Battle of the Washita River 1868
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 27 November 1868 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1868 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Indian Wars | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | 7th Cavalry Regiment, Nawat (Chief Left Hand) | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 35.6166, -99.6866 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of the Washita River (also called Battle of the Washita or the Washita Massacre) occurred on November 27, 1868, when Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's 7th U.S. Cavalry attacked Black Kettle's Southern Cheyenne camp on the Washita River (the present-day Washita Battlefield National Historic Site near Cheyenne, Oklahoma).
The Cheyenne camp was the most isolated band of a major winter encampment along the river of numerous Native American tribal bands, totaling thousands of people. Custer's forces attacked the village because scouts had found it by tracking the trail of an Indian party that had raided white settlers. Black Kettle and his people had been at peace and were seeking peace. Custer's soldiers killed women and children in addition to warriors, although they also took many captives to serve as hostages and human shields. The number of Cheyenne killed in the attack has been disputed since the first reports.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of the Washita River (revision 1370602714), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Little Robe Creek 1858 · 44 km
- Battle of Lyman's Wagon Train · 48 km
- Battle of the North Fork of the Red River 1872 · 92 km
- Second Battle of Adobe Walls 1874 · 137 km
- First Battle of Adobe Walls 1864 · 137 km
- Battle of Turkey Springs 1878 · 155 km
Other battles of the American Indian Wars
- Battle of Egan Station 1860
- Battle of Pease River 1860
- Bear River Massacre 1863
- First Battle of Adobe Walls 1864
- Battle of the Tongue River 1865
- Battle of Beecher Island 1868
- Battle of the North Fork of the Red River 1872
- Battle of Kelley Creek 1911
All 12 battles of the American Indian Wars →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles