Battlespace 1865

Douglas Scott is with both Nebraska Wesleyan University and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. His areas of specialization are historical archaeology of the American West, military archaeology, conflict and battlefield archaeology, human rights and forensic archaeology. He has conducted most of his fieldwork in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain West, and has also worked on human rights and forensic cases in Rwanda, Croatia, Bosnia, and Cyprus. Peter Bleed in Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nebraska with particular research interest in battlefield archaeology, technology, material culture, lithics, historic archaeology, experimental archaeology, Japan, and North America especially in the application of evolutionary approaches to the study of material systems. Amanda Renner is an archeologist and GIS specialist with the National Park Service at the Midwest Archeological Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. She received her B.A. in anthropology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and M. A. in Anthropology from the University of Wyoming. She also completed a graduate certificate in geographic information science from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her interests include applications of GIS to archeology, predictive modeling, and Great Plains/Rocky Mountains archaeology.

• Acknowledgements 1. Introduction2. Landscapes and Dynamics of the Platte Valley in 1864 and 1865Forms and Features of the Platte Valley LandscapeThe River CourseNorth Platte Valley Side SlopesNorth Platte BluffsPlainsTraffic and Trail Patterns of the Platte ValleyEuro-American TrailsNative American TrailsEuro-American Civilian FacilitiesRelations between the United States Government and Platte Valley Native CommunitiesThe Sand Creek MassacreIndian Reactions to Sand Creek and the move to the North Platte ValleyArmy Reactions to Sand Creek3. Conceptual Tools for the Consideration of Conflicted LandscapesLevels of WarThe Strategic LevelThe Operational LevelThe Tactical LevelConflicted Landscapes as “Battlespace” 4. Levels of War and Battlespace in the North Platte Valley of 1865Levels of War and Battlespace among the Cheyenne and allied tribesLevels of War and Battlespace of the Civil War Frontier ArmyBattlespace – Trails and Battlefields as Essential Elements 5. Conflict Begins – The Battle of Mud SpringsMud Springs as Battlespace Strategy and Tactics of the Mud Spring Operation 6. The Archaeology of the Mud Springs BattleThe Archaeological AssemblageFirearms Artifact DistributionThe “Rifle Pit” FeatureInterpreting the Actions and Evidence of Mud Springs 7. The Road to Rush CreekCheyenne Movements away from the Camp on Rush CreekThe Army’s PursuitDiscovery of the Rush Creek Camp 8. The Forces Collide at Rush CreekBeginning of the BattleTactical Operations of Rush Creek CombatArtillery at Rush Creek Cavalry Action at Rush Creek 9. Archaeology of the Rush Creek BattleArchaeological Expression of the BattlefieldSmall Arms EvidenceArtillery EvidenceRush Creek: A battlespace adjusted to surprise 10. Conclusions Appendix: Transcriptions of Enlisted Men’s Accounts of the Fights References Index

This book ... contains a most interesting and informative account of two relatively small and unfamiliar actions between the US Cavalry and the Cheyenne.