Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, nineteenth century

Battle of the Little Bighorn

Battle of the Little Bighorn was a battle fought on 25 June 1876 at Little Bighorn River, in what is now Montana, United States. It was part of the Great Sioux War of 1876, which ran from 1876 to 1877. The recorded result: Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho victory.

See it on the globe Read the article

Lithograph showing the Battle of Little Bighorn, from the Indian side.
Lithograph showing the Battle of Little Bighorn, from the Indian side.. Charles Marion Russell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought25 June 1876
WhereLittle Bighorn River, Montana, United States45.565N, 107.429W
OutcomeLakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho victory
BelligerentsLakota peopleagainstUnited States; Crow scouts; Arikara scouts
Part ofGreat Sioux War of 18761876 to 1877

Where it sits in the Great Sioux War of 1876

Battle of Slim Buttes, 1876Battle of Powder River, 1876Battle of Prairie Dog Creek, 1876Battle of the Rosebud, 1876Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1876Battle of Warbonnet Creek, 1876Battle of Cedar Creek, 1876Dull Knife Fight, 1876Battle of Ash Creek, 1876Battle of Wolf Mountain, 1877Battle of Little Muddy Creek, 187718761877Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1876
11 placed engagements of the Great Sioux War of 1876 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date25 June 1876
PlaceLittle Bighorn River, Montana, United States
45.565N, 107.429W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Commanders
Battle of the Little BighornBattle of the Little BighornHayfield FightBattle of the RosebudBattle of Little Muddy CreekBattle of Pease BottomBattle of Prairie Dog CreekHayfield FightBattle of Little Muddy CreekBattle of Pease BottomBillingsCodyMiles CityPowell100 km45.565N, 107.429W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of the Little Bighorn
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of the Little Bighorn today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-10-19. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 969 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 918 to 1,056 m, 138 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 77% grassland, 13% cropland, 5% tree cover.

grassland: 77%cropland: 13%tree cover: 5%built-up: 3%grassland 77%cropland 13%tree cover 5%built-up 3%
west to east, 10.0 km933 to 1,046 mnorth to south, 10.0 km937 to 995 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1876

Battle of the Little Bighorn is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (17 in Montana).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q205422, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Little Bighorn, revision 1384823030, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.