A Grateful Greyhound: April 20, 1876

Much can be said, or written on the subject of dogs as “man’s best friend.” Their loyalty is more than endearing. One received mention en route to the Little Bighron.

No mention seems to exist regarding dogs at the Little Bighorn. However when Colonel John Gibbon’s Montana Column reached Fort Pease, the men were greeted by a greyhound that was “overjoyed” to see them.

Fort Pease

Fort Pease (see Fort Pease February 18^, 2026) was located on the north bank of the Yellowstone River. A group of enterprising trappers and traders had built it across from the mouth of the Bighorn River. However, persistent raids and attacks by Miniconjou Sioux persuaded the occupants to seek military help. They abandoned the fort.

Apparently one occupant had been away when the fort’s occupants and military escort left. Perhaps the dog was out hunting at the time. It had managed to subsist on its own, at any rate, from the first week of March until April 20^th when more white men arrived at the fort.

The Campaign Plan

Gibbon’s column had marched out of Fort Shaw, nearly 400 miles to the north and west, on March 17^th. They had gathered two more troops of 7th Infantry and four of 2^nd Cavalry at Fort Ellis, near present-day Bozeman, Montana.

Gibbon’s orders were to patrol the Yellowstone River’s north bank and prevent hostile Sioux and Cheyenne from escaping northward. Meantime, General Crook’s Wyoming Column would push up from the south. General Terry’s Dakota Column would converge from the east.

The plan, overseen by General Phil Sheridan, was to entrap a large gathering of non-treaty Indians and force them onto reservations. However, many treaty Indians were leaving agencies and joining the non-treaty tribes. To the generals and politician in the East, all Indians not on reservations were now regarded as “hostiles.”

As noted in previous posts, Crook met with setback on the Powder River (see The March Toward Destiny Begins, March 17, 20266.) Custer, who was to lead the Dakota Column had been called back to Washington, D.C. to testify in the Trader Post inquiry (See March 29 and April 4^th Trader Post Testimony postings). Custer had then lost favor with President Grant. Severe weather conditions set in, further delaying the Dakota Column’s start.

Subsistence and Survival

Still, the Montana Column had dutifully performed its assignment. It was patrolling the Yellowstone’s north bank. The troops arrived at the abandoned site of Fort Pease to be greeted by an elated greyhound.

Lieutenant James Bradley noted in his journal for that day, “A greyhound was found inhabiting it, who has been its solitary occupant for weeks. He was overjoyed to see human beings again. How he subsisted is a mystery, but probably by hunting rabbits and other small game.”

Canine Connections

When Captain William Fetterman marched out of Fort Phil Kearny for the last time on December 21, 1866, a dog from the fort followed his command. The dog did not survive the attack that took the lives of Fetterman and the 80 men with him.

Dogs had served many roles amongst Indian tribes. Before Plains tribes obtained horses, dogs often carried packs or pulled small travois. Dogs also sometimes sounded alarms, especially at night, when intruders might wander into a camp. They also served as meal fodder at times, and in some cases were valued as such.

Lewis and Clark mentioned this factor in their journals. Lewis found a meal of dog quite palatable. If Clark ever sampled it, however, he made it known he did not like it. He seemed to favor the dog as a companion. At times on the brink of starvation, the expedition sometimes subsisted on the meat of dogs. Despite that need, Lewis’s large Newfoundland accompanied them for the duration of their voyage.

A seemingly self-indulgent Custer regularly brought dogs with him on campaigns. He kept staghounds, sometimes in large numbers, using them to chase game in such a way that he could shoot it. Custer’s final expedition was no exception. However, he left his dogs back at the Powder River supply depot when he embarked on his final ride up Rosebud Creek and to the Little Bighorn.

Outcome Unknown

It is not recorded what became of the Fort Pease greyhound that was so overjoyed to see people again. It seems the dog must have followed Gibbon’s troops. We will likely never know if that dog accompanied them to the Little Bighorn – or beyond.