The Battle of Suggs, also known as the Suggs Affray or the Suggs Affair, was a shootout between Buffalo Soldiers and Wyoming homesteaders in Suggs, Wyoming on June 17, 1892. The skirmish was part of a larger conflict known as the Johnson County War fought from 1889 to 1893, between wealthy ranchers and settlers of modest means, whom the former accused of being rustlers.Tuccille, Jerome. The Roughest Riders: The Untold Story of the Black Soldiers in the Spanish-American War. Chicago Review Press (September 1, 2015). pp. 8-9. ISBN 978-1613730461
Background Communities near the Powder River in Wyoming became battlefields for a range war known as the Johnson County War, in which large cattle ranchers fought smaller settlers and homesteaders for the limited resources needed for ranching. The conflict resulted in lynchings, assassinations, and gunfights throughout Northern Wyoming, before culminating in a shootout at the KC Ranch and a large siege at the TA Ranch.
To stop further violence, the government sent out the army to keep the peace. Initially, the 6th cavalry from Fort McKinney was tasked to pacify the locals but failed because many became embroiled in the conflict. This failure resulted in the death of US Marshall George Wellman and the injury of First Lieutenant Charles B. Gatewood. The 6th was later replaced by the 9th Cavalry, a Buffalo Soldier regiment from Fort Robinson, on June 13, 1892. The regiment was composed of 310 men and was led by Major Charles S. Isley. They created Camp Bettens as a base of operations upon arriving.
The cattle barons hoped that the regiment would be less sympathetic to the plight of the homesteaders as compared to the 6th. This turned out to be correct, as the arrival of the 9th was met with hostility from the locals who did not take kindly to the authority of colored soldiers. The hostility was exacerbated by the 9th's association with Phil DuFran, a detective and combatant for the cattle barons during the TA Ranch siege. DuFran assisted the soldiers during their occupation.
Battle Off-duty Buffalo Soldiers were being refused services in bars, barbershops, and brothels by the locals of the nearby town of Suggs in Sheridan County, Wyoming. At that time, Suggs was a temporary makeshift community that was built near a railroad. On June 16, two soldiers by the name of Private Abraham Champ and Private Emile Smith, members of G Troop and E Troop respectively, were drinking at a saloon in Suggs when the former was threatened by a white man, who brandished a pistol and said, "Ain't your mother a black bitch?" When Smith drew his pistol in response, several of the other bar patrons aimed their firearms at him. Fortunately for the two, the bartender snuck the soldiers out of the building through the backdoor. As they rode back to camp, they were shot upon by unknown assailants. This incident enraged many soldiers at Camp Bettens.
The next day on June 17, using the cover of the night, 20 or more buffalo soldiers slipped from the camp and travelled to Suggs, possibly on-foot. Upon arriving, they began firing their guns, demanding the town to surrender those responsible for the previous event. A US Marshall named Jack Ball met with the soldiers and tried to calm them down, but they shoved him away. The soldiers then began firing at the saloon where Champ and Smith were harassed. Soon, the townspeople retaliated, firing their weapons from behind windows, doors, and walls. The retaliation surprised the soldiers; Captain William Tompkins was wounded in the hand, Private William Champ was wounded in the shoulder, and Private Willis Johnson was shot through the head and killed.Johnson, Marilynn S. (2014). Violence in the West: The Johnson County Range War and the Ludlow Massacre - A Brief History with Documents. Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4786-2204-8. pp. 75 The soldiers were then forced to retreat. In his report, Major Isley stated:
Wyoming native G. T. Seabury also wrote to a friend about Barber's Hotel being hit by bullets during the battle. He stated:
One alleged rustler, a man by the name of Bennett, was wounded in the arm. After the gunfight, Camp Bettens sent out two companies to pacify Suggs. In contrast to the previous event, the homesteaders allowed these troops into the town. The Army conducted an investigation but could not identify the people responsible for Johnson's death. To prevent further violence, the camp could only prohibit the presence of off-duty soldiers in the town.
Other murders DuFran became missing for three days after the skirmish. Another soldier by the name of Brown was murdered in a separate incident in Johnson County. Brown was at a shooting range when a cowboy rode by and came upon him. After a brief conversation, the cowboy drew a pistol and shot Brown, killing him. By June 24, the Newcastle News-Journal reported that two Buffalo Soldiers had been killed in Suggs. By the end of the war, a total of three soldiers had lost their lives and were buried near the Powder River.
Aftermath The deaths of the Buffalo Soldiers forced the Army to remove the regiment from Johnson County and back to Fort Robinson in November 1892. Peacekeeping went back to local law enforcement for the duration of the war.
In other media The battle was briefly mentioned in Asa Mercer's book entitled The Banditti of the PlainsHomsher, Lola M. Archives of the Wyoming Stock Growers' Association, The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 33, No. 2. (September 1946), pp. 281. and the episode "Johnson County Cattle War" of the documentary Vendettas by History Channel.Vendettas – The Johnson County War – The History Channel
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