Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-10-04


Sig Horn river IN southern Montana
In which 3 handful Of soldiers and
civilians ss0od eff an attacking force
Of about 2yo00 Indians, Of whom they
killed and wounded hundreds with but
little loss 70 their own party, is little
known.
Fort c. F. Smith was erected In 1856
on the Bozeman trail on the plain
near the mouth Of the Big Horn can
yon, about 80 miles south Of the pres
ent city Of Hardin. After It's abandon
ment by the troops it was destroyed
by the Indians and now only q few
heaps Of adobe remain to mark the
site.
The battle Of Hay Corral took place
In 1857 and due TO the cowardice dis
played by the commander Of Fort c..
F. Smith no military report was ever
made and no military record exists Of
the engagement.
The story of the fight was written
by F. G. Burnett, a civilian employe
at Fort G. F. Smith, who participated
In the battle. His narrative is given
publicity in 1.-The Bozenan Trail, by
Grace Raymond Hebard and E. A.
Brtninstool, published by the Arthur
H. Clark Co., Cleveland, in 1922. 1t
follows:
Explains About Fight
Il win try and explain as near as
possible about the Hayfield fight "a
or 8 miles east Of Fort G. F. Smith,
this fort being situated on the Big
Horn river. This fight occurred on the
first day of August, 1867. viii also
state the events which precipitated
both that fight and the battle Of the
Wagon Box corral, six miles west Of
Fort Phil Kearney, about 80 miles
south of Fort Smith. The Wagon Box
fight was on the second day Of August
of that same year.
'In the summer of 1867 the Sioux
and Cheyennes and Arapahoes had
gathered all their fighting warriors
together on a stream about is miles
east of Fort Smith There were several
thousand of the hostiles, and they
had combined for the purpose Of wip-
ing out all the forts on the Bozeman
trail which had been erected In 1855
by Col. Henry B. Darlington Of the
18th United States sinfantry.
cat the time the Grow Indians were
at peace with the hostileS- mething
very unusual, especially as regards
the Sioux. With the whites the Crows
were always friendly, but with the
Sioux they generally were bitter enc
mics.
No Heed Given Warning
Il was in the employ Of A. G. Leigh I
ton, the post sutler at Fort @. F.
Smith, who also operated stores at
Forts Phil Kearney and Reno. served
Leighton In the capacity Of general
utility man, being wagon master, clerk,
or anything at which he desired me
to turn my hand. In July and August,
1867, was working in the hay field,
where we had a camp established
northeast Of Fort @. F. Smith, as it
was too far from the fort to go to
and from daily.
'tIt seems that bands of Crow In
dams had been visiting the camp Of
the hostiles every few days. Several
Of them came to the hay field where
we were at work and told us Of the
great strength of the Sioux and their
allies, giving such outlandish reports
$50 we thought at the time) of the
multitudes of fighting men they had
seen, and the immense number Of
lodges, that we thought they were
trying to brighten us, and we paid
little attention to their talk and did
not believe their stories.
Attack Date Set
"On the 31st of July, another Grow
party stopped at our camp, where we
we're hard at work cutting and curing
hay, and begged us to leave at once
and return to the fort They told us
the hoStiles we're coming to attack the
fort the next day, and that they had
seen more warriors than they could
count. 1t was the intention Of the al
led tribes, so the Grows said, to de-
stroy all the forts. from the Big Horn
10 the Platte, and drive the white men
Out Of the country We merely laughed
1t their fears. We considered that it
vas some sort of a joke that they
we're trying to play on us. We had
been fighting small parties Of Indians
almost daily, and had confidence in
,ur ability to take care Of ourselves
md drive off any hoStiles who at
acked us in force.
1.-THE Crows told us that the Sioux
ind Cheyennes had had a disagree
nent about which of the three forts to
Lttack first. One faction was for wip- /
ng out Fort Smith first and then
yoing down to clean out Fort Phil
Searney, following that up with q
combined attack on Fort Reno. The
Ithers wanted to destroy Phil Kearney
Irst, as it was the most detested Of
he three forts. Not being able to !
,ome to any definite agreement, the !