The Aftermath

This chapter reviews the historiography of the Battle of the Little Bighorn by focusing on the aftermath. It considers volumes on the fate of Native American resistance. These biographical studies illustrate the consequences of the Indian victory over George Armstrong Custer not only for leaders but also to the bands who participated in the battle. The culminating event of the long war is the military action at Wounded Knee. Wounded Knee is best understood in the larger context of the Battle of the Greasy Grass. Several excellent bibliographic sources and overviews of the era are identified as useful entrees into the literature on the important 1876-1890 era in Native American history. The aftermath of the Battle of the Little Bighorn should be revised to create a new synthesis that contemplates the aftermath of the Battle of the Greasy Grass.