PRELUDE TO THE LITTLE BIGHORN: FAILURE OF THE ALLISON COMMISSION, FALL 1875.

The article focuses on the Allison Commission of 1875 and its failure to negotiate the purchase of the Black Hills from the Sioux, an event that directly precipitated the Great Sioux War of 1876-1877. Authorized by President Ulysses S. Grant, the commission sought to acquire the Black Hills amid a gold rush that miners ignored military efforts to control. Despite negotiations involving key Sioux leaders such as Red Cloud and Spotted Tail, the commission’s offers were rejected due to differing cultural understandings of “fair” compensation and internal Sioux divisions, including opposition from non-treaty bands led by figures like Crazy Horse. The commission ultimately recommended Congress impose terms by force if necessary, leading to military campaigns culminating in the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the forced cession of the Black Hills under the Manypenny Agreement in 1877.