Frederic Remington (1861-1909)

The present work was published in the October 1891 issue of The Century Magazine as an illustration for E.V. Sumner’s "Besieged by the Utes: The Massacre of 1879,” an account of the Meeker Massacre in Colorado. In March 1878, Nathan Meeker was appointed as Indian Agent of the White River Ute Reservation and instituted a farming and reservation system, against which the Utes revolted. In September 1879, Meeker called in the Army for reinforcements and, after much miscommunication, Major Thomas Thornburgh and his troops were attacked on their way to the White River Agency. On September 29th, Chief Douglas and a group of Ute warriors killed Meeker and seven of his men, as well as Thornburgh and nine of his soldiers. After the massacre, relief columns from Forts Fred Steele and D.A. Russell, Wyoming, defeated the Utes in the Battle of Milk Creek, Colorado.

A copy of the original October 1891 issue of The Century Magazine accompanies this work.