Crow War
Crow War | |||||||
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Part of the American Indian Wars | |||||||
"Crow Indians Firing Into The Agency" by Frederic Remington. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States |
Crow | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Thomas H. Ruger | Sword Bearer † | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1 killed 2 wounded |
7 killed 9 wounded 9 captured |
The Crow War,
War
Crow Incident
In 1887, the Blackfoot and the Crow were in the middle of a minor conflict in which both sides raided for each other's horses. In late spring, a war party of Blackfoot raided the Crow reservation and made off with several horses. Against the chiefs' decision, Sword Bearer decided to lead a counter raid in September. His group consisted mainly of teenagers who were eager to prove themselves to their elders. According to legend, Sword Bearer received his name after having a vision at a Cheyenne reservation though other sources say that his vision occurred after the army was already hunting him. The vision told Sword Bearer that if he carried a sword in battle, he would be protected from harm. During the raid, a number of Blackfoot braves were killed and the Crow recovered their horses without loss, but when they returned to the reservation, on September 30, Sword Bearer made the mistake of showing off his victory to the Indian agent, Henry E. Williamson, who was known for being disliked by the native population. In what was called the Crow Incident, Sword Bearer and his men circled around Williamson's home and fired into the air to celebrate but this only upset the agent who came outside to make arrests. Sword Bearer then fired a few rounds into the ground next to the agent so he ran back inside to wire the army at Fort Custer and tell them his house was under attack. At the time, local newspapers said Williamson's house was also fired into though it remains uncertain if this was true or not, the "Billings Gazette," dated October 3, said that the "houses and office of the agent were riddled by bullets" but nobody was hurt. A few days later, when Sword Bearer learned that the United States Army was looking for him, he and about twenty men left the reservation to go to Fort Custer, thirteen miles away, in order to show the soldiers the magical sword.[5]
When the soldiers noticed the approaching warriors, about 150 yards away, they assumed they were under attack and loaded a
Battle of Crow Agency
Meanwhile, the United States Army was also taking action,
At the same time Sword Bearer appeared, leading 120 to 150 warriors in a mounted charge against the soldiers. The attack was repulsed and the Crow retreated to the wooded area along the river where they had beforehand established a series of
Order of battle
Native Americans, Chief's Old Bear, Two Moon, and Little Coyote (Little Wolf). About 60 to 250 warriors.
Tribe | Leader | Size |
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Sword Bearer | 120 –150 Warriors |
United States Army
November 5, 1887, Brigadier General Thomas H. Ruger, commanding.
Expedition | Regiment | Companies and Others |
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Command |
1st Cavalry
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7th Cavalry |
| |
9th Cavalry
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| |
3rd Infantry
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| |
7th Infantry
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References
- ^ a b http://electriccityweblog.com/?p=2937[permanent dead link]
- ^ Greene, p. 5
- ^ Don Rickey: Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay: The Enlisted Soldier Fighting the Indian Wars. University of Oklahoma Press, November 28, 2012
- ^ Michno, p. 350
- ^ "Crow Indians & Land Leases in Yellowstone County, Montana".
- ^ a b Greene, pp. 5–6
- ^ "Ash creek". Archived from the original on 2011-01-21. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
- ^ a b United States Cavalry Association, p. 28
- ^ "Battle at Crow Agency". Archived from the original on 2017-01-02. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
Bibliography
- Michno, F. Gregory (2009). Encyclopedia of Indian wars: Western battles and skirmishes 1850–1890. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-87842-468-9.
- Greene, Jerome A. (2007). Indian War veterans: memories of army life and campaigns in the West, 1864–1898. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-932714-26-5.
- "The First Regiment of Cavalry, United States Army (part 2)" (PDF). The Cavalry Journal. 31. United States Cavalry Association, Harvard University: 10–29. January 1922. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
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