Portal:Indigenous peoples of North America/Selected Biography/December
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Crazy Horse (Lakota: T‘ašunka Witko, pronounced t'khashúnka witkó), (c. 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a respected member of the Oglala Sioux Native American tribe. Noted for his courage in battle, he was recognized among his own people as a great leader committed to preserving the traditions and values of the Lakota way of life and for leading his people into a war against the takeover of their lands by the Federal government of the United States.
On June 17, 1876, Crazy Horse led a combined group of approximately 1,500 Lakota and Cheyenne in a surprise attack against Brig. Gen. George Crook's force of 1,000 cavalry and infantry and 300 Crow and Shoshone warriors in the Battle of the Rosebud. The battle, although not substantial in terms of human loss, delayed Crook from joining up with the 7th Cavalry under George A. Custer, ensuring Custer’s subsequent defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
On September 5, 1877, William Gentiles, a 20-year army veteran who never rose above the rank of private, lunged at Crazy Horse with his bayonet, striking him near his left kidney, after Crazy Horse resisted arrest. Crazy Horse died during the night in the Adjutant's Office, with Dr. McGillycuddy providing medical care and his father singing the death song over him. His body was taken away by his parents and laid to rest somewhere in the Badlands.
