Bear River Massacre (1863)

On January 29, 1863, United States Army forces under Colonel Patrick Edward Connor attacked a Shoshone winter encampment near Preston, Idaho. The assault resulted in the deaths of an estimated 250 to 493 Shoshone men, women, and children, including Chief Bear Hunter. The attack followed years of resource competition, settler displacement, and violent incidents on the Overland Mail Route.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Tensions escalated due to years of skirmishes, food raids, and settler displacement of Shoshone from ancestral lands. In 1862, Shoshone were reported as starving and destitute in Cache Valley. Several incidents in late 1862 involving stolen livestock and attacks on migrants led to military action. Connor determined to chastise the Shoshone despite unfavorable winter conditions.

Expedition. Throughout January 1863, soldiers at Fort Douglas prepared for a lengthy expedition traveling north to the Shoshone. Connor, as commander of the District of Utah, led a detachment of California Volunteers. The expedition aimed to recover stolen livestock and address the threat posed by the Shoshone band responsible for prior massacres on the Overland Mail Route.

Attack. Connor's troops encountered a Shoshone encampment along the Bear River on January 29, 1863. The Shoshone had made defensive arrangements, but Connor sent troops to block escape routes through a ravine and executed a flanking maneuver from a ridge. The attack resulted in significant casualties among the Shoshone, who had been supplied by Mormons.

People involved

Sources

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