Last updated: August 27, 2026
Article
Fort Laramie in 1876
Stanley J. Morrow. Denver Public Library Special Collections, X-31751
Gold in the Black Hills!
Hundreds of miners ran to the Black Hills after Lt. Col. George Custer’s 1874 expedition confirmed the presence of gold. The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 required the United States government to keep settlers out of the Sioux reservation. Despite challenges, the military tried to keep them out. In late 1875, however, President Ulysses S. Grant ordered the military to leave the miners alone. He also wanted all Sioux to be present at the reservation in Dakota Territory by January 31, 1876. Anyone absent from the reservation, even if they remained on their hunting grounds, would be declared enemies of the United States. The end of January came and went. Many Sioux, also known as Lakota or Teton Sioux, stayed in their winter camps far from the reservation. 1876 would be a year of war.
Summer at Fort Laramie
Although far from the battlefields, Fort Laramie played a key role in the campaigns of 1876, protecting supply trains and maintaining telegraph lines. Supplies and troops passed through Fort Laramie on their way to Fort Fetterman to support the campaigns. Because so many supply escorts went to the field, few military personnel remained on site. The staffing and supply situation became dire during the summer months. Cynthia Capron, married to 1st. Lt. Thaddeus Capron of the 9th Infantry, Co. C, recorded on an early July day that only thirteen men reported for duty. On August 23, commanding officer Major Edwin F. Townsend reported that he had issued every rifle he could spare. He asked for more supplies for the fort and the troops passing through it. Although Fort Laramie was distant from the frontline action, he feared the post was vulnerable. Some Lakota groups often raided wagon trains and ranches for supplies. They also cut the telegraph lines that were essential for military communication and planning. Fort Laramie troops constantly repaired the telegraph lines to Fort Fetterman and guarded the new lines headed to the Black Hills.
A Year of War
Supporting the war efforts in 1876 made the year one of the most important in Fort Laramie history. By December of 1876, the Sioux War had almost come to an end. While skirmishes continued into 1877, hundreds of Lakota and Cheyenne had come to the reservations. Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull were among the last. Crazy Horse died at Fort Robinson in September 1877, while Sitting Bull and his people left for Canada in January 1877. They remained there until 1881. After the Sioux War, Fort Robinson, located closer to the reservations, managed tribal relations. The role of Fort Laramie had changed, leaving the fort a quieter place until its closure in 1890.
“Sitting Bull,” Palmquist and Jurgens. Library of Congress.
Perspectives:
A Visionary Leader
Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Sioux leader who refused to give up the traditional way of hunting bison. Although not a warrior, Sitting Bull was greatly respected as a spiritual leader among his people. He had a vision of a great victory for the Sioux. Lone Man, an Oglala Sun Dancer, remembered what Sitting Bull said before the Battle of the Greasy Grass: “We shall remain together as a Sioux nation and we must never retreat in the face of danger, no matter what the odds. We must defend our rights, our families, and our hunting lands.”
An Army Wife’s Perspective
Elizabeth Burt lived with her family at Fort Laramie from 1874 to 1876. Her husband, Andrew, a captain in the 9th Infantry, participated in the summer campaigns.
“In the Spring of 1876,” she wrote in her memoir, “a startling order was received directing that every available man be prepared for field service; the post was to be stripped of every soldier not absolutely necessary for its protection…We wives who were left behind knew the inevitable danger to all in the field…This time we knew so well there was to be fighting to the death.”
A Loss at Fort Laramie
Cynthia Capron’s youngest child, Henry, became severely ill with tubercular meningitis while at Fort Laramie. On May 22, her husband Thaddeus had to leave for Fort Fetterman with the 9th Infantry. The men and women of the fort rallied to help Cynthia care for the sick baby. Writing to his wife on May 28, Thaddeus said, “I sometimes fear that I may never see little Henry again. May God in his kindness leave him to us.” Nine days later, the two-year-old passed away. Exhausted and distraught from the ordeal, Cynthia could not even attend his funeral. Henry was buried in the fort cemetery.
“Custer Massacre at Bighorn, MT,” Library of Congress.
Timeline:
December 6, 1875 – As ordered by President Ulysses S. Grant, Sioux reservation agents send runners to the hunting camps to deliver a message: Return to your reservations by the end of January or be considered enemies of the United States.
January 31, 1876 – The deadline for the Sioux in the hunting areas to return to their assigned reservations passes.
February 8 – General Philip H. Sheridan telegraphs Generals George Crook and Alfred H. Terry and orders them to start their campaigns against the Sioux. Troops and supplies are gathered at Fort Laramie and the Quartermaster Depot in Cheyenne.
March 1 – Big Horn and Yellowstone expeditions begin. Troops pass through Fort Laramie on their way to Fort Fetterman. Fort Laramie troops support complex supply and communication chains, including telegraph maintenance.
March 17 – Battle of Powder River
The Big Horn expedition led by Gen. Crook locates and attempts to destroy a Sioux village. After botching the attack and allowing the Sioux to reclaim their horses, the companies return to their camp empty handed.
May 22-23 – Companies C, G, H, and I of the 9th Infantry leave from Fort Laramie to join Gen. Crook at Fort Fetterman.
June 6 – Two-year-old Henry Capron dies at Fort Laramie from tubercular meningitis. Most of the garrison attends the funeral.
June 17 – Battle of Rosebud Creek
Gen. Crook’s troops engage a group of Sioux and Cheyenne. After a day of skirmishing, the Sioux and Cheyenne withdraw to their Ash Creek camp. Instead of pursuing, Crook orders his men back to base camp.
June 25 – Battle of the Little Big Horn, or the Battle of the Greasy Grass
Gen. George Custer encounters Sioux and Cheyenne encampments gathered near the Little Big Horn River. Although he leads only a part of a large campaign, he moves forward without waiting for the other troops. This battle is a major victory for the Sioux and Cheyenne.
July 4 – At Fort Laramie, the commander suspends non-essential duties for the holiday. Officers and their families picnic near Deer Creek.
July 5 – The news of Gen. Custer’s defeat reaches Fort Laramie.
July 17 – The 5th Cavalry dispatched from Fort Laramie skirmishes with a group of Cheyenne at Warbonnet Creek in northwest Nebraska. The cavalry pursues the group back to the Red Cloud Agency, a Sioux reservation further east in Nebraska.
August – Western Union workers begin installing new telegraph lines north from Fort Laramie toward the Black Hills.
August 15 – Congress approves the Agreement of August 15, 1876. It amends the 1868 treaty, removing the Black Hills from the reservation and revoking access to the reserved Sioux hunting grounds. Three-quarters of adult Sioux men must sign for the agreement to be valid.
September 5 – In present-day southwest North Dakota, Crook turns his troops south toward the Black Hills. This “starvation march” includes marching eight days on rations meant for two days. Soldiers resort to eating their mules and horses.
September 21-22 – Gens. Sheridan and Crook meet at Fort Laramie to plan their winter campaigns.
October 11 – Enough Sioux sign the Agreement of August 15, 1876 to amend the 1868 treaty. Some leaders sign as representatives for their entire band. On paper, the Black Hills now belong to the United States.
October 22 – Thirty miles east of the Red Cloud Agency, eight cavalry companies surround the camp of Red Cloud, an influential Sioux leader, and Red Leaf, his ally. After disarming the camp, the troops force Red Cloud and Red Leaf back to the reservation.
November 8 – Western Union workers complete the telegraph line from Fort Laramie to Custer City in the Black Hills.
November 25 – Crook approaches a village of Cheyenne, eventually destroying the village and capturing the pony herd. Although most Cheyenne escape, some die due to cold temperatures. With no supplies or ponies, many head toward the Red Cloud Agency.
December 16 – Fort Laramie’s commander dispatches two men to Cheyenne to resupply the post for Christmas.
January 1877 – Sitting Bull and his people flee to Canada.
“Brigadier General George Crook, 1875,” Fort Laramie, KKa-19.
Perspectives:
Thaddeus Capron on the Battle of Rosebud Creek:
“The Indians fought well. Our men behaved nicely…The 9th escaped without losing a man. Fight continued about 6 hours – our losses being Col. Henry wounded, and 20 men & 9 killed. Friendly Indians, 1 killed & 8 wounded. Loss to the Sioux estimated at 100. At night we camped in valley at place of halting. The result of fight is in our favor but we did not do as much as could have been done.”
A Private’s Perspective on the Starvation March:
Alfred McMachin, a private in the 5th Cavalry, reflected on what he saw during Crook’s march to Custer City in September. “It was pitiful and heart-rending to see the sufferings of the Infantry and the dismounted portion of the Cavalry, dragging their weary limbs over the muddy trail. I saw that day soldiers who were a short time previously strong men, sit down by the trail in despair, large, bitter tears running down their emaciated cheeks, being exhausted from starvation and long marches.”
Standing Elk on the Agreement of August 15, 1876:
Standing Elk, a Brulé Sioux leader, expressed his frustrations with the federal government to a congressional envoy. “Whatever the white people ask of us, wherever we go, we always say Yes—yes—yes! Whenever we don’t agree to what is asked of us in council, you always reply You won’t get anything to eat—you won’t get anything to eat!” During the 1876 campaigns, the military often withheld supplies from the Sioux on reservations.