Battle of Powder River

Significance

The Battle of Powder River, also called the Reynolds Battle, opened the Great Sioux War of 1876 as part of the Big Horn Expedition. Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds attacked a Northern Cheyenne and Oglala Lakota encampment in Montana Territory, destroying a substantial quantity of Indian property. Despite that material damage, the operation was poorly executed and produced the opposite of its intended political effect: rather than compelling Northern Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux compliance with U.S. demands to sell the Black Hills and relocate to a reservation, the attack hardened resistance among both groups. The battle thus set the trajectory for the wider conflict that followed, galvanizing the coalition that would challenge U.S. forces throughout 1876 and 1877.

Commanders (8)