Tanya Plain Feather Gardner, of the Crow or Apsaalooka Tribe, describes the confusion and miscommunication that was rampant at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as the Battle of Greasy Grass or Custer’s Last Stand. An official guide for Apsaalooke Tours at Montana’s Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, she describes how unprepared Custer and his men were for the conditions they encountered before and during the battle.

Tanya explains that Custer’s main concern was how and where to find the hostile Indians and sketches out the position of the troops leading up to the start of the battle. She also addresses the fact that many of Custer’s raw recruits were made up of different nationalities.  Many did not speak English as a common language, adding to the general chaos.