A Sharp Little Affair: The Archeology of the Big Hole Battlefield By Douglas D. Scott With Special Sections by Melissa A. Connor Dick Harmon Lester Ross REPRINTS IN ANTHROPOLOGY VOLUME 45 1994 Published by J & L Reprint Company 410 Wedgewood Drive Lincoln, Nebraska 68510 Revised for PDF publication June 2009 Acknowledgments First and foremost we wish to acknowledge and thank Hank Williams, Jr. for his interest and financial support. The National Park Service seldom has the luxury of conducting an archeological research project that is not tied to some development project or some overriding management action. Mr. William's support allowed us to pursue this investigation for the benefit of the park without being tied to a specific management requirement. His support did allow us to accomplish several management goals that otherwise would have waited their turn in the priority system. This project has had more than its fair share of those who have given their time, resources, and knowledge without thought of compensation. Specifically Irwin and Riva Lee are to be commended for their willingness to ramrod the metal detecting crew. They volunteered for the duration for which we are truly grateful. Aubrey Haines visited us during the field investigations and generously shared his vast knowledge of the Big Hole battle history with us. His willingness to loan material and respond to our questions is truly appreciated. Former Unit Manager Jock Whitworth and his entire staff provided much support and aid during the investigations. Jock and his staff allowed us to invade the park and their good-natured acceptance of our disruption to the daily schedule is acknowledged with gratitude. Our thanks are also extended to Eddie Lopez, Superintendent of Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site and former curator Randy Brie for their support. Former Park Interpreter Wilfred Otis Halfmoon and his family deserve special mention and thanks for the help rendered. More importantly Wilfred's efforts to sensitize us and the volunteers to the sacredness that the Nez Perce feel for the site succeeded more than he realized. Fisher Metal Detectors donated a pin-pointing detector at just the right moment and we extend a sincere thank you to them. The assistance and support of Melissa Connor, Dick Harmon, and Colleen Winchell in the field and in the office is gratefully acknowledged and sincere appreciation is extended. F. A. Calabrese, Chief of the Midwest Archeological Center, National Park Service, provided logistical and moral support for the project, and many center staff members helped in various ways. Carroll Moxham and Janet Robertson did their usual fine jobs of tackling the illustrations. Kris Harmon provided pen and ink drawings of the Model 1841 rifle and the trowel bayonet. Amy Koch cleaned and sorted the artifacts for the analysis. Drafts of the report were reviewed and commented on by several individuals: Jock Whitworth, Big Hole National Battlefield; Adrienne Anderson and Ann Johnson, of the Rocky Mountain Regional Office; Aubrey Haines, and Kermit Edmonds. These historians and archaeologists provided very useful comments and criticisms, which are incorporated. Any remaining errors are, of course, our responsibility. Last but not least, we wish to extend our most sincere thanks and appreciation to the ii individuals who volunteered to assist in the fieldwork. These people volunteered hundreds of hours of their own time with no thought of recompense. We had the good fortune to work with many dedicated, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable people, and we gained much from the experience too. This volume is dedicated to those volunteers: Derek Batten Carolyn Bernaski Don Bohna Molly Bohna Lucille Bowen Park Clark Marcia Cross Kermit Edmonds Sterling Fenn Rich Fike Stephen Gay Don Hefferman Ralph Heinz Howard Hoovestol Marlin Howe Bobby Hughes Jo Johnson Nina Johnston Lee Kreutzer Jolene Langan Irwin Lee Riva Lee Lewis Malm Douglas McChristian Mary McChristian Sandy McFarland Robert Morrow Dean O'Connor Brian Pohanka Mary Ringhoff JoAnn Shawgo Heidi Shank Randy Shipman Glen Swanson David Thorn Georgia Thrower Rex Thrower Mike Turner Barbara Ulmanis iii Mike Venturino Mike Ward Cheryl Wilfong P. Willey Ralph Wilsey Yvonne Wilsey iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments..................................................................................................................... .ii Table of Contents....................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures.............................................................................................................................vi List of Tables............................................................................................................................viii Chapter 1. Introduction............................................................................................................ 1 The Research Objectives................................................................................... 4 History and Historical Archaeology................................................................. 6 Chapter 2. An Outline of the History of the Battle................................................................... 7 Chapter 3. Gathering the Evidence.......................................................................................... 19 Consolidation and Synthesis of Previous Study Efforts.............................................................................................................19 Archeological Project Methods......................................................................23 Chapter 4. Test Excavations.................................................................................................... 31 Possible Tepee Location................................................................................ 31 Riflepit Test Excavations................................................................................36 Camas Oven and Human Burial, contributed by Melissa A. Connor..........................................................................................40 Chapter 5. Interpreting the Evidence........................................................................................43 The Evidence for Clothing and Equipment....................................................44 Probable Nez Perce Personal Items and Camp Equipment............................................................................................51 Weapons at the Battle of the Big Hole...........................................................52 Movements and Actions at the Big Hole Battle.............................................69 Chapter 6. Conclusions.............................................................................................................98 Part II - Artifact Descriptions and Analysis.......................................................................104 Chapter 7. Artifact Descriptions and Analysis.......................................................................105 Arms and Ammunition.................................................................................105 Clothing and Personal Items........................................................................132 Accouterments.............................................................................................148 Probable Non-battle Artifacts......................................................................151 References Cited....................................................................................................................156 v LIST OF FIGURES 1. Colonel John Gibbon, army commander.......................................................................... 9 2. Map of the Big Hole Battlefield National Monument.................................................... 10 3. A view to the northwest of the valley and village area................................................... 11 4. A Nez Perce tepee village taken in 1871 by W. H. Jackson............................................12 5. The point of timbers at the base of the mountain.............................................................13 6. A riflepit dug by one of Gibbon's command during the fighting in the Siege Area........14 7. Sketch of the battlefield in 1878 by Granville Stuart......................................................16 8. Another nineteenth century battlefield sketch purportedly by Granville Stuart..............17 9. Big Hole Battlefield areas of previous archeological investigations noted.....................20 10. Metal detector line working on the mountain slope .......................................................25 11. Metal detecting and artifact recovery in the river...........................................................26 12. The Nez Perce, Yellow Wolf, depicted many years after the battle...............................32 13. Test excavation units at the possible tepee site...............................................................33 14. A .360-caliber cartridge case found in the tepee test excavations..................................34 15. Test excavations at the site of the burned tepee.............................................................35 16. Riflepit test excavations in progress...............................................................................36 17. Profile of riflepit as seen after excavation.................................................................... .37