Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-03-08

! Instead they slaughtered hundreds Of
/ Indians and themselves lost less thar
a dozen men. Red Cloud admitted thai
these battles cost him the flower Of
his army. The great chief never again
led a force against the white men.
The Hay Field fight occurred Aug
l. 1867. and the Wagon Box fight the
next day. F. G. Burnett, a civilian EN-
ploye at Fort Smith, In an account
Of the Hay Field battle, said the Sioux
Cheyennes and Arapahoes had gath
cred all their warriors together on a
stream about IS miles east OF Fort
Smith. These braves. several thousand
Of them, had combined for the purpose
OF wiping out all the forts on the
Bozeman trail
Corral Protects Whites
They disagreed on which fort to
attack first. one group wanting to rub
out Forts Smith, Phil Kearney and
Reno in that order and another wish
ing to deal the first blow TO Phil
Kearney, the fort most detested. It was
finally decided to send warriors against
Forts Smith and Kearney stimuli
taneously.
The band which was to attack Phil
Kearney left at once, having more
than 80 miles to travel, and did not
reach the Wagon Box corral until two
days later Aug. 2. The balance Of the
red men, on Aug. /, advanced on Fort
Smith but encountered the workmen
at the hay field, % miles north Of the
fort, and were given such trimming
by 10 white men there that they lost
all thought Of attacking the fort.
Just as they did at the Wagon Box
fight, the soldiers and civilians at the
ton Of an improvised corral Logs
were laid on the ground around a
space about 100 feet square. Upright
posts were set in the earth at inter-
yals and to them stringers we're nailed.
In between the Stringers were tightly
woven masses Of willow boughs with
caves and twigs attached and so
.hickly interlaced as to form a good
place for the stock at night as well
IS for defense purposes. 1t was i'm
possible TO see through the willows.
The friendly Crow Indians had re-
)eatedly warned the men at the hay |
ield Of the great massing Of the Sioux
losts and the impending attack, but /
he white men, usually too confident
-or their own good regarding their
lbility to whip Indians, laughed off
he alarm.
Hear Indians WarWhoop
Then, on that fateful August morn
ng, about $50 o'clock, the men har-
eSting hay heard a blood-chtling
and saw the Sioux rushing
oWard them in such numbers that
hey realized the warning Of the Crows
lad not been mere idle chatter.
The men made it to the corral safe
Y and then began the grim battle for
urVival and the spectacular slaughter
f the attacking force. The soldiers In
he corral, with their breech-loading
lms, and the civilian employees, with
epeating rifles, literally moved down
he hostiles. Capt. D. A. Colvin, q dead L
hot, who was armed with repeating
life, was said to have killed at least
so Indians alone.
Behind their fort of willow boughs,
heir only chance was to keep down
mt Of sight and fire fast and accu-
ately. Two soldiers were killed early
n the battle because they insisted on
landing up and Fighting like men,"
The Indians charged repeatedly,
My to be driven back. They fired
tanning arrows into the willows. They
lied all the stock picketed inside the
nclosure, but they couldn't route their
yhite foes.
early III JQe Tray IIlG QeISuOcIS WCIC
ttmulated by the belief that assistance
would come momentarily from Fort
ninth. 1t came" finally, about S
'clock, after the Indians had with
raWn.
1.-THE commander of Fort C. F. Smith
isgraced himself that day." Burnett's
ccount Of the battle states, "and that
; the reason there never has been
n official report made by the mill
airy authorities on the Hay Field fight
ear the fort. 1t was tabooed topic,
nd Of course no military writer would
are take up the subject"
The noise of the battle could be
card plainly from the fort and a
aptain Hartz, who, with company
f soldiers was escorting wood train
rom the mountains to the fort, saw
ne desperate plight Of the men at
he hay field when he passed point
verlooking the valley He fastened
} the fort and reported to the COM
handler that the men were surrounded.
ut instead of rushing aid to the be-
men, the latter Immediately
rdered the gates locked and refused
D allow a man to leave while the
attic was In progress.
Only three white men were killed
nat day and but four were wounded.
The next day the band Of Sioux
to wipe out Fort Phil
engaged 80 white men in
ne historic Wagon Box fight on the
lains six miles east Of the fort.