Battle of Julesburg

Battle of Julesburg
Part of the Colorado War
The location of Julesburg, Colorado and the battle.
Date 7 January 1865 Location Julesburg, Colorado Result Native American victory
Belligerents
United States Army Civilian volunteers	Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota Native Americans
Commanders and leaders
Captain Nicholas J. O’Brien	Roman Nose, Spotted Tail, Pawnee Killer, Big Crow
Strength
60 soldiers 50 armed civilians	About 1,000 warriors
Casualties and losses
14 soldiers killed 4 civilians killed	probably none

The Battle of Julesburg took place on January 7, 1865 near Julesburg, Colorado between 1,000 Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota Indians and about 60 soldiers of the U.S. army and 40 to 50 civilians. The Indians defeated the soldiers and over the next few weeks plundered ranches and stagecoach stations up and down the valley of the South Platte River

The Sand Creek Massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho on November 29, 1864 caused a large number of Indians on the Kansas and Colorado Great Plains to intensify hostilities against the U.S. Army and White settlers. On January 1, 1865, the Indians met on Cherry Creek (near present-day St. Francis, Kansas) to plan revenge. In the meeting were the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers, the Northern Arapaho, and two bands of Lakota Sioux, the Brulé under Spotted Tail, and the Oglala under Pawnee Killer. Roman Nose was probably among the Cheyenne warriors. The Indian army numbered about 1,000 warriors. They decided that their target would be Julesburg, Colorado, located along the South Platte River.

Julesburg was a prominent way station on the Overland Trail. It consisted of a stagecoach station, stables, an express and telegraph office, a warehouse, and a large store that catered to travelers going to Denver along the South Platte. The residents were described as "Fifty men...all armed to the teeth with everything arranged so they could fight behind sod walls. One mile west was Fort Rankin (later Fort Sedgwick) with a complement of one company of cavalry, about sixty men, under Captain Nicholas J. O’Brien. The fort, although only four months old, was formidable, measuring 240 feet by 360 feet (75 by 110 mts), and ringed by a sod wall 18 feet (5.5 mts) tall.

The Julesburg Battle is unusual in that the main source of information about the battle comes from the Indian side, mostly from George Bent a half Cheyenne/half White warrior who participated in the battle. Bent later told the story to anthropologists George Bird Grinnell and George E. Hyde.

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