“Battle of Slim Buttes”

September 9-10, 1876

Following the disastrous battle of the Rosebud and Little Big Horn (Custer) in Montana in June, 1876, the Sioux, save Gall and Sitting Bull with 400 lodges who went to Canada and Crazy Horse and his band, in the main, started to drift back to the agencies on the White and Missouri Rivers burning the grass as they went. Crook, Terry, and Miles started to hunt Indians and by September 7th Crook’s destitute and weary column detached Capt. Anson Mills with 150 men on the best horses to go to Deadwood for supplies. On the 8th he discovered a village on the east slope of Slim Buttes and at dawn on the 9th attacked the teepees, tightly buttoned up against the rain, by a cavalry charge, scattering the Indians.

The Oglala Chief, American Horse with his family and six warriors fled to a ravine. After a six hour siege where most of the white casualties occurred, with four warriors dead and the Chief fatally wounded, they surrendered. That afternoon Crazy Horse made a show of force but the balance of Crook’s command came up and there was no battle but a constant harassment. A great supply of valuable dried meat was captured, the village destroyed, and on the 10th the command moved on to Deadwood, on a diet of horse meat marking the end of the summer campaign. Killed: Winzel, 3rd and Kennedy, 5th Cavalry, Jonothan White, civilian scout.

Wounded: Lt. Von Leuttwitz, 3rd Cavalry and 12 EM of the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Cavalry.

Harding County, Highway 20, 2 miles east of roadside park (1988)