THE BATTLE OF BLUE WATER
N 41° 20.907 W 102° 11.133
13T E 735460 N 4581261
On September 3, 1855, the U.S. Army's 600-man Sioux Expedition, attacked and destroyed a Lakota village located three miles north on Blue Creek.
Waymark Code: WM3T2H
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 05/13/2008
Views: 36
On September 3, 1855, the U.S. Army's 600-man Sioux Expedition, commanded by Col. William
S. Harney, attacked and destroyed a Lakota village located three miles north on Blue Creek. The
fight became known as the Battle of Blue Water, sometimes the Battle of Ash Hollow after the nearby landmark, or the Harney Massacre.
The army's attack avenged the Indian annihilation of Lt. John Grattan's command near Fort
Laramie in 1854. Harney concluded the more than 250 Brules and Oglalas camped on Blue
Creek were the guilty parties. He divided his force and led his infantry towards the village. While
Harney engaged in a delaying parley with Chief Little Thunder, the mounted troops had circled
undetected to the north.
The infantry opened fire with its new, long-range rifles and forced the Indians to flee toward the
mounted soldiers, who inflicted terrible casualties. Eighty-six Indians were killed, seventy
women and children were captured, and their tipis were looted and burned. This first, yet often
overlooked, military campaign against the Lakota kept the Overland Trail open, but only
postponed until 1863-64 a war between the two nations.
Erected in memory of Dennis Shimmin
Ash Hollow State Historical Park Superintendent, 1968-1998.
Nebraska State Historical Society
U.S. 26, 1 1/2 miles west of Lewellen
Garden County
Marker 403
Marker Name: THE BATTLE OF BLUE WATER
City: no
Roadside: yes
Other: yes
Web Address if available:: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
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1. Close up of historical marker
2. Picture of surrounding area (would prefer to have the marker in the picture also). Thanks!