Wolf Mountains was a Indian Wars and Frontier Conflicts engagement fought in Montana, 1877.
On January 8, 1877, United States Army troops clashed with Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne fighters in an engagement remembered by several names: the Battle of the Wolf Mountains, Miles's Battle on the Tongue River, the Battle of the Butte, Where Big Crow Walked Back and Forth, and, among the Northern Cheyenne, the Battle of Belly Butte. This clash formed part of the Great Sioux War of 1876. The fighting unfolded in southern Montana Territory, roughly four miles southwest of what is now Birney, Montana, near the banks of the Tongue River.
Recognition of the site came decades later. The Wolf Mountains Battlefield earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, and by 2008 it had been elevated further, gaining designation as a National Historic Landmark.
On January 8, 1877, United States Army troops clashed with Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne fighters in an engagement remembered by several names: the Battle of the Wolf Mountains, Miles's Battle on the Tongue River, the Battle of the Butte, Where Big Crow Walked Back and Forth, and, among the Northern Cheyenne, the Battle of Belly Butte. This clash formed part of the Great Sioux War of 1876. The fighting unfolded in southern Montana Territory, roughly four miles southwest of what is now Birney, Montana, near the banks of the Tongue River.
Recognition of the site came decades later. The Wolf Mountains Battlefield earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, and by 2008 it had been elevated further, gaining designation as a National Historic Landmark.
Gunfire broke out before dawn, prompting Miles to establish a defensive line along a ridge dominated by a small cone-shaped rise that would later be named Battle Butte. He placed two artillery pieces alongside it, giving his men an open field of fire ahead. By seven in the morning, Crazy Horse and Two Moon launched the first of several assaults against the troops. The warriors, hampered by the army's superior firepower, pulled back more than once to reorganize before renewing their charges. Efforts to outflank Miles' position likewise came to nothing, since he was able to redirect his reserve forces to shore up threatened points along the line. Eventually Miles directed a number of companies from the 5th Infantry to push forward and seize a chain of hills held by the warriors. The advance proved difficult for his men, made worse by snow that lay thick on the ground. Once seven of the hills had fallen to the soldiers, the Sioux and Cheyenne pulled back as the weather worsened, leaving the engagement unresolved on the field.
In practical terms, the fight left no clear winner on the ground, yet the U.S. Army still came out ahead where it mattered most. The engagement proved that even winter's harshest conditions could not shield the Sioux and Cheyenne from military reach. In the weeks that followed, individuals began to drift away from their bands, making their way back to the reservations. By the time May arrived, Crazy Horse himself had brought what remained of his people into Camp Robinson to lay down arms.
Approximate location. The nearest recorded settlement is shown; the exact site is unrecorded.
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