Battle of Little Muddy Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Little Muddy Creek |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Great Sioux War | |||||||
 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |
|||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Nelson A. Miles | Lame Deer † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ± 480 | ± 200 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
|
||||||
The Battle of Little Muddy Creek, also known as the Lame Deer Fight, was a battle fought on May 7–8, 1877. It involved soldiers from the United States Army and Native American warriors. The Native Americans were from the Miniconjou Lakota and Northern Cheyenne tribes. The fight happened near Little Muddy Creek in what was then Montana Territory. This area is now close to Lame Deer, Rosebud County. The battle was part of the larger Great Sioux War.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
On May 1, 1877, a military leader named Colonel Nelson A. Miles led a group of soldiers. They were from the 5th, 22nd, and 2nd Regiments. They left Fort Keogh, a military base, to find a group of Miniconjou Lakota people led by Chief Lame Deer.
Native American scouts working with the army found a trail. It led west from the Tongue River towards Rosebud Creek. Colonel Miles and his 471 soldiers followed this trail.
The Battle Begins
The soldiers found a village with 61 lodges (homes) near Little Muddy Creek. Colonel Miles decided to leave his foot soldiers behind. He moved forward with his cavalry (soldiers on horseback) and mounted infantry (foot soldiers who rode horses).
This mounted force reached Lame Deer's village before dawn, around 4:30 in the morning. Company H of the 2nd Cavalry and the mounted infantry charged into the sleeping village. An army scout, named Hump, called out to the Lakota and Cheyenne. He told them that Colonel Miles wanted to talk.
Chief Lame Deer came forward with his nephew, Iron Star, and two others. Miles told Lame Deer to put down his rifle. Lame Deer did, but the rifle was ready to fire. When another scout tried to take Iron Star's rifle, it fired, missing the scout. Lame Deer then grabbed his own rifle and fired at Miles. The shot missed Miles but sadly killed his assistant, Private Charles Shrenger.
After this, everything became very chaotic. Many soldiers and Lakota people were hit by gunfire. Chief Lame Deer was shot by many bullets from the 2nd Cavalry. After this, other cavalry companies attacked the village. They destroyed it and captured about 450 horses, killing half of them.
What Happened After
The United States Army lost four soldiers and had ten wounded in this fight. The Lakota people had between 5 and 14 killed. About 20 were wounded, and 40 were captured.
Several brave soldiers received the Medal of Honor for their actions during the battle. This is a very high award for military bravery.
- Henry Wilkens
- William H. Jones
- Harry Garland
- William Leonard
- Samuel D. Phillips
Also, a Purple Heart medal was given to David L. Brainard in 1933. This medal is for soldiers wounded or killed in battle. He was one of only 12 people to receive it for the American Indian Wars.
Who Fought in the Battle
Here are the groups that took part in the Battle of Little Muddy Creek:
United States Army
Colonel Nelson A. Miles led these forces:
- 2nd Cavalry Regiment: Companies F, G, H, L, led by Captain Edward Ball
- 5th Infantry Regiment: Companies B, H
- 22nd Infantry Regiment: Companies E, F, G, H
- Indian Scouts
Native Americans
Chief Lame Deer led these groups:
See also
In Spanish: Batalla de Little Muddy Creek para niños
