The Battle of Peno Creek, a significant but often overlooked engagement, unfolded in December 1866 within the untamed landscape of northeast Wyoming. This skirmish represented a critical flashpoint during Red Cloud’s War, a period of intense conflict as the Sioux Nation valiantly strove to halt the encroachment of travelers and settlers along the vital Bozeman Trail. However, what makes the Battle of Peno Creek particularly noteworthy is its connection to the lesser-known Mullan Road War, featuring a direct confrontation between determined Ojibwa warriors and U.S. soldiers, setting a grim precedent for future, more devastating encounters.
The Tumultuous Context of Red Cloud’s War
The mid-1860s marked a period of escalating tension on the American frontier, specifically in the Powder River Country of present-day Wyoming and Montana. The discovery of gold in Montana in 1862 spurred the creation of the Bozeman Trail, a shortcut that bypassed established routes but cut directly through the prime hunting grounds of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes. This uninvited intrusion ignited a fierce resistance led by the formidable Lakota chief, Red Cloud, who vowed to drive the white invaders from his people’s sacred lands. The U.S. Army responded by constructing a series of forts along the trail, including Fort Phil Kearny, Fort C.F. Smith, and Fort Reno, intended to protect emigrants and maintain control over the contested territory. These forts became isolated outposts, constantly besieged and a persistent source of friction, transforming the region into a dangerous battleground where skirmishes were a daily occurrence.
Fort Phil Kearny: An Outpost Under Siege
Fort Phil Kearny, dubbed the “hated fort on the Little Piney” by the Lakota, stood as a strategic but vulnerable stronghold. Located near present-day Story, Wyoming, it was a central point for protecting the Bozeman Trail. Life for the soldiers stationed there was arduous and perilous. Beyond the constant threat of attack, the practical necessities of maintaining the fort required daily expeditions into hostile territory. One of the most dangerous and frequent tasks involved sending out wood-cutting details, protected by military escorts, to gather timber for construction and fuel. These details, often traveling several miles from the fort, became prime targets for the highly mobile and expert warriors who continuously shadowed the soldiers’ movements, looking for opportunities to strike. The year 1866, leading up to December, was particularly bloody, with numerous small-scale attacks on these wood trains, highlighting the desperate struggle for control over the land and resources.
The Fateful Day: Colonel Carrington’s Strategy Unravels
On a cold December day in 1866, another wood-cutting detail from Fort Phil Kearny came under attack, approximately four miles from the fort. In response, Colonel Henry B. Carrington, the post commander, devised a plan to relieve the pressure and engage the Indigenous warriors. He personally led a contingent of 25 soldiers, commanded by Lieutenant George W. Grummond, north of Lodge Trail Ridge. Concurrently, Captain William J. Fetterman and Lieutenant Horatio S. Bingham were dispatched with a larger group northwest, heading towards the distressed wood wagons. Carrington’s strategy was clear: Fetterman’s detachment was to drive the attacking Indigenous forces from the western side of Lodge Trail Ridge towards Carrington’s waiting men, where a coordinated assault would decisively repel them. It was a tactical maneuver designed to encircle and defeat the raiding party, aiming to inflict a significant blow and temporarily secure the area.
The Ambush at Peno Creek
However, the carefully laid plans quickly went awry, demonstrating the unpredictable nature of frontier warfare and the formidable tactics of the Indigenous warriors. Lieutenant Bingham, along with a forward element of Fetterman’s troops, rode ahead of the main body, perhaps in an eager pursuit or to scout the terrain. As they neared Peno Creek, they spotted what appeared to be a small group of Indigenous individuals. Believing they had found their target, Bingham’s men rode hard after them, following the decoys further away from the main support. This proved to be a fatal miscalculation. Instead of a small band, they were suddenly ambushed by a much larger, concealed group of warriors who emerged from hiding, overwhelming the advanced party. The swift and decisive counter-attack caught the soldiers completely by surprise. Captain Fetterman arrived on the scene just as many of the soldiers were already fleeing in disarray, testament to the ferocity and suddenness of the ambush. Realizing the gravity of the situation and the superior numbers of the attackers, Carrington and Fetterman had no choice but to pull their forces back to the relative safety of Fort Phil Kearny. The immediate toll of the engagement included Lieutenant Bingham, two sergeants, and four privates wounded. Indigenous casualties were estimated at approximately ten warriors killed. The engagement served as a stark and bloody reminder of the effectiveness of Indigenous battle strategies.
Significance and Aftermath: A Dire Warning Unheeded
The Battle of Peno Creek, though smaller in scale than some other engagements during Red Cloud’s War, held immense significance as a critical prelude to the catastrophic Fetterman Massacre. The events at Peno Creek should have served as a dire warning to the U.S. Army command regarding the deceptive tactics and overwhelming fighting prowess of the Indigenous forces. The use of decoys to lure soldiers into an ambush, the disciplined coordination, and the ability to rapidly concentrate superior numbers were all on display. Yet, the lessons learned from this skirmish appear to have been largely ignored or tragically underestimated by the fort’s commanders, particularly by Captain Fetterman himself. Only weeks later, on December 21, 1866, Fetterman would lead a much larger detachment in pursuit of a similar decoy party, defying explicit orders not to pursue beyond Lodge Trail Ridge. This fatal decision led his entire command of 81 men into an ambush by thousands of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors, resulting in the complete annihilation of his forces in what became the Fetterman Massacre, the U.S. Army’s worst defeat on the Great Plains until the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Conclusion: A Shadow of Future Conflict
The Battle of Peno Creek stands as a poignant reminder of the fierce resistance encountered by the U.S. Army along the Bozeman Trail during Red Cloud’s War. It underscores the strategic brilliance and unwavering determination of Indigenous peoples to defend their homelands against an ever-advancing frontier. The involvement of Ojibwa warriors, alongside the broader Sioux efforts, highlights the complex and often multi-tribal nature of the conflicts of the period. More critically, the engagement at Peno Creek was a chilling dress rehearsal for the Fetterman Massacre, demonstrating tactics that, had they been properly understood and respected, might have averted a greater tragedy. The wounds sustained and the lives lost at Peno Creek were not just isolated casualties; they were harbingers of the brutal and costly conflict that defined the struggle for the American West, leaving an indelible mark on the history of Native American resistance and U.S. expansion.
