Sitting Bull's War: The Battle of Little Big Horn and the Fight for Buffalo and Freedom on the Plains

by Paul L. Hedren

The dramatic story of America’s greatest Indian war told from perspective of the Lakotas and the Northern Cheyennes, as they fight for their way of life on the buffalo prairie.

A New Yorker Best Book of the Year

In this deeply affecting account of America’s greatest Indian war, readers are quickly immersed in the world of Lakotas and Northern Cheyennes and their struggle in the 1870s to retain their lives on the buffalo prairie. Those impassioned Northern Indians faced a succession of white invaders—railroaders, borderland surveyors, prospectors, and ultimately the United States Army.  

In the best of days they turned back George Crook at the Rosebud and wiped out George Armstrong Custer at the Little Big Horn. But a dozen other clashes followed, and in the end these tradition-minded people could not endure the army’s endless hounding. Some fled to Canada to a luring if momentary exile, but in the end one and all faced starvation, submission, and, for some, death.

Rallying the defense of this lifeway of old was Sitting Bull, legendary Hunkpapa Lakota spiritualist. He was supported throughout by Crazy Horse, Spotted Eagle, Big Road, Little Wolf, and a host of other kindred traditional chiefs and headmen who, in turn, rallied thousands of like-minded men, women, and children. And yet, but for momentary glory against Crook and Custer, this was a war that could not be won.

Award-winning author Paul L. Hedren was ten years in crafting this great American epic. Utilizing an array of Lakota and Cheyenne accounts, pictographic renderings, and original interviews, this is the story of a people intent only on adhering to a traditional life on the buffalo prairie. The narrative is broad and inclusive and a welcome addition to the canon of American Indian wars history.

Genres: History, Native Americans, Nonfiction, Historical, American History, Native American

576 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 4, 2025

About the author

A native Minnesotan, Paul Hedren retired from the National Park Service in 2007 after nearly thirty-seven years as a park historian and superintendent at such storied places as Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Wyoming, the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah, and the Niobrara National Scenic River in Nebraska.

Paul is also a lifelong writer and the author of scores of scholarly and popular articles plus eleven books, with stories largely focusing on the Great Sioux War of 1876-77 and particularly that conflict’s subtleties and consequences. Paul’s won numerous writing awards including a Spur from the Western Writers of America, the Vivian Paladin Award from the Montana Historical Society, and the Herbert Schell Award from the South Dakota State Historical Society. In 2011 his book After Custer: Loss and Transformation in Sioux Country won a prestigious Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, and also the Sills Book Prize from the Custer Battlefield Historical & Museum Association.

Reviews

[Barbara Sanders · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I couldn't finish it (moved to skimming half way through). While I love the concept of this book, it needs at least one map per chapter, especially when there are so many references to landmarks, geography, and directionals. Frustrating to read otherwise, and life is too short.

[Johanna Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A long book but told from the POV of Sitting Bull and other indigenous Americans. Meticulously researched. Evoked much empathy for those who just wanted to roam the prairies, follow the Buffalo, and maintain cultural traditions.

[Randall Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book was difficult to read. Hedren, a geographer by trade, spends a lot of time describing the geography of the areas where the action took place. To me, the story bogged down in places as a result. Didn't seem to me that so much geographical knowledge added to the narrative, hence my trouble with that element. Still, I get why he would focus on that. The description of the Battle of Little Big Horn, in a chapter titled "One Day In June", suffered from an overly-detailed description of the geography of the battlefield, at the expense of more specific details about the battle itself.

I understand that objectivity requires me to put aside my complaints about Hedren's writing; as a lifelong employee of the National Park Service, he surely has forgotten more about the subject than I will ever know. Still, it was a tough slog getting through the first portion of this book, despite my great interest in the subject matter.

I found the part of the book that describes the post-Little Big Horn history much more interesting and compelling. The writing flows more smoothly, the character sketches are more finely drawn, and the narrative kept me turning the pages.

Overall, this was a great book book to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the fact it took me a long time to do so. I just couldn't get a rhythm going in the first half of the book that helped me keep the pages turning.

I'm a history nut; Native American history is one of my favorite subjects. This book is a notable addition to that canon. Strongly recommend digging through the bibliography in great detail as I did. I took four pages of hand-written notes of materials cited that I'm hoping to find in local libraries that I can read subsequently.

If you struggle like me in the first half, keep with it. You will be rewarded when the narrative picks up in the second half, post Little Big Horn. Hedren weaves a detailed and fascinating history of the final chapter of Native American independence on the Great Plains. Fans of Native American history like me owe him a debt of gratitude for his efforts on this book.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid work that covers the series of conflicts between the US and Cheyenne and other respective tribes in the American West in the 1870s. In particular, it focuses on tribal perspectives of the conflicts and interpersonal engagements during the fighting. Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse are the main figures, as they played the most prominent roles in the fighting and negotiations between the ethnic groups and the US government. As per usual, the US government did not prove honest brokers in their dealings, especially since they did not truly understand the requirements of the respective tribes. However, the tribes could never truly adapt or trust any efforts to adjust to what was a fading reality in their existence. While the work does cover the US disaster at Little Big Horn, their is not all that much focus on the tactical engagements. The overall perspectives from the tribes, which does get lost in most standard histories, is the main strength and focus of the work. Worth the checkout from the library, but it does help to review the details beforehand for dates and US perspectives.

[Donald Paulsrud · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well researched book. It is full of details about the Great Sioux War (Sitting Bull's War) from the Lakota and Cheyenne viewpoints but not so much about the White Man's point of view. It covers all the major fights (and a few not so major) including the Little Bighorn. My favorite part of the book was the last third or so that dealt with Sitting Bull's time in Canada and the events that lead to his eventual surrender. The author does tend to repeat himself from time to time but it doesn't distract from the story. It is a long book, but worth the read.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* Detailed look at Lakota, Sioux, Cheyenne First People's Chiefs. This was a well researched study that supports the pain, trauma & devastation of our Indigenous People by White Men. Really makes today's reader angry that the US government cintunues ignoring their continued mistreatment & destruction of their land.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really only have one complaint,regarding this latest book on Sitting Bull.
The lack of maps so you can follow the action,the only maps,are in the front of the book.
Which means you need to keep flipping back know to the front of the book.

I also think that the book could have been about a 100 pages shorter.

Overall,not a great read,but one worth reading

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admittedly I like reading about native Americans but this is so well written it gets 5 stars. Tells the story of events leading up to Custer’s demise from what was going on from Sitting Bull’s perspective and follows events afterwards.

[Shannon Heaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intricate account of a people's culture slowly dying out thanks to white greed through the disappearance of a way of life and through climate keeping natural food sources away. Gave important notes and brought out a population as individuals, not just as a group with one set of thoughts.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough and fascinating account of the "Indian wars" (or should we say the white man's wars?) told from the Indian (as the author calls Native Americans for reasons he explains). Well written, the daily life of the community and war and preparing for war vividly told.

[Ernest Spoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating account of the last days of the free Lakota. My mother's family was from South Dakota. I had a great-uncle who spoke Lakota...but never around me.

[Pat Carson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed presentation

[Clint Fuchs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most detailed book I have read that tells the story from the Native American point of view. It does a very good job explaining in detail how the Indians suffered after the battle of the little big horn and were eventually driven onto the reservations due to facing starvation and constant Army campaigns. The author compiled many new Native American accounts that I havnt read before.
I gave it 4 stars because it could be a little bit of a tough read at times but if you want to learn about the Native American account of the time frame this is a must read.
This author’s passion and life studies are the American Indian wars and his books on the battle of the Powder River and Rosebud are must haves.