Crazy Horse was a brave and bold Indian.  He was exceptionally honored as a warrior, fighter, son, leader, and chief.  It is somewhat surprising that there is so much information to be found about this very shy man, because he kept to himself and he was only popular the last years of his short life. He dose not have mounds of quotes because he didn't come  out and speak his mind all the time like other great chiefs. Crazy Horse was a man that kept his feelings and emotions to himself. Crazy Horse was born on the Republican River in 1842. He lived through a wonderfully strong and adventurous life time, for a short thirty-five years until his tragic death at Fort Robinson Nebraska, in 1877.  
     There was no question in Sitting Bulls mind about  who would help him most in fighting the whites. He chose Crazy Horse, leader of the Oglala Sioux.  They were very different men, Sitting Bull was laughing constantly, cracking jokes and singing songs he would make up on his own. Crazy Horse on the other hand was quite different, he hardly ever talked, "Our Strange Man", the Oglala called him. He irregularly smiled. He was a man filled with bitterness. When Sitting Bull in was forty-five years old and was stocky with broad-shoulders.  While Crazy Horse was 26 at the time and was as slim as a boy. His skin and his hair were very light colored.  When he was young he was called "Light-Haired Boy" or "Curly" because of the wavy hair of his. But don't think that young Curly was born so cold hearted there are reasons for his harshness.  For instance, he had seen way too much violence at too young of an age. Curly had come upon the Brule' village, of his mothers people, when General Harney and his soldiers had killed 86 Indians.  The sight of the dead filled young Crazy Horse with a bitterness that lasted all of his life.  He also knew that general Harney had sent his uncle, Spotted Tail, away to the white man's country with chains on is hand and an iron ball on his feet. 
     Perhaps the thing that drew Sitting Bull towards Crazy Horse was religion. As a boy Crazy Horse had a strong vision.  Which was something that Sitting Bull strongly desired himself.  The vision would tell them about their future. a boy would learn which girls he would marry (Sioux men were allowed more than one), and the enemies he would kill. He would find out what feathers to wear in his hair, what paint to out on his face, and what design to put on his shield.  He may even learn how he would die.  Once Curly slipped away from camp and after days of lonely hunger and thirst he had a dream. He dreamt that his horse was coming towards him with a rider on its back. There was no paint on his face, but behind his ear was a small smooth stone.  Arrows and bullets flew around him but they didn't touch him.  People-it seemed to him his own people-came around the rider and clutched at him and tried to hold him back. He shook them off. Now Curly could see a zigzag lightning streak on the riders cheek and white hail stones spotted on his body.  The people still garbed at him, trying to hold him back, but they didn't succeed. Then a little red-backed hawk flew over the riders head.  He was the rider.
     Curly had kept his vision to himself until he was sixteen years old.  Then he told his farther (the medicine man), who said, "This vision was a strong medicine that will help you become a great leader of the Oglala." Curly's farther got him a red-backed hawk and a smooth stone to tie behind his ear. When Curly went into battle foe the first time, he painted a zigzag lightning streak on his cheek and white hailstone dots on his body.  He surprised everyone with his courage.  Curly's bravery proved to his farther that his vision was powerful.  The proud medicine man gave his son his own name at this time "Crazy Horse" and took the new name for himself, "Worm."  
     "My friend," Crazy Horse said to Sitting Bull, "if any soldiers or white men come and do not shoot first, we will not bother them.  But if they do come shooting, we will shoot back."  Sitting Bull agreed and said, "Friend you and right.  If they come, we will fight and kill them.  Ten year later Crazy Horse was known as a daring fighter, possibly the greatest of them all.       

      In 1876 Federal authorities ordered the Lokota Chiefs to report to their  reservations by January thirty-first. Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and other Lokota Chiefs refused.  On May 6, 1877,  Crazy Horse and 889 other Oglala Indians appeared outside of Camp Robinson close to the Red Cloud Agency.  It was a huge deal because they were the last major group of  Lakota holdouts on American soil to surrender.  Crazy Horse was quoted saying that he had given all he had to Red Cloud that day.  There, Crazy Horse's loyal followers and friends and the agency Indians began cheering and singing for him.  "By God," said a  Army Officer who witnessed the event, "this is a triumphal march, not a surrender."  Which was a very clear sign that Crazy Horse was a true hero.          

     Once late summer had arrived, rumors were going around saying that Crazy Horse was planning to return to battle.  On September 4, 1877, the chiefs including Red Cloud, Spotted Tail, No Water, and of course Crazy Horse rode out of camp Robinson with four hundred agency warriors.  Eight companies of the Third Calvary went to Camp  Robinson to arrest Crazy Horse, about six miles away, they found he had fled, along with his wife Black Shawl, who was suffering from tuberculosis. They where headed to the Spotted Tail Agency in hopes of finding a more peaceful existence.  At the Spotted Tail Agency he was greeted by Touch the Clouds and other friendly warriors.  
     Captain Daniel Bruke and Lieutenant  Jesse M. Lee promised him that the Army did not wish to harm him and would listen to his side of the story.  On September 5, Crazy Horse took the trail toward Camp Robinson, along with Lee, Bordeaux, Touch the Clouds and others. Lee immediately went to the office of Colonel Bradely but had little luck smoothing things over.  Bradely hesitated, but replied, "Tell him to go with the officer of the day and not a hair on his head should be harmed."  Now Crazy Horse apparently believed that he was going to meet with the commander in the morning.  Captain James Kennington, two soldiers and Little Big Man, then took Crazy Horse to the nearby guard house. He suddenly realized what was going on and that he was going to be locked up. Pulling out a knife that he managed to hide under his blanket and spring for the door Crazy Horse wrenched his arm free.  Little Big Man grabbed Crazy Horse's arm, "Let me go, let me go; you wont allow me to hurt anyone," Crazy Horse said as he slashed Little Big Mans wrist.  At that point Kennington ordered guardhouse security William Gentles to "Stab the son of a bitch". Doing what he was told Gentles lunged his bayonet into Crazy Horses left kidney.  "He has killed me now," Crazy Horse declared as he fell. "Let me go my friends. You have got me hurt enough." Touch the Clouds then said, "He was a great chief and cannot be put in a prison."  Colonel Bradley was then convinced that there would be more killings if Crazy Horse was put into a cell. Touch the Clouds then brought V into a office where he wanted to be on the flour, closer to the earth.  Touch the Clouds  stayed until just before midnight when Crazy Horse died. The others with him were his farther, Worm, Captain Kennington, Lieutenant Henry R Lemley, interpreter John Provos and Mr. McGillyCuddy. Crazy Horses last words aren't known but he did reportedly tell Worm: "ah, my farther, I am hurt bad.  Tell the people it is no use to depend on me any more." 

     Translated in Indian Tashunka Witco mean Crazy Horse.  He had a wife named Black Shawl. Crazy had said to Lieutenant William Philo Clark, his escort of the 2nd Infantry: "Friend, I shake with this hand, because my heart is on this side.....I want this peace to last forever."  As a token of surrender, Crazy Horse's long time friend He Dog gave Clark his war bonnet and shirt.  Crazy Horse said nothing at this time except, "I have given all I have to Red Cloud."  Later Crazy Horse was taken to the prison where we he was murdered as we all well know.   As you can tell there aren't any pictures of our great Lakota Chief on this web page.  This is because Crazy Horse never once had a picture of himself taken because he thought that if he did that the camera would take his soul forever.

 

Miranda Archer

8th American History

Rossville Jr. High

Plains History Project

2004

Bibliography
    
 
Revised: February 05, 2004 .