The Murder of Crazy Horse: an American Tragedy

In one week, at the Battles of the Rosebud and the Little Bighorn, the military genius of Crazy Horse whipped the U. S. Army twice, using primitive weaponry and notoriously undisciplined warriors. Only the horse and maneuver were at his advantage. But Crazy Horse lost his war, was brought down to surrender, and finally, in a web of intrigue and cabal worthy of Shakespeare, murdered and wiped from the face of the earth. Naturally, his life was both glorified and distorted by both sides, red and white, while the truth of his remarkably destiny lay buried and kept secret for 125 years. To the redman, Crazy Horse became the symbol of once greatness. Some so deified him that his resurrection from the dead is foretold. Indeed, his generosity was renown and worthy of Jesus. To the whiteman, he became an embarrassment and an enigma. History says he was a solitary, laconic man, untamed and recalcitrant. yet he taught thousands of Sioux warriors the art of war in terms Frederick the Great and Stonewall Jackson would have understood. Clearly, Crazy Horse was a great communicator, one with deep sympathy with his people. The recorded history of his last days are full of massive contradiction. The eye witness accounts the most divergent of all. What kind of man was Crazy Horse really? Only the literary art of tragedy is left to answer.