At the Break of Dawn . . .

At the break of dawn, warriors prepare for battle by putting on their finest dress, including war shirts, and painting and readying selected war ponies to gain spiritual strength and protection. They gather weapons including bow, arrows, lance, war club, knife, and war shield. At Lodge Trail Ridge, mounted Sioux hide in draws east of the soldiers’ road, while Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Sioux warriors, mounted and dismounted, hide in the brush along Peno Creek. Two men from each tribe are chosen as decoys, an honor for ten warriors who ride out to attack and lure the soldiers into the ambush. Members of the warrior societies warn the others to remain hidden, keep their horses quiet, and wait for the signal. When the soldiers arrive as expected and the decoys criss-cross, a Cheyenne war leader gives the signal to attack, and the warriors break from cover.

Wyoming · United States