Across the Fence: Crazy Horse's Last Battle

The Great Sioux War of 1876-1877 was begun by an edict of the United States government in December of 1875. It was demanded that all of the tribes of the Cheyenne and Sioux nations that were then off their respective reservations must return no later than the 31st of January 1876. Failure to obey this command would classify the deserters as hostile enemies of the United States, to be relentlessly pursued and summarily punished. Runners from various agencies were sent out to notify those bands that were off the reservation. Although some bands complied with the directive, there were those like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse who had never surrendered to reservation life and openly defied the order.

The first campaign of the war was conducted by General George Crook and Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds. On March 1, 1876 the command marched north along the Bozeman Trail and crossed the North Platte into Indian country. The winter weather was less than favorable and blizzard conditions along with deepening snow hampered the progress of the troops. Crook welcomed the miserable weather and considered the hardship an ally of the campaign. "The worse it gets the better;" Crook was quoted as saying, "always hunt Indians in bad weather."

On March 18, after more than two weeks of marching and covering nearly 400 miles in constant bitter cold, General Crook's troops under Colonel Reynolds command, surprised Crazy Horse's camp on the Powder River near Otter Creek. The ensuing battle forced the Sioux to abandon their camp and flee into the surrounding country. The entire camp contained over 100 lodges, fully equipped with fresh meat, supplies, robes and necessities of daily living. General Crook ordered everything in the abandoned camp to be burned and the 700 horses left behind were seized by Reynolds' troops. Crazy Horse's band of warriors along with their women and children were left with nothing but the scant clothing on their backs-no food, and no shelter and exposed to the frigid weather.

Casualties among the Sioux were reported by the army to be about 30 killed at the camp and many more who were shot, as they fled, by the expert marksmanship of the troops. Among the U.S. troops, four were killed and five wounded. Correspondent Robert E. Strahorn of the Weekly Rocky Mountain News reported that Crazy Horse's "...band of the most troublesome Indians on the whole Wyoming frontier received a severe chastisement, and is so badly crippled that it will probably now go to Red Cloud Agency, and remain."

Crook's military strategy of hunting Indians in bad weather was nothing new. In the culture of the Plains Indian, winter was a time of peace, even among those tribes who were sworn enemies. In wintertime families gathered together in the warmth of their lodges, shared the stories of their ancestors, lived frugally on the stores of food gathered in the seasons before, made new clothing, tools and weapons. Men would hunt for small game to supplement winter stores when the weather permitted, but war would wait for better conditions.

The brutal effectiveness of winter campaigns was evident at Sand Creek in 1864 and on the Washita River in 1868. But the price of human suffering and death from starvation and exposure for the women and children who were cruelly left behind in the aftermath of battle renders any military achievement devoid of honor.

While Strahorn may have been correct in stating that the Sioux had been severely chastised, he was wrong to think that Crazy Horse and his followers would seek permanent refuge at the Red Cloud agency. Crazy Horse and his warriors would continue to be a formidable adversary throughout the Great Sioux War.

In little more than three months later, June 25, Crazy Horse would lead his warriors into battle at the Little Big Horn. Water Man, an Arapaho warrior who fought at the battle said that Crazy Horse "...was the bravest man I ever saw. He rode closest to the soldiers, yelling at his warriors. All the soldiers were shooting at him, but he was never hit." Sioux warrior, Little Soldier told in his account of the Custer fight that "...the greatest fighter in the whole battle was Crazy Horse."

Among the Sioux, Crazy Horse's bravery and seeming immortality were legendary. In all of the battles that Crazy Horse participated, both with the U.S. military and with tribal enemies, he was never wounded despite continually thrusting himself into the thick of battle. His Sioux brothers said his medicine was strong. Despite his numerous acts of bravery and many coups, Crazy Horse never participated in any scalp dances or other celebrations of victory. He never bragged of his accomplishments and always gave away the horses that he captured. Crazy Horse was known among the Sioux as a quiet and generous warrior who always provided for others first.

After the battle at the Little Big Horn, General Crook led one of the most grueling marches in military history in a retaliatory expedition against the Sioux. Labeled the "Horsemeat March" because troops carried scant rations and were reduced to eating their horses, Crook nevertheless attacked and destroyed the village of Chief American Horse at the Battle of Slim Buttes on September 10, 1876 and successfully repelled a counterattack led by Crazy Horse. American Horse and his family escaped the battle and hid in a nearby cave, but were discovered by soldiers who were pursuing those who fled. Soldiers opened fire into the cave as American Horse attempted to shield his family. All were killed.

Four months later, on January 8, 1877 Crazy Horse and his warriors would fight the last major battle of the Sioux War at Wolf Mountains in Montana Territory against troops under the command of General Nelson A. Miles.

Miles had learned that Crazy Horse and his warriors were in the valley of the Tongue River below the Yellowstone on Hanging Woman Creek. Miles' troops and Crazy Horse's warriors engaged in frequent skirmishes as the soldiers advanced up the Tongue River valley toward the Wolf Mountains. Crazy Horse distributed his warriors along the ridges above the valley and as General Miles' troops advanced they found themselves nearly surrounded.

Crazy Horse had about 900 warriors and Miles troops were numbered less than 500. With Crazy Horse's men on the ridges above and Miles in the valley below it seemed as though Miles' defeat was inevitable if he advanced within range of the Sioux. However, advance he did after exposing his artillery and firing multiple rounds into the Sioux positions. The heavy cannon fire surprised and disorganized Crazy Horse's warriors and gave an unexpected opening for Miles' troops to advance.

The slopes of the mountains were covered in ice and snow and progress up the steep mountain walls was more of a crawling assault than a charge. Slowly the troops scaled the canyon walls, gaining precious footing on the frozen terrain as they fired into the warriors above. Big Crow, and the warriors with him held the key position of the battle, overlooking the entire field. As Miles' assault advanced, this strategic position was overtaken in hand-to-hand fighting, Big Crow was killed and the soldiers took control of the battlefield. Now able to pour devastating fire into Crazy Horse's army, General Miles' troops seized the advantage and routed the Sioux.

As the women and children escaped into the cover of a sudden blizzard, Crazy Horse and others held off the advancing troops. Out of ammunition, the warriors used their rifles as clubs to fight off the advancing army. Mounting a rear guard, Crazy Horse along with a handful of defeated yet determined warriors fought bravely as their families and fellow warriors escaped into the foggy curtain of winters white flurry.

Miles reported five troops killed in action and eight wounded. Among the Sioux it was reported that as many as 25 may have been killed and an unknown number of wounded. Crazy Horse and his warriors were one of the last of the Sioux bands to openly defy the command to surrender and move onto the reservation. Sitting Bull would lead his band to Canada to avoid the reservation but eventually returned and surrendered.

The battle of Wolf Mountains was the final battle for Crazy Horse. There were no longer any buffalo on the plains, other game was scarce and his band of Sioux had few supplies, no shelter and no ammunition. But with nothing remaining but hope, Crazy Horse continued to lead his band of followers and avoid the reservations until the coming spring on May 6, 1877 when he led 900 followers into the Red Cloud Agency of Nebraska Territory and surrendered.

It is said that the quiet and orderly surrender procession of Sioux warriors and their families, led by Crazy Horse, was two miles long.

M. Timothy Nolting is an award winning Nebraska columnist and freelance writer. To contact Tim, email; [email protected]