All Because of a Mormon Cow – Historical Accounts of the Grattan Massacre, 1854-1855 edited by John D. McDermott, R. Eli Paul, and Sandra J. Lowry

The Grattan Massacre happened on August 19th, 1854 near Fort Laramie in the Nebraska Territory. The story goes that Lieutenant John L. Grattan of the U.S. Army led twenty-nine soldiers and a civilian interpreter to a large Lakota encampment to essentially arrest an Indian man who was allegedly accused of killing a Mormon emigrant’s cow! As a result of already tense negotiations, brash demands were made, and the situation went from bad to worse pretty fast. In the chaos, the soldiers open fired into the Lakota encampment and mortally wounded Chief Conquering Bear. This therefore, infuriated the villagers where they then proceeded to turn on Grattan, ultimately killing him and his entire command. See the full description on Prairie Edge’s website!https://prairieedge.com/books-music/all-because-of-a-mormon-cow-historical-accounts-of-the-grattan-massacre-1854-1855/