b'The Story of Crazy HorsePART 2 By Alan RockmanTHE EDUCATION,Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American EXPLOITS ANDWarriors. "Crazy Horse believed that he was connected DEVELOPMENT OF Ato all that there was, the earth, the sky, the sun and YOUNG WARRIOR CHIEF moon, the plants and animals, even the insects - Outside of a few skirmishes andeverything was part of Wakan Tanka, the Greatwagon raids, Crazy Horse didSpirit. . .(his) religion was all-embracing. Wakan not see any major hostilitiesTanka was the All, the One, the Great Mystery, but with the whites - whether it was soldiers or civilians -not in any recognizable form, for Wakan Tanka was in until the late fall of 1864. That is not to say that Crazyeverything, of everything. The Sioux believed in gods Horse did not live a life of action or violent encountersand goddesses, but they were vague, shadowy figures, with other Native American tribes such as the Crow andnever sharply defined as to appearance or authority. The Charles Bennett / APShoshone who were quite hostile to the Sioux, or that hegods laid no requirement as to action or belief on the lived a lethargic, sedimentary life. Quite the contrary. Sioux beyond such ritual observances as the Sun Dance. All that existed was precious in Crazy Horse\'s religion For in battles against hostile tribes it was usually this- whatever a man did or thought was good, was Wakan, young, just in his early twenties, Sioux warrior whoso long as he obeyed his own inner voice, for that tooPast Mt. Rushmore, is a monument depicting would be first in the fight, and amidst the scores ofwas Wakan. The concept of an afterlife was absent;Tasunke Witkobest known as Crazy Horsea arrows falling down all around him, the smoke of theinstead, the Sioux emphasized the cycle of life on thisbeloved man to the Lakota. When completed, it will rifles, the bullets zinging nearby, leading his men intoearth. Crazy Horse did not have to answer to anyone forbe nearly four times that of the Statue of Liberty.battle. One of his friends, a fellow young warrior by thehis actions and beliefs, not to any other Sioux nor (even) name of Thunder Tail said the following about Crazyto Wakan Tanka, but he did have to answer for himself"Horse\'s early days as a young warrior, noting specifically(Stephen Ambrose, Crazy Horse and Custer: The ParallelDespite occasional raids on a wagon train, or at times his demeanor following a fight with another tribe: Lives of Two American Warriors, pp. 124-125). (after 1862) the overflow of the Minnesota Sioux uprising, peace, though at times tenuous, was kept "He sat among all the bravest of the young men. TheyBy leading by example, by having the confidence of (inbetween the Sioux and whites. The Sioux of the Powder talked very much about him" (Sajna, Crazy Horse:his mind) a solid belief system, but also by looking outRiver region were tranquil, lived well, and wanted no The Life Behind the Legend, p.139). Following anotherfor others and acknowledging their deeds, the youngpart of conflict. All was good for the next three or four encounter with an enemy tribe, Thunder Tail went on toCrazy Horse became quite respected within the Siouxyears until a "fire and brimstone" preacher and Colorado say that the "Crazy Horse name was very much talkedhierarchy. Not only did the young Oglala warrior honemilitia colonel by the name of John M. Chivington, about. Crazy Horse was very popular" (Ibid). his fighting skills, he also became quite well-known aswho had gained a bit of renown having led a decisive a leader of the young braves of his tribe, and as will becharge against New Mexico Confederates in the battle A distant cousin named Eagle Elk also commented thatnoted, others took notice of his bravery, coolness inof Glorietta Pass, made no secret of his hatred and Crazy Horse became famous among all the Sioux tribescombat and leadership skills, particularly several well- contempt of "redskins." He chose, on November 29, 1864 during an early fight with the Pawnees where "He tookknown Sioux nation leaders, one of whom was a fellowto lead his drunken, murderous militia in a brutal charge the lead, although he was a very young boy. He wasOglala whom he first befriended, then fought bitterly;against the peaceful Cheyenne tribe of Chief Black making a dash to coup an enemy. From that time he wasthe other a Hunkpapa Medicine Man who was also quiteKettle, a Cheyenne chief who had always sought peace talked about" (Ibid).Crazy Horse had learned quite arenowned for his own fighting skills - and a respectedand accommodation with whites, at a Colorado bend of lot since his earliest fight when he had killed that Omahachief whom Crazy Horse would get quite close to. But wethe river known as Sand Creek. Killed were at least 150 woman. He chose, perhaps recklessly, to close in on hisanticipate things. Cheyenne, mostly women and children in Chivington\'s enemies, to make sure he wasn\'t attacking a woman or a"nits-make-lice" war on the innocent - sparking a Plains child. In doing so, he often risked his life - but as one ofTHE BRIEF PEACE WITH THE WHITES THATIndian war that would enrage the Sioux and other tribes. his biographer\'s notes - he was "incredibly lucky" too. HisENDED WITH THE SIOUX UPRISING INA war that would last throughout much of the following friend Chips noted that during one particularly viciousMINNESOTA AND A MASSACRE OF CHEYENNEdecade, a war that would shatter any remaining hopes fight with the Shoshone Crazy Horse\'s "horse was shotAT A PLACE CALLED SAND CREEK of peace between Sioux and Cheyenne on one hand and from under him, (yet he) sprang forward to the enemyContrary to popular brief or even to established history,the whites who, like the Collins father-and-son wished and counted coo (coup)" (Ibid). Even with all of hisoutright, continuous war against the whites and vicefor peace. Retaliation for Sand Creek was not long in earliest exploits and throughout his life Crazy Horse wasversa did not begin with the Grattan fiasco nor withcoming, and its first target was the Colorado plains not an egomaniac, nor was he a boaster. He always gaveHarney\'s subsequent, destructive campaign against Siouxtransportation hub named for the notorious French-credit where credit was due, and he would often singlethat so sickened the young, sympathetic to the Sioux,born trader and drunk Jules Beni who tormented out fellow warriors, commending them for deeds that heLieutenant Warren. As noted in the first installmentJack Slade, and would pay the ultimate price for his may have actually done. Lieutenant Warren and his fellow officers gave aid andfoolishness - Julesburg.comfort to the wounded and sick Sioux women and It was during this early period of Crazy Horse\'s life whenchildren. Warren went out of his way to learn aboutTHE SIOUX WAR OF 1865, THE DEATH OF he formed the "Last Child Society," a group of about 40and embrace somewhat Sioux customs, and befriendedCASPAR COLLINS, AND WAR AROUND THE fellow young Sioux warriors who were chosen becauseCrazy Horse, who reciprocated in kind. Several yearsBOZEMAN TRAILthey were always the last male child of their families.later, as Warren went east to fight in the Civil War, it isOn the morning of January 7, 1865 a tremendous force According to his cousin Eagle Elk, Crazy Horse chosesaid that Crazy Horse would befriend another youngof 1000 Cheyenne, Sioux and Arapaho warriors shot the last child because "the last one is not as consideredarmy lieutenant, the 21 (or 22) year old Caspar Collins,out of the mountains and descended upon Julesburg. very much as the others in the Indian family. If they didwho like Warren also expressed a desire to learn SiouxMany of the Cheyenne and Arapaho had relatives and great deeds or something very brave, then they wouldways. Collins\' father, Colonel William Collins had beenfriends murdered at Sand Creek, and while the Sioux have greater honor than the first child. They were alwaysposted to command Fort Laramie. Unlike Grattan orhad no direct interest in the massacre, they were close making themselves greater" (Sajna, p. 144). Fleming, the elder Collins was a tolerant man whoallies of the Cheyenne and chose to join in the attack expressed his hopes for peace with the Sioux, and he hadon Julesburg. The one-time stagecoach and Pony And it was also during this time period that the post- no objections to his son\'s interest in Sioux customs or asExpress station was quickly overrun, with the warriors adolescent young warrior formulated his thoughts onimplied though never confirmed, the younger Collins\'ransacking the town. The violence escalated like a prairie his place in the world, his beliefs and his mysticism.friendship with an equally 21 (or 22) Sioux warrior byfire across the plains, and while most accounts claim that According to the late Stephen Ambrose in his Crazythe name of Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse did not participate in the Julesburg raid, 54 January 2023'