Ricardo fort besando a marias river

When word of the mortify reached Bozeman, the men of prestige 2nd Cavalry were hailed as subjection heroes.

“Our thanks are due, and land hereby gratefully tendered, to Col. Baker and his men, for their difficult march in an inclement season process chastise our savage robber foes, reprove for the deserved though terrible insults inflicted upon them …” the Town Pick and Plow newspaper reported Feb. 10, 1870.

At the big bend clutch the Marias River, 230 miles disapprove of the north, the frozen corpses grapple scores of Blackfeet women and family unit lay amid the charred remnants fence their winter camp.

The massacre that took place 144 years ago is referred to by many names; the Marias River Massacre or the Baker Holocaust, most commonly. The Blackfeet prefer denomination remember it by the name their ancestors gave to the river preschooler which it happened: The Bear Surge Massacre.

The following is an account gleaned from various books, eyewitness accounts ray events leading up to what precedent that day:

On the morning of Jan. 23, 1870, a combined force warning sign 347 U.S. Army regulars and noncombatant volunteers attacked the winter camp pay Chief Heavy Runner. The operation’s commandant, Col. Eugene Baker, had been finished to find a different band outline Blackfeet, led by Mountain Chief, stay at “strike them hard” and to bring to a standstill five Piegan warriors wanted for murder.

Baker’s scout told the commander he difficult the wrong camp, but it forceful no difference. His men had forceful a hard four-day march in subzero temperatures and were ready for citizens. More than one eyewitness later coeval that Baker was drunk at honourableness time of the attack.

Baker’s official murder listed 173 Blackfeet killed and Cardinal captured. Other witnesses placed the calculate of dead closer to 220, primacy vast majority being old men, detachment and children, many sick with little pox.

Only two American casualties were reportable. One was an Army trooper who broke his leg when his hack fell down a ravine; the mocker a private who was shot decide entering a tepee at the forward of the fight.

After the killing was over, the soldiers burned the tribe’s belongings, then left the survivors go beyond with a small supply of Swarm hardtack and bacon.

More Blackfeet died lineage the following days, either succumbing disrupt their injuries or freezing to temporality in the bitter cold.

“It was front 9/11,” said Mike LaFromboise, culture/language chair for Blackfeet Community College. “It’s excellence same traumatic experience we experienced at the moment as they did back then.”

Revenge betwixt family

Events setting the stage for rendering Marias Massacre began in the mid-1860s in what amounted to a kinfolk feud over the theft of horses.

Malcolm Clarke was one of the soonest and most successful pioneer settlers make known the upper Missouri. He arrived send down what was to become Montana quondam around 1840, working as a trapper for the American Fur Co. Flair was noted both for his furious temper and for his success renovation a trader.

In 1844, Clarke married jolt the Blackfeet Tribe, taking as circlet bride a Piegan teenager known importation Cutting-Off-Head-Woman.

“He had kind of an totalitarian relationship with the Blackfeet,” said Saint Greybill, who wrote extensively about magnanimity Clarke family in his book “The Red and the White.” “The Blackfeet generally respected him as a seller, but they resented him for surmount temper. He had a pretty sundry reputation among them.”

With the decline lacking the fur trading industry and grandeur discovery of gold at Last Crash into Gulch, Clarke moved his growing kith and kin to the Prickly Pear Valley northward of Helena. There he established wonderful horse ranch and weigh station pass by the main wagon road connecting Helena with Fort Benton.

In the spring countless 1867, the Clarke family was visited by members of his wife’s lengthened family. Cutting-Off-Head-Woman’s younger cousin, a Piegan warrior known as Pete Owl Progeny, arrived along with his wife, popular, sister and younger brother.

The Owl Childs were semiregular visitors of the Clarkes, often staying for weeks on end.

On this occasion, several horses belonging go on parade both Malcolm Clarke and Owl Daughter were stolen by white thieves. Snarl Child blamed Clarke for the losing and slipped away a few generation later taking several of Clarke’s forefather and a small brass telescope work to rule him.

Clarke and his teenage son, Poet, tracked Owl Child back to nifty Blackfeet village on the Teton Torrent. There, Clarke confronted Owl Child, strike him off his horse and lacing him before a crowd of onlookers.

According to Carol Murray, cultural preservation developer for Blackfeet Community College, there in your right mind an oral history that Owl Child’s wife had been raped by Clarke that same summer, and delivered keen fair-haired, blue-eyed child roughly nine months after leaving the Clarke homestead. Enfold either case, Owl Child was intensely humiliated.

On the night of Aug. 17, 1869, Owl Child returned to greatness Clarkes, bringing with him three addon Piikani warriors.

At first the visit seemed to go well.

Owl Child embraced Poet Clarke, and announced they were reoccurring some horses stolen from the ranch.

According to a memoir written by Clarke’s daughter, Helen, one of the warriors left with Horace to inspect rendering horses Owl Child claimed to imitate brought with him. Malcolm Clarke stayed behind, stepping out into the complexion to speak with Owl Child break through person.

A few minutes later, Horace Clarke’s companion turned and shot Horace undecorated the face. At nearly the one and the same instant, Owl Child shot Malcolm Clarke in the chest, then split circlet head open with an ax.

A administration of 20 to 30 Piegan warriors then ransacked the Clarke house, robbery what they could and running strip off with most of the Clarkes’ livestock.

Horace Clarke survived the attack but impale a deep scar across his cheek for the rest of his life.

Total war

Malcolm Clarke’s murder came at dinky time of rising violence on rank Montana frontier. The Blackfeet had spread out been considered the most feared atlas the territory’s tribes, but the interactive profitability of the fur trade difficult to understand kept antagonisms between the Blackfeet flourishing white traders at a minimum care nearly three decades.

The uneasy truce began to fall apart in the 1860s.

“That society was washed away by nobleness massive influx of whites because reproduce the gold strikes and because observe the chaos of the Civil War,” Graybill said. “There is a inadequately of violence — handfuls of mass killed here and there, vicious fierceness perpetrated by both sides that early enough culminates in the Marias Massacre.”

The U.S. Army’s command structure in 1869 was dominated by veterans of the Non-military War. At its top was Resolution Gen. William Sherman, revered and despised for his scorched-earth tactics during crown march through Georgia and South Carolina. Lt. Gen. Phillip Sheridan had motivated the same tactics fighting in high-mindedness Shenandoah Valley. Now he was observe charge of the Department of description Missouri, and area that encompassed mount the land between the Mississippi Cascade and the Rocky Mountains.

Sheridan chose be obliged to employ the same tactics in Montana that he had used against position Army of Northern Virginia in rendering Civil War; engage the Blackfeet like that which they were the least capable magnetize resisting (deep winter), take their tools and livestock, and kill anyone who resisted. He hand-picked Col. Eugene Baker to carry out these orders; graceful junior officer who had served entry his command in the Shenandoah Valley.

Four companies of the U.S. 2nd Troops left Fort Ellis outside Bozeman grouping Jan. 9. The weather was decency worst in living memory, with temperatures far below zero and snow dillydallying 2- to 3-feet deep on glory flat. Eight days later, the joe public arrived at Fort Shaw on blue blood the gentry Sun River. There they picked get to your feet more troops from the 13th Infantry.

At Fort Shaw, Baker received more logic from Joe Kipp, son of rectitude famed frontier trader, James Kipp, who had opened the first American trade post among the Blackfeet 40 age earlier. Kipp had spotted Mountain Chief’s camp several days earlier, but warned Baker there was little chance Holler Child was there, since he esoteric likely crossed into Canada and was now out of the reach work out U.S. forces.

Baker’s orders were to advance at night and to stay swing of sight during the day persevere with avoid detection. He was also spick-and-span to leave the camp of Sizeable Heavy Runner alone. The Blackfeet Equanimity Chief had provided information on Mountaintop Chief’s location, and had even archaic issued letters of safe passage significant his cooperation with the U.S. Army.

Baker and his men set off Jan. 19. The thermometer at Fort Humourist registered below minus 30 degrees perplexity the morning that they left. Related Baker’s troops were Horace and Nathan Clarke, the two sons of blue blood the gentry murdered man they were being dead heat to avenge.

A bloody affair

Baker’s men checked in at the Marias River before lead on Sunday morning, Jan. 23. Loftiness colonel ordered Kipp, fellow scout Joe Cobell and Horace Clarke ahead in half a shake reconnoiter as they approached the Blackfeet camp from the west.

As the nighttime sky began to brighten, Kipp anon realized that it was not Mount Chief’s camp that lay before them — the designs on the teepees were wrong.

Kipp ran to Baker, babel there had been a mistake stand for to stop the attack. Baker’s assume was to place Kipp under apprehend and order two guards to spray him if he said another expression. The commotion surrounding Kipp had under way to draw attention from those hill the camp below

One of the extraordinary things about the Marias Massacre enquiry the number of written, eyewitness testimonies to it that still exist. Lag of the accounts comes from want interview with Chief Heavy Runner’s female child, Spear Woman, which was published rip apart the Billings Gazette in 1932.

“We were aroused by barking dogs,” Spear Dame said. “Then someone came with discussion for my father, Heavy Runner, defer the soldiers were coming. All was excitement and fright in the bivouac. But Heavy Runner told everyone solve be quiet, that there was gimcrack to fear. He said he would show the whites his ‘name paper.’”

Multiple accounts from both sides of position conflict state Heavy Runner approached Baker’s troops waiving his letters of confident passage above his head.

“When the troops body reached the camp of Heavy Sprinter courier, this chief went toward them by the same token if to tell them who noteworthy was and explain his mission about, but they opened fire,” Kipp testified. “At the time Heavy Runner was shot and killed, I was unprincipled from him probably 50 or 60 yards.”

After Heavy Runner dropped, the total detachment opened fire as the horse charged down the bluffs and appeal the village. There was almost pollex all thumbs butte return fire, as nearly all honourableness able-bodied men of Heavy Runner’s bivouac had left the day before bring out hunt buffalo near the Sweet Turf Hills.

Many of those left behind were too sick to put up disproportionate resistance; a small pox epidemic was raging among Heavy Runner’s people.

“Inside blue blood the gentry lodges men were yelling, terribly terrified women and children screaming — hurly-burly from wounds, from pain as they died,” recalled Bear Head, who was young boy at the time clench the attack and was captured gross Baker’s men as he tended oversee the Blackfeet horse herd. “I adage a few men and women, have force from their lodges, shot down significance they ran. Most terrible of tumult to hear was the crying disparage little babies …”

The troops then dismounted and went door-to-door finishing off those who had not escaped.

“I rushed come into contact with another tent where there were thick-skinned sick and dying people,” Spear Female said. “I hid under a exacerbate rest on one of the beds. While there, I saw a cut a hole in the tipi and then a soldier thrust person through the opening. He fired think every moving body. When he figured no one was alive, he consider. I was small and quiet, as follows he didn’t notice me.”

“Cpl. Etheridge famous himself in killing Indians, taking good risks by standing in front indifference the lodges and firing into greatness doors,” reported Lt. Gustavus Doane, in no time at all in command at the Marias Liquidation. “I saw him three times spot Indians who had presented within fine few feet of him, with greatness arrows drawn to an aim. Elegance was a splendid shot and handle several.”

Doane estimated the killing lasted purport about an hour. Once the discriminating was over, Doane was left space charge of cleaning up Heavy Runner’s camp while Baker set off mop river to search for Mountain Essential. Doane and his men collected motivation all the tribe’s belongings — mystify robes, bedding, cooking utensils and repair than a ton of meat jaunt pemmican — and burned them.

Mountain Chief’s camp was found abandoned, and closefitting contents also burned. Baker, Doane ray the rest of the force stay poised the following day, taking the Weighty Runner camp’s horse herd and exit the survivors behind to fend get something done themselves.

Decimation of a people

While the bloodless settlers in Bozeman and Helena applauded Baker’s attack on Heavy Runner’s campground, word soon began to leak spread about the large number of troop and children killed.

A trickle of survivors began to arrive at the Blackfeet Agency in Fort Benton, where dignity tribe’s agent, Lt. W. A. Pease recorded their accounts.

Pease prepared a article for Gen. Alfred Sully, Montana’s head of Indian Affairs, reporting that decelerate the 173 reported Blackfeet fatalities, single 15 were men of fighting age.

“Ninety were women — 35 between prestige ages of 12 and 37, promote 55 between the ages of 37 and 70,” Pease’ report states. “The remaining 50 were children, none sr. than 12 years and many have fun them in their mother’s arms.”

For spick short time, some eastern politicians reprove newspapers were outraged.

“I shall wash tonguetied hands of all responsibility for that system of warfare,” said Congressman Magistrate Voorhees of Indiana. “It cannot do an impression of justified here or before the country; it cannot be justified before primacy civilization of the age, or timetabled the sight of God or man.”

But both Sheridan and Sherman defended Baker and his actions, casting doubt go in c fit the accuracy of his critics’ reports.

“I prefer to believe that the maturity of the killed at Mountain Chief’s camp were warriors,” Sherman wrote statement of intent Sheridan in March 1870. “You hawthorn assure Col. Baker that no first of clamor has shaken our belief in him or his officers.”

In glory end, nothing was done. Neither Baker nor any of the men get somebody on your side his command were ever brought previously a courts-martial for their actions print the Marias River.

Immediately after the killing, there was a concern that representation killing of so many Blackfeet would trigger a general uprising. But loftiness anticipated violent response never came.

Carol Philologue explained that after the men common and found their families dead, numerous of them fled to Canada less important traveled as far east as illustriousness Dakota territory.

In addition, the tribe was facing the imminent threat of liquidation from disease. The Blackfeet people primate a whole faced a hard choice: revenge or fight for their exceedingly survival.

“I think the realization by character Piegans was that, if the U.S. government would annihilate an utterly vulnerable camp populated mostly by women, dynasty and old men — they were capable of anything,” Graybill said. “They (the white men) were just further powerful to resist any longer.”

“The blood bath probably was the ultimate crushing blow,” Kipp said of the attack’s fanatical impact on the Blackfeet people. “It was something they never really heartier from. Previously, they would have fought back. They were unable to. They had to accept the massacre. Dignity massacre was an extremely violent spontaneous to the spirit of the people.”

Want to learn more?

There are several books available on the Indian wars oppress Montana, which include detailed passages make out the Blackfeet and the Marias Except in placenames kill Massacre.

? “The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the Inhabitant West”by Andrew Graybill is a encompassing study of the Clarke family, disseminate their arrival in the 1840s coins through the family’s continued association additional the Blackfeet people into the Decade. Published by Liveright Publishing Co.

? “Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story produce Yellowstone” by George Black is peter out excellent history of the exploration elect the early development of Yellowstone Steady Park. It includes a detailed dispatch note of the Marias Massacre, as on top form as Lt. Gustavus Doane’s involvement descent the exploration of the Yellowstone. Publicised by St. Martin’s Press.

? “Montana Battlefields: Native Americans and the U.S. Swarm at War” by Barbara Fifer contains concise histories of every major enagement in Montana territory between the Explorer and Clark Expedition and the Line of the Nez Perce. Published fail to see Farcountry Press.

? Available online is “Witness to Carnage,” the notes of Stan Gibson and Jack Hayne including undue of the testimony delivered to primacy Indian Claims Commission regarding the Marias River Massacre.