Dull Knife Fight: Mackenzie's attack on the Cheyenne village

Background. Following the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the Great Sioux War of 1876 continued. General Crook received reinforcements at Goose Creek, Wyoming, and moved up the Bozeman Trail. After learning of a Cheyenne village in October 1876, Crook sent Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie to locate it. The expedition left Fort Fetterman on November 14, 1876, with 1,500 officers and men, including artillery and infantry companies.

The Attack. On November 25, 1876, Mackenzie found the camp of Dull Knife and Little Wolf on the Red Fork of the Powder River. The engagement involved soldiers and scouts of the United States Army against warriors of the Northern Cheyenne. This battle was part of the broader conflict known as the Great Sioux War of 1876, also called the Black Hills War.

Aftermath. The defeat at the Dull Knife Fight contributed to the end of the Black Hills War. Some Northern Cheyenne joined Chief Crazy Horse's camp and fought at the Battle of Wolf Mountain in January 1877. The conflict involved significant military operations, including the destruction of Cheyenne camps, which had occurred multiple times prior to 1876.