The night of November 26, 1868, Black Kettle, a peace Chief of the Southern Cheyenne having heard that Army cavalry were in the vicinity had decided to move his winter encampment closer to the other villages camped along the Washita valley in western Oklahoma. At dawn on the 27th, (the fourth Thursday in November) four battalions – about 700 soldiers – of the 7th U.S. Cavalry under the command of Lt. Col. George Custer attacked the snow bound village. The number of Cheyenne casualties reported ranges from the 300 later claimed by Custer to only 13 described by the Indian captives. Black Kettle and his wife Medicine Woman were killed. Numerous other women and children were killed and captured to use as human shields during Custer’s return to Fort Supply.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/waba/home.htm
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/W/WA037.html
November winds still carry
the sound of battle
on the Washita
along the Washita
sand plums fruit where the children
and women died
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