Atlas of Battles

battle, nineteenth century

Battle of Powder River

Battle of Powder River was a battle fought on 17 March 1876 at Powder River, in what is now Montana, United States. It was part of the Great Sioux War of 1876, which ran from 1876 to 1877. The recorded result: Northern Cheyenne/Oglala Lakota victory. Recorded strength: 100–250 against 384.

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Powder River at about bed-full flow
Powder River at about bed-full flow. John A. Moody & Robert H. Meade, USGS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought17 March 1876
WherePowder River, Montana, United States45.443N, 105.409W
OutcomeNorthern Cheyenne/Oglala Lakota victory
BelligerentsNorthern Cheyenne; Oglala Lakota SiouxagainstUnited States
Part ofGreat Sioux War of 18761876 to 1877

Where it sits in the Great Sioux War of 1876

Battle of Slim Buttes, 1876Battle of Powder River, 1876Battle of Prairie Dog Creek, 1876Battle of the Rosebud, 1876Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1876Battle of Warbonnet Creek, 1876Battle of Cedar Creek, 1876Dull Knife Fight, 1876Battle of Ash Creek, 1876Battle of Wolf Mountain, 1877Battle of Little Muddy Creek, 187718761877Battle of Powder River, 1876
11 placed engagements of the Great Sioux War of 1876 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date17 March 1876
PlacePowder River, Montana, United States
45.443N, 105.409W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength100–250384
Casualties and losses3 killed, several people later died of exposure; 3 wounded4 killed; 6 wounded; 66 frostbitten
Commanders
  • Joseph J. Reynolds
  • Anson Mills
  • Henry E. Noyes
  • Alexander Moore (soldier)
Battle of Powder RiverBattle of Powder RiverBattle of Wolf MountainBattle of Prairie Dog CreekBattle of Little Muddy CreekBattle of SuggsBattle of Honsinger BluffBattle of Wolf MountainBattle of Prairie Dog CreekBattle of Little Muddy CreekBattle of SuggsBattle of Honsinger BluffGilletteHardinLead100 km45.443N, 105.409W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1876

Battle of Powder River is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (17 in Montana).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q16898752, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Powder River, revision 1381619365, 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. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.