The Brule Sioux were especially hostile to the whites who came to Wyoming,
and their attacks on white settlers led to war against the U.S. Army, led
by General William S. Harney.  The conflict started in 1854, after a band
of Brules killed an emigrant's c ow.  A young lieutenant brought his men
into the Brule camp to retrieve the offender, and the Indians responded by
killing him and his entire unit.  In 1855, General Harney was called to
For Laramie to retaliate and punish the Sioux.  In August, he ambush ed
Brule chief Spotted Tail, Little Thunder, and their tribe as Ash Hollow,
Nebraska, killing 86 men, women, and children.  Taking advantage of the
tribal chaos that ensued, Harney demanded the surrender of Spotted Tail
and his surviving warrior.  By Marc h 1856, Harney had captured the braves
and secured safe passage for whites along the Missouri River and the
Platte Valley.