Crow Scouts
Encyclopedia
Crow Scouts were first used by the United States Army
in 1876 during the Great Sioux War. Because the Crow
tribe was generally peaceful with the Americans
, the army was able to enlist Crow warrior
s to help track hostile native Americans
. A small group of Crow scouts witnessed General George A. Custer's defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn
, and later some former scouts fought in the Crow War
of 1887.
in Montana
. The Sioux
and Cheyenne were traditional enemies of the Crow so at the beginning of the Great Sioux War, several Crow warriors enlisted to guide Custer's expedition to the Little Bighorn River
. Six Crow scouts and thirty-nine Arikara scouts witnessed the Battle of the Little Big Horn, from June 25 to 26. Custer, leading over 500 men, intended to crush at least 900 encamped Cheyenne, Sioux and Arapaho warriors by delivering a three-pronged assault but ultimately the Americans were repulsed, leading to the deaths of over 250 soldiers. Four of the scouts, Curly, Goes Ahead
, Hairy Moccasin
and White Man Runs Him
rode with Custer's column while two others, Half Yellow Face and White Swan rode with Major
Marcus Reno
. Custer's scouts were relieved just before the beginning of the main battle because they changed out of their blue uniforms and put on their tribal wear. The scouts angered Custer and said they wanted to die like warriors, not as soldiers. Seventeen year old Curly refused to leave though but through the insistence of Mitch Bouyer
, a mixed-blood French
and Lakota guide, the young man was convinced to depart with the other three scouts. Curly watched the fight through a spy glass, from the top of a ridge, about a mile and a half away from the battlefield. When the fighting was over he eluded Sioux horsemen for two days until finally reaching the steamboat
Far West at the confluence of the Little Bighorn and Bighorn River
s. Using sign language
, Curly was able to communicate the first report of Custer's defeat.
After being relived, White Man Runs Him, Goes Ahead, Hair Moccasin and the Arikara scout Strike the Bear joined up with Reno's column and the other two scouts. They were briefly engaged in battle from the top of a ridge, repulsing a Sioux charge. All of them survived and retreated with Major Reno, except White Man Runs Him who continued fighting under Colonel
John Gibbon
who rescued Reno's men on June 26. When the war was over, the Crow scouts were no longer needed and subsequently disbanded like the Arikara and Sioux scouts. However, in 1887, some former scouts were involved in the brief Crow War. During which the United States Army fought a successful battle against hosltile Crows just north of the Little Bighorn battlefield.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in 1876 during the Great Sioux War. Because the Crow
Crow Nation
The Crow, also called the Absaroka or Apsáalooke, are a Siouan people of Native Americans who historically lived in the Yellowstone River valley, which extends from present-day Wyoming, through Montana and into North Dakota. They now live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana and in several...
tribe was generally peaceful with the Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the army was able to enlist Crow warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
s to help track hostile native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. A small group of Crow scouts witnessed General George A. Custer's defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
, and later some former scouts fought in the Crow War
Crow War
The Crow War, also known as the Crow Rebellion, or the Crow Uprising, was the only armed conflict between the United States and the Crow tribe of Montana, and the last Indian War fought in the state...
of 1887.
Great Sioux War
In April of 1876 the small Crow tribe was living under army control at the Crow AgencyCrow Agency, Montana
Crow Agency is a census-designated place in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment known as Custer's Last Stand...
in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. The Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
and Cheyenne were traditional enemies of the Crow so at the beginning of the Great Sioux War, several Crow warriors enlisted to guide Custer's expedition to the Little Bighorn River
Little Bighorn River
The Little Bighorn River is a tributary of the Bighorn River in the United States in the states of Wyoming and Montana. The Battle of the Little Bighorn was fought on its banks in 1876, as well as the Battle of Crow Agency in 1887....
. Six Crow scouts and thirty-nine Arikara scouts witnessed the Battle of the Little Big Horn, from June 25 to 26. Custer, leading over 500 men, intended to crush at least 900 encamped Cheyenne, Sioux and Arapaho warriors by delivering a three-pronged assault but ultimately the Americans were repulsed, leading to the deaths of over 250 soldiers. Four of the scouts, Curly, Goes Ahead
Goes Ahead
Goes Ahead was a Crow scout for George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry during the 1876 campaign against the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne...
, Hairy Moccasin
Hairy Moccasin
Hairy Moccasin was a Crow scout for George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry during the 1876 campaign against the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne...
and White Man Runs Him
White Man Runs Him
White Man Runs Him - was a Crow scout serving with George Armstrong Custer’s 1876 expedition against the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne that culminated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.-Early life:...
rode with Custer's column while two others, Half Yellow Face and White Swan rode with Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Marcus Reno
Marcus Reno
Marcus Albert Reno was a career military officer in the American Civil War and in the Black Hills War against the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne...
. Custer's scouts were relieved just before the beginning of the main battle because they changed out of their blue uniforms and put on their tribal wear. The scouts angered Custer and said they wanted to die like warriors, not as soldiers. Seventeen year old Curly refused to leave though but through the insistence of Mitch Bouyer
Mitch Bouyer
Mitch Bouyer was an interpreter and guide in the Old West following the American Civil War. General John Gibbon called him "next to Jim Bridger, the best guide in the country"...
, a mixed-blood French
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
and Lakota guide, the young man was convinced to depart with the other three scouts. Curly watched the fight through a spy glass, from the top of a ridge, about a mile and a half away from the battlefield. When the fighting was over he eluded Sioux horsemen for two days until finally reaching the steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
Far West at the confluence of the Little Bighorn and Bighorn River
Bighorn River
The Bighorn River is a tributary of the Yellowstone, approximately long, in the western United States in the states of Wyoming and Montana. The river was named in 1805 by fur trader François Larocque for the Bighorn Sheep he saw along its banks as he explored the Yellowstone River.The upper...
s. Using sign language
Sign language
A sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...
, Curly was able to communicate the first report of Custer's defeat.
After being relived, White Man Runs Him, Goes Ahead, Hair Moccasin and the Arikara scout Strike the Bear joined up with Reno's column and the other two scouts. They were briefly engaged in battle from the top of a ridge, repulsing a Sioux charge. All of them survived and retreated with Major Reno, except White Man Runs Him who continued fighting under Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
John Gibbon
John Gibbon
John Gibbon was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
who rescued Reno's men on June 26. When the war was over, the Crow scouts were no longer needed and subsequently disbanded like the Arikara and Sioux scouts. However, in 1887, some former scouts were involved in the brief Crow War. During which the United States Army fought a successful battle against hosltile Crows just north of the Little Bighorn battlefield.