Thirteen Ways to Think About the Fetterman Fight

Quiz Yourself

Here are some questions to ask before you visit the site of the Fetterman Fight, while you’re there, and again after you return:

What was the Fetterman Fight? Why did it occur?
Why was it called the Fetterman Fight? When did this conflict happen?
What fort was nearby? How near was it? Why does this matter?
What was Capt. Fetterman’s duty that day? Did he do what he was supposed to do?
Other than soldiers and Indians, were there any other people involved in this battle?
What made this fight different from others that occurred during Red Cloud’s War?
How long did this fight last?
Who was killed?
How many soldiers fought in the battle? How many Indian warriors?
How long did the fighting last?
What happened to Commander Carrington after the fight?
Why do accounts differ as to whether Fetterman followed orders?
Who was Lt. George Grummond? What role might he have had in the conflict?

THERE ARE HUNDREDS of more good questions a person could ask about the Fetterman Fight.

SEND US three interesting Fetterman Fight questions of your own. Be sure to identify your school and classroom teacher or note if you are home schooled when you send in questions. Contact editor@wyohistory.org for information on a 2014-2015 contest for submitting the most questions.

Note to Teachers

This lesson addresses a number of the Wyoming State Social Studies Standards detailed in the 2013 draft of Wyoming Social Studies Content and Performance Standards, benchmarked for the ends of grades 2, 5, 8 and 12. All are available at http://edu.wyoming.gov/sf-docs/publications/DRAFT_2013_Social_Studies_Standards.pdf?

More specifically, the lesson addresses Content Standard 4, Time, Continuity and Change, under which students analyze events, people, problems, and ideas within their historical contexts, and Content Standard 5, People, Places and Environments, under which students apply their knowledge of the geographic themes (location, place, movement, region, and human/environment interactions) and skills to demonstrate an understanding of interrelationships among people, places, and environment.

Under Content Standard 4, the lesson addresses standards SS5.4.4. SS8.4.4 and SS12.4.4, which call for students to discuss, identify or describe historical interactions between and among individuals, families, and cultural/ethnic groups, and standards SS5.4.5, SSD8.4.5 and 12.4.5, which call for students to understand the difference between primary and secondary sources, and how to use them in their research.

Under Content Standard 5, this lesson addresses the Human Place and Movement standards SS2.5.3, SS5.5.3 (which specifically mentions American Indians and the Oregon Trail), SS8.5.3 and SS12.5.3, and the Environment and Society standards SS2.5.4, SS5.5.4, SS8.5.4 and SS12.5.4, which call on students to understand how people in Wyoming adjust and have adjusted to their physical and geographical environment.