Confrontation Ridge, April 14, 1867

Confrontation Ridge, April 14, 1867. The Army, also, The Cheyenne and Lakota. , Confrontation Ridge, April 14, 1867 - The Army , History happened here. During the winter of 1866-1867, false rumors spread fears of a major uprising of Plains Indians. Gen Winfield S. Hancock, new department commander who had no understanding of indigenous cultures, believed the rumors and led an expedition of 1,400 troops (infantry, artillery, and cavalry) from Fort Riley to Fort Larned to intimidate the tribes. They would go to the reservations peacefully or the army would "chastise" them. At Fort Larned he planned to meet with leaders of an encampment of Cheyenne Dog Soldiers and Oglala Lakota located 32 miles from the fort. A spring blizzard interfered and the Indians were delayed. When they came to Fort Larned 5 days later and proclaimed they were peaceful, Hancock accused them of lying and threatened to march his troops to their village. The Indians feared an attack and prepared to defend their homes. Hancock led his troops toward the village on April 13, crossed Pawnee Fork north of present Burdett, and encamped west of the stream about one mile northeast of this sign. Chiefs from the village agreed to meet him at this point the following day, if he would not come closer to their village. The next morning Hancock waited but no Indians arrived. About 11 a.m. he started his troops toward the village. When they went west over the ridge north of this sign, they faced some 300 Cheyenne and Lakota warriors lined up and advancing, hoping to persuade Hancock to stay away from their village, shown above in Rick Reeves's painting,"Thus Far and No Further." A battle was avoided with the aid of Indian Agent Edward Wynkoop, who was respected by the tribal leaders. Hancock said he would advance and camp near their village. The Iindians hurried back to their lodges where everyone packed what they could carry and fled. Hancock's troops marched to and encamped near the village. Lt. Col. George A. Custer leading the 7th Cavalry on the expedition, was sent to surround the village and discovered the residents had escaped, leaving tipis and most of their property. Hancock was furious, concluded the Indians must be guilty of something or they would not have fled, and said "this looks like the commencement of war." This was Custer's first encounter with Indians. In later engagements, he divided his command to attack from several directions so they could not escape. It worked at the Washita Battle in 1868 but resulted in catastrophe for his command at the Little Bighorn in 1876. Hancock sent Custer and the 7th Cavalry in pursuit of the Indians, without success. He had the abandoned village burned on April 19, shown left in Theodore Davis's sketch in Harper's Weekly, starting a war where none existed. Other tribes joined the conflict. Hancock was replaced as department commander by Gen. Phillip Sheridan. "Hancock's War" continued until the Medicine Lodge Peace Treaties were signed in October 1867. Those Treaties failed and warfare continued against the Plains Tribes for several more years., To learn more about Hancock's War, visit Fort Larned National Historic Site to see an exhibit about the expedition. This sign erected by Fort Larned Old Guard, with thanks to the McJunkin Family. This site is on private property; please do not walk or drive to the ridge., Confrontation Ridge, April 14, 1867 - The Cheyenne and Lakota , The Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado Territory, November 29, 1864, touched off a new wave of resistance by Plains tribes in 1865. The Cheyenne Dog Soldiers, led by Chief Tall Bull, fled north and spent nearly a year with the Oglala Lakota near the Platte River. Congress authorized new treaties to make peace and assign the Southern Plains tribes to reservations in present Oklahoma. The Treaties of the Little Arkansas, October 1865, were signed by some Cheyenne leaders, but the Dog Soldiers, including Chiefs Tall Bull, White Horse, Bull Bear, Gray Beard, Medicine Wolf, and White Head, refused, determined to continue their traditional hunting life and culture. They would rather die defending their old ways than die on a reservation. During 1866, a peaceful year along the Santa Fe Trail, Indian Agent Edward Wynkoop tried to persuade those who had not signed the treaties to do so, without success. During the winter of 1866-1867 the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers made camp on Pawnee Fork 32 miles from Fort Larned: In March 1867 they were joined by a band of Oglala Lakota led by Pawnee Killer. The combined camps, with an estimated 1,500 men, women, and children, were peaceful and expected no trouble. Gen. W. S. Hancock naively thought the way to deal with Indians was to use strong military force, intimidate or beat them into submission, and move them onto reservations. When his force encamped a mile northeast of this sign on April 13, White Horse and Pawnee Killer said the leaders from their village would meet Hancock there the following morning, provided he moved no closer to their village. When they did not arrive, Hancock started his troops toward the village. Moving west to the top of this ridge they met some 300 Cheyenne and Lakota, the leaders shown riding from the village in the above painting, "Bold and Fearless," by Jerry Thomas. Hancock formed his troops into a line of battle. If either side had made a show of force, a major battle would have occurred here. Cheyenne warrior Roman Nose said he would kill Hancock, but Bull Bear grabbed the reins of his horse and led him away. Fortunately, Agent Wynkoop and interpreter Edmund Guerrier (half-Cheyenne survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre) negotiated an agreement. The Indians returned to their families while Hancock agreed to camp near but not to enter the village. The Indians, not trusting Hancock and fearing an attack as happened at Sand Creek, returned to their village and fled. Surgeon Isaac Coates wrote, "the women and children were so terrified on seeing the troops approach" that they "ran off leaving everything behind them." Custer's 7th Cavalry took possession of the empty village, finding only an old Lakota warrior, a deaf Cheyenne woman, and a sick girl. Hancock ordered the hide lodges burned and everything left by the Indians destroyed. "Hancock's War" raged across the Southern Plains through the summer, during which at least 125 Kansas citizens and an unknown number of Indians were killed (the most destructive year of the Indian Wars in Kansas). The confrontation on this site was an important part of that tragedy. During the next two years the Southern Cheyenne were defeated and placed on a reservation, ending their freedom and way of life., To learn more about Hancock's War, visit Fort Larned National Historic Site to see an exhibit about the expedition. This sign erected by the Fort Larned Old Guard, with thanks to the McJunkin Family. This site is private property; please do not walk or drive to the ridge.