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Siege of the TA Ranch
The siege of the TA Ranch was a siege and the climax of the Johnson County War, which happened on April 11–13, 1892 in the TA Ranch in Johnson County, Wyoming.[1][2] The battle was fought between a group of cattle barons and their hired guns, who were trapped in the TA Ranch, and a posse of homesteaders and local lawmen who had besieged them after dozens of ranchers and their mercenaries had killed a homesteader and his friend. The siege became a pivotal moment in the war, and was depicted in a number of books, films, and documentaries over the years. BackgroundThe Johnson County War was a range war that occurred in the years 1889–1893.[3] The war was fought between the large ranchers (known as "cattle barons") and the homesteaders (known as "nesters" or "grangers"), both of whom competed for the limited land, water, and cattle in the Wyoming range. Much of the war was fought in Johnson County, in areas such as Powder River, Buffalo, and other neighboring communities. A harsh winter in 1886-1887 ravaged the state, prompting the cattle barons, many of whom had formed companies headquartered in the Cheyenne Club, to try to monopolize the limited resources and livestock for their outfits.[4] This, however, was challenged by homesteaders consisting of smaller, more independent farmers and ranchers, who had also settled in the area and were using the resources on the range. The dispute became a conflict when the cattle barons began persecuting many homesteaders, whom they believed were stealing from their outfits (known as "rustling"). They put the law into their own hands and began a campaign of lynching and assassinating suspected thieves and competition. The cattle barons were led by prominent ranchers and politicians like Frank Wolcott, Frank M. Canton, and Governor Amos W. Barber. To protect themselves and their livelihood, the homesteaders united limitedly under the leadership of cowboy and rancher Nate Champion, and sheriff and former Indian War veteran William "Red" Angus. In a mighty effort to finally stop the homesteaders, the cattle barons began hiring 23 gunmen from Texas to blitz and exterminate their opposition, in a similar vein to the Stuart Stranglers led by Granville Stuart in Montana.[5] The gunmen, nicknamed the "Invaders", were led by Wolcott, Canton, and allegedly by infamous hitman Tom Horn. On April 8, 1892, they killed Nate Champion and his friend Nick Ray at the KC Ranch.[6] They then targeted Jack Flagg, but Flagg escaped and managed to warn Sheriff Angus and the town of Buffalo of the Invaders. Sheriff Angus then formed a posse of 200 people and set out to KC Ranch, before heading out to the TA Ranch, where the Invaders had taken refuge. SiegeThe first casualty of the siege was gunman Jim Dudley. During their flight to TA Ranch, Dudley's horse, who was bearing much of the weight of the fat gunman, bucked and attempted to get Dudley off. Dudley's rifle fell and accidentally discharged, hitting the gunman in the knee. He was then escorted by two others to Fort McKinney where he died two days later.[7] Upon reaching the ranch, the Invaders took their positions. When the posse arrived, they fired at them through windows, doors, and self-made gunports on the wall. The posse fired back, kicking off a siege that would last three days. Many of the members of the posse were Civil War veterans who had knowledge of conducting a proper siege.[8] They surrounded the ranch, shot dead the Invaders's horses, and built trenches and pits. The posse was well-equipped with new firearms and ammunution courtesy of Robert Foote who distributed them for free from his store.[9] One of the guns used was a large-caliber muzzle-loading rifle that was said to be powerful enough to punch through the walls of the ranch.[10] The Invaders incurred another casualty: Alex Lowther, who shot himself in the groin while crawling to take cover.[10] The New York Times reported that twenty Invaders tried to escape behind a fusillade, but the posse beat them back and killed three to five.[11] With the situation becoming desperate, one of the Invaders, Mike Shonsey, managed to slip out and run to get help. At that time, the posse tried to break the stalemate. They first attempted to borrow a cannon from nearby Fort McKinney but was rejected. A blacksmith named Rap Brown tried to make his own cannon but it blew up. Nonetheless, he made a large bullet resistant wagon called the "Ark of Safety", which would hopefully allow a select group of homesteaders to get close and chuck dynamite at the ranch.[12] Before that could happen, Mike Shonsey finally telegraphed their allies in the government.[12] The telegram read:
Governor Barber and President Benjamin Harrison sent the 6th Cavalry from Fort McKinney, led by Colonel J.J. Van Horn, to stop the siege. The cavalry negotiated with Angus, and took custody of Wolcott and the Invaders, ending the battle.[1] AftermathThe Invaders and the homesteaders went through a long and lengthy persecution, which ended favorably for the former. Skirmishes continued until 1893, but many of the cattle barons left the area and never bothered the homesteaders again.[14] In other mediaThe siege was depicted in many literature, films, shows, and even a song about the Johnson County War. It was first recorded in a book by Asa Mercer entitled The Banditti of the Plains.[15] It was then depicted in the 1980 movie Heaven's Gate,[16] and in documentaries like History Channel's Vendettas and American Heroes Channel's Blood Feuds.[17] Singer Chris LeDoux also mentioned the siege in the song "Johnson County War" in 1989.[18] References
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