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John Phillips #ThisWeekInWyHistory

(Gillette, Wyo.) On Nov. 18, 1883, John Phillips died. He is remembered as the civilian who in Dec. 1866 rode 236 miles from Ft. Phil Kearny to Ft. Laramie after the Fetterman Fight, as it’s known.

In the afternoon of that cold December day, hundreds of Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Northern Arapaho warriors had killed Captain William Fetterman and the 80 men under his command. The wagons that were sent to retrieve the fallen men returned that night with 49 frozen bodies that had been scalped, stripped naked, mutilated, and perforated by hundreds of arrows. The other bodies were left on the field.

The next day, the commander of the fort, Colonel Henry B. Carrington, surveyed the prospect of what would happen if the fort were captured. He had corralled the women and children into the fort’s magazine so that they could be blown apart rather than captured and tortured, should defeat become imminent.

They only hope was reinforcements and supplies from Ft. Laramie, which was 236 miles away. Unable to spare any soldiers, he asked for civilian volunteers to take the trek and get help. So, John Phillips stepped forward and into history.

His ride became legendary, and as is the case with many legends, embellishments colored the story over the years. In fact, he did not ride alone and he was paid $300 for his bravery.

Phillips endured sub-zero weather and snow, and he was so exhausted by the time he reached Ft. Laramie that he collapsed after delivering his message. His horse died shortly after.

Ft. Laramie did send troops to support Ft. Phil Kearny. Strangely enough, the weather was so cold the Native Americans had gone back to camp, having never made any attack on the fort.

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