June 25 - Custer's Last Stand: The Epic Battle of the Little Bighorn
Pride's Fatal Miscalculation
This is the day the US 7th Cavalry under Brevet Major General George Armstrong Custer was wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne warriors led by Chiefs Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876.
In today's lesson, we will explore how the catastrophic defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn reveals the spiritual dangers of pride and the life-saving power of humility. What lessons can Custer's fatal overconfidence teach us about our own spiritual battles? How does God use our acknowledgment of weakness to display His strength through our lives?
"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." - Romans 12:3 (NIV)
This Date in History
The dust cloud rose from the valley below, but Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer couldn't see what lay beyond the ridge. His Crow scouts had warned him about the size of the Native American encampment along the Little Bighorn River, but Custer dismissed their concerns. He had built his reputation on bold strikes against tribal forces. This would be no different. By sunset on June 25, 1876, Custer and 268 men of the 7th Cavalry would be dead, their bodies scattered across the Montana hillsides in what became the most shocking military defeat in the Indian Wars.
The path to this catastrophe began months earlier when thousands of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors abandoned their government reservations. The discovery of gold in the sacred Black Hills had brought waves of miners into territory guaranteed to the tribes under the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. Sitting Bull, the influential Hunkpapa Lakota holy man, refused to sell the Black Hills to the government. He called for unity among the tribes and led an exodus from the reservations to the traditional hunting grounds along the Powder River.
Crazy Horse, the legendary Oglala Lakota war leader, joined this movement with hundreds of his own followers. Known for his tactical brilliance and fierce resistance to white encroachment, Crazy Horse had never signed a treaty with the United States. He saw the reservation system as a slow death for his people's way of life. Together with Sitting Bull, he helped forge the largest gathering of Plains tribes in decades.
By spring 1876, an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 Native Americans had congregated in the Little Bighorn valley, including 2,000 to 3,000 warriors. They hunted buffalo, conducted traditional ceremonies, and prepared for the inevitable military response. Sitting Bull experienced a powerful vision during a Sun Dance ceremony, seeing soldiers "falling into camp" upside down, which he interpreted as a great victory coming for his people.
The U.S. Army launched a three-pronged campaign to force the "hostiles" back to their reservations. General Alfred Terry commanded the overall operation, with Custer leading the 7th Cavalry as part of the northern column. Custer, ambitious and politically connected, saw this campaign as an opportunity to enhance his already considerable fame. He had earned a reputation as an Indian fighter through previous engagements, but he had never faced a force of this magnitude.
On the morning of June 25, Custer's scouts located the massive encampment along the Little Bighorn River. Despite warnings about its size, Custer feared the tribes would scatter if he waited for reinforcements. He divided his 600-man regiment into three battalions, planning to attack from multiple directions. He would lead 210 men in a direct assault while Major Marcus Reno attacked from the south and Captain Frederick Benteen scouted to prevent escape routes.
The plan collapsed within hours. Reno's initial charge across the river met fierce resistance and quickly turned into a chaotic retreat. Benteen never reached his assigned position. Custer, advancing along the eastern bluffs, found himself surrounded by hundreds of warriors led by Crazy Horse, Gall, and other war chiefs. The Native Americans, fighting to protect their families in the village below, attacked with desperate fury.
The battle became a rout. Warriors on horseback circled Custer's diminishing force, picking off soldiers with rifles, bows, and war clubs. Custer's men, many of them new recruits, tried to form defensive positions on the ridgeline. But the overwhelming numbers and tactical superiority of the Native American forces made resistance futile. In less than an hour, Custer's entire battalion was wiped out.
When the shooting stopped, the victory celebration in the Native American camp was tempered by knowledge of what would follow. Sitting Bull understood that their triumph would bring terrible retribution. Within months, the full weight of the U.S. military machine would descend upon the Plains tribes, eventually forcing them onto reservations and ending their traditional way of life forever.
Historical Context
The Battle of the Little Bighorn occurred during a critical period of American expansion when the federal government was implementing its final solution to the "Indian Problem" through forced assimilation and reservation confinement. The post-Civil War era had unleashed unprecedented westward migration, supported by transcontinental railroads and a military freed from sectional conflict. President Ulysses S. Grant's Peace Policy, initiated in 1869, aimed to concentrate all Plains tribes onto designated reservations where they could be "civilized" through agriculture, Christianity, and white education, effectively ending their nomadic hunting culture.
The immediate crisis stemmed from the government's violation of its own treaties when gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1874. Lieutenant Colonel Custer himself had led the expedition that confirmed the gold deposits, triggering a rush of miners into the region despite its protection under federal treaty. When negotiations to purchase the Black Hills failed in 1875, the government issued an ultimatum requiring all Lakota to report to their agencies by January 31, 1876, or be considered hostile. This impossible deadline, issued during the harshest winter months when travel was nearly impossible, provided the legal pretext for military action. The army's summer campaign of 1876 represented the government's final attempt to crush Plains Indian resistance and complete the reservation system that would confine Native Americans to scattered plots of often unsuitable land.
Did You Know?
The Battle of the Little Bighorn is also known as the "Greasy Grass Fight" or the "Battle of Greasy Grass" among the Lakota, who refer to the battle by the name of the nearby river, "Greasy Grass River," which is the Lakota name for the Little Bighorn River.
Five members of George Armstrong Custer's family died in the battle: his two brothers Thomas and Boston, his brother-in-law James Calhoun, and his nephew Henry Armstrong Reed. Thomas Custer was the most highly decorated soldier in the Civil War, having been awarded two Medals of Honor during that conflict.
Army intelligence had estimated Sitting Bull's force at 800 fighting men, but approximately 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors actually participated in the battle. Many of them were armed with superior repeating rifles, while Custer's men carried single-shot carbines.
After the battle, two Southern Cheyenne women allegedly protected Custer's body from mutilation because they claimed he was "a relative of ours," referring to his reported relationship with a Cheyenne woman named Mo-nah-se-tah, whose father had been killed by Custer's men at the earlier Battle of Washita.
Congress responded to the defeat by attaching the "sell or starve" rider to the Indian Appropriations Act of 1876, which cut off all food rations to the Sioux until they surrendered and ceded the Black Hills to the United States, effectively forcing their submission through starvation.
Today’s Reflection
Picture a battlefield strewn with the remnants of a once-proud army, their leader's hubris and disdain for his enemy etched in the blood-soaked soil. In the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer's overconfidence and underestimation of the Lakota and Cheyenne warriors led to a devastating defeat, forever immortalized as "Custer's Last Stand." This historical moment reveals a profound spiritual truth about the dangers of pride and the life-giving power of humility.
The Bible warns us repeatedly about pride's destructive nature. As Scripture declares, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom" Proverbs 11:2 (NIV).
Custer's pride blinded him to the strength and tactical brilliance of his adversaries, leading to catastrophic miscalculation. When we allow pride to take root in our hearts, we become equally vulnerable to spiritual defeat.
Yet pride often arrives wearing masks. It masquerades as confidence, superiority, or spiritual maturity. We find ourselves looking down on others, dismissing their struggles, or questioning their faith. In these moments, we forget a fundamental truth about our standing before God.
"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you" Romans 12:3 (NIV).
This verse cuts to the heart of our condition. We are all recipients of grace, each given faith according to God's sovereign distribution. None of us earned our spiritual position through superior wisdom or moral achievement.
The antidote to pride is humility. Not self-deprecation or false modesty, but an honest assessment of our dependence on God. When we approach life with genuine humility, we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit's wisdom and guidance. We become teachable, receptive to correction, eager to learn from others.
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up" James 4:10 (NIV).
This transformation changes how we see others. Instead of judgment, we extend compassion. Instead of condemnation, we offer understanding. We recognize that everyone around us faces battles we cannot see, temptations we may not understand, and struggles that would humble us if we walked in their shoes.
In our own spiritual battles, we must guard against Custer's fatal error. We cannot underestimate the power of sin or the cunning strategies of our enemy. The temptation is always to rely on our own strength, our theological knowledge, or our past victories. Yet Scripture reminds us that our real battle transcends what we can see or touch.
Pride whispers that we are strong enough, wise enough, experienced enough to handle whatever comes our way. Humility acknowledges that without Christ, we can do nothing of eternal value. Without His strength, we fight a losing battle against forces designed to destroy us.
The lesson from that Montana battlefield echoes through time. Overconfidence leads to defeat. Humility opens the door to God's unlimited resources.
As we examine our hearts today, where do we find traces of pride masquerading as strength? Where have we stopped depending on God's wisdom and started trusting our own understanding? The path forward requires honest acknowledgment of our limitations and renewed commitment to walk in humility before the One who holds all wisdom and power.
Practical Application
Begin each morning this week by confessing to God one area where pride has taken root in your life, whether in your relationships, work, or spiritual walk. Follow this confession by asking Him to reveal opportunities throughout your day to practice genuine humility, whether through listening more carefully to others, admitting when you're wrong, or serving someone without recognition. At the end of each day, reflect on moments when you chose humility over pride and thank God for His grace in those victories, while also acknowledging areas where pride still dominated your responses.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the sobering reminder that pride leads to destruction, but humility leads to wisdom and honor. We confess that too often we have walked in the footsteps of those who trusted in their own strength rather than seeking Your guidance and depending on Your power. Forgive us for the times we have looked down on others, dismissed their struggles, or believed ourselves to be more righteous or capable than we truly are.
Lord, cultivate in us hearts of genuine humility that acknowledge our complete dependence on You. Help us to see ourselves with sober judgment, remembering that any faith, wisdom, or strength we possess comes from Your gracious hand. Transform our relationships so that we extend the same grace and compassion to others that You have shown to us. Guard us against the enemy's schemes and the deceptive whispers of pride that would lead us into spiritual defeat. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
Final Thoughts
True strength is found not in our ability to stand above others, but in our willingness to bow before God. The most dangerous moment in any Christian's life is when they believe their own spiritual press releases. When we think we've arrived, when we assume we're beyond certain temptations or failures, we've positioned ourselves for the kind of devastating defeat that pride always delivers. Humility isn't weakness disguised as virtue; it's the recognition that every breath we take, every victory we experience, and every moment of spiritual clarity comes as an undeserved gift from a gracious God who delights in lifting up those who acknowledge their need for Him.
Author’s Notes
Today’s devotional is one I first shared in 2024. While I’m posting new reflections as I’m able, I’m also bringing back past devotionals—sometimes as they first appeared, sometimes with added clarity or deeper insight. A few are even fully rewritten around the same historical event, offering a renewed reflection shaped by prayer and time. Whether lightly edited or entirely reworked, the message remains rooted in Scripture and the hope that each word meets you with fresh encouragement and truth.
If you’ve made it this far down the page can you do me a favor? Let me know what you thought about today’s newsletter. Leave a comment or like (❤️) this post. I would really appreciate it.
Custer’s is a fascinating story about an interesting man. The spiritual application here is sobering.
For a deeper dive into Custer, the family man/husband, read Libby’s diary of their time on the frontier (“Boots and Saddles”).
Libby’s eloquent words add a depth and dimension to the caricature most of us have in mind because of the events at The Little Bighorn.
Proverbs 16:18
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
Have a great, blessed, and humble day, Jason!