Excursion Study Guide

  HISTORICITY


During the summer of 1865, the federal government announced plans to support a major road through the Powder River region of northeastern Wyoming Territory to connect with the mining towns in southwestern Montana Territory. Actually, the route already existed—for many years, Indians had followed its general course before John Bozeman and partner John Jacobs charted the trail for use by mining traffic in 1863. The Bozeman Trail (known by several names) branched north from the well-established Oregon Trail at Fort Laramie, crossed the Powder River, skirted the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains, and emerged at Bozeman, which was already linked with nearby Virginia City and northward to Helena. Not only did the Bozeman Trail cut significant miles off existing roads to Montana's mining district, the travel was easier to manage due to more temperate topography. Unfortunately, the road penetrated prime Indian territory causing the Sioux, led by Red Cloud, to go on the warpath in an effort to eradicate the Bozeman Trail traffic. Hence, three guardian forts—Reno, Phil Kearny, and C. F. Smith—were constructed along the Bozeman Trail.

During its two-year existence, Fort Phil Kearny was the focal point of two violent battles between area Indians and the U.S. Army. On December 21, 1866, Captain William J. Fetterman was ordered to rescue a besieged woodcutting party about five miles from Fort Phil Kearny. Eager for fight, Fetterman departed from Fort Phil Kearny around noon with a detachment of 80 soldiers. (Emboldened by his extensive combat experience during the Civil War, Fetterman had recently bragged that he could defeat the entire Sioux nation with—coincidentally—just 80 men!) Shortly, a small group of Sioux warriors appeared on Lodge Trail Ridge. Their indignant hoots and gestures, designed as a ruse, lured Fetterman into foolish pursuit. (One of the especially spirited members of the decoy party was a young brave named Crazy Horse.) As the Indians led the calculated chase over the ridge, the soldiers' reckless bravado instantly wilted at the site of some 2,000 warriors waiting in ambush. Within 30 minutes, the entire Fetterman command was dead—Fetterman and his second-in-command evidently shot one another rather than face inevitable brutality and death by the enemy.

Just exactly how unbridled was Fetterman's pursuit is open to scholarly debate. The most recent expert opinion supports the idea that Fetterman, upon swallowing the bait, likely discussed strategy with his subordinate officer and proceeded in a manner more deliberate than spontaneous. Furthermore, whether or not Fetterman and another officer intentionally killed each other is not a foregone conclusion, though the story is usually told that way.

When reinforcements from Fort Phil Kearny reached the battle site, they were horrified by the soldiers' grotesquely mutilated corpses. The act was judged by many Indians to avenge the hideous massacre of peaceful Cheyennes by territorial militia under Colonel John Chivington at Sand Creek, Colorado Territory, in November of 1864. (While Chivington's attack was exalted by Denver as heroic, a fellow officer described the incident as "cowardly and cold-blooded slaughter." Even the federal government condemned Chivington for "gross and wanton outrages" against the Indians.) Fetterman's defeat was the greatest triumph over the U.S. Army by Northern Plains tribes until Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer's "Last Stand" at the Little Bighorn nearly a decade later.

Several months after the Fetterman Massacre, Red Cloud struck again near Fort Phil Kearny. What took place resembled a scene from an old Hollywood movie. On August 2, Captain James Powell's unit of 31 woodcutters and soldiers, camped about five miles west of the post, repulsed an Indian force of far superior numbers (perhaps 800 or more) by forming wagon boxes into a defensive corral. After five hours of repeated assaults during which the Indians sustained heavy losses (some estimates go as high as 200), Red Cloud withdrew. The bluecoats suffered three killed and two wounded. Despite the disproportionate Indian casualties and the ultimate survival of Powell's command, the Wagon Box Fight is considered a great victory in Sioux lore.

Red Cloud's fierce resistance along the Bozeman Trail (coupled with completion of Union Pacific track offering safer passage for white travelers) led to the federal government's decision to extinguish Fort Phil Kearny and its two companion posts. The resulting Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) essentially restored sovereignty of the Powder River country to the Indians. Hence, Red Cloud earned the distinction as the first—and only, as history unfolded—Indian chief to win a military campaign against the United States. But in more practical terms, by sanctioning the Great Sioux Reservation in present-day western South Dakota, the pact also laid the foundation for increased violence between the U.S. Army and the Northern Plains tribes, and ultimately, the lasting defeat of the American Indian.

Fort Phil Kearny is located about 25 miles south of Sheridan, Wyoming, beside Interstate 90 at Exit 44. It is administered by the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. Operating hours are between noon and 4:00 pm Wednesday through Sunday from October through April, and from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm during May through September. Picnic tables are on site; overnight camping is prohibited.

  DATA


This activity is part of the Little Bighorn Battlefield excursion's second-day schedule. Since students will be doing a good amount of walking outdoors, weather-conscious clothing, including comfortable footwear, is important. Completion of this study guide is optional. Students who answer all questions correctly will receive 25 general bonus points. Please click here for a thorough historical account of Fort Phil Kearny, including the Fetterman Massacre and the Wagon Box Fight.

  QUESTIONS


  1. All of the following facts are true about General Philip Kearny, the namesake of Fort Phil Kearny, except that he:
    1. lost an arm during brave combat in the Mexican War
    2. hailed from Georgia and was a plantation owner prior to his enlistment in the Confederate Army at the outbreak of the Civil War
    3. was killed early in the Civil War when he came under heavy fire after mistakenly riding into a pocket gap in the enemy's line
    4. is buried at Arlington National Cemetery where he is one of two officers honored with an equestrian statue

  2. The commanding officer of Fort Phil Kearny during its brief existence was:
    1. Colonel Henry B. Carrington
    2. Captain James Powell
    3. Colonel John Chivington
    4. Captain William J. Fetterman

  3. All of the following geographical landmarks were clearly visable at some point for travelers on the Bozeman Trail except:
    1. Powder River
    2. Black Hills
    3. Piney Creek
    4. Bighorn Mountains

  4. The painting above, entitled The Fetterman Fight, is the work of renowned artist:
    1. Frederic Remington
    2. J. K. Ralston
    3. Pablo Picasso
    4. Charles Russell

  5. The general strategy employed by Captain James Powell to defeat the Indian attackers at the Wagon Box Fight is best summarized as:
    1. guerrilla warfare including night raids
    2. small decoy parties enabling the soldiers' main force to surround the Indians
    3. repeated all-out frontal assaults to gain higher ground
    4. defensive posture shielded from enemy fire

  6. The Sioux chief who waged the successful campaign against white invasion of the Powder River region by way of the Bozeman Trail is:
    1. Crazy Horse
    2. Spotted Tail
    3. Red Cloud
    4. Sitting Bull

  7. All of the following items were issued to enlisted soldiers except:
    1. gloves
    2. shoes
    3. hats
    4. socks

  8. John "Portuguese" Phillips was the:
    1. government surveyor who charted the pathway of the Bozeman Trail despite his foreknowledge that it would cut through the very heart of prized hunting grounds belonging to the Sioux
    2. lone survivor of the Fetterman Massacre (reportedly, he escaped death by disabling Crazy Horse himself in hand-to-hand combat and then racing to safety on Crazy Horse's pony)
    3. civilian rider who traveled over 200 miles to Fort Laramie, through hostile Indian territory and in the midst of a winter blizzard, seeking reinforcements for Fort Phil Kearny following the Fetterman Massacre
    4. muscular soldier-hero of the Wagon Box Fight (despite two arrow wounds, he singlehandedly overturned a dozen wagons in an oval configuration to insulate his comrades from attacking Indians)

  9. All of the following facts are true about Fort Phil Kearny and the troops stationed there except:
    1. the flag pole is symbolically placed—as the centerpiece of the garrison, it reflects the focal point of military life
    2. most of the Fort Phil Kearny troops were experienced Buffalo Soldiers with previous service under General George Armstrong Custer at Fort Riley, Kansas
    3. Fort Phil Kearny was the largest stockade in the entire West
    4. the soldiers were woefully battle-ready—as many as 80% of the troops were relatively untrained; perhaps 50% of the weapons issued did not function properly

  10. The correct chronological order of the events listed is:
    1. Fetterman Massacre / Wagon Box Fight / Fort Laramie Treaty / Battle of the Little Bighorn
    2. Battle of the Little Bighorn / Fetterman Massacre / Wagon Box Fight / Fort Laramie Treaty
    3. Fort Laramie Treaty / Wagon Box Fight / Fetterman Massacre / Battle of the Little Bighorn
    4. Wagon Box Fight / Battle of the Little Bighorn / Fort Laramie Treaty / Fetterman Massacre

  11. Rather than remain in a prisoner-of-war camp the duration of the Civil War, captured Confederate soldiers were sometimes granted freedom upon swearing allegiance to the Union, then stationed in western forts to fight Indians. These soldiers were known as "__________" Yankees.
    1. galvanized
    2. redeemed
    3. gilded
    4. copperheaded

  12. None of the original Fort Phil Kearny structures remain today because:
    1. the buildings were leveled by soldiers upon withdrawing from the garrison
    2. local ranchers razed the buildings during the early 1770s to increase grazing land for their enormous cattle herds
    3. Indians burned the garrison after it was abandoned by the U.S. Army
    4. due to the post's brief existence, no actual buildings were fully erected when the government ordered troops to evacuate; what limited construction occurred has simply decayed over the years

  13. All of the following are correct matches for uniform trim color and insignia according to branch of service except:
    1. blue / bugle = infantry
    2. yellow / crossed sabers = cavalry
    3. green / wagon wheel = supply
    4. red / crossed cannons = artillery

  14. The structure within Fort Phil Kearny in closest proximity to the original flagpole was the:
    1. indoor pool and fitness club
    2. commander's quarters
    3. hospital
    4. guard house

  15. Which one of the following facilities was located in Fort Phil Kearny's adjoining civilian camp?
    1. bakery
    2. general store
    3. chapel
    4. livery stables

  16. Enlisted men sometimes used the slang "housewife" in reference to:
    1. playing cards
    2. combs and hair brushes
    3. pajamas
    4. sewing kits

  17. Traffickers along the Bozeman Trail near Fort Phil Kearny were subjected to incessant attacks by all of the following tribes except the:
    1. Comanche
    2. Arapaho
    3. Cheyenne
    4. Sioux

  18. In 2004, the State of Wyoming and the __________ completed an important land exchange deal whereby Fort Phil Kearny and surrounding area was preserved as a National Historic Landmark.
    1. Ford Motor Company
    2. Jackson Hole Buffalo Meat Company
    3. Chevron Oil Corporation
    4. Weyerhaeuser Forest Products Company