The Fetterman Fight: A Grim Lesson in Frontier Warfare
On a frigid December day in 1866, the stark plains near Fort Phil Kearny in present-day Wyoming became the stage for one of the most devastating defeats suffered by the United States Army during the Indian Wars. The event, forever etched into American military history as the Fetterman Fight, or by its Lakota and Cheyenne victors as the Battle of the Hundred Slain, was more than just a battle; it was a brutal masterclass in indigenous strategy and a stark indictment of frontier arrogance, forever altering the dynamics of conflict on the Bozeman Trail.
To understand the Fetterman Fight, one must first grasp the contentious landscape that birthed it. The mid-19th century saw a relentless westward expansion driven by the allure of gold and the promise of new lands. The Bozeman Trail, a shortcut from the Oregon Trail to the goldfields of Montana, cut directly through the heart of the Powder River Country – the last great hunting grounds of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho. For these tribes, the trail was an existential threat, a violation of sacred territory, and a harbinger of the destruction of their way of life.
The U.S. government, seeking to protect emigrants and miners, established a series of forts along the trail, including Fort Phil Kearny, commanded by Colonel Henry B. Carrington. Carrington, a veteran engineer, understood the formidable challenge posed by the alliance of powerful Plains tribes. He advocated for caution, defensive tactics, and ample supplies, recognizing the numerical and tactical advantages held by the Native American warriors on their home turf.
However, not all under his command shared his prudence. Among them was Captain William J. Fetterman, a seasoned officer from the Civil War, but entirely new to Plains Indian warfare. Fetterman was an ambitious, perhaps even arrogant, man who harbored a profound contempt for his new adversaries. He famously boasted, "With eighty men, I could ride through the whole Sioux Nation." This overconfidence, born of ignorance and a deeply ingrained belief in the superiority of the U.S. Army, would prove to be his undoing.
The winter of 1866 was harsh, and the tension at Fort Phil Kearny was palpable. Red Cloud, a brilliant Oglala Lakota war chief, had successfully forged a formidable alliance with the Cheyenne and Arapaho. He had spent months employing a strategy of constant harassment, ambushing wood trains, attacking small patrols, and effectively laying siege to the fort. These probes served not only to disrupt the army’s operations but also to test their reactions and identify weaknesses. Red Cloud’s objective was clear: to close the Bozeman Trail and drive the white invaders from the Powder River Country.
On December 20, 1866, a wood train, essential for the fort’s survival in the bitter cold, came under heavy attack. Fetterman, eager for action and dismissive of the Native American threat, led a relief party that day, driving off the attackers. This minor victory, coupled with the frustration of being constantly harried, seemed to reinforce his belief that the Native Americans were disorganized and easily routed. Carrington, however, saw the pattern: the constant attacks were designed to lure his soldiers out of the fort, away from its protective walls. He repeatedly warned his officers, including Fetterman, against pursuing the elusive warriors too far, particularly beyond a specific geographical feature known as Lodge Trail Ridge.
The stage for tragedy was set on the morning of December 21, 1866. Again, the fort’s wood train, consisting of civilian contractors and a military escort, came under attack. The sound of gunfire and shouts from the woodcutters quickly reached the fort. Colonel Carrington ordered Captain Fetterman to take a detachment of 79 men – 49 infantrymen, 27 cavalry troopers, and two civilian scouts, including the experienced frontiersman James S. Brown – to relieve the wood train. His orders were explicit: "Support the wood train, drive back the Indians, but under no circumstances pursue them beyond Lodge Trail Ridge."
Fetterman, however, had other ideas. This was his chance for decisive action, for the glory he felt was his due. Instead of heading directly to the wood train, he veered north, leading his command towards Lodge Trail Ridge, directly violating Carrington’s orders. This deviation was likely a calculated risk, a gamble that by cutting off a perceived escape route, he could corner and decisively defeat a large body of warriors.
Unbeknownst to Fetterman, he was marching directly into a meticulously planned trap, orchestrated by Red Cloud himself, with the tactical brilliance of young Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota warrior who would later become one of the most legendary figures of the Plains Wars. The "attack" on the wood train was a feint, a lure designed to draw out the soldiers. A small group of decoy warriors, led by Crazy Horse, including prominent chiefs like High Back Bone and American Horse, positioned themselves in full view of Fetterman’s advancing column.
As Fetterman’s men crested Lodge Trail Ridge, they saw the decoys, seemingly few in number and retreating in disarray. Driven by his earlier boast and the perceived weakness of his foe, Fetterman ordered a full pursuit. His men, particularly the cavalry, galloped after the fleeing warriors, leaving the relative safety of the ridge and descending into a valley along Peno Creek. The decoys, masters of horsemanship, feigned exhaustion, periodically falling from their ponies to entice the soldiers further.
The moment Fetterman’s command was fully committed to the pursuit, deep within the valley and out of sight of Fort Phil Kearny, the trap was sprung. Suddenly, from the ravines, draws, and brush-filled gulches on both sides of the valley, an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors erupted. The sheer numerical superiority was overwhelming, and the ambush was executed with chilling precision.
The soldiers, caught entirely by surprise in unfamiliar and disadvantageous terrain, found themselves surrounded. The battle that ensued was brief, brutal, and utterly one-sided. The Native American warriors, armed with bows, arrows, spears, and a few captured firearms, fought with ferocity and a profound understanding of their environment. The soldiers, though well-armed with Springfield Model 1866 rifles and Spencer carbines, had little time to form a defensive perimeter. The fight quickly devolved into desperate hand-to-hand combat.
Accounts from the Native American side describe the overwhelming speed and efficiency of the ambush. One Lakota warrior, White Elk, later recounted, "The soldiers rode into the trap and were surrounded. The Indians closed in on them from all sides. It was like hunting buffalo." Another, American Horse, described how the soldiers were "killed so quickly that they did not have time to kill themselves."
Within minutes, the battle was over. All 81 members of Fetterman’s command were killed. The bodies were found stripped, mutilated according to tribal customs (often to prevent the spirit from returning), and scattered across the battlefield. Fetterman himself and Captain Frederick Brown, another officer who accompanied him, were found with gunshot wounds to the head, suggesting they may have committed suicide to avoid capture and torture, though this remains a subject of debate.
Back at Fort Phil Kearny, the sound of sporadic gunfire had alerted Carrington to the disaster. He quickly organized a relief party, but by the time they reached the scene, the warriors had vanished, leaving behind the grim evidence of their victory. The sight was horrific, a testament to the effectiveness of Red Cloud’s strategy and the utter destruction of Fetterman’s force.
The Fetterman Fight sent shockwaves across the nation. It was the worst military defeat for the U.S. Army on the Great Plains until Custer’s Last Stand nearly a decade later. Public outrage was immense, and Carrington, despite his earlier warnings, faced severe criticism and was eventually relieved of command. The incident highlighted the immense challenge of fighting highly organized and skilled indigenous forces on their home ground.
More significantly, the battle was a decisive victory for Red Cloud and his allies. It proved the viability of their strategy and significantly strengthened their resolve. The immediate aftermath saw an intensification of Red Cloud’s War, culminating in the Wagon Box Fight and the Hayfield Fight in 1867, where the army, having learned a bitter lesson, employed more defensive tactics with superior firepower.
Ultimately, the Fetterman Fight contributed directly to the U.S. government’s decision to abandon the Bozeman Trail forts in 1868, signing the Treaty of Fort Laramie. This treaty, a rare and significant diplomatic victory for Native Americans, guaranteed the Lakota rights to the Powder River Country and marked the only time in U.S. history that the government conceded a war and abandoned forts at the behest of Native American forces.
The Fetterman Fight remains a poignant and powerful historical marker. It is a testament to the strategic genius of Red Cloud and Crazy Horse, and the fierce determination of the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho to defend their lands. It stands as a grim reminder of the dangers of underestimating an adversary, the consequences of arrogance in command, and the high cost of westward expansion. The wind-swept plains near Fort Phil Kearny still whisper the tale of that December day, a timeless lesson etched in blood and snow.
