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50 free Little Bighorn trivia questions with answers — history quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
On June 25, 1876, five companies of the 7th Cavalry rode into the largest Native village their scouts had ever seen, and none of them rode out. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, the Greasy Grass to the Lakota, was the biggest defeat the United States Army suffered in the Plains wars and became the most argued-over afternoon in the history of the American West. These 50 questions cover the campaign and the fight: the three columns that were meant to converge, the Sun Dance vision of soldiers falling like grasshoppers, the Battle of the Rosebud that knocked Crook out of the plan, Custer's decision to split his regiment, Reno's retreat to the bluffs, the note that told Benteen to bring packs, and the hour on Last Stand Hill. There are questions on the weapons, the scouts, Comanche the surviving horse, the steamboat that raced the news to Bismarck and Libbie Custer's long defence of her husband. Easy questions stick to Custer and Sitting Bull; the hard tier asks about the Lone Teepee, the Far West's record run and which general said Gatlings were useless for Indian fighting. Every answer is cited to a page we checked, with a short explanation so you learn something either way.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which year was the Battle of the Little Bighorn fought?
1876
It was the most significant action of the Great Sioux War of 1876.
Q 02By what name do the Lakota and other Plains peoples know the battle?
The Greasy Grass
Contemporary participants also called the place the "Valley of Chieftains".
Q 03Which U.S. Army regiment did Custer command at the Little Bighorn?
7th Cavalry
Five of the regiment's twelve companies were wiped out along with Custer himself.
Q 04What was George Armstrong Custer's actual Army rank at the battle?
Lieutenant colonel
He had been a brevet major general during the Civil War, which is why he was often called "General".
Q 05In which present-day state is the battlefield?
Montana
It lay inside the Crow Indian Reservation in what was then Montana Territory.
Q 06Which three Native nations fought together against Custer's regiment?
Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho
The Crow and Arikara, by contrast, served as Army scouts against the Lakota.
Q 07Which Hunkpapa spiritual leader's vision inspired the warriors?
Sitting Bull
At a Sun Dance around June 5 he reportedly saw soldiers falling into his camp like grasshoppers from the sky.
Q 08In the Sun Dance vision, what was seen falling into the camp?
Soldiers like grasshoppers
The Sun Dance was the most important religious event of the Plains year.
Q 09Which Oglala war leader is credited with the charge that overwhelmed Custer's men?
Crazy Horse
Lakota accounts say his surprise charge from the northeast broke the soldiers' command structure.
Q 10Which tribe held the treaty claim to the Little Bighorn valley in 1876?
Crow
Crow chief Blackfoot had asked for U.S. military action against Lakota intruders as early as 1873.
Q 11Which battle on June 17, 1876 forced General Crook's column to pull back before Little Bighorn?
The Rosebud
Terry and Gibbon, unaware of Crook's fight, carried on with the plan to converge on the Bighorn valley.
Q 12Which general commanded the Dakota column that Custer's regiment marched with?
Alfred Terry
Terry's column left Fort Abraham Lincoln on May 17 with 150 wagons and a Gatling gun detachment.
Q 13From which post did Custer and Terry's column set out?
Fort Abraham Lincoln
It was in Dakota Territory; Gibbon marched from Fort Ellis and Crook from Fort Fetterman.
Q 21What did Custer's last written message tell Benteen to bring?
Packs
The note read "Benteen. Come on, Big Village, Be quick, Bring packs. P.S. Bring Packs."
Q 22Who carried Custer's final message to Benteen?
John Martin, an Italian-born bugler
Born Giovanni Martino, he was later billed in newspapers as the last white man to see Custer alive.
Q 23Which Arikara scout was killed beside Reno, shaking the major badly?
Bloody Knife
Reno then led a disorderly retreat across the river and up to the bluffs.
Q 14What weapons did Custer decline because he thought they would slow his march?
Gatling guns
Each gun needed four horses to haul it, could fire up to 350 rounds a minute and jammed frequently.
Q 15What was the name of the overlook from which Custer's scouts first saw the village?
Crow's Nest
It was 14 miles east of the river; Custer himself could not make out the pony herd they reported.
Q 16Into how many battalions did Custer divide his twelve companies on June 25?
Three
Reno and Benteen each took three companies, Custer kept five, and one guarded the pack train.
Q 17Which major led the first attack on the southern end of the village?
Marcus Reno
His three companies crossed the river around 3:10 pm and found the Lakota and Cheyenne "in force and not running away".
Q 18Which captain commanded the battalion sent on a scouting mission to the south?
Frederick Benteen
His companies D, H and K later joined Reno's survivors on the bluffs.
Q 19Which unit was assigned to escort the slow pack train?
Company B
Captain Thomas McDougall's troop later joined the defence on Reno Hill.
Q 20Which scout told Custer, "this is the largest village I have ever heard of"?
Mitch Bouyer
He said he had been with these Indians for 30 years; he died with Custer's column.
Q 24On what standard formation did Reno's men dismount to fight, cutting their firepower by a quarter?
A skirmish line
Every fourth trooper held horses, so only three in four could shoot.
Q 25Roughly how long did Custer's fight last, according to most accounts?
Less than an hour
One Native account said it lasted only "as long as it takes a hungry man to eat a meal".
Q 26What was the rough size of Custer's own column when it was destroyed?
About 210 men
The whole regiment numbered about 700; Reno and Benteen's men held out on the bluffs.
Q 27How many U.S. dead did the battle produce in total?
268
Another 55 were severely wounded, six of whom later died.
Q 28How many of Custer's close relatives died with him?
Two brothers, a nephew, a brother-in-law
Tom and Boston Custer, nephew Autie Reed and brother-in-law James Calhoun all fell.
Q 29What name is given to the hilltop where Custer's body was found?
Last Stand Hill
A tall memorial obelisk there bears the names of the 7th Cavalry's dead.
Q 30What did the men on Reno Hill use to dig rifle pits?
Knives and whatever they had
The trick of digging in with knives, plates and pans had become standard in the last year of the Civil War.