

Saturday June 12, 2010, 3:02 pm
WOW, KAT!!!

Outstanding video, and I will get back to the site I so love this history...The fact, that CRAZY HORSE IS NOT up in stone yet upsets me to know end...

Slaughter! Crazy Horse from what I have read about him was a total warrior, and did NOT DESERVE TO DIE the way he did...

Custer and all of the others are just killers in my humble opinion!

Saturday June 12, 2010, 3:19 pm
!!

Saturday June 12, 2010, 3:37 pm
These things always fill my Heart with great saddness!!!! That so many of our people had to die at white hands!!! Well at least we kicked Custers Ass...Wado Kat..CUSTER GOT SIOUXED...

Saturday June 12, 2010, 3:38 pm
CRAZY HORSE was a Great Warrior!!!!!!!! A True Hero!!!

Saturday June 12, 2010, 3:41 pm
I may be wrong Kat, but personally, I think they need to get on Crazy Horse's statue and finish it...

In my mind He needs to be TOTALLY REMEMBERED!!!

Saturday June 12, 2010, 3:46 pm
Goodness..sent out stars for all of your OUTSTANDING COMMENTS!!!

Talldeer C, went to send you one, think it went through, but then I think it said I ran out!?!?!

Saturday June 12, 2010, 4:27 pm
A GREAT leader for his people, and a GREAT warrior!!! TY, Kat for this story/video of this GREAT man!!

Saturday June 12, 2010, 4:35 pm
Thanks, Kat. I have commented on one of Lone Wolf's stories that there are many unsung Native American heroes and heroines. Their lives and histories need to be publicized and recognized.
February is Black American History month. How many of us know that November is Native American History month? And how much attention does this get in the schools or the media.
There is much still that needs to be done.

Saturday June 12, 2010, 4:50 pm
Sitting Bull was certainly more adept at "warfare" than Custer and should recieve more noteriety and honor than he's been given. Slaughter,indeed....and just what did Custer et al do to the indigenous peoples...?

Saturday June 12, 2010, 5:36 pm
Great reading thanks Kat you do a great job.

Saturday June 12, 2010, 6:17 pm
One word: OUTSTANDING! Thanks Kat, this is one of the best!

Saturday June 12, 2010, 6:54 pm
Marilyn, don't be sad for Crazy Horse. He needs no monument in stone, because he is not dead. For some people there is no death.

Saturday June 12, 2010, 6:57 pm
What an amazing brave man. He lives on forever in our hearts:-)
Tks Kat.

Saturday June 12, 2010, 7:02 pm
Right ON MANDI!!!

Saturday June 12, 2010, 8:11 pm
Wonderful. Thanks Kat, I love your posts.

Saturday June 12, 2010, 8:11 pm
Crazy Horse is a hero to me. He plan every step before it ever happen and won it each time in other words your ass is grass!!! To give him self up only to be killed is wrong but, a lot of them sure went down, even Custer bit the dust. If he knew they were going to kill him they would have never taken him. To you Crazy Horse your Memory Lives. Thanks Kat

Saturday June 12, 2010, 8:22 pm
Oops....Embarrassing....I meant to say Crazy Horse...Sorry...Although Sitting Bull does deserve far more respect than history has given him,as well...They've made the wrong man out to be a "fallen hero"....

Saturday June 12, 2010, 8:40 pm
Sounds like the most complete account -- I 've n ever knew there was a confederation of tribes in the fight although it makes sense. War is hell -- always. God be with the dead and living. I f there is a God. Which I doubt.. However . . .


'On Problems'

Our choicest plans
have fallen through
our airiest castles
tumbled over
because of lines
we neatly drew
and later neatly
stumbled over.

-- Piet Hein


'Untitled'

What grieves me is not
What lies within the heart,
But those things of beauty
Which never can be . . .

They are the shapeless shapes
Which pass, though sorrow
Cannot know them
Nor love dream them.

They are as though sadness
Were a tree and, one by one,
Its leaves were to fall
Half outlined in the mist.

-- Fernando Pessoa


'To Tu Fu from Shantung'

You ask how I spend my time--
I nestle against a treetrunk
and listen to autumn winds
in the pines all night and day.

Shantung wine can't get me drunk.
The local poets bore me.
My thoughts remain with you,
like the Wen River, endlessly flowing.

-- Li Po

'The pennycandystore beyond the El'

The pennycandystore beyond the El
is where I first
fell in love
with unreality

Jellybeans glowed in the semi-gloom
of that september afternoon
A cat upon the counter moved among
the licorice sticks
and tootsie rolls
and Oh Boy Gum

Outside the leaves were falling as they died

A wind had blown away the sun

A girl ran in
Her hair was rainy
Her breasts were breathless in the little room

Outside the leaves were falling
and they cried
Too soon! too soon!

-- Lawrence Ferlinghetti


'After'

Oh, the littles that remain!
Scent of mint out in the lane;
Flare of window; sound of bees; --

These, but these.

Three times sitting down to bread;
One time climbing up to bed;
Table-setting o'er and o'er;
Drying herbs for winter's store;
This thing; that thing; -- nothing more.

But just now out in the lane,
Oh, the scent of mint was plain!

-- Lizette Woodworth Reese

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset."
-- Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator

Saturday June 12, 2010, 8:40 pm
Awesome, thanks! I can't wait to see his monument in SD someday.

Saturday June 12, 2010, 11:41 pm
Wow! Great stuff, Kat! Thanks for finding that.

Sunday June 13, 2010, 12:20 am
thanks

Sunday June 13, 2010, 3:45 am
Good article. Thanks.

Sunday June 13, 2010, 6:51 am
"A very great vision is needed and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky. I was hostile to the white man...we preferred hunting to a life of idleness on our reservations. At times we did not get enough to eat and we were not allowed to hunt. All we wanted was peace and to be left alone. Soldiers came and destroyed our villages. Then Long Hair (Custer) came...They say we massacred him, but he would have done the same to us. Our first impulse was to escape but we were so hemmed in we had to fight." ~ Crazy Horse ~

Sunday June 13, 2010, 7:01 am

WADO FOR THAT EXCELLENT QUOTE, DEBBIE!

Sunday June 13, 2010, 8:31 am
Excellent read, thanks so much Kat!

Sunday June 13, 2010, 8:33 am
Amazing leader of men. Thank you for the link to the past.

Sunday June 13, 2010, 8:58 am
Wado Kat for this article and very interesting video! May the Adanvdo always walk you in your path of life!

Sunday June 13, 2010, 9:00 am
Didn't know the name or story of Cray Horse until now. He truly was a man not afraid of death fighting with might for the right to life for many others.

Sunday June 13, 2010, 12:43 pm
Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and the brave warriors of all the Nations are the real heroes of the "west". I am embarrassed to be an ancestor of the white man, who took this land and killed so many men, women, children, ponies and buffalo. I have so much respect and love for your way of life and your spiritual connection with the earth and sky.

Sunday June 13, 2010, 2:37 pm
Thank you so much, Kat !! Crazy Horse was indeed a great & awesome man. He has been, & always will be, a TRUE hero, in my opinion. I too, am embarrassed to be a decendent of the white man, I often say, if I had lived during those times, I would have been on the Indian's side, no doubts about it!! I have always had great respect for our native Americans, & admire all they went through, & continue to go through. To me, they are noble & wise, fierce, yet gentle, strong & spiritual. I still get goosebumps when I hear the Ballad of Crazy Horse, by J.D. Blackfoot, & know all the pain & horror they had to endure, all at the hands of the white man.

Sunday June 13, 2010, 3:51 pm
amazing man

Sunday June 13, 2010, 5:28 pm
Thanks Kat. Interesting post.

The article was dated about a year after the battle. It's a pity somebody didn't get a record sooner than that.

As far as I am aware Sitting Bull did not take part in the battle, and Crazy Horse arrived late. That was relatively easy as the "Custer" part of the battle only took about 20 minutes.

Some day I hope to visit the site so I can get an idea of what it was like.

Sunday June 13, 2010, 5:31 pm
A Great People, A Great Man, enough said!

Sunday June 13, 2010, 6:37 pm
Thank's very interesting...I know Custer was a brutal Man, in his battles against the South in the Civil War, and against the Indians, on the Plains...The fate he and his men met that day, was deserved, I'm afraid...From what I know about Crazy Horse, he was a true Warrior, and the way he was killed was a terrible shame...Killed by some of his own people on behalf of the White Man...He deserved better...

Sunday June 13, 2010, 6:49 pm
What a shameful tragedy that he died at the hands of his own people after he had fought so passionately for them. He deserved so much better.

You're very welcome, Kat. The quote certainly proved what he and so many others were up against. It was a well-deserved victory in a time which did not favor them.

Sunday June 13, 2010, 7:20 pm
Noted, thanks.

Monday June 14, 2010, 2:11 am
Great Article, Kat. I love history!

Monday June 14, 2010, 4:42 am
Very interesting, thank you!

Monday June 14, 2010, 2:51 pm
I Love it !!

Thanks so much Kat.

Tuesday June 15, 2010, 3:24 pm
As I have stated before Crazy Horse has always been my hero and will always rank as my most revered hero. He did more damaged to the U.S.Calvary than any other native american in history. As for dying are you sure, maybe his body but never his spirit he will live forever with his true people and with me.

Friday June 25, 2010, 1:47 am
Look what nobility we have gradually replaced with our "progress." OH, the humanity... On a lighter note, Cathy Aaronson and Lillie O, I sure do like your pic's! (And thank you, Kat.)