Hayfield Fight - Aftermath

Aftermath

Bradley made little of the fight in his official report and the Hayfield Fight has received little attention from historians despite being very similar in size and outcome to the Wagon Box Fight which took place the next day near Fort Phil Kearny. Bradley was criticized by several of his soldiers for delay in sending help to the men trapped in the Hayfield. The fights at Hayfield and the Wagon Box may have discouraged the Indians from undertaking any further large-scale attacks along the Bozeman Trail during the year remaining in Red Cloud's War. However, small scale raids and attacks by the Indians continued and the U.S. army in the Powder River Country continued to be on the defensive.