The Little Bighorn Campaign was precluded by George Armstrong Custer's invasion of the Black Hills in 1874 with the express purpose of finding an excuse to break the Treaty of Ft. Laramie 1868. The invasion was couched as a scientific expedition and generated newspaper articles claiming that gold was in the roots of the grass. Over 10,000 miners poured into the Black Hills and some of the Sioux killed and harassed the invaders of their sacred country. This provided an excuse for a full blown military campaign in the Spring of 1876. The military plan was to launch a three pronged attack to push everyone into the Powder River /Bighorn River area of Central Montana.

The initial contact occurred on June 17, 1876 on the Rosebud Creek. The Lakota (W. Sioux) and Cheyenne held an early Sundance Ceremony on June 10, in which Sitting Bull had a vision predicting success in battle. Under the leadership of Crazy Horse, Lakota and Cheyenne warriors (~ 1000-1200) struck Crook's column before he could attack an Indian village on Rosebud Creek. This all day fight constitutes a rather equal battle, but with an Indian force willing to sustain a battle through the rallying counter attack by Crazy Horse where he is reputed to have said, "Come on, Lakotas, it is a good day to die". Basically Crook was stopped, since he sustained sufficient casualties to require a retreat to deal with the wounded.

At the same time General Terry's force was searching for the Indians on the Little Bighorn with Gibbon coming in on the North on the Bighorn River. Terry sent Custer's 600 men of the 7th CAV out on June 22, 1876 to find the Indian encampment. Apparently, as Custer's force left Gibbon and Terry's forces on the Yellowstone River, Gibbon called out, " Now Custer, don't be greedy. Wait for us." So with 600 men , 44 Crow and Arikara scouts, and 20 civilian packers and interpreters Custer made a forced march down the Little Bighorn disregarding orders to explore Tullock's Creek and go south and around the Little Bighorn Valley and entering from the south. With various signs of an encampment in the valley of the Little Bighorn  (Lakota called it the 'Greasy Grass'), Custer pushed his men to attack on June 25, 1876 to what has become know as the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

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