The Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25-26, 1876, is one of the most controversial and studied events in American history. While of relatively minor importance as military affair, the symbolic scene of "Custer's Last Stand" soon entered into the nation's public consciousness. First seen as the heroic sacrifice of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry against the combined forces of the Lakota and Cheyenne in the further settlement of the West, it has emerged as another tragic chapter in the treatment of American Indians. The battlefield in present-day southeastern Montana remains a popular destination for tourists and scholars alike.