Battle of Camas Creek

This battle took place just south of the Montana border in northeast Idaho. Its likely some of the survivors of the Battle of Big Hole, reached a large Indian settlement of the Iron Confederation located close to where this military engagement took place. After the battle ended at Big Hole, the warriors from the Iron Confederation were ordered by their commanders to strike hard at the few white settlers living in western Montana, which resulted in scores of white settlers being killed, and their homes and other property, destroyed by the enraged Iron Confederation, and those white settlers who were not harmed yet, fleeing to nearby white cities like Bannock, Deer Lodge and Virginia City. That large Iron Confederation settlement in northeast Idaho, was singled out by the Americans to attack, but the citizens of that Indian settlement were most likely informed by the fellow tribesmen, that their American enemy had just destroyed one of their settlements in the Wisdom, Montana region, and that other American soldiers were preparing to attack other Iron Confederation settlements.
On August 20, 1877 anywhere from 28 to 250 warriors from the Iron Confederation of the region where the Battle of the Camas Creek was fought, attacked a camp of 250 American soldiers and scores of white settlers, with the intentions of trying to stop their sinister plans. However, when the warriors first attacked it was still dark or, early in the morning, which did hamper their attempt to destroy their enemies, who included the Bannock, Nez Perce and Shoshone Indian allies of the Americans. After the initial assault about all the warriors accomplished was wounding a couple of their enemies, and stealing many of their mules and horses. Since the warriors soon withdrew after assaulting their American enemy, the Americans regrouped then proceeded to pursue the retreating Indian warriors. They reached them by daylight, and both the Indian warriors, and the Americans and their Indian allies, fled for cover and an intense battle ensued which could have inflicted heavy casualties on both sides, if not for their defensive protection, which was the rugged terrain around them. American casualties were 12, with 2 killed. Indian casualties were probably a little higher with as many as 6 or 7 killed.