Battle of Little Big Horn

Lieutenant Robert Patterson Hughes
Letter to his wife with map of the
Battle of Little Big Horn,
June 30, 1876
Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4
Drawing
Holograph letter and pen and ink drawing
Manuscript Division (46C.1a,b)

As the military stepped up its efforts at removing Indians from lands desired by white settlers, Native American tribes focused their attacks on soldiers. On June 25, 1876, George Armstrong Custer and 264 men of the 7^th U.S. Cavalry were slaughtered by Teton Dakota/Sioux and Cheyenne along the banks of the Little Bighorn River in southeastern Montana. Although Custer's conduct is still in dispute, this map and accompanying letter by Lt. Robert Patterson Hughes, an aide-de-camp to expedition commander Major General Alfred Terry, strongly supports the theory that Custer acted recklessly--not only disobeying orders by engaging the enemy before help had arrived but by splitting his command into thirds in the face of overwhelming odds.