Battle of the Little Wichita
Archer City, Archer County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In reaction to an Indian attack on a mail stage, Capt. Curwen B. McLellan set out on July 6, 1870, from Fort Richardson with 56 men of the 6th Cavalry. On July 12, McLellan's command encountered a war party of 250 Kiowas led by "Kicking Bird" near the north fork of the Little Wichita (6 miles NW). After a brief skirmish, McLellan ordered his troops into retreat, fighting a defensive battle across the middle and south forks of the Little Wichita. The Indians gave up the chase on the 13th. Corporal John Given and Private George Blume were killed; 13 Medals of Honor were awarded for heroism. (1974)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On the North Texas frontier in July 1870, Captain Curwen B. McLellan led 56 troopers of the 6th Cavalry out of Fort Richardson in response to a raid on a mail stage. Near the forks of the Little Wichita his small command ran into a Kiowa war party of some 250 fighters under Kicking Bird and was forced into a fighting retreat that cost the lives of two soldiers. The clash was one of the sharp Southern Plains engagements of the post-Civil War era, and an extraordinary thirteen Medals of Honor were awarded for the day's fighting.
Why it matters
The skirmish marks the violent contest for the Southern Plains, when the U.S. Army and the Kiowa fought over the future of a frontier that would soon be closed to Native life.
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Related people
- · Curwen B. McLellan
- · Kicking Bird
- · John Given
- · George Blume
Related events
- · Battle of the Little Wichita
Themes & tags
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