Rosebud, June 17, 1876 : Prelude to the Little Big Horn

The Battle of the Rosebud may well be the largest Indian battle ever fought in the American West. The monumental clash on June 17, 1876, along Rosebud Creek in southeastern Montana pitted George Crook and his Shoshone and Crow allies against Sioux and Northern Cheyennes under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. It set the stage for the battle that occurred eight days later when, just twenty-five miles away, George Armstrong Custer blundered into the very same village that had outmatched Crook. Historian Paul L. Hedren presents the definitive account of this critical battle, from its antecedents in the Sioux campaign to its historic consequences. Rosebud, June 17, 1876 explores in unprecedented detail the events of the spring and early summer of 1876. Drawing on an extensive array of sources, including government reports, diaries, reminiscences, and a previously untapped trove of newspaper stories, the book traces the movements of both Indian forces and U.S. troops and their Indian allies as Brigadier General Crook commenced his second great campaign against the northern Indians for the year. Both Indian and army paths led to Rosebud Creek, where warriors surprised Crook and then parried with his soldiers for the better part of a day on an enormous field. Describing the battle from multiple viewpoints, Hedren narrates the action moment by moment, capturing the ebb and flow of the fighting. Throughout he weighs the decisions and events that contributed to Crook’s tactical victory, and to his fateful decision thereafter not to pursue his adversary. The result is a uniquely comprehensive view of an engagement that made history and then changed its course. Rosebud was at once a battle won and a battle lost. With informed attention to the subtleties and significance of both outcomes, as well as to the fears and motivations on all sides, Hedren has given new meaning to this consequential fight, and new insight into its place in the larger story of the Great Sioux War. List of Illustrations ix Preface xii Acknowledgments xvii 1. A Chaotic Spring 3 2. Organizing a Second Campaign 14 3. Fort Fetterman 37 4. The Northern Indians and the Great Ascendancy 56 5. The Road North 76 6. Tongue River Heights 93 7. Fateful Intelligence 135 8. Eleventh U.S. Dragoons 145 9. Trail to Rosebud Creek 154 10. On Reno Creek 166 Interlude: Notes on Rosebud Geography 178 11. Opening Salvos 185 12. Sweeping the Gap 195 13. Commanding the Field 209 14. Sowing the Wind 222 15. Reaping the Whirlwind 256 16. Warriors Heroic 274 17. Evening on the Rosebud 287 18. Return to Goose Creek 308 19. Eight Days 334 20. Consequences 349 Appendixes A. Big Horn and Yellowstone Expedition Order of Battle, May 29–June 21, 1876 375 B. Big Horn and Yellowstone Expedition Casualties 377 C. Cartridges, Cartridges 379 Notes 385 Bibliography 431 Index 449 Explores In Detail The Movements In The Spring And Early Summer Of 1876 Of Sitting Bull's And Crazy Horse's Sioux And Northern Cheyenne Followers, And The Troops Led By Brigadier General George Crook That Led To The Clash On Rosebud Creek In Southeastern Montana On June 17, 1876 And The Aftermath That Followed--provided By Publisher. Paul L. Hedren. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 431-468) And Index. The Battle of the Rosebud may well be the largest Indian battle ever fought in the American West. The monumental clash in June 17, 1876 along Rosebud Creek i Shoshone and Crow allies against Sioux and Northern Cheyennes under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. This book presents the definitive account of this critical battle.