John Lawrence Grattan
Encyclopedia
John Lawrence Grattan was a mid-19th century US Cavalry officer, whose poor judgement and inexperience led to the Grattan massacre
, which was a major instigator for the First Sioux War
.
, with little being known about his youth. He entered West Point in 1849, but did very poorly in his courses. Out of a class of 63, he finished 51st in French
, and 43rd in Engineering
, and failing mathematics
altogether. Due to this, he was held back for a year. He applied himself the following year, finishing in the top third of his class for that year, only to again fall to the bottom third by his final year. In 1853, he graduated 36th out of a class of 55. Fellow graduates that year were James McPherson
, Philip Sheridan
, John Bell Hood
, and John Schofield
, all of whom would go on to fame during the American Civil War
. Grattan, however, would achieve what fame he did receive due to a mistake during his very first command.
to the 6th Infantry. Given the customary three months leave following his graduation, Grattan was to have reported to Company G, 6th Infantry, at Fort Laramie, by October 1, 1853. However he failed to arrive until November 16, 1853. Within his first month, according to recorded reports from Post Surgeon Charles Page, Grattan received a reputation as being brash and boastful, while also giving off the impression that he was proud to serve in the army. The most disturbing trait, according to later accounts given by Page, was that Grattan displayed a disdain and dislike of the American Indian
s, despite having had no contact with them whatsoever up to that point, save seeing or meeting any who were in or around the post.
In July and August, 1854, new settlers moving west were plagued by raids from the Cheyenne
, and calling on the army to do something about it. After one mid-August raid, settlers and traders encountered the Cheyenne warriors and pursued them, only to give up the chase before engaging. When Grattan was told this, he ridiculed the pursuers for fearing a confrontation with the Cheyenne. However, fear had little to nothing to do with the pursuers backing away. In reality, the settlers and traders who were pursuing the band of warriors had enough experience to recognize that the Cheyenne seemed to be baiting them into a possible ambush, thus they stopped their pursuit and reported the incident to Fort Laramie. During his ridicule of the men, Grattan stated that with 10 men he could defeat the entire Cheyenne nation.
Around this same time, in expectation that treaty annuities were soon to come, elements of the Lakota and Oglala
had camped near the fort. Collectively the Sioux
villages spread across a three mile area along the North Platte River
. In the Native American camps, seasoned chiefs were struggling to control the more impatient young warriors, who were angered by the sight of their people starving, and over former broken promises by the whites. This would be compounded by the fact that Fort Laramie was at the time under the command of two young inexperienced officers, with one being a brash and totally untested young Second Lieutenant.
wagon train
passing through had lost a straggling and lame cow. With any game being scarce in the area, the Sioux butchered the cow, and feasted on it. On August 18, 1854, the wagon train reached Fort Laramie, where the owner of the cow complained to Lt. John Fleming that his cow had been stolen by the Indians. Reports vary, with the most reliable accounts stating that the owner noticed that the cow was missing, and returned to find that the Indians had butchered it. Lt. Fleming sent for Conquering Bear
, the leader of the band where the cow had been butchered. Although Conquering Bear did not agree with all of the details in the Treaty of 1851
, he did understand quite clearly that restitution was required for any property stolen from white settlers.
However, Conquering Bear also knew full well that, by the terms of the treaty, this was not a military matter, a fact that Lt. Fleming was not aware of. In reality, a matter of this sort should have been handled by John Whitfield, the Indian Agent
assigned to the area, who was due to arrive within the week. Lt. Fleming wanted the brave who had initially killed the cow, High Forehead, arrested and delivered to the fort. By later Indian accounts, Conquering Bear entered the fort feeling confident that it was a minor affair and would be settled easily enough. However, as negotiations went on, it was quickly evident that Lt. Fleming's inexperience led to him being easily swayed and influenced, in this case by the civilians involved. Conquering Bear offered the owner the choice of any of his 60 horses, but the owner refused. The owner of the cow instead wanted $25 in cash.
By this time, Lt. Grattan had joined the negotiations, and immediately taken the side of the cow owner. Finding himself encouraged by Lt. Grattan's support, the formerly uncertain Lt. Fleming now demanded that High Forehead be arrested and brought to the fort. Alarmed, Conquering Bear attempted to explain that he had no authority over High Forehead, who was of another tribe and who was a guest in his village, therefore making it impossible by his tribes traditions to arrest him. Conquering Bear left the fort, riding back to the village. He had offered to show the soldiers the lodge of High Forehead, but insisted that he nor any of his people would assist in his arrest. Lt. Fleming was known to the Sioux, and had previously led an attack on a village, with minor casualties, but nonetheless enough to give Lt. Fleming confidence in dealing with the Indians.
Lt. Fleming led a detail into the village, but getting the feeling that an arrest would most certainly result in violence, Fleming initially made a solid decision, that being to await the arrival of the Indian Agent, John Whitfield. However, Lt. Grattan pressed Fleming when the latter returned to the fort, pushing him to allow Grattan to lead a force into the Indian village to arrest High Forehead. The next morning, Lt. Grattan was authorized by Lt. Fleming to depart with a force of 22 troopers. Another poor decision on the part of Fleming, as the entire post was made up of only 75 soldiers, and that day 32 were away on wood and hay cutting details. Thus, once Lt. Grattan left the fort, Fleming was left with only a small number of soldiers. To make matters worse, Lt. Grattan took 29 troopers, 7 more than Fleming had authorized, in addition to two artillery
pieces. Sergeant
Leodegar Schnyder, would later say he did not volunteer due to his belief that the two inexperienced officers were making bad decisions, and thus, not being ordered to go, he did not. Most of the soldiers accompanying Lt. Grattan were experienced soldiers. However, as their translator the detachment had Luciene Auguste, who spoke the Dakota language
poorly, and who was despised by the Sioux. Lt. Grattan, having no prior experience with the Indians whatsoever, was now leading his small force into a major Sioux encampment which was filled with young warriors tired of what they considered to be lies told by the white government.
Halfway into the village, now seeing painted warriors who were openly hostile and riding aggressively around the column, Lt. Grattan stopped, and asked the advice of James Bordeau, an experienced trader who had lived on the frontier for many years. Bordeau had been at Fort Laramie when the earlier incident happened with Conquering Bear, and was in the village trading when the army column entered. He was not aware that the army intended on arresting High Forehead. Bordeau would later state that Auguste, the translator, was openly intoxicated and yelling to the Indians that the army had come to kill them all. Lt. Grattan spoke with Bordeau and asked how this matter could more easily be solved without bloodshed, to which Bordeau responded that Grattan should speak again with Conquering Bear, and let him handle the matter in his own time.
At this point Auguste was calling the Sioux warriors women, and was riding wildly around on his horse saying they had come to fight, not to talk. Lt. Grattan led his force deeper into the village, and located High Forehead, who upon being ordered to surrender High Forehead dared Lt. Grattan to come fight him man to man, and that he would die rather than surrender. This annoyed Grattan greatly, who now turned to negotiating with Conquering Bear. The Indian leader requested that Lt. Grattan have soldiers go and retrieve James Bordeau to translate, as Auguste would not translate correctly, and, he was intoxicated. One of the Indian leaders, Man-Afraid-Of-His-Horse, went and retrieved Bordeau. However, before Bordeau arrived the tension between Lt. Grattan and Conquering Bear had increased. Bordeau quickly realized before he reached the meeting spot that violence was obviously not going to be avoided, and he turned back.
At some point, Lt. Grattan ordered his two artillery pieces turned to point at the village. Immediately hundreds of warriors surrounded the soldiers. An up and coming young warrior at the time, Red Cloud
led a group of warriors around to flank the soldiers. Bordeau again decided to go and see what he could do to halt any violence. However, when he reached about twenty five yards distance from the meeting spot, he observed the flanking movements of the Indians, and could hear the heated exchange between Lt. Grattan and Conquering Bear, he again retreated. Bordeau returned to his trading post
, where he told all traders inside to load their weapons, as a fight was coming.
Lt. Grattan concluded his meeting, and was apparently intending on departing, as Conquering Bear turned and walked toward his lodge. However, before Lt. Grattan reached his detachment, a nervous soldier fired into some approaching warriors, wounding one man. Grattan initially moved to his artillery, however his gun crews were the first to fall, being hit by a volley of arrows. Lt. Grattan died near to the artillery. His force, now down to 18 men, banded together and attempted to reach a rocky area where they could make a stand. However, they had to cross an open prairie before reaching that point, and encountered Red Cloud's warriors in between. The remainder of Grattan's force was quickly overwhelmed and annihilated.
Grattan massacre
The Grattan Massacre was the opening conflict of the First Sioux War, fought between United States Army and Lakota Sioux warriors on August 19, 1854. It occurred east of Fort Laramie, Nebraska Territory, in present-day Goshen County, Wyoming...
, which was a major instigator for the First Sioux War
Sioux Wars
The Sioux Wars were a series of conflicts between the United States and various subgroups of the Sioux people that occurred in the latter half of the 19th century...
.
Early life and military career
Grattan was born in VermontVermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, with little being known about his youth. He entered West Point in 1849, but did very poorly in his courses. Out of a class of 63, he finished 51st in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and 43rd in Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and failing mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
altogether. Due to this, he was held back for a year. He applied himself the following year, finishing in the top third of his class for that year, only to again fall to the bottom third by his final year. In 1853, he graduated 36th out of a class of 55. Fellow graduates that year were James McPherson
James McPherson
James McPherson may refer to:* James Alan McPherson, American short story writer and essayist, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction* James Alpin McPherson, Australian bushranger* James B. McPherson, General in the United States Civil War...
, Philip Sheridan
Philip Sheridan
Philip Henry Sheridan was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S...
, John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Hood had a reputation for bravery and aggressiveness that sometimes bordered on recklessness...
, and John Schofield
John Schofield
John McAllister Schofield was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He later served as U.S. Secretary of War and Commanding General of the United States Army.-Early life:...
, all of whom would go on to fame during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Grattan, however, would achieve what fame he did receive due to a mistake during his very first command.
Military service on the frontier
Initially, Grattan's poor performance at West Point left him without a definite assignment as an officer. For a time he was attached as a Brevet Second LieutenantSecond Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
to the 6th Infantry. Given the customary three months leave following his graduation, Grattan was to have reported to Company G, 6th Infantry, at Fort Laramie, by October 1, 1853. However he failed to arrive until November 16, 1853. Within his first month, according to recorded reports from Post Surgeon Charles Page, Grattan received a reputation as being brash and boastful, while also giving off the impression that he was proud to serve in the army. The most disturbing trait, according to later accounts given by Page, was that Grattan displayed a disdain and dislike of the American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
s, despite having had no contact with them whatsoever up to that point, save seeing or meeting any who were in or around the post.
In July and August, 1854, new settlers moving west were plagued by raids from the Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
, and calling on the army to do something about it. After one mid-August raid, settlers and traders encountered the Cheyenne warriors and pursued them, only to give up the chase before engaging. When Grattan was told this, he ridiculed the pursuers for fearing a confrontation with the Cheyenne. However, fear had little to nothing to do with the pursuers backing away. In reality, the settlers and traders who were pursuing the band of warriors had enough experience to recognize that the Cheyenne seemed to be baiting them into a possible ambush, thus they stopped their pursuit and reported the incident to Fort Laramie. During his ridicule of the men, Grattan stated that with 10 men he could defeat the entire Cheyenne nation.
Around this same time, in expectation that treaty annuities were soon to come, elements of the Lakota and Oglala
Oglala
Oglala may refer to:* Oglala Lakota, or Oglala Sioux, a Sioux Nation sub-band of the Western division * The Oglala National Grassland of Nebraska* Oglala, South Dakota, a town located in Shannon County, South Dakota...
had camped near the fort. Collectively the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
villages spread across a three mile area along the North Platte River
North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long counting its many curves, It travels about distance. Its course lies in the U.S...
. In the Native American camps, seasoned chiefs were struggling to control the more impatient young warriors, who were angered by the sight of their people starving, and over former broken promises by the whites. This would be compounded by the fact that Fort Laramie was at the time under the command of two young inexperienced officers, with one being a brash and totally untested young Second Lieutenant.
Tensions build
The Indians were starving, and had been hungry for weeks awaiting the arrival of the annuities. By most reports, a MormanMorman
Morman was a Breton chieftain who was declared King after the death of the Bretons' Frankish overlord Charlemagne in 814. He is the first personage known by name to be described as a Breton "king" and he probably ruled a warband with members drawn from throughout Brittany...
wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
passing through had lost a straggling and lame cow. With any game being scarce in the area, the Sioux butchered the cow, and feasted on it. On August 18, 1854, the wagon train reached Fort Laramie, where the owner of the cow complained to Lt. John Fleming that his cow had been stolen by the Indians. Reports vary, with the most reliable accounts stating that the owner noticed that the cow was missing, and returned to find that the Indians had butchered it. Lt. Fleming sent for Conquering Bear
Conquering Bear
Matȟó Wayúhi was a Brulé Lakota chief who signed the Fort Laramie Treaty . He was killed in 1854 when troops from Fort Laramie entered his encampment to arrest a Sioux who had shot a calf belonging to the Mormons. Little Thunder took over as chief after his death...
, the leader of the band where the cow had been butchered. Although Conquering Bear did not agree with all of the details in the Treaty of 1851
Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)
Although many European and European-American migrants to western North America had previously passed through the Great Plains on the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails, the California gold rush greatly increased traffic...
, he did understand quite clearly that restitution was required for any property stolen from white settlers.
However, Conquering Bear also knew full well that, by the terms of the treaty, this was not a military matter, a fact that Lt. Fleming was not aware of. In reality, a matter of this sort should have been handled by John Whitfield, the Indian Agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
assigned to the area, who was due to arrive within the week. Lt. Fleming wanted the brave who had initially killed the cow, High Forehead, arrested and delivered to the fort. By later Indian accounts, Conquering Bear entered the fort feeling confident that it was a minor affair and would be settled easily enough. However, as negotiations went on, it was quickly evident that Lt. Fleming's inexperience led to him being easily swayed and influenced, in this case by the civilians involved. Conquering Bear offered the owner the choice of any of his 60 horses, but the owner refused. The owner of the cow instead wanted $25 in cash.
By this time, Lt. Grattan had joined the negotiations, and immediately taken the side of the cow owner. Finding himself encouraged by Lt. Grattan's support, the formerly uncertain Lt. Fleming now demanded that High Forehead be arrested and brought to the fort. Alarmed, Conquering Bear attempted to explain that he had no authority over High Forehead, who was of another tribe and who was a guest in his village, therefore making it impossible by his tribes traditions to arrest him. Conquering Bear left the fort, riding back to the village. He had offered to show the soldiers the lodge of High Forehead, but insisted that he nor any of his people would assist in his arrest. Lt. Fleming was known to the Sioux, and had previously led an attack on a village, with minor casualties, but nonetheless enough to give Lt. Fleming confidence in dealing with the Indians.
Lt. Fleming led a detail into the village, but getting the feeling that an arrest would most certainly result in violence, Fleming initially made a solid decision, that being to await the arrival of the Indian Agent, John Whitfield. However, Lt. Grattan pressed Fleming when the latter returned to the fort, pushing him to allow Grattan to lead a force into the Indian village to arrest High Forehead. The next morning, Lt. Grattan was authorized by Lt. Fleming to depart with a force of 22 troopers. Another poor decision on the part of Fleming, as the entire post was made up of only 75 soldiers, and that day 32 were away on wood and hay cutting details. Thus, once Lt. Grattan left the fort, Fleming was left with only a small number of soldiers. To make matters worse, Lt. Grattan took 29 troopers, 7 more than Fleming had authorized, in addition to two artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
pieces. Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Leodegar Schnyder, would later say he did not volunteer due to his belief that the two inexperienced officers were making bad decisions, and thus, not being ordered to go, he did not. Most of the soldiers accompanying Lt. Grattan were experienced soldiers. However, as their translator the detachment had Luciene Auguste, who spoke the Dakota language
Dakota language
Dakota is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Sioux tribes. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lakota language.-Dialects:...
poorly, and who was despised by the Sioux. Lt. Grattan, having no prior experience with the Indians whatsoever, was now leading his small force into a major Sioux encampment which was filled with young warriors tired of what they considered to be lies told by the white government.
Grattan massacre
Auguste was drinking heavily while enroute to the encampment, and Lt. Grattan either did not notice or ignored this. By the time the party reached the encampment, Auguste was completely intoxicated. Lt. Grattan did notice this intoxication after their arrival, angrily taking Auguste's bottle and smashing it against his saddle. Had he ordered Auguste back to the fort at that point, it might possibly have altered the events that followed. For the first time Lt. Grattan saw the size of the village into which he had led his men. The village was made up of some 600 Sioux lodges, with a population of some 4,800 people, of which approximately 1,200 were warriors. By this point, some of the more experienced soldiers were voicing quietly that their small force was not in a good position, and leaving would be advisable.Halfway into the village, now seeing painted warriors who were openly hostile and riding aggressively around the column, Lt. Grattan stopped, and asked the advice of James Bordeau, an experienced trader who had lived on the frontier for many years. Bordeau had been at Fort Laramie when the earlier incident happened with Conquering Bear, and was in the village trading when the army column entered. He was not aware that the army intended on arresting High Forehead. Bordeau would later state that Auguste, the translator, was openly intoxicated and yelling to the Indians that the army had come to kill them all. Lt. Grattan spoke with Bordeau and asked how this matter could more easily be solved without bloodshed, to which Bordeau responded that Grattan should speak again with Conquering Bear, and let him handle the matter in his own time.
At this point Auguste was calling the Sioux warriors women, and was riding wildly around on his horse saying they had come to fight, not to talk. Lt. Grattan led his force deeper into the village, and located High Forehead, who upon being ordered to surrender High Forehead dared Lt. Grattan to come fight him man to man, and that he would die rather than surrender. This annoyed Grattan greatly, who now turned to negotiating with Conquering Bear. The Indian leader requested that Lt. Grattan have soldiers go and retrieve James Bordeau to translate, as Auguste would not translate correctly, and, he was intoxicated. One of the Indian leaders, Man-Afraid-Of-His-Horse, went and retrieved Bordeau. However, before Bordeau arrived the tension between Lt. Grattan and Conquering Bear had increased. Bordeau quickly realized before he reached the meeting spot that violence was obviously not going to be avoided, and he turned back.
At some point, Lt. Grattan ordered his two artillery pieces turned to point at the village. Immediately hundreds of warriors surrounded the soldiers. An up and coming young warrior at the time, Red Cloud
Red Cloud
Red Cloud , was a war leader and the head Chief of the Oglala Lakota . His reign was from 1868 to 1909...
led a group of warriors around to flank the soldiers. Bordeau again decided to go and see what he could do to halt any violence. However, when he reached about twenty five yards distance from the meeting spot, he observed the flanking movements of the Indians, and could hear the heated exchange between Lt. Grattan and Conquering Bear, he again retreated. Bordeau returned to his trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
, where he told all traders inside to load their weapons, as a fight was coming.
Lt. Grattan concluded his meeting, and was apparently intending on departing, as Conquering Bear turned and walked toward his lodge. However, before Lt. Grattan reached his detachment, a nervous soldier fired into some approaching warriors, wounding one man. Grattan initially moved to his artillery, however his gun crews were the first to fall, being hit by a volley of arrows. Lt. Grattan died near to the artillery. His force, now down to 18 men, banded together and attempted to reach a rocky area where they could make a stand. However, they had to cross an open prairie before reaching that point, and encountered Red Cloud's warriors in between. The remainder of Grattan's force was quickly overwhelmed and annihilated.