Cheyenne Warriors vs. Army Soldiers : The Saline River Massacre

In the year 1869 Cheyenne Dog Soldiers, led by the legendary Chief Tall Bull, swept down upon the homesteads of American settlers near the Saline River in far western Kansas. They destroyed entire families, and carried out all manner of war crimes against men, women and children of the area. A young pregnant mother, the 24-year-old Susanna Alderdice, was forced to watch as the Cheyenne dispatched nearly her entire family before being kidnapped herself, along with her months-old daughter. Her husband Thomas Alderdice had been away on a business trip when the attacked occurred, and had returned to the settlement to find his homestead and family destroyed. Thomas, a former scout and skilled tracker, had taken to the trail of the Cheyenne, in hopes of rescuing his wife and young daughter. After a 100-mile trek through Cheyenne country, he had finally located them. But, upon making his way to the nearest fort to alert the Commanding Officer and muster military reinforcements to attack the Cheyenne, he was repeatedly refused any military help. Finally, though, Major General Eugene Carr would be ordered to find and engage this village of Cheyenne who had taken Susanna Alderdice, her daughter, and several other local women. This would ultimately result in The Battle Of Summit Springs. But, these events that preceded that bloody battle may have- in fact- been an even more bloody, horrifying affair. Tonight, join History At The OK Corral for perhaps our most expansive episode yet in “The Saline River Massacre”. MUSIC CREDITS "Waltz For Zachariah" from Blue Dot Sessions SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Instagram : @historyattheokcorral X : @historyokcorral Tik-Tok : @historyattheokcorral E-Mail : [email protected] For educational, documentary and entertainment purposes only. Based on actual events. The authoritative sources used for this story include books, interviews, newspaper articles, and TV news reporting meant to educate and memorialize notable cases in our history.