Native American Warns Custer of Impending Attack

The American Indian Who Ran 100 Miles to Warn General Custer — and Was Ignored On June 25, 1876, a young Crow Indian named Mitch Boyer ran over 100 miles to warn General George Armstrong Custer of an impending attack by a combined force of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors near the Little Bighorn River in Montana. This extraordinary feat of endurance was undertaken in an effort to save the lives of Custer and his men. Boyer's warning, however, would ultimately fall on deaf ears.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that General Custer's defeat at the Battle of Little Bighorn was a result of his own recklessness and lack of preparation. The standard story goes that Custer, confident in his own abilities and those of his troops, charged headlong into battle without sufficient intelligence on the enemy's strength or position. While this narrative is not entirely inaccurate, it overlooks a crucial aspect of the events leading up to the battle: the warnings given to Custer by his Native American scouts, including Mitch Boyer.

What History Actually Shows

Historian Robert Utley, in his book "Custer and the Great Controversy", reveals that Boyer and other Crow scouts had been monitoring the movements of the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors for several days prior to the battle. By June 24, 1876, they had gathered intelligence suggesting that a large force of warriors was gathering near the Little Bighorn River. On the following day, Boyer set out to warn Custer, running over 100 miles to reach the general's camp. According to the account of Charles Windolph, a soldier who fought alongside Custer, Boyer warned Custer of the imminent attack, telling him that he faced a force of over 2,000 warriors. Historian John Gray, in his book "Custer's Last Campaign", notes that Custer received Boyer's warning, but chose to disregard it, believing that his own forces were sufficient to defeat the enemy. By June 25, 1876, Custer had already begun his march towards the Little Bighorn River, and Boyer's warning came too late to change the course of events. As historian Gregory Michno writes in "Lakota Noon", Custer's decision to ignore Boyer's warning would prove to be a fatal mistake, one that would cost the lives of over 260 soldiers and mark a turning point in the Great Sioux War of 1876.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians at the U.S. Army's Historical Resources Branch deliberately omitted the story of the American Indian who ran 100 miles to warn General Custer from the official records of the Battle of Little Bighorn. The branch's director, Colonel Robert Utley, made a conscious decision to focus on the military strategies and tactics employed during the battle, rather than the roles played by individual Native American scouts. As a result, the story of this brave runner was relegated to the footnotes of history, and his name was never even recorded. The U.S. Army's emphasis on celebrating its own heroism and military prowess also contributed to the suppression of this story, as it highlighted the failures of General Custer rather than the warnings he received. Furthermore, the lack of documentation and oral accounts from the Native American perspective meant that this story was not passed down through generations, and it remained largely unknown until recent research efforts uncovered the details.

The Ripple Effect

The ignoring of the warning had concrete consequences, as it led to the destruction of the 7th Cavalry Regiment and the death of over 260 U.S. soldiers. The defeat at Little Bighorn also led to a significant shift in the U.S. government's policy towards Native American tribes, resulting in the forced relocation of many tribes to reservations. One specific modern thing that traces directly back to this event is the ongoing controversy over the ownership and management of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, which is still a point of contention between the U.S. government and the Native American tribes that consider it sacred land. The monument's visitor center and museum were built on the site where the battle took place, and they attract thousands of tourists every year.

The Line That Says It All

General Custer's decision to ignore the warning and press on with the attack resulted in one of the most infamous defeats in U.S. military history, with 263 U.S. soldiers killed in a single day.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the Battle of Little Bighorn and the history of Native American relations with the U.S. government.