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STARTING THE BOZEMAN TRAIL
In 1865 the United States Government wanted to build a wagon road east of the Big Horn Mountains into the mining districts of Montana and Idaho. The country through which this road was to pass was the hunting grounds of the Sioux and Cheyennes. Red Cloud, the chief of the Sioux, entered a most emphatic protest, declaring it would drive away the game. It was the best buffalo range on the continent, and these animals furnished the Indians with food, clothing, and skins for their lodges. During the fall of 1865 a council was proposed to Red Cloud to effect an agreement whereby the road might be constructed, but he refused to participate.
Another council was proposed the following June, and this time Red Cloud, along with several other Sioux chiefs, attended. Throughout the conference there was violent opposition to the building of the road by most of the Indians present. Anticipating success of his effort, the government initiated plans to go ahead with the work while the meeting was still in progress. Hearing of the movement of the troops into the disputed country, the majority of the chiefs, under Red Cloud, withdrew from the session, refusing to accept the presents sent by the government.
Nevertheless, it was decided to go ahead and build the forts along the route, which was known as the Bozeman Trail. Colonel Henry B. Carrington, of the Eighteenth Infantry, was given charge of the work, which included rebuilding old Fort Reno, on the Powder River, and the erection of Fort Phil Kearney at the forks of the Big and Little Piney, and of Fort C. F. Smith on the Big Horn.
Company C left Fort Laramie under command of Lieutenant Horatio S. Bingham, October 23, 1866, en route to Fort Phil Kearney, Wyoming, and arrived at this place November 2. Six companies of the Eighteenth Infantry under Colonel Carrington had occupied the post since its beginning in July. Construction was still in progress, necessitating logging operations some seven miles from the post. So closely had the Sioux drawn their lines about the garrison that hay could not be cut or trees felled without a heavy guard accompanying the workmen. In fact, this post was generally in a state of siege. From the arrival of the troops until the close of the year, Red Cloud’s warriors killed one hundred fifty-four persons, wounded twenty, and drove away hundreds of head of stock belonging to citizens of the area.
VALLEY OF THE PENO – THE FETTERMAN MASSACRE
About eleven o’clock on the morning of December 21, 1866, the lookout on Sullivant Hills signaled that the wood train had been corralled about one and one-half miles from the post, and was attacked in force. A relief party of forty-nine men of the Eighteenth Infantry, and twenty-seven of C Company, Second Cavalry, temporarily commanded by Lieutenant Grummond, Eighteenth Infantry, was hastily organized. Captain Powell was placed in command of the expedition, but just as it was about to start, Captain Fetterman came up and begged for the command. Colonel Carrington reluctantly acceded to his plea, and gave him orders to relieve the wood train, drive back the Indians, but not to pursue them beyond the Lodge Trail Ridge. The force was joined by Captain Brown and two hunters who volunteered to go, and now consisted of eighty-two men.
Instead of leading his men direct to the wood train on the south side of Sullivant Hills, Captain Fetterman moved hastily toward Peno Valley on the north side. This movement was noticed from the fort, and as it might be a good tactical maneuver by taking the enemy in the rear, no apprehension was felt. The hostile Indian scouts noticed Fetterman’s movement on the north side of the hill, and immediately withdrew from the wood train, which broke corral and made its way to the Piney, seven miles northwest of the fort, where it went into camp. About this time several Indians were noticed along the Piney in front of the fort. A shot from the cannon caused this group to scatter. The main body of the Indians had disappeared to the northwest toward Peno Creek. This placed them, during this movement, on the opposite side of the hill from Fetterman’s force, which doubtless was ignorant of the withdrawal of the Sioux from the attack on the wagon train.
It was now discovered that no doctor had accompanied the relieving party. Acting-Assistant Surgeon Hines, with an escort of four men, was sent to join Fetterman. The doctor returned in a little while with the information that the wood train had gone on, and that when he attempted to cross the Valley of the Peno, it was full of Indians, and that he saw no sign of Fetterman.
Alarm was caused in the fort by heavy firing about twelve o’clock from beyond Lodge Trail Ridge, five miles away. Colonel Carrington instantly dispatched Captain Ten Eyck with about fifty-four men to the relief of Fetterman. This group had gone only a short distance when forty additional men were sent to join them.
The garrison in the fort was now depleted to an alarming extent. Prisoners were released and armed, and quartermaster employees and citizens were also mustered into service. The wood train guard was ordered back to the fort. Altogether, there were now one hundred nineteen men to defend the post, which were not enough to man the walls.
The colonel’s own orderly, who had gone with Captain Eyck, was soon seen galloping furiously toward the fort. He had a message from Captain Eyck stating the valley beyond the ridge was filled with Indians; and that the firing had stopped in the direction of Fetterman. He also asked for a howitzer, which was refused him.
Meanwhile, Captain Ten Eyck and his party marched straight to Lodge Trail Ridge. The firing in the Peno Valley beyond him was becoming less in volume. He finally reached the top of the ridge about 12:45 p.m., hearing at the same time a few straggling shots in the valley, then silence. The relief party could see no soldiers in the area below them, but it was filled with frenzied savages, who shook their weapons at the men on the hill, and challenged them to come down. The Indians soon began to withdraw from the valley, and the relief party descended to the battlefield.
On the low ground opposite the northwestern extremity of Lodge Trail Ridge, where the relief party had noticed previously a large group of Indians, were found the first evidences of the fight. In a space about forty feet square, and enclosed in some large rocks, were found forty-nine bodies, stripped naked, scalped, and so mangled as to be almost unrecognizable. There were few empty cartridges near them, and only six, including Fetterman and Brown, were killed by bullets. This indicated that the party was rushed by the Indians and overcome in hand-to-hand combat. Captain Ten Eyck sent for a wagon and returned these bodies to the fort the same day. The next day Colonel Carrington rescued the remainder of the bodies, which were found further along the small ridge to the west.
The Indians later said this massacre was accomplished by the Minneconjous, under the chief High Back Bone and other tribes, Red Cloud being away on another expedition. They had hoped to decoy most of the garrison from the fort, destroy them, then return and attack the stockade. From information obtained from good sources, these Indians numbered about 2,000 warriors. Their losses probably discouraged them from returning to the attack.
DISCOVERY OF THE BODIES OF THE FETTERMAN MASSACRE
By Sergeant John Guthrie
Early one morning myself and several of the boys were detailed to form a little squad which had been ordered to run the mail from the fort to Fort Reno, seventy-two miles from Fort Phil Kearney. It was during our trip to Fort Reno on the banks of the Powder River, the Indians had attacked the wood train in the valley of Big Horn Mountains at Pine Ridge in the Sullivant Hills. My comrades and myself arrived at Fort Phil Kearney at day break.
In the morning Colonel Fetterman had started out for the purpose of protecting the wood train. In the middle of the day before the morning arrival of my comrades of the mail detail, the Fetterman command did not return to the fort or to the wood train, for he had taken the old Holiday coach road. We started out to find the Fetterman command, for it was feared that the detachment did not take enough ammunition with them. The party consisted of Lieutenant John C. Jenness of the 27th Infantry, two soldiers and myself, a driver with four mules and a wagon, three boxes of ammunition, the Lieutenant being mounted on an Indian pony, the soldiers dismounted.
A little over a mile from the fort on the Holiday coach road, near Stoney Creek ford, we found the dead bodies of the whole detachment, including Colonel Fetterman, Captain Brown, and Lieutenant Grummond, lying where the Indians had killed them. The scene baffled description as the dead bodies were horribly mutilated. So you see the detachment had been surrounded by overwhelming numbers of Indians, and every man killed. Nothing had life left but a gray horse, Dapple Dave of Company C, 2nd Cavalry, the only horse left on the battlefield, being shot with both bullet and arrow. Lieutenant Jenness of the 27th Infantry returned to the fort with the news and horror of the situation.
It was well understood by the garrison that if the Indians were successful in taking the fort, it meant death for each, and everyone realized the fate that awaited them. The fate of Colonel Fetterman’s command all my comrades of the detail could see, the Indians on the bluff, the silver flashed by the glorious sunshine, flashed in the hair of the skulking Indians carrying away the clothing of the butchered, with arrows sticking in them and a number of wolves and coyotes hanging about to feast on the flesh of the dead men’s bodies.
Some of the dead bodies of our friends at the massacre lay out all night and were not touched or disturbed in any way by the wild animals. The cavalry horses of Co. C, 2nd Cavalry, those ferocious devourers of bodies did not even touch. Another rather peculiar feature in connection with these massacres is that it is thought by some that those wild animals that eat the dead bodies of the Indians are not so apt to disturb the white victims. This is accounted for by the fact that salt generally permeates the whole system of the white race, and at least seems to protect it to some extent even after death, from the practice of wild animals.
Twenty-four hours after the massacre, I was detailed to start to load the rest of the dead. All of the Fetterman boys were huddled together on a small hill under some trees. They had terrible cuts left by the Indians, and we could not tell Cavalry from the Infantry, as all the dead bodies were stripped naked, skulls crushed with war clubs, ears and noses and legs had been cut off, scalps torn away and the bodies pierced with bullets and arrows, leaving each wrist, feet and ankles attached only by a tendon.
We loaded the officers first, Colonel Fetterman of the 27th Infantry, Captain Brown of the 18th Infantry and bugler Footer of Co. C, 2nd Cavalry, were all huddled together near the rocks. Footer’s skull was crushed, his body on top of the officers. Colonel Fetterman had a lot of arrows sticking in him and his breast cut open and scalped, Captain Brown’s body was hacked up and a lot of arrows sticking in him ( he had a little tuft of hair back of the ears and was nicknamed by the Indians “Bald Head Eagle” ) and scalped. Lieutenant Grummond of the 18th Infantry had his head nearly cut off, a lot of fingers off, was scalped, and many arrows and balls in him. Sergeant Baker of Co. C, 2nd Cavalry, had a gunnie sack over his head and was not scalped, but his little finger was cut off for a gold ring. Lee Bontee, the guide, was found in the brush near Little Goose Creek, his body full of arrows which had to be broken off to load him, his rifle and pony gone. Bugler Metzer of Co. C, 2nd Cavalry, was never found. It was thought that Colonel Fetterman sent him to the fort for reinforcements and that he was cut off by the Indians, and it was the last of brave Metzer.
Some had crosses cut on their breasts, faces to the sky, some crosses on the back, face to the ground. We walked on top of their internals and did not know it in the high grass. We picked up their internals, but did not know the soldiers they belonged to; so you see the cavalryman got an infantryman’s guts and an infantryman got a cavalryman’s guts. We hauled them into the fort and made the guard house at the fort a dead house. We cleaned the bodies to be buried and buried them two in a pine box, the officers in a single box.
The burying ground was outside of the stockade of the fort, near a little creek called in olden times Bridges Bear Creek, named now Little Piney Creek. Although this is a melancholy description of the conditions of the massacre, the dead received a respectful military funeral, lamented by all sorrowing friends. |
