Historedia
AmericasEvent

Battle of the Big Hole during the Nez Perce War

When
1877
Where
Big Hole River, Montana Territory
Episodes
2

The Battle of the Big Hole occurred in Montana Territory on August 9–10, 1877, during the Nez Perce War. It involved the United States Army and Nez Perce bands resisting forced removal to reservations. The Nez Perce withdrew in good order, continuing their retreat toward Canada.

Episodes

  1. August 9–10, 1877 · Big Hole River, Montana TerritoryBattle of the Big Hole

    The United States Army engaged Nez Perce bands on the Big Hole River in Montana Territory on August 9–10, 1877.

  2. Post-battle withdrawal · Big Hole River, Montana TerritoryNez Perce Withdrawal

    The Nez Perce withdrew in good order from the battlefield, continuing their long fighting retreat toward Canada.

Background and detail

Background. The conflict stemmed from the refusal of several Nez Perce bands, dubbed "non-treaty Indians," to give up ancestral lands in the Pacific Northwest and move to an Indian reservation in Idaho Territory. Tensions rose in 1876 and 1877, leading to armed conflict between June and October 1877.

Retreat Context. Nez Perce bands, including Chief Joseph's Wallowa band, fled the United States in an attempt to reach political asylum alongside the Lakota people. Initially hoping to take refuge with the Crow Nation in Montana Territory, they went north after the Crow refused aid, seeking asylum with the Lakota band led by Sitting Bull.

Battle Site. The battle site is located in Beaverhead County, Montana, between the continental divide at Chief Joseph Pass and the town of Wisdom. The engagement took place on the Big Hole River in Montana Territory during August 1877.

People involved

Sources

  1. Battle of the Big Hole Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-21
  2. Nez Perce War Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-07
  3. Chief Joseph Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-10

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.