Ellis Vest

October 31, 2013

Mr. Ward 

Crazy Horse 

Born in the early 1840’s on the Belle Fourche River in South Dakota a legendary warrior was born known as Crazy Horse. As a child he went by the name of Light Hair and at age ten he was known as Horse on Sight.  When he turned 18 his Father honored him by passing down his own name, Crazy Horse, changing his name to Worm. While his father was in the Oglala Lokota Tribe, his mother was from the Miniconjou Lakota Tribe, a member of One Horn family. Crazy horse left with a legacy of a serious and effective warrior, a fantastic leader, and a death that no one can ever be sure of.  He is also known for his amazing fighting abilities.

Crazy Horse was more than just a Sioux Indian, he was also a fantastic warrior and leader.  He was below average height and his hair and skin color were much lighter than most Indians. He did not like any funny business and he refused to wear face paint or a bonnet during battles.  Many of the Indians also rubbed dust on themselves but Crazy Horse did not partake in this either.  Even at the age 13 he was stealing horses from the Crow Indians and led his first actual War Party before turning 20.  As a leader of the Ogala Sioux Tribe he led the Sioux Wars in 1860’s to the 1870’s.  He was viewed among his people as a strong leader who committed to keeping the traditions and the values of the Lakota’s way of life. 

On July 25, 1865 Crazy Horse had his first real encounter with soldiers on the Oregon Trail.  At Platte Bridge he was a decoy to lure the soldiers out of their defenses.  That following year, he used his skills as a guerrilla fighter and studied the ways of the military adversaries.  On December of 1866 the Sioux and the Cheyenne combined to go up against Fort Phil Kearny.  Crazy Horse brought in a man named Lt. Col. William J. Fetterman along with 80 men to storm, which is known as the Fetterman massacre. Crazy Horse joined Sitting Bull as a guest tribe in hopes to defeat the Black Hills. Olgalas by the hundreds flocked to the standard of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse in the last great armed resistance of the Sioux. 

Battle of Little Bighorn in mid June 1876 was one of Crazy Horses well known battles. When the War Department ordered all Lakota Bands onto their reservations became a leader of the resistance. He also helped defeat the Custer’s troops on June 25th in a counterattack.  He led 1,500 Indians into the Battle of the Rosebud surprising the calvary.   On May 1877, he led his Oglalas into Red Cloud’s Agency and threw his weapons on the ground surrendering.  He spend his summer near Fort Robinson because he was told he would be given the assignment to a reservation if he surrendered.  No one is completely sure how Crazy Horse died but it has been told that rumors spread that he was planning an outbreak.  On September 5th of 1877, he was arrested but once he realized he was going to be locked away into a guardhouse, he resisted.  He was the stabbed to death. 

As you can see he was a big contrebuter in many Battles and was very smart in the way he chose to go about things.  He stayed loyal to his Tribe and did what he said he was going to do.  He went through much betrayal and false accusations but he still stayed true and never did not fight to his fullest.  Crazy horse was a fantastic warrior and will always be known for nothing less than that. 

Works Cited

"Crazy Horse." The History of the Native American Indian Named. Indians.org, 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.

Clark, Robert A. "Crazy Horse." History.com. A&E Television 

Networks, 1991. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.

Michno, Gregory F. "Montana: The Magazine of Western History: Crazy 

Horse, Custer, and the Sweep to the North.” JSTOR. N.p., 1993. 

Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Utley, Robert M. The Indian Frontier of the American West, 1846-1890. 

Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1984. Print.

Pearson, Jeffrey V. "Montana: The Magazine of Western History: 

Tragedy at Red Cloud Agency: The Surrender, Confinement, and 

Death of Crazy Horse." JSTOR. N.p., 2005. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.

Yenne, Bill. The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Tribes: A 

Comprehensive Study of Tribes from the Abitibi to the Zuni. New 

York: Crescent, 1986. Print.