Table Of Content

January Moon January Moon The Northern Cheyenne Breakout from Fort Robinson, 1878–1879 Jerome A. Greene University of oklahoma Press : norman “Fort robinson,” from Sure Signs: New and Selected Poems, by Ted Kooser, © 1980. reprinted with permission of the University of Pittsburgh Press. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data names: Greene, Jerome A., author. Title: January moon : The northern Cheyenne Breakout from Fort robinson, 1878–1879 / Jerome A. Greene. Description: norman : University of oklahoma Press, [2020] | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “Draws from extensive research and fieldwork to explore the desperate flight of Chief Dull Knife’s northern Cheyenne Indians from imprisonment at Fort robinson, nebraska, their near annihilation, the survivors’ dreadful experiences in the aftermath, and the present-day Cheyenne tribal events commemorating the breakout”—Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCn 2019046216 | ISBn 978-0-8061-6478-6 (hardcover) Subjects: LCSH: Cheyenne Indians—nebraska—Government relations. | massacres— nebraska—Fort robinson—History—19th century. | Indians of north America—Wars—1866–1895. Classification: LCC e99.C53 G75 2020 | DDC 323.1197/353078293—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019046216 The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library resources, Inc. ∞ Copyright © 2020 by the University of oklahoma Press, norman, Publishing Division of the University. manufactured in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the United States Copyright Act—without the prior written permission of the University of oklahoma Press. To request permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, University of oklahoma Press, 2800 Venture Drive, norman oK 73069, or email rights. oupress @ou .edu. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 To the northern Cheyennes and the Crazy Dogs, and to the memory of Steve Brady, 1956–2014, educator and warrior for his people • Fort robinson When I visited Fort robinson, where Dull Knife and his northern Cheyenne were held captive that terrible winter, the grounds crew was killing the magpies. Two men were going from tree to tree with sticks and ladders, poking the young birds down from their nests and beating them to death as they hopped about in the grass. Under each tree where the men had worked were twisted clots of matted feathers, and above each tree a magpie circled crazily calling in all her voices. We didn’t get out of the car. my little boy hid in the back and cried as we drove away, into those ragged buttes the Cheyenne climbed that winter, fleeing. —Ted Kooser Contents • List of Illustrations ix Preface and Acknowledgments xi Prologue 3 1. Provenance 4 2. Coming Home 18 3. Time, Place, and the river 33 4. Prison House 41 5. Long nose 57 6. Commencement 66 7. Violent night 99 8. Hat Creek road 115 9. mortal end 135 10. Scrutiny 144 11. Pine ridge Interlude 165 12. Denouement 168 13. reflections 184 epilogue: Homecoming 199 Appendix A. List of Indians Wounded 207 Appendix B. List of Army Casualties 209 Contents Appendix C. Captain Wessells’s Account 211 Appendix D. Cheyenne names and relationships 216 Appendix e. General Sheridan’s report to the Adjutant General, February 25, 1879 223 Appendix F. northern Cheyenne Guns Surrendered or Captured, 1878–1879 227 notes 233 Bibliography 303 Index 319 viii Illustrations • Figures 1. northern Cheyenne leaders Little Wolf and Dull Knife 75 2. President rutherford B. Hayes 76 3. Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz 76 4. Secretary of War George W. mcCrary 77 5. Lieutenant General Philip H. Sheridan 78 6. Brigadier General George Crook 79 7. red Cloud Agency, nebraska 80 8. major Caleb H. Carlton, Third Cavalry 81 9. Captain John B. Johnson, Company B, Third Cavalry 82 10. Plat of Camp robinson, nebraska, 1876 83 11. Camp robinson, nebraska, 1876 84 12. Camp robinson, nebraska, 1877 85 13. Seven officers’ quarters, Camp robinson, 1877 85 14. Captain Henry W. Wessells, Third Cavalry 86 15. oglala Lakota Chief red Cloud 87 16. modern drawing of the 1874 cavalry barrack at Fort robinson 88 17. Artistic rendering of the northern Cheyennes readying their escape 89 18. newspaper drawing showing the initial escape of the northern Cheyennes from the prison barrack 89 19. James r. o’Beirne, field correspondent for the New York Herald 90 ix