On December 21, 1866, the struggle climaxed when a well-organized force of Lakota, Northern Cheyennes, and Arapahos attacked and destroyed a detachment of forty-nine infantrymen and three officers of the 18th Infantry, twenty-seven troopers of the 2nd Cavalry, and two civilians under the command of Captain William Judd Fetterman near Fort Phil Kearny. Because none of the soldiers lived to tell what happened, the Fetterman fight fosters myth and speculation. This book examines the conflicts that ensued in the Powder River country during the nineteenth century and clarifies the events that have become distorted in Western history.

"First paperbound printing, 2010"--Title page verso.

The sowing of the dragon -- This land Is indian -- The Overland circus : the 18th infantry enters the Powder River country -- Lakotas strike to defend the Powder River country -- Autumn of trial : the army view of the Powder River War in 1866 -- Wau-nee-chee : Lakotas unite for war/Fetterman arrives at Fort Phil Kearny -- Where a hundred soldiers were killed -- Time of triumph, time of fear -- The Achilles Syndrome : an essay on the making of the Fetterman myth.