Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Bear River Massacre

Bear River Massacre was a battle fought on 29 January 1863 at Franklin County, in what is now Idaho, United States. It was part of the American Indian Wars, which ran from 1609 to 1924. The recorded result: United States victory. Recorded strength: ~200 men against ~120 men.

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Fought29 January 1863
WhereFranklin County, Idaho, United States42.146N, 111.914W
OutcomeUnited States victory
BelligerentsUnited StatesagainstNorthern Shoshone (Cache Valley band)
Casualties and losses21 killed; 46 woundedand~250, 493 killed,; ~160 captured
Battlefield todayBear River battlefieldNPS site ID001, 3,627 acres studied, 995 core
Part ofAmerican Indian Wars1609 to 1924

Where it sits in the American Indian Wars

Battle of Blue Licks, 1782Battle of the Sink Hole, 1815Battle of Village Creek, 1841Battle of Egan Station, 1860Battle of Pease River, 1860Bear River Massacre, 1863First Battle of Adobe Walls, 1864Battle of the Tongue River, 1865Battle of Beecher Island, 1868Battle of Washita River, 1868Battle of Summit Springs, 1869Battle of Blanco Canyon, 1871Battle of the North Fork of the Red River, 1872Battle of Sugar Point, 1898Battle of Kelley Creek, 191117821911Bear River Massacre, 1863
15 placed engagements of the American Indian Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date29 January 1863
PlaceFranklin County, Idaho, United States
42.146N, 111.914W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength~200 men~120 men
Casualties and losses21 killed; 46 wounded~250, 493 killed,; ~160 captured
Commanders
  • Patrick Edward Connor
  • Bear Hunter
Bear River MassacreBear River Massacre20 km42.146N, 111.914W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. The dashed outline is the battlefield study area mapped by the NPS American Battlefield Protection Program. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1863

The National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program maps this as the Bear River battlefield (site ID001): a study area of 3,627 acres, with a core area of 995 acres where the fighting was concentrated; 3,626 acres retain enough integrity to be potentially eligible for the National Register.

Bear River Massacre is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (6 in Idaho).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q657024, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Bear River Massacre, revision 1378918577, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Battlefield boundary and area from the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program (public domain). Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.