Scouting South of the Yellowstone

Scouting South of the Yellowstone. . Beginning in early May, 1876 when the Lakota ran off about thirty horsed belonging to the Crow scouts, patrols from the Montana Column reported Indian sightings almost every day from the Big Horn River on down to Rosebud Creek. All signs indicated a large village somewhere south of the Yellowstone River. , At dusk on May 15, 1876, a scouting party led by Lieutenant James H. Bradley crossed the Yellowstone River near this location and proceeded in a southeasterly direction to the high ground visible to the south. From this vantage point, Lt. Bradley was able to survey almost thirty miles of Rosebud Creek for Indian signs. There were none. , Lieutenant Bradley then moved east - mindful of danger by staying concealed in coulees and timber. Late in the afternoon, the Crow scouts signaled that they had made a discovery coming from the Tongue River Valley about five mile distant. Columns of smoke marked the presence of a large Indian camp. Concerned about detection, Bradley's detachment stayed hidden in timber and then marched all night arriving back in camp just as Colonel Gibbon was preparing to resume his march down the Yellowstone Valley. , Colonel Gibbon changed plans and ordered the command across the Yellowstone for an attack on the village. The river, already running high and swift from spring run-off, proved to be a formidable obstacle. Colonel Gibbon called off the attack late in the day when four horses drowned during one of the crossings. , A few days later, confident of their strength in numbers and the river as a barrier, the Lakota and Cheyenne set up camp along Rosebud Creek less than ten miles from the Montana Column. Troopers wee able to hear the rifle fire of buffalo hunters coming from south of the river. , On May 27, 1876, Lt. Bradley again returned to the same high ground. This time, Bradley observed the telltale columns of campfire smoke sone eight to ten miles up Rosebud Creek from his observation point. The large village now appeared to be moving up there Rosebud Creek Valley.