Original 1867 Etching of Fort Kearney Massacre by Lakota, Crazy Horse, Red Cloud

Description

This is an original etching from Harper's Weekly of the
Fort Kearney Massacre led by Crazy Horse and Red Cloud of the Lakota.  It measures
16 x 12 inches and this history treasure would look great framed in your collection.
Determined to challenge the growing American military presence in their territory, Native Americans in northern Wyoming lure Lieutenant Colonel William Fetterman and his soldiers into a deadly ambush on December 21, 1866.
Tensions in the region started rising in 1863, when John Bozeman blazed the Bozeman Trail, a new route for emigrants traveling to the Montana gold fields. Bozeman’s trail was of questionable legality since it passed directly through hunting grounds that the government had promised to the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. Thus when Colorado militiamen murdered more than two hundred peaceful Cheyenne during the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, the Native Americans began to take revenge by attacking whites all across the Plains, including the emigrants traveling the Bozeman Trail. The U.S. government responded by building a series of protective forts along the trail; the largest and most important of these was Fort Phil Kearney, erected in 1866 in north-central Wyoming.
Native Americans under the leadership of Red Cloud and Crazy Horse began to focus their attacks on Fort Phil Kearney, constantly harassing the soldiers and raiding their wood and supply parties. On December 6, 1866, Crazy Horse discovered to his surprise that he could lead a small detachment of soldiers into a fatal ambush by dismounting from his horse and fleeing as if he were defenseless. Struck by the foolish impulsiveness of the soldiers, Crazy Horse and Red Cloud reasoned that perhaps a much larger force could be lured into a similar deadly trap.
On the bitterly cold morning of December 21, about 2,000 Natives concealed themselves along the road just north of Fort Phil Kearney. A small band made a diversionary attack on a party of woodcutters from the fort, and commandant Colonel Henry Carrington quickly ordered Colonel Fetterman to go to their aid with a company of 80 troopers. Crazy Horse and 10 decoy warriors then rode into view of the fort. When Carrington fired an artillery round at them, the decoys ran away as if frightened. The party of woodcutters made it safely back to the fort, but Colonel Fetterman and his men chased after the fleeing Crazy Horse and his decoys, just as planned. The soldiers rode straight into the ambush and were wiped out in a massive attack during which some 40,000 arrows rained down on the hapless troopers. None of them survived.
With 81 fatalities, the Fetterman Massacre was the army’s worst defeat in the West until the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. Further attacks eventually forced the army to reconsider its commitment to protecting the Bozeman Trail, and in 1868 the military abandoned the forts and pulled out. It was one of only a handful of clear Native American victories in the Plains Indian Wars.
I am listing a number of Native American images from this era.  It was a terrible and bloody era when a high percentage of the Native American population was wiped out in North America.  I weep for what happened then, and in no way to I condone the actions that occured.  My hope by selling these images is that they will tell a story that will live on.  Some of the stories show the struggles and others push a sterotype.  I hope their story and the education they can tell lives on in you as you purchase these.
I have been a trusted vintage paper dealer since 1989 and been on eBay since 1997.  I have primarily sold in antique malls at San Francisco, San Diego, Monterey, Napa, Monterey, Portland, and Ellensburg.  I have sold over 30,000 advertisements to many happy customers, museums, galleries, and private collections.  If you are not happy with your purchase, please send it back for a full refund.
I am a historian and educator by trade and deal in paper as a hobby.
100% of all profits from my eBay sales are donated to children's non-profit organizations for kids to be involved in their community and go to summer camps.
The item comes in an archival protective plastic sleeve with a white acid-free backing board.  It will be shipped in a strong and rigid mailer made in the USA out of 100% recyclable materials especially for flat shipping.  It will be marked as special photo materials - DO NOT BEND.  All items have a money-back guarantee - if you don't like the item, then pay for shipping and handling for a refund.  I ship worldwide.