By the end of the Civil War the U.S. government wanted to settle the vast territories west of the Mississippi. It passed the Homestead Act of 1862, the first of several such acts, that opened up millions of acres. Any adult who had never taken up arms against the U.S. government could apply; women, blacks, and immigrants were eligible. These western emigrants, possessing little or no understanding of the Indian way of life, showed slight regard for the sanctity of hunting grounds or the of former treaties. The Indians' resistance to those encroachments on their domain only served to intensify hostilities. In 1868, believing it was 'cheaper to feed than to fight the Indians,' representatives of the U.S. government signed a treaty at Fort Laramie, Wyo., with the Lakota, Cheyenne, and other tribes of the Great Plains, by which a large area in eastern Wyoming was designated a permanent Indian reservation. The government promised to protect the Indians 'against the commission of all depredations by people of the United States', Peace didn't last very long. In 1874 gold was discovered in the Black Hills, the heart of the new Indian reservation. News of the strike spread quickly, and soon thousands of eager gold seekers swarmed into the region in violation of the Fort Laramie treaty. The army tried to keep them out, but to no avail. Efforts to buy the Black Hills from the Indians, and thus avoid another confrontation, also proved unsuccessful. In growing defiance, the Lakota and Cheyenne left the reservation and resumed raids on settlements and travelers along the fringes of Indian domain. In December 1875, the commissioner of Indian Affairs ordered the tribes to return to the reservations before January 31, 1876, or be treated as hostiles 'by the military force'. When the Indians did not comply, the army was called in to enforce the order. A three-pronged attack was planned by the army to subdue the Indians, one of which ultimately was led by Custer. When Custer reached the Crow's Nest, about 15 miles to the east of the Little Bighorn River valley, Custer's Crow and Arikara scouts see evidence of an Indian encampment. What they saw was approximately 7,000 Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho, including 1,500-2,000 warriors, encamped along the little Bighorn River. Led by Sitting Bull, they refused to be restricted to their reservation and had met for the Sun Dance festival and the annual Buffalo hunt. Custer, probably underestimating the size and fighting power of the Lakota and Cheyenne forces, divided his regiment into three battalions. he retained five companies under immediate command and assigned three companies each to Major Marcus A. Reno and Capt. Frederick W. Benteen. A twelfth company was assigned to guard the slow-moving pack train. Custer ordered Benteen to scout the bluffs to the south, while Custer and Reno headed toward the Indian camp in the valley of the Little Bighorn. When near the river, Custer turned north toward the lower end of the encampment and ordered Reno to cross the river and attack. What happened next is not entirely clear and much of it is conjecture. By the end of the day day Custer was dead. Very little facts are known of the movements of Custer, Reno or Benteen, or the movements of the Indians during the battle. Most is conjectural. During the night after the battle the families of the fallen Indian warriors removed their bodies, thus making it difficult to get an accurate count of their fallen. It is estimated that between 36-136 were killed and 160 wounded.The army hurriedly buried their fallen soldiers the following day where their bodies were found.(Source: Most of the above information was extracted from a 'Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument' handout). The National Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is located on the current Crow (Indian) reservation. The picture depicts the some of the grave markers, including Custer's on Last Stand Hill. This picture was taken on 10 August 2015, Sig...