January Moon: The Northern Cheyenne Breakout from Fort Robinson, 1878–1879

by Jerome A. Greene

Historian Jerome A. Greene is renowned for his memorable chronicles of egregious events involving American Indians and the U.S. military, including Sand Creek, Washita, and Wounded Knee. Now, in January Moon, Greene draws from extensive research and fieldwork to explore a signal—and appallingly brutal—event in American history: the desperate flight of Chief Dull Knife’s Northern Cheyenne Indians from imprisonment at Fort Robinson, Nebraska.

In the wake of the Great Sioux War of 1876–77, the U.S. government expelled most Northern Cheyennes from their northern plains homeland to Indian Territory, in present-day Oklahoma. Following mounting hardships, many of those people, under Chiefs Dull Knife and Little Wolf, broke away, seeking to return north. While Little Wolf’s band managed initially to elude pursuing U.S. troops, Dull Knife’s people were captured in 1878 and ushered into a makeshift barrack prison at Camp (later Fort) Robinson, where they spent months waiting for government officials to decide their fate. It is here that Greene’s riveting narrative edges toward its climax.

On the night of January 9, 1879, in a bloody struggle with troops, Dull Knife’s people staged a massive breakout from their barrack prison in a last-ditch bid for freedom. Greene paints a vivid picture of their frantic escape, which took place under an unusually brilliant moon that doomed many of those fleeing by silhouetting them against the snow. A climactic engagement at Antelope Creek proved especially devastating, and the helpless people were nearly annihilated.

In gripping detail, Greene follows the survivors’ dreadful experiences into their aftermath, including creation of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Carrying the story to the present day, he describes Cheyenne tribal events commemorating the breakout—all designed to ensure that the injustices of nineteenth-century U.S. government policy will never be forgotten.
 

Genres: Native American

344 pages, Hardcover

Published April 16, 2020

Reviews

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellently researched book that provides excellent detail on the Northern Cheyennes, their removal to a reservation and their attempt to escape this fate. This story boasts a number of fascinating historical characters. Respite all the book has going for it, reading it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. The writing is dry, even dull at times. Worth the slog but not anywhere near as captivating a read as it should have been. Three and a half stars.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the synopsis of the book makes clear, the subject is extensively researched. I have to hand it to Mr. Greene that he did a good job with the research. However, I did not find the book to be a compelling read or something that I could not put down. I found it to be interesting but rather dry. I think it is a good book for scholarly research.

[Kristi Thielen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about an especially tragic event in the history of western tribes: The doomed effort by Northern Cheyenne to break out of Ft. Robinson in an effort to return to their northern lands.

Indian "policy" especially of the late 19th century was so lacking in clarity not to mention rationale that the first thing the reader must do is deal with the government's premise that the Northern Cheyenne deserved to be expelled from their homelands to Indian territory in present-day Oklahoma following the Great Sioux War of 1976-1877.

Their experience in Oklahoma was dreadful - in addition to being alien to them, the hot, humid climate of the south was hard on northern people - and they broke away, trying to get north. Some evaded capture, but Dull Knife's people were recaptured and imprisoned in a prison barrack at what was then Camp Robinson, where they were ordered to return south. They refused and were denied food, firewood and basic sanitation. On the night of January 9th they broke out of the barracks and were on the run, hiding and fighting all the way, until the capture of the surviving Cheyenne at Antelope Creek.

Greene vividly tells of the events leading up to the heroic break-out, its ongoing trauma and its aftermath. The event is now commemorated annually with a run conducted by Northern Cheyenne and has grown to become one that encompasses healing as well as recollection of the initial tragedy. Runners typically come through my town of Belle Fourche, SD.

Greene has written other superb books about Indian history - this is an especially gripping one.