Two Scenarios: Fetterman Fight, December 21, 1866

Two Scenarios: Fetterman Fight, December 21, 1866. . , The Fetterman Fight was a clash of forces using different warfare tactics. In 1866, the military used Civil War tactics of massed soldiers formations under a central command using concentrated gunfire. The skirmish lines had men placed at intervals of 20 paces. These lines were used to determine the enemy’s position and provided cover for the maneuvers of a large formation., Scenario One , After crossing Lodge Trail Ridge, the command moved into Peno Creek Valley pursuing decoys. The cavalry separated from the infantry. As the cavalry reached Peno Creek, the ambush was sprung. The cavalry retreated up the Bozeman Trail and fought a series of rear guard actions. The infantry retreated out of the valley up a draw to Cavalry Knob. There the command was rejoined. During a lull in the battle, the infantry retreated to the monument. The cavalry, low on ammunition with Lt. Grummond, their leader dead, attempted to join the infantry. At the monument, the infantry were surrounded and defeated by attacks from the east. The cavalry found the infantry and in an attempt to break out were defeated just north of the monument., On the other side, the Indians seldom used organized warring formations. A warrior fought and followed a leader at his own choosing, attacking only when the use of cover or overwhelming numbers meant low casualties. The military wanted to fight enemies of known size and location, but the Indian tactics of decoy and ambush seldom made this possible., Scenario Two , After crossing Lodge Trail Ridge, the command pursued the decoys along the Bozeman Trail to Peno Creek. There, the cavalry, just ahead of the infantry, were attacked. The infantry retreated. The cavalry fought a series of rear guard actions, retreating behind the infantry to Cavalry Knob. Here they fought back to back. The infantry fired at distant targets to the south and east, the cavalry fired at close targets to the west. The disintegrating command with Lt. Grummond, their leader dead, was completely surrounded. In an attempt to reach Lodge Trail Ridge, cavalry and infantry survivors fought an undisciplined retreat to the vicinity of the monument, where they were surrounded and destroyed.