This National Historic Landmark protects and interprets the site of the Southern Cheyenne village of Chief Black Kettle where the Battle of Washita occurred, about 150 miles (241 km) west of Oklahoma City, near Cheyenne, Oklahoma.
Just before dawn on November 27, 1868, the village was attacked by the 7th U.S. Cavalry under Lt. Col. George Custer. The strike was hailed at the time by the military and many civilians as a significant victory aimed at reducing Indian raids on frontier settlements as it forced the Cheyenne back to the reservation set aside for them.
However, Washita remains controversial because many Indians and whites labeled Custer's attack a massacre. Black Kettle is still honored as a prominent leader who never ceased striving for peace even though it cost him his life. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washita_Battlefield_National_Historic_Site nps.gov/waba/index.htm