The Captain Who Boasted He’d Ride Through Sioux Territory, Then Died Trying

Fort Phil Kearny, Wyoming

On December 21, 1866, Captain William Fetterman boasted he could ride through the entire Sioux Nation with just 80 men.

That same day, he got his chance and every single soldier died in what became the Army’s worst defeat on the Great Plains until Little Bighorn.

Here’s what happened on that frozen Wyoming morning, preserved at Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site.

When Captain Fetterman Reported for Duty

Captain William Fetterman arrived at Fort Phil Kearny on November 3, 1866. He brought years of Civil War experience but had never fought Native Americans.

The Army planned to promote Fetterman on January 1, 1867, giving him command of the new 27th Infantry Regiment at the fort. Carrington would then move to another post further south.

Fetterman had only seven weeks to learn frontier warfare before his fatal encounter with Red Cloud’s warriors.

Constant Harassment Around the Fort

Native warriors attacked Fort Phil Kearny and its supply lines about fifty times between July and December 1866. These raids killed twenty soldiers and civilians in just five months. Wood-cutting parties faced the most danger.

The fort needed constant timber supplies for building and heating, creating predictable targets for Native forces. By December, each soldier had only 45 bullets left. Winter snow made it harder for supply wagons to reach the isolated fort, increasing its vulnerability.

How Warriors Tested Their Trap

On December 6, 1866, Native forces attacked a wood train near the fort. Crazy Horse, a young Oglala warrior, tried a new tactic. He pretended to flee on foot, looking like an easy target.

When soldiers chased him, they rode into a hidden group of warriors. Two soldiers died and one suffered fatal wounds. This success gave Red Cloud and Crazy Horse an idea. They could use the same trick on a larger scale to defeat an entire unit of soldiers.

Planning a Massive Ambush

Red Cloud gathered between 1,000 and 2,000 Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors for a major attack. This created one of the largest Native fighting forces of the Plains Wars. They chose an ambush spot about 4-5 miles north of the fort along the Bozeman Trail.

The location offered perfect hiding places and clear views of approaching soldiers. A respected medicine man predicted the death of 100 soldiers, giving the coming battle its Native name: the Battle of the Hundred Slain.

The Cold December Morning

December 21, 1866, brought clear skies and freezing temperatures. At 10:00 AM, a wood train left Fort Phil Kearny for the nearby forest. Thirty soldiers and sixty-five armed civilians guarded thirty-five wagons.

This large group formation helped protect against the frequent attacks they had faced for months. Lookouts on Pilot Hill watched for trouble, ready to signal the fort if Native warriors appeared. Their warning flags would soon be needed.

Native Warriors Spring Their Trap

Less than an hour after the wood train left, Native warriors attacked. Lookouts on Pilot Hill quickly signaled the fort with flags. Colonel Carrington ordered Captain Powell to lead a rescue force.

Captain Fetterman stepped in and asked to lead instead, claiming his higher rank gave him the right to command. Carrington agreed to Fetterman’s request. Powell stayed at the fort while Fetterman prepared to lead his men into what would become a deadly trap.

Soldiers Ride Into Danger

Fetterman led forty-nine infantrymen and twenty-seven cavalry troops out of the fort. Lieutenant Grummond, also new to frontier fighting, commanded the mounted soldiers.

Two civilians, James Wheatley and Isaac Fisher, joined with their sixteen-shot Henry repeating rifles. These guns could fire much faster than the single-shot weapons most soldiers carried.

Carrington ordered Fetterman not to cross Lodge Trail Ridge under any circumstances. Beyond this ridge, the fort’s cannons could not provide supporting fire.

The Deadly Lure Succeeds

About ten Native warriors, including Crazy Horse, acted as decoys. They rode close enough to be seen but stayed beyond shooting range, taunting the soldiers to follow them. Fetterman chased these decoys across Lodge Trail Ridge, taking his men out of sight from the fort.

Meanwhile, the wood train escaped its attackers and headed back to safety. Unknown to Fetterman, nearly two thousand warriors waited hidden along Peno Creek. His men rode straight toward this massive force with no idea of the danger ahead.

Eighty-One Men Die in Minutes

When Fetterman’s troops crossed Lodge Trail Ridge, warriors sprang the trap. Hundreds emerged from hiding spots when mounted warriors crossed paths at the north end of the ridge, signaling the attack.

Greatly outnumbered, the soldiers tried to defend themselves but faced attacks from all sides. The entire battle lasted less than thirty minutes. All eighty-one men in Fetterman’s command died.

Native accounts say the soldiers fought in two groups before being overwhelmed by the much larger force.

Desperate Hours at the Fort

Around noon, people at Fort Phil Kearny heard heavy gunfire from the north. Colonel Carrington sent Captain Ten Eyck with seventy-five men to find Fetterman. Ten Eyck carefully climbed Lodge Trail Ridge, reaching the top around 12:45 PM.

From there, his men saw many Native warriors in the valley below. After the warriors left, Ten Eyck found the bodies of Fetterman and all his men. They had been killed and stripped of weapons and clothing according to Native warfare customs.

After the Warriors Vanished

John “Portugee” Phillips volunteered to carry news of the defeat to Fort Laramie. He rode 236 miles through winter storms and dangerous territory, arriving during Christmas celebrations.

The Fetterman Massacre shocked Americans as the worst military defeat on the Plains until the Battle of Little Bighorn ten years later. In one fight, 81 U.S. soldiers and civilians died.

The bodies were first buried near Fort Phil Kearny, then later moved to Custer Battlefield National Cemetery.

Visiting Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site

You’ll find Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site at 528 Wagon Box Road in Banner, Wyoming, just off Interstate 90 at Exit 44 between Buffalo and Sheridan.

The site includes a new Interpretive Center that opened in May 2025, plus self-guided tours of the fort grounds and two nearby battle sites.

Allow 2-3 hours to explore all three areas—the fort site, Fetterman Battlefield, and Wagon Box Fight site—all within a five-mile radius.

For more information, call 307-684-7629 or visit Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site

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