:''This event should not be confused with the

Powder River Expedition (1865) :''This event should not be confused with the Big Horn Expedition during the Black Hills War.'' The Powder River Expedition of 1865 also known as the Powder River War or Powder River Invasion, was a large and far-flung military operation of the ...

.'' The Big Horn Expedition, or Bighorn Expedition, was a military operation of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

against the

Lakota Sioux The Lakota (; or ) are a Native American people. Also known as the Teton Sioux (from ), they are one of the three prominent subcultures of the Sioux people, with the Eastern Dakota (Santee) and Western Dakota (). Their current lands are in N ...

and

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

Wyoming Territory The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital. The ...

and

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...

. Although soldiers destroyed one Northern Cheyenne and Oglala Lakota village at the

Battle of Powder River The Battle of Powder River, also known as the Reynolds Battle, occurred on March 17, 1876, in Montana Territory, United States, as part of the Big Horn Expedition. The attack on a Northern Cheyenne and Oglala Lakota Indian encampment by Colon ...

, the expedition solidified Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne resistance against the United States attempt to force them to sell the

Black Hills The Black Hills is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk Peak, which rises to , is the range's highest summit. The name of the range ...

and live on a reservation, beginning the

Great Sioux War of 1876 The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations that occurred in 1876 and 1877 in an alliance of Lakota people, Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States. The cause of t ...

Background

The

Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) The Treaty of Fort Laramie (also the Sioux Treaty of 1868) is an agreement between the United States and the Oglala Lakota, Oglala, Miniconjou, and Brulé bands of Lakota people, Yanktonai Dakota, and Arapaho Nation, following the failure of ...

granted the

and their northern Cheyenne allies a reservation, including the

, in

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

and a large area of "unceded territory" in what became

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

and

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

. Both areas were for the exclusive use of the Indians, and whites except for government officials, were forbidden to trespass. In August, 1874, soldiers of the Black Hills Expedition under Lieutenant Colonel

George A. Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

confirmed the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. This caused the United States to attempt to buy the Hills from the Sioux. The U.S. ordered all bands of Lakota and Cheyenne to come to the Indian agencies on the reservation by January 31, 1876 to negotiate the sale. Some of the bands did not comply, and when the deadline of January 31 passed, the

Commissioner of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

John Q. Smith John Quincy Smith (November 5, 1824 – December 30, 1901) was an American farmer, politician and legislator from Ohio. He served in the United States House of Representatives for one term from 1873 to 1875, as well as commissioner of Indian ...

wrote that "without the receipt of any news of

Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota people, Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against Federal government of the United States, United States government policies. Sitting Bull was killed by Indian ...

's submission, I see no reason why...military operations against him should not commence at once." On February 8, 1876, General

Phillip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with General-i ...

telegraphed Generals George R. Crook and Alfred H. Terry, ordering them to undertake winter campaigns against the "hostiles."

March 1-3

In bitterly cold weather, Brigadier General

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. He is best known for commanding U.S. forces in the Geronimo Campaign, 1886 campaign that ...

, commander of the

Department of the Platte The Department of the Platte was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army on March 5, 1866, with boundaries encompassing Iowa, Nebraska, Dakota Territory, Utah Territory and a small portion of Idaho. With headquarters in Oma ...

, marched north from

Fort Fetterman Fort Fetterman was constructed in 1867 by the United States Army on the Great Plains frontier in Dakota Territory, approximately 11 miles northwest of present-day Douglas, Wyoming. Located high on the bluffs south of the North Platte River, it s ...

near

Douglas, Wyoming Douglas is a city in and the county seat of Converse County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 6,386 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the home of the Wyoming State Fair. History Douglas was platted in 1886 when the ...

on March 1, 1876. General Crook's objective was to strike against the Indians while they were at their most vulnerable in their winter camps.

Crazy Horse Crazy Horse ( , ; – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota people, Lakota war leader of the Oglala band. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by White Americans, White American settlers on Nativ ...

, and their followers were thought to be on the

Powder A powder is a dry solid composed of many very fine particles that may flow freely when shaken or tilted. Powders are a special sub-class of granular materials, although the terms ''powder'' and ''granular'' are sometimes used to distinguish se ...

Tongue The tongue is a Muscle, muscular organ (anatomy), organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for chewing and swallowing as part of the digestive system, digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper s ...

, or Rosebud rivers. Crook's force consisted of 883 men, including ten companies of United States

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

, and two companies of

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

, along with civilian packers, scouts, guides, and a newspaper reporter, Robert E. Strahorn of

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. the Monday–Friday ...

. Crook's highly valued chief scout was

Frank Grouard Frank Benjamin Grouard (also known as Frank Gruard, Benjamin Franklin Grouard, and Standing Bear) (September 20, 1850 – August 15, 1905) was a Scout and interpreter for General George Crook during the American Indian War of 1876. For the ...

, who had lived among the Lakota and spoke their language.

Cattle herd skirmish

In the early morning hours of March 3, 1876, north of Fort Fetterman, Indian warriors attacked the Big Horn Expedition's

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

herd, numbering over 200 animals. The two herders fired at the warriors, and the Indians fired back. One of the government civilian employees, cattle herder James Wright, was severely wounded by a bullet. The warriors then drove off and captured most of the cattle. Wright died of wounds received in the fight on March 28, 1876.

March 4-5

blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

on March 5 deposited over a foot of snow and significantly delayed Crook's progress. Temperatures fell so low that the

thermometers A thermometer is a device that temperature measurement, measures temperature (the hotness or coldness of an object) or temperature gradient (the rates of change of temperature in space). A thermometer has two important elements: (1) a temperatur ...

could not record the cold. The soldiers had to heat their forks in the coals of fires to prevent the tines from freezing to their tongues. Crook's column slowly followed the

Bozeman Trail The Bozeman Trail was an overland route in the Western United States, connecting the gold rush territory of southern Montana to the Oregon Trail in eastern Wyoming. Its important period was from 1863 to 1868. While the major part of the route us ...

north to Old Fort Reno, reaching it on March 5. The fort had been abandoned by the army eight years earlier. The expedition established its supply base near the abandoned post, and Crook ordered that the wagons be left at the depot. The infantry accompanying the column, Companies C and I of the 4th U.S. Infantry under the command of Captain Edwin M. Coates, would serve as the station's guard. That evening, the expedition camped on the east bank of the Powder River opposite the site of the fort.

Fort Reno skirmish

By 8:00 p.m. on March 5, 1876, the soldiers' pickets were on duty and the camp was asleep when Sioux or Cheyenne warriors hiding near the east end of the camp suddenly fired on the infantry picket lines. The soldiers on guard answered their fire, but since the fighting started late at night, all either side could see were the flashes of gunfire. The sleeping camp quickly awoke, and many of the soldiers went toward the picket lines. In the firefight that ensued, Private James M. Slavey of Company I, 4th Infantry was wounded in the cheek by a bullet. The skirmish lasted for less than an hour. One aspect that made the engagement rare was that it was a night battle, which was not a common event during the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...

March 6–16

On March 6, the Bighorn expedition continued north, and on March 7 the five cavalry battalions set out toward the confluence of Prairie Dog Creek and the Tongue River. After reaching that point on March 12, the ten cavalry companies rode first down the Tongue, then to the headwaters of Otter Creek, reaching it on March 16. On the 16th, scout Frank Grouard spotted two

Oglala Lakota The Oglala (pronounced , meaning 'to scatter one's own' in Lakota language, Lakota) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota people, Dakota, make up the Sioux, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A ...

warriors observing the soldiers. Because of this, Grouard believed that the

camp of the war chief

might be nearby. This was reported to Crook, and at 5 p.m. on March 16, he divided his command and sent

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Joseph J. Reynolds (a

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

classmate of President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

and a combat veteran of both the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

and

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

) on a night march with about 384 men, supplying them with rations for one day. General Crook kept with him about 300 of the expedition's men and the pack train, with which he planned to rendezvous with Reynolds at the mouth of Lodge Pole Creek on the 17th. During the night Frank Grouard and the other scouts led Reynolds's advance and followed the two warriors' trail in the snow. That trail led to what the soldiers were looking for, a Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux village, which they described as containing more than 100 lodges on the west bank of Powder River. The scouts immediately reported this information back to Colonel Reynolds.

Battle of Powder River

The village, however, was somewhat further north than anticipated, with the result that initially only Captain James Egan's 2nd Cavalry Company K, of 47 men, including Second Lieutenant John G. Bourke, charged into the village from the south, while the other companies were delayed by the distance and rough terrain. The soldiers were under fire for approximately five hours when, at about 2:30 p.m., with the destruction of the village complete, Reynolds ordered his soldiers to withdraw. Over 700 Indian ponies had been captured. In his premature haste to withdraw, the command left behind the bodies of its three dead soldiers, with one in the village and two at a field hospital. Also remaining was Private Lorenzo E. Ayers, who was badly wounded and subsequently killed by the Indians. The men made their way across to the east side of the frozen Powder River, withdrawing south. Reynolds's command withdrew about south that afternoon and evening, crossing and recrossing the frozen Powder River when necessary, up the river to the confluence of the Powder and Lodge Pole Creek, arriving there after 9:00 p.m. in an exhausted condition. However, General Crook was not there as he had camped over to the northeast and had failed to inform Reynolds of his new location. Although the Indians suffered only two to three killed and one to three wounded during the battle, they lost most of their property and in the words of the Cheyenne warrior Wooden Leg were "rendered very poor." The people walked several days to reach the Oglala Sioux village of

farther north near the Little Powder River, where they were given shelter and food. On the way, several Cheyenne people froze to death. The army stated that the village consisted of about 104 lodges, including tipis and wikiups, while Cheyenne accounts said the village had about 40-65 tipis and about 50 other structures. Therefore, around a hundred total structures made up the Indian village that day. The number of warriors involved in the battle numbered between 100 and 250, while there were about 384 U.S. soldiers and civilians present.

March 18–26

Early in the morning of March 18, the Cheyenne recaptured over 500 of their ponies, but Colonel Reynolds ordered his men not to pursue. At approximately 1:30 p.m. that day, Crook's command rejoined Reynolds with the pack train, and the six companies were finally able to collect their rations and blankets. The reunited column returned to the supply base at Old Fort Reno, where the wounded soldiers were placed in wagons, and Captain Coates's companies of the 4th Infantry rejoined the Big Horn Expedition after two weeks of separation. On March 26, 1876, the entire command, except for the four soldiers killed on March 17, returned to

, ending the 26-day campaign.

Aftermath

The Big Horn Expedition's path covered over across five present-day counties in two states. The command suffered more than 79 casualties from various causes, including 4 killed, 8 wounded (1 mortally), 1 injured in an accident, and over 66 frostbitten. Colonel Reynolds was accused of dereliction of duty for failing to properly support the first charge at Powder River with his entire command; for burning the captured supplies, food, blankets, buffalo robes, and ammunition instead of keeping them for army use; and most of all, for losing hundreds of the captured horses. In January 1877, his

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents per the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan area, which encompa ...

found Reynolds guilty of all three charges. He was sentenced to suspension from rank and command for one year. Reynolds's friend and West Point classmate, President Ulysses S. Grant, remitted the sentence, but Reynolds never served again. He retired on disability leave on June 25, 1877, exactly one year after the culminating battle of the Great Sioux War at the Little Bighorn. Crook's and Reynolds' failed expedition and their inability to seriously damage the Lakota and Cheyenne may have encouraged Indian resistance to the demands of the United States.

Casualties

Native Americans Killed in action- * Eagle Chief,

Northern Cheyenne The Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation () is the federally recognized Northern Cheyenne tribe and a Plains tribe. The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation is reservation located in southeastern Montana, that is ...

, March 17. * Whirlwind,

, March 17. Wounded in action- * Braided Locks,

, March 17, "one cheek furrowed by a bullet". * unknown warrior,

, March 17 "forearm badly shattered". United States Army Killed in action- * Private George Schneider, Company K, 2nd Cavalry, March 17. * Private Peter Dowdy, Company E, 3rd Cavalry, March 17. * Private Michael I. McCannon, Company F, 3rd Cavalry, March 17. * Private Lorenzo E. Ayers, Company M, 3rd Cavalry, March 17. Mortally wounded- * Cattle Herder James Wright, mortally wounded March 3, died of wounds March 28. Wounded in action- * Private James M. Slavey, Company I, 4th Infantry, March 5. * First Lieutenant William C. Rawolle, Company E, 2nd Cavalry, March 17. * Sergeant Charles Kaminski, Company M, 3rd Cavalry, March 17. * Corporal John Lang, Company E, 2nd Cavalry, March 17. * Farrier Patrick Goings, Company K, 2nd Cavalry, March 17. * Private John Droege, Company K, 2nd Cavalry, March 17. * Private Edward Eagan, Company K, 2nd Cavalry, March 17. Injured- * Corporal John H. Moore, Company D, 3rd Cavalry, March 9, crushed by horse and severely injured Frostbitten- * Second Lieutenant John G. Bourke, Aide-de-camp to General George Crook, 3rd Cavalry * 65 additional soldiers

Orders of battle

Native Americans, Chief's

Two Moons Two Moons (c. 1847–1917), or ''Ishaynishus'' (Cheyenne: ''Éše'he Ôhnéšesêstse''), was one of the Cheyenne chiefs who took part in the Battle of the Little Bighorn and other battles against the United States Army. Life Two Moons was the s ...

He Dog He Dog (Lakota: Šúŋka Bloká) (ca. 1840–1936), a member of the Oglala Lakota, was closely associated with Crazy Horse during the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. Biography Born in the spring of 1840 on the headwaters of the Cheyenne River ...

, Little Coyote (Little Wolf), and Old Bear. Between 100 and 250 warriors. United States Army Big Horn Expedition, March 1–26, 1876, Brigadier General George R. Crook and Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds, commanding. United States Army, Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds, 3rd United States Cavalry Regiment, in command. Brigadier General

following as an observer. * 2nd United States Cavalry Regiment. ** Company A, First Lieutenant Daniel C. Pearson. ** Company B, Captain James T. Peale. ** Company E, 53 men, First Lieutenant William C. Rawolle. ** Company I, 56 men, Captain Henry E. Noyes. ** Company K, 47 men, Captain James Egan. * 3rd United States Cavalry Regiment. ** Staff, 3 men, First Lieutenant George A. Drew, Second Lieutenant Charles E. Morton, Second Lieutenant John G. Bourke ** Company A, First Lieutenant Joseph Lawson. ** Company D, First Lieutenant William W. Robinson, Jr. (Detached from Co. H) ** Company E, 69 men, First Lieutenant John B. Johnson. ** Company F, 68 men, Captain Alexander Moore. ** Company M, 68 men, Captain

Anson Mills Anson Mills (August 31, 1834 – November 5, 1924) was a United States Army officer, surveyor, inventor, and entrepreneur. Engaged in south Texas as a land surveyor and civil engineer, he both named and laid out the city of El Paso, Texas. Mills a ...

. * 4th United States Infantry Regiment. ** Company C, Captain Edwin M. Coates. ** Company I, Captain Samuel P. Ferris. * Scouts, Guides, Herders, Packers, Wagoners, Ambulance Employees, Unattached Soldiers, and Civilians, 191 men. * Commissioned Officers......................................30 * Enlisted Soldiers..............................................662 * Scouts, Guides, Herders...................................35 * 5 Pack Trains, Chief Packer and employees....62 * Wagon Train employees...................................89 * Ambulance employees........................................5 * Aggregate......................................................883 men

Officers of the expedition

* Brigadier General George R. Crook, Commander, Department of the Platte *

Joseph Jones Reynolds, Field and Staff, 3rd Cavalry *

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Thaddeus Harlan Stanton, Paymaster, Chief of Scouts *

Assistant Surgeon An assistant surgeon, also known as a surgical assistant, surgeon's assistant, assistant in surgery or first assistant, is a healthcare professional who provides direct manual and/or instrumental assistance to meet the in-procedure demands of a su ...

Curtis Emerson Munn, Medical Service, Department of the Platte * Acting Assistant Surgeon Charles R. Stephens, Medical Service, Department of the Platte * Acting Assistant Surgeon John Ridgely, Medical Service, Department of the Platte *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, Company M, 3rd Cavalry, Commander, 1st Battalion *

William Hawley, Company A, 3rd Cavalry, Commander, 2nd Battalion *

Henry Erastus Noyes, Company I, 2nd Cavalry, Commander, 3rd Battalion *

Thomas Bull Dewees, Company A, 2nd Cavalry, Commander, 4th Battalion *

Alexander Moore, Company F, 3rd Cavalry, Commander, 5th Battalion *

Edwin Mortimer Coates, Company C, 4th Infantry, Commander, 6th Battalion *

Samuel Peter Ferris, Company I, 4th Infantry *

James Thomson Peale, Company B, 2nd Cavalry *

James Ross "Teddy" Egan, Company K, 2nd Cavalry *

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

George Augustus Drew, Acting Assistant Quartermaster and Acting Chief of Subsistence, 3rd Cavalry *

William Charles Rawolle ( wounded), Company E, 2nd Cavalry *

Martin Edward O'Brien, Company A, 2nd Cavalry *

Christopher Tomkins Hall, Company I, 2nd Cavalry *

Joseph Lawson, Company A, 3rd Cavalry *

William Wallace Robinson, Jr., Company D, 3rd Cavalry *

John Burgess Johnson, Company E, 3rd Cavalry *

Augustus Chouteau Paul, Company M, 3rd Cavalry * Second Lieutenant

John Gregory Bourke John Gregory Bourke (; June 23, 1846 – June 8, 1896) was a captain in the United States Army and a prolific diarist and Reconstruction Era author; he wrote several books about the American Old West, including ethnologies of its indigenous peop ...

, Aide-de-camp to General George Crook, Company L, 3rd Cavalry * Second Lieutenant Charles E. Morton, Acting Regimental Adjutant, Company A, 3rd Cavalry * Second Lieutenant Charles Winder Mason, Company I, 4th Infantry * Second Lieutenant Daniel Crosby Pearson, Company A, 2nd Cavalry * Second Lieutenant Frank Upham Robinson * Second Lieutenant Frederick William Sibley, Company E, 2nd Cavalry * Second Lieutenant Joseph Lawson, Company A, 3rd Cavalry * Second Lieutenant Bainbridge Reynolds, Company F, 3rd Cavalry

In popular culture

In 1951,

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

produced a fictional movie loosely based upon the

of the Big Horn Expedition, starring

Van Heflin Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio, and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. ...

Yvonne De Carlo Margaret Yvonne Middleton (September 1, 1922January 8, 2007), known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film star and sex symbol in the 1940s a ...

Jack Oakie Jack Oakie (born Lewis Delaney Offield; November 12, 1903 – January 23, 1978) was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on stage, radio and television. He portrayed Napaloni in Chaplin's ''The Great Dictator'' (1940) ...

, and

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular film stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades, and was a prominent figure in the G ...

. The movie was released in the United States under the name ''Tomahawk'' and entitled ''Battle of Powder River'' in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and elsewhere.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Horn Expedition 1876 in the United States Montana Territory