Battle of Bear Paw

Significance

The Battle of Bear Paw was the final engagement of the Nez Perce War of 1877, ending a running fight of approximately 1,200 miles conducted over four months across Idaho Territory and into northern Montana Territory. U.S. Army forces under Nelson A. Miles and Oliver Otis Howard cornered the Nez Perce band led by Chief Joseph just 42 miles south of the Canadian border, cutting off the group's intended escape to seek refuge from U.S. government persecution. The proximity to Canada made the outcome particularly consequential: the Nez Perce had sustained a months-long withdrawal across extraordinarily difficult distances, and the interception at Bear Paw foreclosed the sanctuary they had sought. The battle marked the end of organized Nez Perce armed resistance and closed the broader 1877 war.

Commanders (7)