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Great Sioux War Facts & Worksheets

Great Sioux War is said to be the greatest U.S. Army-Indian war in American history

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A series of events and battles known as the Great Sioux War or Black Hills War happened through an alliance between Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States. It is said to be the greatest U.S. Army-Indian war in American history.

See the fact file below for more information on the Great Sioux War or alternatively, you can download our 29-page Great Sioux War worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

History

  • In 1860, there was an agreement between the American government and Native Americans that white settlers were prohibited to settle in Black Hill.
  • The agreement states that the Native Americans namely the Cheyenne and Lakota tribes own the region.
  • However, in the year 1874, news about the gold which was discovered in Black Hill spread.
  • Due to this, different groups and prospectors, including the white miners, started coming to the region.
  • The U.S. government tried to stop and keep the miners and settlers out of the region but struggled and failed.
  • Eventually, the U.S government offered to buy the Black Hills area but the Native Americans refused.
  • This led to a series of wars called the Great Sioux War.
  • The Great Sioux War had five phases namely the Grattan Massacre (1854), Fetterman Fight (1866), Battle of the Rosebud (1876), Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876), and the Wounded Knee Massacre (1890).

Significant Leaders During the Great Sioux War

  • During the series of battles, significant commanders in the U.S. Army who took part in the wars were Brigadier General George Crook, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, Colonel Nelson A. Miles, and Wesley Merritt.
  • For the Native Americans, the major leaders involved were Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Dull Knife, and Little Wolf.

Significant Battles During the Great Sioux War

Grattan Massacre (1854)

  • On August 18, 1854, a cow that belonged to the Mormon escaped and wandered to the Sioux camp.
  • The Mormons looked for the cow but upon seeing the Indians, they got scared.
  • They returned to their camp and reported to the soldiers at Ft. Laramie that the cow was “stolen”.
  • The man claimed he was innocent and refused to surrender.
  • Due to this, Lt. John Grattan ordered his men to fire cannons to the Indians which killed the spokesman of the Sioux, Chief Conquering Bear. 
  • The Sioux were so enraged so they also launched an attack and killed the entire group of Lt. John Grattan.
  • As a counter-attack, General William S. Harney took 600 troops and killed 85 people, and held 70 women and children as captives in a Brule village at Blue Water on September 1855.
  • It was initially reported to the press that the first to initiate violence were the Indians.
  • This was to create an anti-native sentiment to the people but the truth was soon reported.

Fetterman Fight (1866)

  • A battle known as Fetterman Fight (also popularly called as Fetterman Massacre, Battle of the Hundred-in-the-Hands, Battle of a Hundred Slain) occured on December 21, 1866, in the Crow Indian land.
  • Under Red Cloud and Crazy Horse’s leadership, the Native Americans began focusing their attacks on Fort Phil Kearny. 
  • Around 2,000 natives hid north of Fort Phil Kearny.
  • An attack was made by Native Americans on a group of woodcutters from the fort.
  • Colonel William Fetterman and his men were ordered by Colonel Henry Carrington to be sent as support.
  • Crazy Horse and 10 decoy warriors lured the U.S. soldiers into an ambush. 
  • Colonel Henry Carrington fired his weapon into the decoy warriors and as planned, they runaway acting like they were frightened.
  • The woodcutters safely returned to the fort but Colonel William Fetterman and his group chased Crazy Horse and his warriors. 
  • Colonel William Fetterman and 80 of his men were killed from the said ambush.

Battle of Rosebud (1876)

  • The Battle of Rosebud happened on June 17, 1876.
  • General George Crook and his scouts were resting near the headwaters of Rosebud Creek.
  • They were suddenly attacked by a number of warriors who were believed to be led by Crazy Horse, the Sioux Chief, and Cheyenne Chiefs Two Moon, Young Two Moon, and Spotted Wolf.
  • Fortunately, a segment of George Crook’s army was not unprepared.
  • The battle was said to have lasted for 6 hours.
  • There was a large difference in the number of casualties between the groups.
  • George Crook claimed victory as they were still on the battlefield but due to his wounded men and shortage of supplies, they were forced to retreat and return to their camp in Goose Creek.
  • From there, they waited for reinforcements for about seven weeks.

Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876)

  • This battle happened on June 25, 1876, in Montana Territory.
  • It is also known as “Custer’s Last Stand” and was a battle between the troops of George A. Cluster and the tribes led by Lakota and Sitting Bull.
  • George Custer and his 600 men went to the Little Bighorn Valley.
  • The news of the attack quickly spread to the Native Americans.
  • Sitting Bull ensured the safety of the women and children while Crazy Horse together with a large force faced their opponents head-on.
  • George Custer and around 200 of his men were attacked and killed by 3,000 Native Americans.
  • The battle was said to be the most decisive victory the Native Americans had and was the worst defeat for the U.S. Army during the Plains Indian War.

Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)

  • This event happened on December 29, 1890. 
  • The U.S. army’s 7th cavalry surrounded the Ghost Dancers near the Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to disarm the Sioux Chief Big Foot and his followers.
  • In the process, Black Coyote, a deaf tribesman refused to give his weapon.
  • A man was performing Ghost Dance, a ritual, when suddenly a shot was fired but it was undetermined as to which side it came from. 
  • The U.S. Army began killing the Native Americans and one of those who got killed was Sitting Bull.
  • Lakota warriors fought, however, a lot of them had already been disarmed.
  • It was said that there is an estimated 300 men, women, and children massacred.

Great Sioux War Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Great Sioux War across 30 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Great Sioux War which is said to be the greatest U.S. Army-Indian war in American history.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • The Great Sioux War Facts
  • Shoot It!
  • Can You Identify?
  • Home
  • Hall of Fame
  • Which War?
  • Blast From the Past
  • Storyboard
  • Headline
  • Poem
  • Poster Making

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.