Palo Duro Canyon, Texas
On September 28, 1874, Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie at the head of the Fourth U.S. Cavalry attacked and destroyed a large Indian encampment in Palo Duro Canyon.
Mackenzie’s troopers formed part of the Red River Campaign of 1874 - 75, which saw no less than six military columns placed in the field (in a bid) to force Kiowas, Cheyennes, and Comanches to return to the reservations. On the 28th, Mackenzie’s scouts followed the Indian trail to the edge of Palo Duro Canyon.
The soldiers descended the steep slopes to the valley floor 700 feet below. Taken by surprise, the Indians abandoned their villages, allowing Mackenzie to capture more than 1,100 horses that were later slaughtered to prevent recapture.
Although few Indians or soldiers were killed, the unrelenting pursuit of the troopers and the cold weather ultimately forced the Indians to surrender, thus bringing to a close the Red River War. Part of the battlefield is located within Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Oklahoma
Here in the predawn of November 27, 1868, Lt. Col. George A. Custer, leading the 7th Cavalry, attacked the sleeping Southern Cheyenne village of Peace Chief Black Kettle.
The chief and more than 100 Indians, many of them women and children, were killed. The controversial attack was hailed by the military and many civilians as a significant military victory aimed at reducing Indian raids on frontier settlements.
Washita was also viewed by many whites and Indian participants as a massacre. Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, located in western Oklahoma, testifies to the struggle of the Southern Plains Indians to maintain their traditional lifeways. Casualties: U.S. 21 killed, 16 wounded; Indians 103 killed, 53 captured. The site is operated by the National Park Service
Summit Springs, Colorado
The battle of Summit Springs was fought on July 11, 1869 near Sterling, Colorado.
It broke for all time the power of the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers on the central Plains.
Shattered by the attack of Col. Eugene Carr in which the Cheyenne leader Tall Bull was killed (some say by Buffalo Bill Cody), the Dog Soldiers fragmented into two groups, one drifting north to join the Northern Cheyenne and the other joining the Southern Cheyenne.
Carr reported killing 52 Indians and capturing 15. One soldier was wounded in the fighting.
The site is marked, but is on private property.
Lava Beds National Monument, California
Modoc Leader, Kintpuash
Known As "Captain Jack"
Established as a national monument chiefly for its geological and scientific value, Lava Beds is also significant as the principal battleground of the Modoc War of 1872 - 73.
In a twisted, almost impregnable volcanic fortress that came to be known as Captain Jack’s Stronghold, a handful of Modocs held off a sizable force of U.S. soldiers for six months.
Modoc leader, Kintpuash know as Capt. Jack, shot and killed Gen. Edward R. S. Canby during a peace conference on April 11, 1873. Capt. Jack ultimately surrendered. He and the chief conspirators of the slaying of Canby were executed.
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