Chapter 15: 1855, Blue Water Creek

Now a general, William Harney was summoned to meet with Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. “General, I am sure that you have heard of the massacre of Lt. Grattan and his men,” Davis began. The general nodded that he had. “The president holds the Sioux responsible for these deaths, and he believes that the only way to stop this kind of violence is to launch a punitive expedition against them,” he explained.

2 “General, President Pierce and I believe that you are the right man to lead just such an enterprise, and we’d like you to get started as soon as possible.” “Of course, sir,” Harney replied.

3 Thus, the general headed for St. Louis to make the necessary arrangements for the campaign. Shortly after arriving there, he was delighted to learn that his brother Benjamin had been appointed to serve as the expedition’s chief medical officer. Harney visited the arsenal and requisitioned three hundred long-ranged Sharp’s rifles, and he personally supervised the acquisition and loading of the other supplies that would be necessary to ensure the operation’s success.

4 Finally, the general boarded a steamboat at St. Louis and arrived at Fort Leavenworth on July 18. Over the weeks that followed, he organized his men and prepared to march out and find the offending Indians.

5 In early August, the general set out for Fort Kearney with about six hundred men. Unfortunately, he had to make do without any Indian scouts or his brother. Friendly Indians had been unwilling to accompany the expedition and his brother was too ill to travel.

6 Summer rains pelted the general and his troops as they marched across the prairie, and it didn’t take long for Harney’s mood to sour. As they crossed one of many rivers that had been swollen by the rain, the general noticed one of the teamsters beating one of his mules to urge it forward.

7 “You rascally son of a bitch!” he shouted. “Stop beating that pour dumb animal; or, by God and Jesus, I’ll personally tie you down and let the poor bastard fuck you to death!”

8 “He certainly is an interesting fellow,” one of the soldiers observed. “Yeah,” the teamster replied, “I try to stay as far away from him as possible.”

9 They reached Fort Kearney on August 20, but Harney decided to set out for Fort Laramie just four days later. Early in September, they stopped at Ash Hollow on the south bank of the North Platte River.

10 “There’s a large band of Sioux camped about five miles up that creek over there,” the scout pointed as he reported to the general. “I counted at least fifty lodges,” he finished.

11 Little Thunder knew that the soldiers were close. “Tell the White Chief that we are ready for war or peace, and that it is his choice to make,” he told his emissary.

12 The general stood quietly erect as the man delivered Little Thunder’s message. Finally, after an unpleasantly long silence, he said, “I’ll let him know what I decide.”

13 With that, Harney turned and walked back to his tent. The warrior looked perplexed, but it didn’t appear that there would be any clarifications or explanations forthcoming. So, he mounted his horse and returned to camp.

14 Back in his tent, Harney had already begun planning his attack. “While our cavalry circles around to the rear of their camp, I will lead our infantry directly along the creek and confront them there,” the general explained to his officers. “You will move out under the cover of darkness and make sure that they don’t see you until everything is ready, and I begin the attack,” he told Colonel Cooke.

15 In accordance with the general’s plan, Colonel Cooke led his forces out in the wee hours of the morning to circle around to the rear of the Sioux camp. The general and Major Cady followed on foot along the creek a few hours later.

16 “The soldiers are coming!” the Sioux scouts reported. Little Thunder was stunned. He had not expected that Harney would actually attack them.

17 “Have our people take down their lodges and gather their belongings. We will move up the creek – away from the soldiers,” he told them. “Ask Spotted Tail and Iron Shell to join me here as soon as possible,” he shouted after the already retreating scouts.

18 When they arrived, Little Thunder asked them to accompany him to talk with the general. “Our people need more time,” he explained. “Let’s go!” they both said.

19 At first, Harney ignored the triumvirate and refused to talk with them. Bewildered, Little Thunder grabbed a white piece of cloth and secured it to the end of a stick and rode forward again. This time, Harney stopped his own horse, dismounted and walked toward the approaching Indians.

20 Little Thunder rode at a full gallop toward Harney and stopped abruptly about thirty feet away. The general didn’t flinch. The chief extended his hand in a gesture of friendship, but Harney refused to take it.

21 “You know why we are here,” he began. “I didn’t come all this way to go home empty-handed. You must surrender to me everyone who was involved in the massacre of Lt. Grattan and his men.”

22 “We do not want war,” Little Thunder protested. “You will accept my terms, or you will have to fight,” Harney persisted. Bewildered and dismayed by the general’s uncompromising stance, the chief mounted his pony and rode back to his people.

23 “Charge!” Harney ordered. The soldiers surged forward. As they approached the camp, several of the officers fired into the air. The Sioux women and children began screaming and retreating down the gorge. Then the Indians began to abandon their possessions and run in all directions.

24 In the meantime, Col. Cooke’s forces had heard the screams and gunfire and had emerged from their hiding places at the rear of the camp. They mowed down the oncoming Indians like they were grass. The warriors took the worst of the fire, but some of the women and children fell beside them.

25 A few of the people tried to escape through one of the side ravines, but some of the dragoons got down from their horses and stood along the rim firing into the terrified stragglers. General Harney watched it all from a nearby ridge.

26 When it was finished, the bodies of eighty-six Indians and numerous horses and mules lay strewn around the camp. The remaining women and children were weeping and moaning. The soldiers rounded up seventy prisoners and took what souvenirs they wanted from the abandoned belongings that littered the ground. Little Thunder and Spotted Tail escaped across the prairie.

27 “I was very pleased with the campaign,” Harney reported. “We have retaliated against the people who were responsible for the murder and harassment of our fellow countrymen.” “Your gallantry and efficiency have not escaped our notice,” Jefferson Davis replied.