Bear River Massacre 1863
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 29 January 1863 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1863 | 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 |
| Coordinates | 42.1461, -111.9142 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Bear River Massacre was a United States military attack that killed an estimated 250 to 493 children, women, and men at a Shoshone winter encampment on January 29, 1863. Some sources describe it as the largest mass murder of Native Americans by the US military and the largest single episode of genocide in US history. It took place in present-day Franklin County, Idaho near the present-day city of Preston on January 29, 1863. After years of skirmishes and food raids on farms and ranches, and settlers displacing Shoshone from their ancestral lands, the United States Army attacked a large Shoshone community at the confluence of the Bear River and Battle Creek in what was then southeastern Washington Territory.
Colonel Patrick Edward Connor led a detachment of California Volunteers as part of the Bear River Expedition against Shoshone chief Bear Hunter. Around 250 to 400 Northern Shoshone children and adults were killed near their homes, and 21 US soldiers died. The event is also known as the Engagement on the Bear River, the Battle of Bear River, and the Massacre at Boa Ogoi.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Bear River Massacre (revision 1378918577), 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 Camas Creek 1877 · 245 km
- Battle of Egan Station 1860 · 359 km
- Dull Knife Fight 1876 · 389 km
Other battles of the American Indian Wars
- Battle of Blue Licks 1782
- Battle of the Sink Hole 1815
- Battle of Village Creek 1841
- Battle of Egan Station 1860
- Battle of Pease River 1860
- First Battle of Adobe Walls 1864
- Battle of the Tongue River 1865
- Battle of Beecher Island 1868
- Battle of the Washita River 1868
- Battle of the North Fork of the Red River 1872
All 12 battles of the American Indian Wars →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles