The Powder River Expedition (1865) and Red Cloud's War (1866) were United States military actions intended to suppress resistance by the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho in the region and protect travelers on the Bozeman Trail from attacks. On August 11, 1865, General Patrick Edward Connor's troops reached the Powder River Crossing, where they began building Fort Reno. After the Battle of the Tongue River on August 29, 1865, Connor was ordered to return to Salt Lake City. At about the same time, another group of soldiers under Colonel James Sawyer were ordered to build a military road for freighting supplies along the Bozeman Trail.
