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Fort Reno (Wyoming)
Encyclopedia
Fort Reno was a wooden fort constructed in 1865 by the United States Army
on the Great Plains
frontier
in the Dakota Territory
in present-day Johnson County, Wyoming. It served to protect travellers on the Bozeman Trail
from warring Native American tribes
.
, a large number of settlers headed west to seek new opportunities and land. With the discovery of gold in the Black Hills
region of what is today Montana
, large numbers of miners, adventurers, and settlers flocked to the area, but lacked a direct route to the gold fields. Soon, the Bozeman Trail was constructed through the middle of a region considered sacred by the Lakota Sioux
, who began to attack travellers along the trail. Concerned, the Army constructed a series of forts and outposts in 1865–66 to house garrisons to deter the Indians.
One such fort was established on August 14, 1865, on a high plateau
on the banks of the Powder River
near the mouth of Dry Fork. It was originally named "Fort Connor" for Brig. Gen. Patrick Connor
, whose men of the 6th Michigan Cavalry
constructed the fort as a supply depot during the Powder River Expeditions
of that summer. On November 11, 1865, the post was renamed "Fort Reno" in honor of Maj. Gen. Jesse L. Reno
, who had been killed in the American Civil War
at the Battle of South Mountain
.
Fort Reno was crudely built with a quartermaster's and commissary warehouse and stables surrounded by a 120 square feet (11.1 m²) stockade of 8-10" diameter cottonwood logs. The rough logs were set four feet deep in a trench, leaving a wall about eight feet high. During the fall of 1865, workers constructed other buildings outside of the stockade, including two barracks, two officers' quarters, hospital, shops, teamsters' quarters, and two sutler's buildings. All of the buildings had sod-covered roofs and dirt floors. In August, Companies C and D of the 5th U. S. Volunteers (a command of former Confederate
prisoners of war who had taken the oath of allegiance
), and Company A, Omaha Scouts (members of the Winnebago
tribe), relieved the Michigan cavalry. Under the command of Capt. George M. Bailey, they garrisoned the isolated fort during the harsh winter of 1865–66.
During Red Cloud's War
the following summer, Col. Henry B. Carrington
of the 18th U. S. Infantry led a force of 700 men into the Powder River country to begin construction of two other new posts farther to the north. They reached Fort Reno on June 28, 1866, and stayed two weeks. When he left on July 9, Carrington left behind two companies to replace the existing volunteer garrison, which mustered out of the service and departed home "without a single regret." The newly arrived Regular Army
soldiers constructed a log stockade around the unprotected garrison buildings, complete with log bastions on the northwest and southeast corners. They also built a sturdy adobe
commander's quarters. In 1867, the post was renovated and expanded. The garrison (whose number ranged from 125 to a high of 300 soldiers) endured the routines of camp life and the harsh winters and hot summers, occasionally skirmishing with hostile Indians and keeping the southern end of the Bozeman Trail open and passable.
The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie
ended Red Cloud's War
and essentially ceded much of their old hunting grounds to the Lakota. Along with Forts C.F. Smith and Phil Kearny
, Fort Reno was abandoned as a condition of the agreement. Shortly after the military left, the entire post was destroyed by fire, possibly ignited by Cheyenne
warriors. Gen. George Crook
's troops briefly visited Fort Reno in March 1876, but found that all that was left were some adobe walls and building debris. Nevertheless, he used the site as a supply base.
Bodies left in the post cemetery were later reinterred and placed at the Custer Battlefield National Cemetery
during the 1880s. The grounds that comprised the fort site have generally returned to a natural prairie sod cover.
The site, approximately 12 miles (19.3 km) northeast of Sussex, Wyoming, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on March 28, 1970. There is a large stone monument and several interpretive signs marking the site.
Two other army posts were also named Fort Reno—one in the defenses of Washington D.C. during the Civil War, and another frontier outpost built in 1874 in what is now Oklahoma
.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
on the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
in the Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
in present-day Johnson County, Wyoming. It served to protect travellers on the Bozeman Trail
Bozeman Trail
The Bozeman Trail was an overland route connecting the gold rush territory of Montana to the Oregon Trail. Its most important period was from 1863-1868. The flow of pioneers and settlers through territory of American Indians provoked their resentment and caused attacks. The U.S. Army undertook...
from warring Native American tribes
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
.
Establishment
Following the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, a large number of settlers headed west to seek new opportunities and land. With the discovery of gold in the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
region of what is today Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, large numbers of miners, adventurers, and settlers flocked to the area, but lacked a direct route to the gold fields. Soon, the Bozeman Trail was constructed through the middle of a region considered sacred by the Lakota Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
, who began to attack travellers along the trail. Concerned, the Army constructed a series of forts and outposts in 1865–66 to house garrisons to deter the Indians.
One such fort was established on August 14, 1865, on a high plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
on the banks of the Powder River
Powder River (Montana)
Powder River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, approximately long in the southeastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming in the United States. It drains an area historically known as the Powder River Country on the high plains east of the Bighorn Mountains.It rises in three forks in eastern...
near the mouth of Dry Fork. It was originally named "Fort Connor" for Brig. Gen. Patrick Connor
Patrick Edward Connor
Patrick Edward Connor was a Union General during the American Civil War. He was most famous for his campaigns against Native Americans in the American Old West.-Early life and career:...
, whose men of the 6th Michigan Cavalry
6th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Regiment
The 6th Regiment Michigan Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was a part of the famed Michigan Brigade, commanded for a time by Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer.-Service:...
constructed the fort as a supply depot during the Powder River Expeditions
Powder River Expeditions
The Powder River Expedition, or the Powder River War and Powder River Invasion, of 1865, was a military operation of the United States Army against native Americans in what soon became the Wyoming and Montana territories.-Expedition:...
of that summer. On November 11, 1865, the post was renamed "Fort Reno" in honor of Maj. Gen. Jesse L. Reno
Jesse L. Reno
Jesse Lee Reno was a career United States Army officer who served in the Mexican-American War, the western frontier, and as a Union General during the American Civil War...
, who had been killed in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
at the Battle of South Mountain
Battle of South Mountain
The Battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps. Maj. Gen. George B...
.
Fort Reno was crudely built with a quartermaster's and commissary warehouse and stables surrounded by a 120 square feet (11.1 m²) stockade of 8-10" diameter cottonwood logs. The rough logs were set four feet deep in a trench, leaving a wall about eight feet high. During the fall of 1865, workers constructed other buildings outside of the stockade, including two barracks, two officers' quarters, hospital, shops, teamsters' quarters, and two sutler's buildings. All of the buildings had sod-covered roofs and dirt floors. In August, Companies C and D of the 5th U. S. Volunteers (a command of former Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
prisoners of war who had taken the oath of allegiance
Oath of allegiance
An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to monarch or country. In republics, modern oaths specify allegiance to the country's constitution. For example, officials in the United States, a republic, take an oath of office that...
), and Company A, Omaha Scouts (members of the Winnebago
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
tribe), relieved the Michigan cavalry. Under the command of Capt. George M. Bailey, they garrisoned the isolated fort during the harsh winter of 1865–66.
Reinforcement and abandonment
Red Cloud's War
Red Cloud's War was an armed conflict between the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho and the United States in the Wyoming Territory and the Montana Territory from 1866 to 1868. The war was fought over control of the Powder River Country in north central present day Wyoming...
the following summer, Col. Henry B. Carrington
Henry B. Carrington
Henry Beebee Carrington was a lawyer, professor, prolific author, and an officer in the United States Army during the American Civil War and in the Old West during Red Cloud's War...
of the 18th U. S. Infantry led a force of 700 men into the Powder River country to begin construction of two other new posts farther to the north. They reached Fort Reno on June 28, 1866, and stayed two weeks. When he left on July 9, Carrington left behind two companies to replace the existing volunteer garrison, which mustered out of the service and departed home "without a single regret." The newly arrived Regular Army
Regular Army
The Regular Army of the United States was and is the successor to the Continental Army as the country's permanent, professional military establishment. Even in modern times the professional core of the United States Army continues to be called the Regular Army...
soldiers constructed a log stockade around the unprotected garrison buildings, complete with log bastions on the northwest and southeast corners. They also built a sturdy adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
commander's quarters. In 1867, the post was renovated and expanded. The garrison (whose number ranged from 125 to a high of 300 soldiers) endured the routines of camp life and the harsh winters and hot summers, occasionally skirmishing with hostile Indians and keeping the southern end of the Bozeman Trail open and passable.
The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie
Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868)
The Treaty of Fort Laramie was an agreement between the United States and the Oglala, Miniconjou, and Brulé bands of Lakota people, Yanktonai Dakota, and Arapaho Nation signed in 1868 at Fort Laramie in the Wyoming Territory, guaranteeing to the Lakota ownership of the Black Hills, and further...
ended Red Cloud's War
Red Cloud's War
Red Cloud's War was an armed conflict between the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho and the United States in the Wyoming Territory and the Montana Territory from 1866 to 1868. The war was fought over control of the Powder River Country in north central present day Wyoming...
and essentially ceded much of their old hunting grounds to the Lakota. Along with Forts C.F. Smith and Phil Kearny
Fort Phil Kearny
Fort Phil Kearny was an outpost of the United States Army that existed in the late 1860s in present-day northeastern Wyoming along the Bozeman Trail. Construction began Friday July 13, 1866 by Companies A, C, E and H of the 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry, under the direction of the regimental...
, Fort Reno was abandoned as a condition of the agreement. Shortly after the military left, the entire post was destroyed by fire, possibly ignited by Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
warriors. Gen. George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
's troops briefly visited Fort Reno in March 1876, but found that all that was left were some adobe walls and building debris. Nevertheless, he used the site as a supply base.
Bodies left in the post cemetery were later reinterred and placed at the Custer Battlefield National Cemetery
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument preserves the site of the June 25, 1876, Battle of the Little Bighorn, near Crow Agency, Montana, in the United States. It also serves as a memorial to those who fought in the battle: George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry and a combined Lakota-Northern...
during the 1880s. The grounds that comprised the fort site have generally returned to a natural prairie sod cover.
The site, approximately 12 miles (19.3 km) northeast of Sussex, Wyoming, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on March 28, 1970. There is a large stone monument and several interpretive signs marking the site.
Two other army posts were also named Fort Reno—one in the defenses of Washington D.C. during the Civil War, and another frontier outpost built in 1874 in what is now Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.