Battle of Cottonwood

Battle of Cottonwood
Part of the Nez Perce War
Chief Joseph and his Nez Perce warriors defeated the U.S. Army at the Battle of Cottonwood
Date 3–5 July 1877 Location Near Cottonwood, Idaho Territory, U.S. 46°01′36″N 116°19′39″W / 46.0267°N 116.3275°W / 46.0267; -116.3275 Result Nez Perce Victory
Belligerents
United States Army Civilian volunteers	Nez Perce Native American Tribe
Commanders and leaders
Captain David Perry Captain Stephen Whipple	Chief Joseph Ollokot White Bird
Strength
85 soldiers About 30 civilian volunteers	About 150 warriors
Casualties and losses
11 soldiers killed 6 civilian volunteers killed	1 killed 1 wounded
class=notpageimage| Location in the United States Show map of the United States class=notpageimage| Location in Idaho Territory Show map of Idaho

The Battle of Cottonwood was a series of engagements July 3–5, 1877, in the Nez Perce War between the Native American Nez Perce people, and U.S. Army soldiers and civilian volunteers. Near Cottonwood, Idaho Territory, the Nez Perce, led by Chief Joseph, brushed aside the soldiers and continued their 1,170 miles (1,880 km) fighting retreat to cross the Rocky Mountains in an attempt to reach safety in Canada.^[1]