NATIONAL BATTLE OF THE BIG HOLE
In the summer of 1877 five bands of Nez Perce Indians consisting of 800 people, including 250 warriors, began a 1,170-
milejourney from
northeastern Oregon and central Idaho over the Bitter-root Mountains and through the Montana Territory.
Though they were herding more than 2,000 horses and carrying whatever possessions they could manage, the
Nez Perce
made this long and difficult trek in less than four months.
United States Army troops under Gen. Oliver O. Howard had orders to place the five non-treaty bands of Nez Perce
on a small
eservation in central Idaho. The Nez Perce had hoped to elude the soldiers, but they were forced to stop and face their pursuers
several times.
The battle with the highest number of casualties during this epic odyssey took place in the Big Hole Valley of southwestern
Montana. The Battle of the Big Hole was a tragic turning point of what came to be called the Nez Perce War of 1877.
The Nez Perce arrived in the lush Big Hole Valley on the morning of August 7, and their trail leader, Chief Looking Glass,
chose an old camp site at which to set up their tipis. Believing that they were far enough ahead of Howard's soldiers to be
Gibbon's scouts spotted the Nez Perce tipis on the afternoon of August 8. Before dawn on the 9th most of the soldiers and
34 civilian volunteers were forming a skirmish line behind a screen of willow brush along the west bank of the North Fork of
the Big Hole River, within 200 yards of the Nez Perce camp. Here they waited tensely for first light to attack. The attack
started prematurely, however, when a Nez Perce named Natalekin went out to check his horses and stumbled onto the
concealed soldiers and volunteers, who shot and killed him. When the troops crossed the river and fired into the village,
some of the Nez Perce scattered quickly while others were slow to awaken. In the confusion of the faint pre-dawn light,
men,women, and children were shot indiscriminately.
The soldiers soon occupied the upper end of the camp, while the Nez Perce warriors, urged on by Chiefs Looking Glass
and White Bird, quickly took defensive positions and prepared a counterattack.
Their deadly shooting eventually forced Gibbon's men to retreat back across the river to a point of pines projecting from Battle
Mountain. In the timber the troops dug in for a siege and were pinned down for the next 24 hours.
During the attack, some of Gibbon's men had been struggling to haul a 12-pounder mountain howitzer through the dense
lodge-pole pine forest. They managed to place it on the hillside above the siege area just as the soldiers were digging in.
The crew fired two rounds before a group of Nez Perce horsmen, galloping forward, captured the gun, dismantled it, and scattered its parts.
The steep walk up to the site where Nez Perce warriors captured Gibbon's howitzer takes about 20 minutes and provides
a spectacular view of the battlefield and the Big Hole Valley
Many were left to care for the injured, bury the dead, gather their horses, and break camp. Others remained to keep the soldiers
under fire while the Nez Perce families headed south, leaving much of their belongs and many of their dead behind. Finally,
on August 10th, in the early morning of the second day of fighting, the remaining warriors fired parting shots and left to join their
people. The battle was over.
General Howard’s troops arrived the next day and found colonel Gibbon wounded and his command out of action. In a military
sense the Nez Perce had won the battle, but the “victory: was a hollow ones. Sixty to ninety members of the tribe had been killed.
Only about thirty of these were warriors; the rest were women, children, and old people. The Nez Perce now realized the war was not
over and they must flee for their lives.
Wounded soldiers knew that they had greatly damaged the fighting ability and the morale of the Nez Perce people. Despite the
tragic events that occurred on the battlefield, both sides demonstrated acts of heroism and human kindness. Seven enlisted men
were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and those officers who survived received brevet promotions. For many of the
soldiers and volunteers the horrors of what they had seen at the Battle of the Big Hole would haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Officers of the Seventh Infantry
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Soldiers
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CONNOR BATTLEFIELD
Connor Battlefield State Historic Site is located in Ranchester, Wyoming off 1-90. This stretch of riverbottom
land was the site of the Battle of Tongue River between the Army and Arapaho tribe. It was the single
most important military engagement of the Powder River Expedition of 1865, and caused the Arapaho
to ally with the Sioux and Cheyenne at the Fetterman Fight a year later. The park provides historic
interpretation, a playground, picnic areas, overnight camping and fishing access.
CONNOR BATTLE; 1865:
No Indian wars battle stands alone. All had roots in years previous as the white frontier moved
relentlessly westward, pushing the Plains Indian tribes into increasingly less territory. This caused
conflict with the white intruders and increased that which had already existed for many years among the tribes.
It was the job of General Patrick E. Connor, Commander of the Powder River Expedition, to make
war upon the Indians and punish them, so that they would be forced to keep the peace. Guides for the
Conner expedition included famous frontiersmen Jim Bridger and Mitch Boyer.
On August 29, 1865, less than a year before the establishment of Fort Phil Kearny, 125 cavalry with
90 Pawnee scouts, under the command of Brigadier General Patrick E. Connor, attacked Chief Black Bear's
Arapaho Indian camp along the Tongue River in Northeastern Wyoming. According to Capt. Palmer,
"Unfortunately for the women and children, our men had no time to direct their aim; bullets from both sides
and murderous arrows filled the air; squaws and children, as well as warriors, fell among the dead and wounded."
The warriors made a brief stand while their families scattered. The Indians fled up a small stream,
Wolf Creek, and Connor followed at a gallop, only to be driven back. While the troops destroyed the village
including tents and food supplies for the winter, the Arapahos launched an aggressive counter-attack, which
drove Connor down the Tongue River.
Only the use of howitzers, holding the Indians at a distance during the defensive withdrawal, saved
the out-numbered soldiers from serious loss, though several soldiers died from injuries later. This was
the single most important military engagement of the three-pronged Powder River Expedition of 1865,
which included the expeditions of Cole and Walker. It caused the Arapaho, thought now to be non-hostile
previous to the attack, to attack Sawyers' Expedition shortly after, and to join forces with Sioux and
Cheyenne at the Fetterman Battle in December of 1866.
The Arapaho village of Black Bear is often considered non-belligerent by historians today, though
y reading the diary of Captain H.E. Palmer (from Coutant's History of Wyoming) it is apparent that the
soldiers were not aware of this.
Connor's attack was probably influential in causing the Arapaho to attack the Sawyers' Expedition
shortly after, to ally with the Sioux and Cheyenne at the Fetterman Fight the next year near Fort Phil Kearny,
and to fight at the Rosebud Battle and the Battle of the Little Bighorn more than a decade later. The far
reaching effects of these conflicts continued into the development of the reservation system (which placed
the Arapaho Tribe on the Wind River Reservation west of the Big Horn Mountains) and into relationships
between tribes and non-Indian governments today.
A monument at the site in the southern end of the park, located at the south end of the town of Ranchester,
Wyoming, now marks the area of the Indian encampment. Playground equipment, campsites, and extensive
landscaping have helped turn this site into a beautiful area administered by the Wyoming State Parks
and Historic Sites, and administered out of Fort Phil Kearny.
The tragic events of the past can be felt in this quiet and contemplative setting.
(source by Mary Ellen McWilliams written for the Sheridan Museum)
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CRAZY WOMAN BATTLEFIELD |
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1866 Location: Crazy Woman Fork of the Powder River. |
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On July 20, 1866, one of the first clashes between the Indians opposed to the establishment of the Bozeman Trail and the forts along it took place at the trail crossing of the Crazy Woman Fork of Powder River. Sioux and Cheyenne warriors attacked a small wagon train of soldiers and civilians under command of Lieutenant George M. Templeton of the 18th United States Infantry, holding the train under siege until nightfall when a relief column coming down the trail relieved the surrounded party. The battle began when Lt. Templeton and Lt. Napoleon H. Daniels rode ahead of the wagons to chase what appeared to be a herd of buffalo. As they entered the creek valley, the warriors struck, shooting Daniels and chasing Templeton back to the train. Templeton and the other officers corralled the wagons as the Indians pressed their attack. The situation was serious, since of the 37 people in the party 9 were women and children, and only 10 of the 19 enlisted soldiers had guns. Since the position the train had corralled at was difficult to defend, Templeton ordered the wagons moved to the top of a high bluff about a mile above the creek. This was accomplished while continual skirmishing took place between the warriors and soldiers. Even though the new position was stronger, by nightfall the battle had lasted since approximately 12:30 or 1:00 p.m., and ammunition was getting low in the corral. While the main force of Indians were regrouping in the valley, it was decided to send for help, and Chaplain Reverend David White and a soldier slipped through the Indian pickets and headed to Fort Reno to get help. In the growing darkness, a cloud of dust coming from the north came to view, and Templeton saw it was a wagon train. Soon the Indians watching the corralled wagons left the area, killing a lone soldier that was walking ahead of the oncoming train before joining the main force of warriors. Soon the Indians were gone. The relief force was a supply train headed from Fort Phil Kearny to Fort Reno. Its commander, Captain T.B. Burrowes, took command of both parties. The body of the lone soldier killed at the end of the battle, Lance Corporal Terrence Callary, was buried near the corralled wagons. Lt. Daniels’ body was recovered the next morning, and after the arrival of another relief force from Fort Reno, both trains traveled on to Fort Reno. Although only two soldiers had been killed in the first fight at Crazy Woman Crossing, it signaled the beginning of hostilities on the Bozeman Trail. The next two years would see many similar small engagements. Today, a stone monument and several interpretive signs stand near the battlefield. Please call (307) 684-7629 for further information.
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