The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-08-04

The fight ID which Captain w.
]. Fetterman and his command Of
eighty-one were wiped out to =
man by Sioux and Cheyennes near
Fort Phil Kearney, Wyoming, q
few days before Christmas. 1866,
was up to that time the worst disas-
ter that had befallen American sol
diers in the Indian wars, and the
only tragedy Of the kind that over.
Swallowed It in later years was the
Custer defeat. As q result Of the
victory Of the Sioux and Cheyenne
warriors over Fetterman, Red
Cloud, . sub-chief, became the
Sioux nations leading war chief.
As the spring Of 1867 passed, he
determined to clear the fine hunt
ing grounds Of the Powder river
section Of white invaders by cap
turing Fort Phil Kearney and ex-
terminating the white soldiers.
Early in the summer he assembled
and trained three thousand war;
riors. the flower Of the Sioux, who
were armed largely with Winches-
ter rifles, Spencer repeating car
bines and army muskets captured
from Fetter1nan's men. i,
Fort Phil Kearney had been in
a state of siege before, but now it
was more closely invested than
ever. There was no relaxing ia the
aggressiveness and watchfulness Of
the Indians and the garrison was
constantly prepared for battle. At
tacks, Of all kinds. were made with
increasing frequency. The letters
in those days from soldiers which
reached their friends in the east
described their perilous situation
and often contained the statement,
This may be my last letter." Ira
vel on the trail was abandoned.
As his preparations for q decisive
campaign drew to q close, Red
Cloud decided upon a direct attack
upon the fort itself. He was tired
Of skirmishing, Of attacks on the
stock herds, attacking wagon trains
and that type Of guerilla fighting.
He determined to exterminate the
white soldiers in one sudden and
overwhelming attack. It appeared
a comparatively easy task with the
great number of well-armed war
riors he had available. and his con-
fidence was further increased by
the fact that he was able to as
se1mble his braves in the positions
selected under the cover of fire.
quent skirmishes, which made
scouting by the soldiers practically
impossible.
While he was preparing.to strike,
the post quartermaster contracted
with civilians for wood for the fort,
agreeing to furnish a guard for the
wood-cutters' camp. The contract
ers sent their wagons out July 31st,
and Captain James Powell, COM
manding c company, Twenty-sev-
enth Infantry, was detailed to ACT
as guard. Arriving at the wood
camp with his company, Powell
found the contractors had formed
their men into two parties. One
had headquarters on a treeless
level plain, where the mules were
grazed. The other camp was q
mile away in the timber. Powell
sent thirteen men to guard the
wood camp, and detailed fourteen
to escort the wood trains. With the
remaining twenty-six men and hi.
lieutenant, John c. Jenness, he es.
tablished headquarters on the prai.
RE At the mule herders' camp.
Prepares Wagon-Box Corral and
l(ahss Ready to Meet onslaught
The wood contractors were US.
ing wagons furnished by the quar-.
terlnaster, and as only the running
gears were useful in hauling, the
wagon-boxes were left at Powell.
camp on the open plain. Powell
arranged them end-to-end in al