A Cold Day in Hell

Last Bull “Ledger”: Facing soldiers at Powder River Fight
(Courtesy American Museum of Natural History)

Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie in the mid-1870s
(Courtesy University of Oklahoma Western History Collections)

High Bull “Victory Roster”: Little Sun striking two Shoshone: roster captured from Sgt. Brown, 7th U.S. Cavalry, at the Little Bighorn
(Courtesy National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution)

BOOKS BY TERRY C. JOHNSTON

Cry of the Hawk
Winter Rain
Dream Catcher

Carry the Wind
BorderLords
One-Eyed Dream

Dance on the Wind
Buffalo Palace
Crack in the Sky
Ride the Moon Down
Death Rattle
Wind Walker

S
ONS OF THE
P
LAINS
N
OVELS
Long Winter Gone
Seize the Sky
Whisper of the Wolf

T
HE
P
LAINSMEN
N
OVELS
Sioux Dawn
Red Cloud’s Revenge
The Stalkers
Black Sun
Devil’s Backbone
Shadow Riders
Dying Thunder
Blood Song
Reap the Whirlwind
Trumpet on the Land
A Cold Day in Hell
Wolf Mountain Moon
Ashes of Heaven
Cries from the Earth
Lay the Mountains Low

with admiration and appreciation
I dedicate this novel to
Ken and Cheri Graves
of the Red Fork Ranch
,
and to
Mike Freidel
of Vermillion, South Dakota
,
who all three graciously opened up their
hearts and their homes and allowed me to spend
the better part of a day moving across the
historic Dull Knife Battlefield
as few have since that dramatic battle:
from horseback
.

Military

Lieutenant General Philip H. Sheridan—Division of the Missouri

Brigadier General George C. Crook—Department of the Platte

Colonel William B. Hazen—commanding Sixth U.S. Infantry, Fort Buford, D.T.

Colonel Nelson A. Miles—commanding Fifth U.S. Infantry, Tongue River Cantonment, M.T.

Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie—Fourth U.S. Cavalry, commanding cavalry wing, Powder River Expedition (brevet BRIGADIER GENERAL)

Colonel Richard I. Dodge—Twenty-third Infantry, commanding infantry wing, Powder River Expedition

Lieutenant Colonel Elwell S. Otis—Twenty-second U.S. Infantry (brevet BRIGADIER GENERAL)

Lieutenant Colonel William P. Carlin—commandant at Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, D.T., Seventeenth U.S. Infantry

Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Whistler—Fifth U.S. Infantry

Major George A. Gordon—Fifth U.S. Cavalry (Camp Robinson) (brevet COLONEL)

Major Caleb H. Carlton—Third U.S. Cavalry, commanding at Fort Fetterman (brevet COLONEL)

Major Edwin F. Townsend—Commanding Officer, Fort Laramie, W.T. (brevet COLONEL)

Captain Andrew S. Burt—H Company, Ninth U.S. Infantry

Captain Charles W. Miner—G Company, Twenty-second U.S. Infantry

Captain Malcolm McArthur—C Company, Seventeenth U.S. Infantry

Captain Louis H. Sanger—G Company, Seventeenth U.S. Infantry (brevet MAJOR)

Captain Mott Hooton—H Company, Twenty-second U.S. Infantry

Captain Augustus Randall—Quartermaster, Fifth U.S. Infantry, Tongue River Cantonment, M.T.

Captain Wyllys Lyman—I Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry

Captain James S. Casey—A Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry (brevet MAJOR)

Captain Andrew S. Bennett—B Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry

Captain Edmond Butler—C Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry

Captain Simon Snyder—F Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry

Captain Clarence B. Mauck—Fourth U.S. Cavalry (brevet MAJOR)

Captain Alfred B. Taylor—Troop L., Fifth U.S. Cavalry

Captain George M. (“Black Jack”) Randall—Chief of Scouts, Powder River Campaign Twenty-third Infantry (brevet MAJOR)

Captain John Lee—D Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

Captain Wirt Davis—F Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

Captain William C. Hemphill—I Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

Captain Henry W. Wessels—H Troop, Third U.S. Cavalry

Captain Gerald Russell—K Troop, Third U.S. Cavalry

Captain John M. Hamilton—H Troop, Fifth U.S. Cavalry

Captain James “Teddy” Egan—K Troop, Second U.S. Cavalry

Captain J. B. Campbell—Fourth U.S. Artillery battalion commander (brevet MAJOR)

Captain John V. Furey—quartermaster, Powder River Expedition

Captain Edwin Pollock—Ninth U.S. Infantry, commander of Reno Cantonment (brevet MAJOR)

First Lieutenant John Bourke—Acting Assistant Adjutant General for Expedition

First Lieutenant Walter S. Schuyler—aide-de-camp to General Crook

First Lieutenant Oskaloosa M. Smith—H Company, Twenty-second U.S. Infantry (Battalion Adjutant)

First Lieutenant William Conway—H Company, Twenty-second U.S. Infantry

First Lieutenant Benjamin C. Lockwood—G Company, Twenty-second U.S. Infantry

First Lieutenant Mason Carter—K Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry (brevet CAPTAIN)

First Lieutenant Theodore F. Forbes—G Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry

First Lieutenant Robert McDonald—D Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry

First Lieutenant William Philo Clark—I Troop, Second Cavalry, aide-de-camp to Brigadier General Crook

First Lieutenant Henry W. Lawton—Fourth U.S. Cavalry, campaign Quartermaster for the cavalry (brevet CAPTAIN)

First Lieutenant Charles M. Callahan—B Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

First Lieutenant John A. McKinney—M Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

First Lieutenant Oscar Elting—Troop K, Third U.S. Cavalry (acting agent at Red Cloud Agency after 31 June)

First Lieutenant Charles Rockwell—Fifth U.S. Cavalry, expedition commissary officer

Second Lieutenant Alfred C. Sharpe—Company H, Twenty-second U.S. Infantry

Second Lieutenant William H. Kell—Company K, Twenty-second U.S. Infantry

Second Lieutenant James D. Nickerson—C Company, Seventeenth U.S. Infantry

Second Lieutenant Frank S. Hinkle—Fifth U.S. Infantry

Second Lieutenant Hobart K. Bailey—Fifth U.S. Infantry, aide-de-camp to Colonel Miles

Second Lieutenant James Worden Pope—E Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry

Second Lieutenant David Q. Rousseau—H Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry

Second Lieutenant William H. S. Bowen—Fifth U.S. Infantry

Second Lieutenant James H. Whitten—Fifth U.S. Infantry

Second Lieutenant Joseph H. Dorst—Fourth U.S. Cavalry, Regimental Adjutant

Second Lieutenant J. W. Martin—B Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

Second Lieutenant J. Wesley Rosenquest—M Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

Second Lieutenant Harrison G. Otis—M Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

Second Lieutenant Homer W. Wheeler—G Troop, Fifth U.S. Cavalry

Second Lieutenant Hayden Delaney—Ninth U.S. Infantry

Lieutenant Henry Allison—Second U.S. Cavalry

Lieutenant O. L. Wieting—Twenty-third Infantry

First Sergeant Thomas H. Forsyth—M Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

First Sergeant James Turpin—L Troop, Fifth U.S. Cavalry

First Sergeant James S. McClellan—H Troop, Third U.S. Cavalry

Sergeant Patrick Kelly—F Company, Twenty-second U.S. Infantry

Sergeant William Hathaway—H Company, Twenty-second U.S. Infantry

Sergeant Frank Murray—M Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

Sergeant Joseph Sudsberger—M Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

†
Sergeant Robert W. McPhelan—E Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry

Corporal William J. Linn—M Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

†
Private John Geyer—I Company, Fifth U.S. Infantry

Private William Earl Smith—Fourth U.S. Cavalry, expedition orderly to Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie

Private Edward Wilson—F Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

Private Thomas Ryan—M Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

Private Jonathan Kline—G Troop, Fifth U.S. Cavalry

Trumpeter Richard Hicks—K Troop, Fourth U.S. Cavalry

Charles T. Gibson—Acting Assistant Surgeon, Glendive Cantonment

Joseph R. Gibson—chief medical officer, Powder River Expedition

L.A. LaGarde—army surgeon, Powder River Expedition

Marshall W. Wood—assistant army surgeon, Powder River Expedition

Civilian

Elizabeth Burt

Martha Luhn

Nettie Capron

Maynard Collins—trader at Fort Laramie

Johnny Bruguier (“Big Leggings”)

John B. Sharpe—wagon-master, Powder River Expedition

Tom Moore—pack-master of the Powder River Expedition mule train

Jerry Roche—reporter, New York
Herald

Army Scouts

Frank Grouard (“The Grabber”)

Billy Hunter—half-breed guide with the Pawnee Battalion

Billy Garnett—interpreter with the Powder River Expedition

Robert Jackson—Glendive Cantonment

William Jackson—Tongue River Cantonment

Luther Sage “Yellowstone” Kelly—Tongue River Cantonment

Victor Smith—Glendive Cantonment

Billy Cross—Tongue River Cantonment

Joe Culbertson—interpreter, scout with Miles

Todd Randall—squawman with Sioux wife among Red Cloud’s people

George Boyd—Tongue River Cantonment

John “Liver-Eating” Johnston—Tongue River Cantonment

Tom LeForge—Tongue River Cantonment

Major Frank North—commanding, Pawnee Battlion

Captain Luther North—second in command, Pawnee Battlion

Lieutenant S. E. Cushing—Pawnee Battalion

Tom Cosgrove—commanding Shoshone battalion

Yancy Eckles—second in command, Shoshone battalion

Baptiste Pourier (“Big Bat”)

Bill Rowland (“Long Knife”)—Cheyenne squawman, interpreter for Powder River Expedition

“Old” Bill Hamilton—scout on Powder River Expedition

Lakota

Arikara/Ree

Cheyenne

“Tse-tsehese-staeste”

“Those Who Are Hearted Alike”

Pawnee

Shoshone

Arapaho

Casualties