10/21/2026
As the fall dragged on in 1876, the Great Sioux War did as well.
In late July, Brigadier General Alfred Terry’s existent command was in dire need of reinforcements. The army immediately directed resources to the Yellowstone country. Elements of the 22nd Infantry under Lt. Col Elwell S. Otis headed west from the Great Lakes and a contingent of the 5th US Infantry commanded by its Colonel, Nelson A. Miles, were ordered from their station at Fort Leavenworth, KS up to Montana Territory.
Colonel Miles and his contingent of the 5th Infantry, however, were directed by Terry to detach from the main body in mid-August, which he was all too happy to do. Miles, among other officers, criticized the operations of Terry as mismanaged and inefficient and took great pleasure at being sent back to the Yellowstone Depot to coordinate a blocking operation. He and his companies of the 5th Infantry spent the rest of August and early September patrolling the Yellowstone River country for signs of the Lakota and Cheyenne heading north while constructing new military posts on the Bighorn and Tongue Rivers.
Lakota activity increased by late September along the Yellowstone, and intelligence reports from scouts suggested that groups of Hunkpapa, Minneconjou, and Sans Arcs Sioux, along with Sitting Bull, were on the move to cross onto the north side of the river. Such rumors were further confirmed and the situation exasperated when on October 10th a wagon train of supplies heading towards the new Tongue River Cantonment, where Miles was headquartered, was attacked by Lakota on the north side of the river. The supply train was forced back to the cantonment on Glendive Creek.
Otis reinforced the train and with a command of about 185 men and set out on October 14th to retake the trail. Otis’ command reached the vicinity of Spring Creek on October 15th and was once again struck by Lakota warriors as it began to ford the creek. Otis’ command continued its movement near Cedar Creek the following morning. Lakota envoys were later admitted under a cease fire to meet with Otis and they asserted that he leave and give over food and am******on. Otis declined to turn his train around but did send the envoys on their way with an invitation to the Tongue River Cantonment to treat with Colonel Miles. The Lakota and Otis’ command went their separate ways with Otis providing “one hundred and fifty pounds of hard bread and two sides of bacon” to the Lakota and they in turn expressing their intention to first go north and trade at Fort Peck before coming to the Tongue River.
On Oct. 17th, as Otis and the Lakota parted ways, Colonel Miles became concerned at the delay of his supplies, and with ten companies of his regiment and one ordnance r***e for artillery, he moved up the Yellowstone, eventually reconnecting with Otis, who recounted the experiences of the wagon train. Miles sent Otis along with the supplies towards the cantonment while he directed his column northward to try and intercept Sitting Bull.
On Oct. 19th, Miles’ command moved to pursue Sitting Bull’s band. On the 20th, the command caught up with the Lakota, awaking to find a large number observing them from distant ridges. It was conveyed to Miles that Sitting Bull desired to meet and discuss the potential of surrender, and after relaying messages between both parties, such a meeting took place between the lines. After shaking hands, Miles, Sitting Bull, and their accompanying entourage all sat down upon a bison hide and shared in smoking a pipe.
Miles recollected in his memoirs his meeting of Sitting Bull, describing him as “a strong, hardy, sturdy looking man of about five feet eleven inches in heigh, well-built, with strongly-marked features…indicating determination and force…He was a man of few words and cautious in his expressions, evidently thinking twice before speaking. He was very deliberate in his movements and somewhat reserved in his manner.”
The historical record is vague on the details of the negotiations, but the main arguments of the parties stood that Sitting Bull demanded the removal of all soldiers from the Yellowstone country so they may pursue their traditional lifestyle and hunt while Miles demanded the immediate resignation of the Lakota to the authority of the United States and for them to come to the Tongue River Cantonment. Neither side made much progress in the persuasion of the others. As tensions rose and it became increasingly likely that either side considered attacking the other, it was decided to resign and resume negotiations the following day.
At 10 am on October 21st, the 5th Infantry once again marched from their night’s camp to meet the Lakota. Miles, who once again had his troops arrayed for battle, made the point to have his ordnance r***e placed upon a high rocky outcropping that allowed for a superior field of fire against the Lakota. Once again, both parties met for negotiations, and this time both appeared with more men. Miles had more officers along, and Sitting Bull with more principle Lakota figures. The tension from the previous day continued to grow as both Sitting Bull and Miles remained obstinate in their demands. Despite several other Lakota figures making clear that they were desirable of peace, Sitting Bull eventually became angered by Miles’ instance for surrender or force. Sitting Bull promptly stood and walked away with his Lieutenants following.
With the negotiations failed, Miles ordered his command forward with intentions to flush out the Lakota from the ridges before them. Initially, the advance began with no fire being exchanged as the Lakota started to amass on the central high ground while some fled northeast, but as a few Lakota men began to ignite grass in the path of the soldiers, Miles’ scouts opened fire and the battle of Cedar Creek was under way.
As Lakota fire intensified from concealed ravines, Miles deployed skirmishers and reserves to counter their attacks. Company H, under Lt. David Q. Rousseau, charged a high ridge on the left, forcing Lakota sharpshooters to abandon their position. Meanwhile, Miles’ artillery kept Lakota warriors at a distance as the infantry advanced through scattered gunfire and spreading grass fires. The soldiers soon occupied the largely abandoned Lakota encampment, repelled one final counterattack, and pursued Sitting Bull’s force for 18 miles before darkness forced them to stop. During the night, Sitting Bull and his followers withdrew east toward the Yellowstone. Miles reported two soldiers and several horses wounded, while Lakota casualties included at least five killed. Though the pursuit continued in the following days, the Battle of Cedar Creek had ended.
