Grattan massacre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Grattan Massacre took place on August 19, 1854. It occurred east of Fort Laramie, Nebraska Territory, USA, now in present-day Goshen County, Wyoming, when thirty U.S. soldiers and a civilian were killed by Brulé Lakota (Sioux) after one of the soldiers had shot their Chief Conquering Bear in the back. It was an early and significant event in the plains Indian Wars.

[edit] Details

In the late summer of 1854, about 4,000 Brulé and Oglala were camped near Fort Laramie in accordance with the terms of an earlier peace treaty. On August 17, a cow belonging to a Mormon traveling on the nearby Oregon Trail was killed by a Minneconjou named High Forehead^{[citation needed]}.

Second Lieutenant John Lawrence Grattan, of the U.S. 6th Infantry Regiment, a recent graduate of West Point, was ordered to bring in the guilty Lakota cow-killer. Grattan was an inexperienced, short-tempered young man, openly contemptuous of the Lakotas' ability as warriors and who was looking to prove himself. A commander at Laramie later recalled, "There is no doubt that Lt. Grattan left this post with a desire to have a fight with the Indians, and that he had determined to take the man at all hazards." Grattan took with him a sergeant, a corporal, 27 privates and a French-American interpreter.

In front of the Brulé chief Conquering Bear, Grattan insisted on taking the guilty party into custody. Conquering Bear understood the nature of the situation and tried to negotiate, but Grattan continued to escalate tensions. The problem was undoubtedly made worse by the interpreter, who had been drinking heavily and was heard to taunt the Sioux. When Conquering Bear stood up, he was shot in the back and killed by a soldier. This started a volley of fire from both sides; Grattan and the 30 men with him were killed. Conquering Bear was the only Lakota who was killed. This event was called the "Grattan Massacre" by the U.S. press as part of a campaign to stir up anti-Indian sentiment.

News of the fight reached the War Department and plans were put into motion for retaliation. William S. Harney was recalled from Paris and sent to Fort Kearny, where he was put in command of elements of his own 2nd Mounted Dragoons. They set out on August 24, 1855 to find and exact retribution on the Sioux.

[edit] Outcome

This then led to the Battle of Ash Hollow (also known as the Battle of Bluewater Creek) on September 3, 1855, in which U.S. soldiers killed a number of Brulé Sioux in present-day Garden County, Nebraska.