Powder River Expeditions
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The Powder River Expedition may refer to either of two 19th Century military expeditions by the U.S. Army against the Indians of the Wyoming Territory and the Montana Territory.
[edit] 1865
In 1865, Major General Grenville M. Dodge ordered the first Powder River Expedition as a punitive campaign against the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho for raiding along the Bozeman Trail. It was led by Brigadier General Patrick E. Connor, and is sometimes referred to as the Connor Expedition. One of the guides for Connor's forces was the legendary frontiersman Jim Bridger. The expedition encountered only minor skirmishing until it reached the camp of Arapaho Chief Black Bear along the Tongue River. The Battle of the Tongue River was the only major engagement of the expedition and was a victory for the army. The battle ended Arapaho attacks on the overland trails for a while, but overall, the campaign did little against the Sioux. The fighting in the Powder River Country eventually grew into Red Cloud's War.
[edit] 1876
In 1876, Brigadier General George Crook led an expedition along the Powder River in concert with the movements of Alfred Terry in Montana and George Custer. Collectively, these movements were known as the North Plains Campaign during the Black Hills War, in which the Powder River Expedition was a small part. The U.S. Army suffered a setback in the Battle of the Powder River, but Crook was able to move on and fight the Battle of the Rosebud, which stopped the army in southern Montana. Crook's unit and civilian contract surgeon Dr. Valentine McGillycuddy arrived at Little Bighorn Creek shortly after Custer's defeat. After the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Crook ordered Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie south into Wyoming. Crook led a failed expedition in pursuit of Crazy Horse that was known as the Horsemeat March, and which ended in Deadwood, SD. Mackenzie initiated the Dull Knife Fight, bringing about the end of Cheyenne resistance in the North Plains, which helped lead to the eventual surrender of Sitting Bull.
