b"Crazy Horse continued from page 45destruction reigned down upon their Cheyenne allies onin the lead, mounted their horses the Southern Plains, those borderlands of what is nowand went after them. But Custer, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle where the Cheyennea seasoned Indian fighter, was no had sought refuge after the Sand Creek massacre. It wasFetterman. He suspected a trap and a refuge that was not to be, for just three months afterordered the majority of his command the burning of Fort Kearny, a young, ambitious long- back to their side of the river while he haired colonel of the U.S. Cavalry led 800 soldiers of theand 20 troopers went forward, closely 7th Cavalry on a dawn attack on the Cheyenne campsbut cautiously. As Custer and the rest alongside the Washita River. Chief Black Kettle, whoof his small company approached the had continuously - even after Sand Creek - and earnestlyopposite shore, he even motioned to sought peace with the whites was killed alongside histhe 20 men with him to gradually fall wife, as well as an estimated 150 of his people, warriors,back, proceeding only with his orderly, women, and children, were killed and the Cheyennetowards the other shore.paulhorsted.comvillage was obliterated.Sending all of his men back proved The Army continued to mop up the tribes to the southto be a very wise decision, as when and slaughter the buffalo. The Kiowa and Comanche wereCuster and his orderly approached next, Colonels Nelson Miles and Ranald Slidell Mackenziewithin 300 yards of the other shore tore into the Kiowa and Quanah Parker's Comanche afterand the dense cottonwoods - Crazy Horse and his 300Crow scout that the woods were filled with hostile Sioux. the valiant half-white Comanche leader was repulsed atwarriors surged out of the woods just as they did whenThey had just reached the river when one of Crazy the second battle of Adobe Walls, which set-off the Redthey confronted the doomed Fetterman, and gallopedHorse's subordinates, Rain-in-the Face spotted them and River War. Mackenzie and his 4th Cavalry troopers crepttowards Custer and his orderly. Instinctively turningtogether with five of his warriors opened fire - Honsinger, up on and then surprised Parker in Palo Duro Canyon.around, the two men raced back to the positions alreadyBaliran, and Trooper Ball didn't stand a chance - and They destroyed the Comanche chieftain's pony herd atprepared by Custer's subordinates. were quickly killed, the other trooper was able to escape the battle of Palo Duro in late September 1874 - an eventand tell Custer what happened. Custer ordered another that was chronicled for the screen by John Wayne andAccording to Gardner - A volley broke up the Lakotacharge, which drove Crazy Horse's force back further John Ford in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon - which omittedcharge, and the troopers made an orderly withdrawal tountil they were out of reach of the troopers, who would the gory mass slaughtering of the Kiowa and Comanchetheir camp in the cottonwood grove, which the warriorssoon return to their posts. Rain-in-the-Face went around ponies, and forced Parker to surrender just months later.surrounded on all sides except that facing the river.the various trading posts and reservations boasting of But for the time being, domestic problems aside, outsideAgain and again, warriors made bravery runs alonghaving killed Honsinger. Learning of this, Custer's brother, of the raids against hostile tribesmen and the rare andthe line of troopers, drawing their fire until the officersthen-Lieutenant Tom Custer went out to the Standing very occasional raids on isolated white settlers and theirrealized the Lakota were trying to get them to exhaustRock Reservation and had him arrested and brought cabins, Crazy Horse and the Lakota had over five years oftheir ammunition. Instructions went out to the troopersback to Fort Abraham Lincoln, from whence he escaped comparative peace, until that same ambitious long-hairedto only shoot to hold the line. After at least three hoursjust a few months later, vowing revenge. The battle of the Cavalry colonel and his men came-a-calling, moving deepof attempting unsuccessfully to inflict casualties on theYellowstone, or the Tongue was the first but certainly not into the forests and the rivers of the Yellowstone Valley onLong Knives, the warriors resorted to setting the grass onthe last time the two warriors Crazy Horse and Custer, one an expedition in the late Summer of 1873, seeking routesfire in four or five spots around the grove, but the grassbrown and one white would meet in battle. for the Great Northern Railway. was green, and there wasn't the slightest breeze. However, there was a large dust cloud rising on the eastern horizonPick up our March issue for Part 4.CUSTER COMES A CALLING - the other ten companies Although surveying parties had been mapping outof the Seventh rushing to potential routes for the Great Northern for quite somethe rescue. The warriors time, occasionally being raided and harassed by thedisplayed some confusion Sioux, the most substantial threat came in late July 1873as they began to slowly pull when that same long-haired colonel who had wreakedback, and Custer chose havoc on the Cheyenne on the banks of Washita enteredthis moment to mount the valley of the Yellowstone with his regiment, plushis men and charge the a force of infantry, and accompanying scouts, a forceLakota, his warriors yelling of almost 1600 men in all, the mounted troops alonelike demons. Despite their consisting of ten companies. Such a large force wassuperior numbers, the intolerable to the Lakota Nation and their chief medicinewarriors broke and fled man, a Hunkpapa Sioux with a deep, expressionlesspell-mell up the valley. face of stone by the name of Sitting Bull (who hadThe Long Knives (the 7th begun a fast and enduring friendship with Crazy HorseCavalrymen) chased them even as the latter was swiftly exiting the orbit of Redfor three miles before Cloud). Accordingly, it was Sitting Bull, who, knowingturning back (Gardner, The of Crazy Horse's prowess as a warrior, ordered him andEarth is All That Lasts, pp. his warriors to drive this long-haired Colonel George201-202).Armstrong Custer and his men out of the valley. NEW ASPHALT PAVINGCuster was lucky, having AUGUST 4, 1873THE BATTLE OF avoided this trap this PARKING LOTSTHE YELLOWSTONE time around, and having Gathering together a mixed force of almost 300 skilledlost only one trooper in PRIVATE DRIVESOglala, Hunkpapa and Miniconjou, Crazy Horse deployedthe direct engagement. ROADShis men along the cottonwoods and reeds bordering theHowever, only two or river and waited. He didn't have too long to wait as Custer,three miles away, hisREPAIRS & MAINTENANCEwith less than 100 men, all 7th Cavalry and the advancechief veterinarian, Dr. guard of the expedition moving up the Yellowstone ValleyJohn Honsinger, the TRENCH PAVINGapproached and arrived at the opposite side of the river.sutler Augustus Baliran, Sighting a nearby clump of cottonwoods, Custer orderedand trooper John Ball PATCHINGOVERLAYShis men to make camp, waiting on the expedition's supplyweren't quite as lucky. chain to catch up. Watering the horses, the men relaxed,Despite hearing the sound SEAL COATINGmany, not suspecting the approach of the nearby Sioux,of heavy firing nearby, began to fall asleep - but not for long. Crazy Horse, usingthe veterinarian and the the same tactics that worked so well against Fetterman,sutler decided to hunt for sent out six decoys to whoop and holler while the restgems - and possibly game.602-272-PAVEof his force was waiting to ambush the cavalrymen- andJoined by Ball and another at first, it looked like his plan to lure the troopers into atrooper they proceededCALVARYPAVING.COMsteel-jawed trap reminiscent of the one Fetterman fell intotowards the river despite would once more succeed as the troopers, with Custera warning from a friendly ArizonaRealCountry.com February 2023 47"