On June 25, 1876, five companies of the 7^th United States Cavalry Regiment, totaling about 210 men, were wiped out by a force of 2,000 to 2,500 American Indians in the Battle of Little Big Horn.  It is a storied event in the history of the American west.

Less than three years later, on January 22, 1879, a force of about 15,000 Zulu warriors attacked and overwhelmed a British force of approximately 1,800 men at Isandlwana, Natal, South Africa.  Virtually all the British front-line soldiers, 800 regulars and 600 auxiliaries, were killed.

In both instances the white troops and their commanders had seriously underestimated native military capabilities.  In their overweening pride and confidence they had assumed that superior weapons, discipline, and tactics would overcome a superiority of numbers, and in both these battles they seriously misjudged the size of the forces arrayed against them.  Also, they undervalued the bravery and determination of the natives.

No race nor nation has a monopoly on valor.  Always respect your opponent and credit him with the ability to do you harm.  Arrogance can lead to your speedy demise at places like Little Big Horn and Isandlwana.