Stop Seven

The Washita River near the site of Black Kettle's village.

NPS / Christian Schroll

Quick Facts

Location:

Washita Battlefield National Historic Site

Amenities

1 listed

Benches/Seating

As the attack escalated, many Cheyenne attempted to flee to the safety of the other villages down river. As they ran, they were met by soldiers on horseback as well as by the Corps d'Elite, a company of 40 elite army sharpshooters that were hidden in the brush you can see on the north side of the river.

Sadly, many escaping across the river were unsuccessful, including Black Kettle and his wife Medicine Woman Later.

Eugene Blackbear, Sr., descendent of the Washita event, explained “They call it ‘battle’ but it was not a battle . . . Everybody was sleeping, they were surprise attacked, just like Pearl Harbor, Japanese did the Americans. Same tactics was used on our Cheyenne people. . . it’s sad where so many people were slaughtered. So many children, man, woman, kids, were killed.”

Just like Pearl Harbor, the attack at Washita was a significant event in US history. It was a tragic example of the failure of the treaty system and escalated army tactics that came about because of that failure.