Thousands of books on Northern Plains Indians are produced with a focus on a few colorful leaders, recounting their daring, dash and deeds, often elevating them to mythic status. We all know their names; Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Spotted Tail, among others.

As Indian people, however, we know our great headmen did not stand alone, but gained support for their bold leadership from members of their societies, clans and extended families. There are many great men whose lives and exploits have never been extolled. Robert Larson, history professor emeritus at the University of Northern Colorado, has brought the life of one of those little-known leaders to the forefront in his book, “Gall: Lakota War Chief.”

Before Sitting Bull became a spiritual leader, he attained prominence as a blotahunka, or war chief. Positions of Lakota leadership were gained through the encouragement of the people, who recognized their exceptional abilities. Their supporters applauded their courage, war deeds, generosity and other worthy qualities, persuading them to take a leading role.

In 1857, Gall was among the Hunkpapa Lakotas who supported Sitting Bull’s leadership. A young warrior at the time, Gall was destined to become a blotahunka as well as an itancan, or head of a tiospaye, an extended family. Larson characterizes Gall as a thoughtful leader who “led by persuasion rather than through the exercise of power.”

The gold strike near Bannack in 1862 created incredible tension between the Sioux and white invaders. The strike resulted in construction of the Bozeman Trail, which led gold seekers through the Lakota’s Powder River hunting grounds to the Montana gold fields by the hundreds. The army also erected a number of forts to protect white travelers along the trail. Red Cloud led several attacks at Fort Phil Kearny, and in 1866, Crazy Horse and Hump ambushed Captain William Judd Fetterman and 80 of his men, killing them all. According to Larson, Gall played a limited role in these attacks.

The Hunkpapas had long despised the Army Scout Bloody Knife, a Hunkpapa and Arikara who was later attached to Custer’s 7th Cavalry. Gall narrowly escaped death in 1865 near Fort Berthold while on a trading expedition with the Arikaras, Manadans and Hidatsas. Recognizing his enemy, Bloody Knife led a detachment of soldiers to Gall’s tipi, then attacked and bayoneted the Hunkpapa chief. The hostility the two men felt for one another continued until Bloody Knife was killed at the Little Bighorn.

Gall also played an important role in the ratification of the Fort Laramie Treaty which preserved the Powder River country as “unceded Indian territory” in 1868. When Jesuit missionary, Father Pierre-Jean De Smet arrived at the Hunkpapa village to discuss the treaty, Gall and Sitting Bull intervened to prevent the priest from being assassinated.

The Hunkpapa camp was one of the first attacked by Major Marcus Reno, his cavalrymen, and Indian scouts led by Bloody Knife at the Little Bighorn in 1876. Two of Gall’s wives and three of his children were killed almost immediately during Reno’s surprise attack.

Gall was among those who rose to the defense of the tiospaye, forcing Reno to retreat across the Little Bighorn River. Larson says the Hunkpapa war chief never got the opportunity to engage his nemesis, Bloody Knife, who was killed when another Lakota shot him in the head, spattering his blood over the terrified Reno.

Larson traces much of Gall’s participation in the battle to the far side of the Little Bighorn, or the Greasy Grass, as the Lakotas called the river. There he was keeping an eye on Custer’s command. Later he recalled his devastation after discovering the fate of his family members.

Crossing at Medicine Tail Coulee, Gall and his men stampeded the horses of the dismounted troops of Captain Miles Keough and then led the attack on the helpless soldiers. He also destroyed Captain George Yates and his men, who charged straight into Gall’s charge where they were killed instantly. In addition, he took part in the siege at “Custer’s Last Stand.”

In 1886, Gall was one of the first Indian participants to give his perspectives of the conflict at a 10 year commemoration of the Little Bighorn Battle, to Captain Edward Godfrey, who fought under Reno’s command that day. Larson credits him with helping to clarify the events of the battle by sharing his observations.

When McLaughlin’s Indian police killed Sitting Bull in 1890, Gall expressed outrage over the act. Larson says McLaughlin praised Gall while belittling Sitting Bull.

Gall was an important leader; however, his accomplishments were relegated by historians in later years. Larson says Gall has been unfairly criticized as being too accepting of assimilation and Christianity. Throughout his life, Larson maintains, he worked for the survival of his people. His story is an important addition to Lakota history.