Crazy Horse Biography Essay Example

"Another white man's trick! Let me go! Let me die fighting!" Crazy Horse was a War Chief of the Sioux Native American Tribe, he led his people to battle against the injustices they faced. He always put his friends and family first, doing what was best for them. Crazy Horse was a leader and role model for his tribe and others across America. 

Crazy Horse was born near what is currently known as Rapid City, South Dakota in the early 1840s. His mother was Brule and his father was from the Oglala Lakota Native American tribe (nativepartnership.org n.d.). His father’s name was Tashunka Witco, also known as Crazy Horse, but he gave his name to his son and changed his name to Worm. Before Crazy Horse was given his name, he was called "Curly" because of his curly brown hair. Crazy Horse grew up in the Lakota tribe, also called the Teton Sioux, which is a subculture of the infamous Sioux nation. Here he learned all of the skills he needed in life. He tamed wild horses and hunted buffalo. Even as a child, he was a leader. 

While Curly was still young, he came to the conclusion that he needed a vision to lead him. Curly was impatient and didn’t go through the normal traditions before receiving a vision, such as fasting. Eventually, he got the vision he was waiting for; he saw a man with long brown hair wearing blue pants riding on his horse. He wasn’t decorated for war. He only had one feather in his hair and a stone behind his ear. He heard something say, "Keep nothing for yourself." Curly started to apply the things the vision suggested, including keeping a rock behind his ear. Crazy Horse spent the rest of his life following the lead of his vision (Joseph Bruchac 2000).

In the 1860s, Crazy Horse’s leadership position finally came. After many years of contributing to solving his tribe’s challenges,  Crazy Horse became chief of war at age 24 (ducksters.com 2021).  One of Crazy Horse’s first big battles was the Fetterman Massacre. After many conflicts pertaining to white people taking Sioux’s land, Crazy Horse and Red Cloud joined forces to fight back. Crazy Horse led a small group to act as a decoy while the rest of their warriors got in place. Captain William Fetterman’s 80 soldiers took the bait and weren’t expecting to find almost 2000 Native Americans launching their surprise attack. Unprepared, Captain Fetterman and his troops all died, leading to a small victory for the Sioux (history.com 2020).

In 1868, a few years after Crazy Horse became chief, the Sioux had to adapt to the new life that the Fort Laramie Treaty brought. The Fort Laramie Treaty was made to help ease tension between the new settlers and the Native Americans, specifically the Sioux. The treaty returned the Black Hills to the Sioux by making it part of the Great Sioux Reservation. 

This treaty, like many others, only resulted in temporary peace. On June 17, 1876, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, another Sioux leader who had great knowledge of war, ambushed General George Crook’s army who was taking a break and waiting for other soldiers to arrive. This battle is known as the Battle of Rosebud. The Native Americans had many soldiers ready to fight. They initially went in with 1,500 but had 2,500 more soldiers waiting to help if needed. In the beginning, the Americans were outnumbered and split up, making it easier for Crazy Horse’s men to be effective. General Crook’s additional soldiers finally arrived and made it more difficult to continue fighting (history.com 2021). Although the Native Americans retreated, the Battle of Rosebud was still very important in the collection of the Indian Wars.

The Battle of Little Bighorn took place in 1876 at the Little Bighorn River in Montana. It is one of the most well-known battles in the Indian Wars. Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull led thousands of Cheyanne and Sioux soldiers into battle against General George Armstrong Custer. General Custer is well-known for his battles with Native Americans while prospecting for gold in the Black Hills. He decided to split his 600 person army into multiple groups to fight the Sioux and Cheyanne, but this didn’t go very well. Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse’s army severely outnumbered Custer’s, which enabled them to surround his groups. They were able to defeat all of his groups with ease as they had nowhere to go. This is one of the greatest achievements and wins for Crazy Horse and the other Sioux. It showed that the Native Americans were a force to be reckoned with.

After leading many battles Crazy Horse’s time was coming to an end. His tribe was drained and suffering. Putting his people first, Crazy Horse surrendered to General George Crook in Nebraska on May 6, 1877. He was eventually arrested, the reason why is inconclusive, and brought to Fort Robinson in Nebraska. He died not long after in an incident with some soldiers. A soldier hit him with a bayonet in the abdomen area and he died later that night. 

To conclude, Crazy horse was an outstanding leader that helped advocate for justice for Native Americans. Starting at a young age, he fought many battles for his people. He has made a lasting impact on our world. Whether Crazy Horse won or lost a battle, he still changed lives for those around him and many others.