Battle of Ash Hollow - Battle

Battle

Upon the Sioux discovery of Cooke's men, Harney opened the fight by attacking the Sioux camp. Some of the Sioux took refuge in caves along the river. Harney had his men fire into the caves, where they killed many women and children. A large group of mounted warriors made for an escape route away from Cooke’s and Harney’s forces, but Heth saw them and led his forces to block the escape route.

The warriors managed to break through Heth's men, but were pursued on horseback by cavalry with Heth in the lead. They had a running fight for about five miles, which lasted several hours. At some point, Heth got so far ahead of his men that he was presumed killed in action. His death was reported in newspapers around the country, and he later took satisfaction in the obituaries his friends had written. The American forces were victorious and took prisoners.

Among other American participants of the battle was Gouverneur K. Warren, who noted in his diary the horror of killing women and children. He later became a Union general during the American Civil War.

Afterward, the army made a wide sweep of the surrounding Sioux country but encountered no further resistance. The Sioux called Harney "The Butcher" for the battle at Blue Water, "the Hornet" for invading their territory, and "the Big Chief Who Swears" for his handling of the treaty. Following this battle, there were about ten years of peace between the United States and the Sioux, who tried to ignore the many emigrants on the Oregon Trail.