Battle of Big Bend facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Big Bend |
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| Part of The Rogue River Wars | |||||||
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Andrew Jackson Smith (C Company) Lt. Nelson B. Sweitzer (E Company) Captain Christopher C. Augur (G Company) |
Chief John | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
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| Strength | |||||||
| C Company: 66 enlisted men One Army Surgeon One civilian guide E Company: 30 enlisted men G Company: 54 enlisted men |
150 Native Americans (est.) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 10 killed 17 wounded |
unknown killed or wounded 185 surrendered |
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The Battle of Big Bend was a very important fight during the Rogue River Wars. It happened on May 27 and 28, 1856. This battle took place near the Rogue River in Oregon. It was fought between the United States Army and a large group of Native American warriors. Captain Andrew Jackson Smith led the Army soldiers. Chief John, a leader from the Dakubetede band, led the Native American warriors.
Captain Smith's Army group included soldiers from different companies. There were 66 men from Company "C" of the 1st Cavalry Regiment. Also, 30 men from Company "E" and 54 men from Company "G" of the 4th Infantry Regiment joined them. Company "G" was supposed to go to Big Bend and then return to another area.
Contents
What Happened at Big Bend?
The First Day of Fighting
On the morning of May 27, some Native Americans came to Captain Smith's camp. They warned the soldiers that more Native Americans were coming. Soon after, a group of armed Native Americans gathered outside the camp. Captain Smith realized that many of them were followers of Chief John. He then ordered all his soldiers to get ready for a fight.
The battle started around 11:00 AM when the Native Americans fired the first shots. They kept attacking Smith's soldiers all day long. The soldiers were positioned on high ground, which helped them defend. By the end of the day, the US troops had lost four soldiers. Fifteen more soldiers were hurt.
The Second Day of Fighting
Around 4:00 AM the next morning, the shooting began again. Native Americans saw the US troops moving to make their defenses stronger. The fighting continued for the next 12 hours. At 4:00 PM, Captain Augur's soldiers from Company "G" arrived. They attacked the Native American positions and pushed them back. Captain Smith then told Sweitzer's soldiers from Company "E" to also attack.
On the night of May 28, Native Americans began to surrender to the US Army. By May 30, a total of 185 Native Americans had surrendered at Big Bend.
After the Battle
The Battle of Big Bend was a victory for the US Army. However, it came at a cost. Ten US soldiers died in the battle. Seventeen more were wounded. Seven of the soldiers who died were from Company "C". One was from Company "E", and two were from Company "G". The number of Native American casualties is not known. This is because the dead and wounded were taken away from the battlefield.
The Army's win at Big Bend brought an end to the fighting in the Rogue River Valley. All the Native Americans were moved from southwest Oregon. They were taken to the Siletz Indian Reservations in June and July of 1856.
