‘The bullets buzzed like bees’: Gunshot wounds in skeletons from the Battle of the Little Bighorn

Gunshot trauma is an important, but often overlooked, avenue for interpreting the historic past. Ten skeletons of Seventh Cavalry troopers, killed during the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, are analysed osteologically. Six of the ten specimens have gunshot wounds, including three to the cranial vault. The other wounds are to postcranial remains, including one in an innominate. This wound location aids the identification of the individual, confirming and complementing historic accounts. Of the remaining two, one is to the humerus and the other to the chest region. These wounds provide insights into the nature of perimortem injuries, weapons used in the battle, and interpretations of the battle.