Battlefield Landscape

Battlefield Landscape. . , From this vantage point you can visualize the general progress of the Battle of the Big Hole, but at a distance from the fear and chaos of its hand-to-hand combat. The landscape has changed little since the morning of August 9, 1877. This lush river valley was a place familiar to the Nez Perce, and known as 'icku-mcelélikpe. The exhausted Nez Perce assumed they could rest here safely for several days. Tipi poles mark their campsite. , Col. John Gibbon launched a pre-dawn surprise attack on the camp (blue arrows), killing between 60 an 90 Nez Perce men, women and children. The warriors were able to regroup, counter attack, and besiege Gibbon's men in a pine thicket while the families escaped (red arrows). The army's casualties were 31 soldiers killed and 39 wounded. Although the Nez Perce staved off disaster, this battle made it clear the their safety was still in question. , The Big Hole National Battlefield remains a cemetery for the men, women, and children killed and should be accorded the respect of a burial ground.