The Life and Death of Crazy Horse

The Life and Death of Crazy Horse is a 1996 history book for young readers by American biographer Russell Freedman. Placing the life story of the great Native American war-leader into the context of tribal history and the “Indian Wars,” Freedman emphasizes Crazy Horse’s reserved but generous character and his extraordinary courage in the face of the American attack. The text is accompanied by illustrations taken from the Oglala Sioux ledger book kept by Crazy Horse’s cousin Amos Bad Heart Bull. The Life and Death of Crazy Horse has been widely praised by critics: “No dry history this, but a story certain to sweep readers along its tragic path” (Publishers’ Weekly).

Crazy Horse was born in the early 1840s, the child of an Oglala father and a Miniconjou mother. At birth, he was named “Among the Trees,” although he was known as “Curly” for his light, curly hair, and sometimes as “Our Strange One,” for his personality, which from a young age was reserved and aloof.

Freedman imagines possible scenes from Curly’s childhood, suggesting how the boy might have imbibed the values that would drive him as an adult. For instance, he imagines Curly being told to stop crying because his cries might alert an enemy to the village’s presence, or scare off game: the lesson is that the welfare of the people comes before an individual’s needs. As a teenager, Curly is taken on an expedition to raid horses. Spotting an enemy, he fires at once, but when he goes to scalp his victim, he discovers he has killed a woman. The other young warriors make fun of him, and Curly recognizes the need to learn composure in battle.



When Curly was a young man, a band of U.S. soldiers arrived at the camp where he lived to arrest another man for stealing a cow (in fact, it had wandered into the camp). The soldiers killed a chief, Conquering Bear, and in retaliation, the Lakota men killed all the soldiers and a civilian interpreter.

After this experience, Curly began to experience trance visions and set out on a vision quest, without making the traditional preparations. He saw a warrior ride out of a lake on a horse that seemed to float. The warrior was dressed simply and wore no war paint. Bullets and arrows rained harmlessly past him. A storm broke overhead, and the warrior’s people tried to restrain him, but he broke free. Lightning struck, leaving a mark on his cheek. The warrior addressed Curly, telling him that his vision was of himself. So long as he dressed modestly and did not boast or take scalps, and did not let his people hold him back, he would be invulnerable in battle.

After this, Curly’s father—named Crazy Horse— took him on a second vision quest, in which he received a medicine bundle, his simple war paint, and a sacred song.



At around this time, Curly inherited his father’s name. His father took a new name, meaning “Worm.”

During the next decade, Crazy Horse acquired a reputation as a skilled and fearless warrior. He captured and killed a Shoshone raider who had murdered a Lakota woman, and participated in battles against the Crow, Pawnee, and Blackfeet. In 1864, the Sioux were drawn into the Cheyenne and Arapaho resistance to the U.S. Army. Distinguishing himself at the battles of Platte Bridge and Red Buttes, Crazy Horse was named a “Shirt Wearer”—a war leader—by the Lakota.

Fame and status did not alter Crazy Horse’s personality. He remained aloof, perhaps shy, and modest, unwilling to participate in the singing and dancing which characterized tribal life. However, he was a warm host in his home, and he was revered for his generosity to poor and elderly members of his tribe.



He had one passionate love affair, which Freedman recounts in detail. The love of Crazy Horse’s life was Black Buffalo Woman. He courted her, but she chose another man, No Water, who succumbed to alcoholism. One day, when No Water was absent from camp, Crazy Horse invited Black Buffalo Woman on a hunt. When he heard about this, No Water tracked them down and shot Crazy Horse, scarring his face. He fled, with Crazy Horse’s family in pursuit, to his own village. Freedman provides context for this story. Crazy Horse was not an adulterer: Sioux women could divorce their husbands at will, simply by moving into another man’s home.

In 1866, Crazy Horse was involved in the worst defeat the U.S. Army had suffered to date, at the “Fetterman Fight” or “Battle of the Hundred in the Hand.” Crazy Horse led a decoy troop to lure a party of U.S. infantry into an ambush. The whole U.S. force was killed.

By the outbreak of the “Great Sioux War,” Crazy Horse was one of his people’s principal war leaders. He led a force of nearly 1,500 Lakota and Cheyenne at the Battle of the Rosebud, preventing Crook from joining Custer’s forces, thereby contributing to Custer’s defeat at the Little Bighorn. Crazy Horse was also present at that battle, playing a pivotal role, although exactly what strategic function he played is unknown. One eyewitness described him as “the bravest man I ever saw,” and another as “the greatest fighter in the whole battle.” Freedman described Crazy Horse exhorting his troops with the cry “Hóka-héy! Today is a good day to die!”



Crazy Horse led his people through the war without losing a battle, but ultimately, he was forced to surrender by the cold and a lack of food. He was taken to Red Cloud Agency, where lived for four months. After refusing to fight against the Nez Perce of Chief Joseph, Crazy Horse attempted to escape and was killed in the ensuing struggle.