The Marias Massacre is a little-known one-sided battle that took place in Montana on January 23, 1870. Though receiving little attention in history, the massacre, which killed some 200 Piegan Indians, mostly women and children, was described by one company commander as "the greatest slaughter of Indians ever made by U.S. troops.”
Prior to this event, relations between the Blackfoot Confederacy, comprised of the Blackfoot, Blood, and Piegan tribes, and the white settlers had been hostile for several years. Amidst low-level hostilities in 1869, a young warrior named Owl Child stole several of horses from Malcolm Clarke, a white trader. Afterwards, Clarke tracked down Owl Child and beat him in front of his camp for the offense. Humiliated, Owl Child, with a band of rogue Piegans, sought revenge and killed Clarke.
The killing inflamed the public, which caused General Philip Sheridan to send out a band of cavalry led by Major Eugene Baker to track down and punish the offending party.
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