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History

Crazy Horse

What is crazy horse?

· Sarah Mitchell

Key facts

Name Tȟašúŋke Witkó[1]
Tribal group Oglala Lakota[1]
Birth c. 1840–1842[2]
Birthplace Black Hills of South Dakota[2]
Death September 5, 1877[1]
Place of death Fort Robinson, Nebraska[4]

Crazy Horse was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band, known as Tȟašúŋke Witkó, who fought U.S. forces in the 19th century and helped lead Native forces at the Battle of the Little Bighorn [1].

Context

Crazy Horse was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band, known as Tȟašúŋke Witkó, who fought U.S. forces in the 19th century and helped lead Native forces at the Battle of the Little Bighorn [1]. Sources place his birth around 1840–1842 in or near the Black Hills of South Dakota, and his death on September 5, 1877 at Fort Robinson, Nebraska [1][2][4]. He played a leading role in the 1866 Fetterman Fight and was associated with Lakota resistance against U.S. encroachment on northern Great Plains lands [1][4].

Documented claims

  • He played a leading role in the 1866 Fetterman Fight. [1]
  • He helped lead Native forces in the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn against the 7th Cavalry under George Armstrong Custer. [1]

Questions and answers

When was Crazy Horse born?

Sources place his birth around 1840–1842 in or near the Black Hills of South Dakota [2].

How did Crazy Horse die?

He was arrested in 1877, then stabbed and mortally wounded in the ensuing scuffle at Fort Robinson, Nebraska [3][4].

Sources

  1. Crazy Horse | Biography & Facts | Britannica — britannica.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  2. Crazy Horse - Facts, Death, Battles | HISTORY — history.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  3. Crazy Horse — armyheritage.org (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  4. Crazy Horse 1842 - 1877 - PWNA — nativepartnership.org (retrieved August 3, 2026)

Sources last checked August 3, 2026. · More in History