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Battle of the Washita

United States history

Quick Summary

The Battle of the Washita, which occurred in November 1868, was a surprise attack led by General George A. Custer on a Cheyenne encampment near the Washita River in present-day Oklahoma. This event was part of the larger Plains Wars, a series of conflicts between Native Americans and the United States over control of the Great Plains. The battle resulted in the deaths of Black Kettle, a Cheyenne leader who had been attempting to make peace, and many of his followers. The attack, characterized by its brutality and the killing of women and children, contributed to the ongoing conflict and the eventual displacement of Native American tribes.123

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