The poorly executed U.S. Army attack on a Cheyenne and Lakota camp helped ignite the Great Sioux War of 1876 and stiffened Indigenous resistance.
Key Facts
- Date
- March 17, 1876
- Location
- Montana Territory, United States
- Commanding Officer (U.S.)
- Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds
- Targeted Encampment
- Northern Cheyenne and Oglala Lakota
- Part of
- Big Horn Expedition
- Conflict initiated
- Great Sioux War of 1876
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The U.S. government sought to compel Northern Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux tribes to sell the Black Hills and relocate to reservations. The Big Horn Expedition was launched as a military operation to pressure these groups into compliance, targeting their winter encampments on the Powder River in Montana Territory.
On March 17, 1876, Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds led U.S. forces in an attack on a Northern Cheyenne and Oglala Lakota encampment along the Powder River. The assault destroyed a significant amount of Indian property, but the operation was disorganized and poorly executed, failing to achieve its strategic objectives.
Rather than subduing resistance, the attack unified Northern Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux opposition to U.S. expansion and reservation policies. The battle is regarded as an initiating event of the Great Sioux War of 1876, which would culminate in major engagements including the Battle of the Little Bighorn later that year.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds.
Side B
1 belligerent