The last of the three battles of Red Cloud’s War occurred on August 2, 1867. The war was an attempt by the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians to force whites to abandon the Bozeman Trail, which crossed Indian lands to get to the gold fields of Montana. Earlier, the Indians had wiped out a force of 81 soldiers in Fetterman’s Massacre. They were hoping to pull off another ambush like that. This time it would be the woodcutters working out of Fort Phil Kearny in Wyoming. Woodcutters were sent out to forest land a few miles from the fort. They were protected by soldiers. A camp was made by circling 14 wagon boxes. There were 26 soldiers and 6 civilians. The camp was attacked by around 1,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors led by Red Cloud. Earlier they had been riled up by a Sun Dance, so they had blood on their minds. The plan was to pull off an ambush similar to Fetterman’s Massacre. Once again, Crazy Horse would lead a decoy group that would get the whites to chase them into an ambush. However, the plan was ruined by some Indians opening fire early and killing 3 soldiers. This warned the whites to take cover in the camp. In command there was Capt. James Powell. At this point, the Indians changed the plan to an assault on the camp. The Indian warriors charged on horseback, confident that each white would only get off one shot before the Indians overran them. This would probably have worked, but for a new weapon. The soldiers had been issued the Springfield Model 1866. A breechloader, the rifle could be fired 3 times faster than the old muskets. The Indians had a few muzzle-loaders, but most were armed with bows and arrows. The Indians were shocked by the rapid fire and broke off the assault. Subsequent attacks were on foot and were more stealthy. The whites were well-protected by the wagon boxes. Only 4 more whites were killed. The estimates for Indian casualties vary greatly, but an assumption of between 20-100 seems right. The fight lasted from 7:30 – 1:30. The besieged were rescued by a force coming from the fort led by Maj. Benjamin Smith. He brought a howitzer that convinced the Indians that the battle was over. The battle turned out to be the last fight in Red Cloud’s War. Although the whites won this battle, they lost the war as they agreed to abandon the Bozeman Trail and the three forts on it. Fort Phil Kearny was burned to the ground. This was the only war the Indians won in American History.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagon_Box_Fight
https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/wagon-box-fight-1867
1 Comment
Eldon Crapser · August 5, 2023 at 7:05 pm
…..Oddly ENOUGH…..FETTERMAN & ALL, Of HIS, CAVALRY TROOPERS(Bout HALF, The DEAD), Had SPENCER, REPETERS, & WEATLEY, And HIS, PARTNER, Had HENRY, REPETERS…..NONE, Of WHICH, MATTERED, As, ALL, Were, CAPTURED, WITH, AMMUNITION, IN TACT…..MEANS….ONLY, The FORTING UP, TACTIC, Was, VIABLE (AS CROOKS, MAINTAINED, A DECADE, LATER @ The ROSEBUD’SKIRMISHES)……And, That, The NATIVES, Chose To ATTEMPT (Foolishly ; ( “SEIGE”….AGAINST, Superior, Firepower, Effecting, “A, Fool’s, Errand”………….That, DECADE, LATER & “FORTING’UP”, TACTIC, Made BETEEN, A “HERO”, At The GREASY GRASS/BIGHORN….As, ALL, Who, Chose “OPEN’BATTLE”….Were OBLITERATED Or TORN’ASSUNDER……Just Like FETTERMAN….And CUSTER’S, IMEDIATE, COMMANDS……