Hayfield Fight facts for kids

The Hayfield Fight happened on August 1, 1867. It was a battle during Red Cloud's War. This fight took place near Fort C. F. Smith in Montana.

In this battle, 21 U.S. Army soldiers and 9 civilians faced several hundred Native American warriors. Most of the warriors were Cheyenne and Arapaho, with some Lakota Sioux. The soldiers were heavily outnumbered. However, they had new, fast-firing rifles. This helped them hold off the warriors and cause many casualties.

This fight was similar to the Wagon Box Fight, which happened the very next day. Both battles showed how important strong defenses and new weapons were. Even though the soldiers were outnumbered, they managed to win.

Why the Fight Happened

Protecting the Bozeman Trail

Fort C.F. Smith was built in 1866. It was one of three forts set up by the United States government. These forts were meant to protect people traveling on the Bozeman Trail. This trail went from Fort Laramie in Wyoming to the gold fields in Montana.

Fort C.F. Smith was the farthest north and most isolated fort. It was about 200 miles from Fort Laramie.

Native American Resistance

The Bozeman Trail passed through land used by the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Northern Arapaho tribes. These tribes were very unhappy about the travelers and U.S. soldiers on their land.

In Red Cloud's War, the Lakota and their allies often attacked soldiers and civilians. They also attacked groups connected to the forts. In the Fetterman Fight in December 1866, the Lakota won a big victory. They ambushed and killed 80 soldiers. This was the largest defeat for U.S. forces by Native Americans until the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Crow Allies

The Crow tribe often sided with the U.S. forces. The Lakota had pushed the Crow out of some of their lands. Fort C.F. Smith was built in Crow treaty territory. Some Crow people lived near the fort for trade and protection.

The winter of 1866–1867 was very hard for the soldiers at the fort. They had to eat animal feed to survive. They could not get new supplies until late spring.

New Weapons Arrive

Native American attacks near Fort Smith started again in summer 1867. In June, Lakota warriors captured 40 mules and horses from the fort. They also bothered the Crow living nearby.

On July 23, new soldiers arrived at the fort. They were led by Lt. Col. Luther P. Bradley. He brought new Springfield Model 1866 rifles. These rifles were much better than the old ones. The new rifles could fire 8 to 10 shots per minute. The old ones could only fire 3 shots per minute. Also, the new rifles could be reloaded easily while lying down.

With these new soldiers, the fort had about 350 soldiers. Many civilians also worked there. Most civilians had 7-shot Spencer repeating rifles.

The Hayfield Corral

A big job at Fort Smith was cutting and drying grass for hay. This hay fed the animals during the long, cold winters. About 2.5 miles from the fort, the soldiers had built a strong corral. This corral was for protecting the civilian hay cutters.

The corral was 100 feet long and 60 feet wide. Large logs were laid on the ground. A wooden frame was built above them. Trenches were dug at each corner for defense. Tents and a place for animals were inside the corral. There were also three rifle pits outside the corral.

Soldiers and civilians took refuge behind the log walls of an improvised fort in the Hayfield, 2.5 miles from Fort C.F. Smith.

Warriors Gather

In late July 1867, many Oglala Lakota warriors gathered. They were led by Red Cloud. Other Powder River Sioux and Northern Cheyenne joined them. They met near the Little Bighorn River. They decided to attack the soldiers at Fort C.F. Smith and Fort Phil Kearny.

About 1500 warriors gathered in this area. They couldn't agree which fort to attack first. So, they split into two large groups. Several hundred went to attack Fort C.F. Smith. A similar number, including Red Cloud, went towards Fort Phil Kearny.

The Battle Begins

On the morning of August 1, 1867, lookouts on a hilltop saw many Native Americans coming. They quickly warned the soldiers and civilians in the hayfield. Everyone rushed to the log corral for safety.

Lt. Sigismund Sternberg, with 20 soldiers and 9 civilians, quickly got inside the corral. The Native Americans came so fast that they took over the rifle pits outside the corral. The soldiers and civilians took cover behind the logs.

Surprise Attack

After the soldiers fired their first shots, the Native Americans charged the corral. They expected the soldiers to take a long time to reload their old rifles. But they were surprised! The soldiers quickly fired a second round of shots. This was because of their new, faster breech-loading rifles.

The Native Americans stopped their charge. This gave the defenders time to make their defenses better. They dug trenches and filled wagon boxes with dirt to stop bullets.

Lt. Sternberg was killed by a bullet. Sergeant James Horton took command but was soon badly wounded. A civilian named D. A. (Al) Colvin then took charge of the defense.

Fighting Continues

The Native Americans charged the corral again from nearby hills. They were pushed back again. But they killed another soldier and wounded two more.

The Native Americans tried to set fire to the grass and the wooden walls of the fort. They used flaming arrows. But the wind changed direction, and the fire died out. Shooting continued between both sides all morning. No help came from Fort Smith, even though the sounds of the battle should have been heard there.

The Native Americans pulled back around noon. The soldiers refilled their water barrel from the river. The Native Americans started attacking again that afternoon. But the soldiers were now very well protected. The Native Americans had little ammunition. Their arrows did not do much against the soldiers behind the log barriers.

The Native Americans shot at the pack animals. They killed two and badly wounded 17 of the 22 mules in the corral.

Help Arrives

Around 1 p.m., a Lt. Palmer saw the fight from a hilltop. He was guarding a train of wagons. He took the news to Colonel Murray inside Fort Smith. He reported that 500 to 800 Native Americans were attacking the hayfield corral.

Later, Private Charles Bradley escaped from the corral on horseback. He galloped to the fort to tell of the attack. Colonel Murray ordered a group of soldiers to go help. But he did not send the 20 mounted soldiers to investigate until 4 p.m. They quickly came under attack.

Murray sent more soldiers, a full company, with a howitzer (a type of cannon). The soldiers reached the corral around sunset. By then, most of the Native Americans had already stopped their attack and left. At 8:30 p.m., all the soldiers returned to Fort Smith.

What Happened Next

Lt. Col. Luther Bradley did not make a big deal about the fight in his official report. Because of this, the Hayfield Fight has not received much attention from historians.

However, it was very similar in size and outcome to the Wagon Box Fight. That battle happened the very next day near Fort Phil Kearny. Some soldiers criticized Bradley for being slow to send help to the men trapped in the Hayfield.

The fights at Hayfield and the Wagon Box may have made the Native Americans less likely to launch any more large attacks along the Bozeman Trail. But they continued to do smaller raids. The U.S. military in the Powder River Country remained on the defensive.

Visiting the Site

The place where the Hayfield Fight happened is on private land. It is northeast of Fort Smith, but you can visit it.

To get there, take Montana Highway 313. This road meets Route 12 in Fort Smith. Follow Montana Highway 313 east for 3.12 miles.

It will meet Co. Rd. 40A, also called Warman Loop. This road goes north to the Bighorn River Three Mile fishing access. Go north on Co. Rd. 40A for 1.8 miles. This will take you north of the Bighorn Canal.

You will see where Co. Rd. 40A and NE Warman Loop meet. NE Warman Loop branches to the left and runs along the north bank of the Big Horn Canal. Between these two roads, to the left, is a triangle-shaped piece of land. About 124 feet into this land, you will find the historical marker for the Hayfield Fight. It is outside the entrance to Cottonwood Camp.