The Flight of the Nez Perce

The next day, while Miles was still on the south bank of the Missouri preparing to scout for the trail of the Nez Perce, a small boat with three men floated by. They told Miles that the Nez Perce had already crossed the river at Cow Island. A passing steamboat ferried Miles's troops to the north side of the river. From there he angled northwest, knowing that at some point he would intersect the Nez Perce trail. During the march, Miles kept his men quiet. Hunting was forbidden because it might start a buffalo stampede and alert the Nez Perce that people were close by.

Miles crossed the Missouri River near where the Musselshell River feeds into it. Today the exact crossing lies under the waters of Fort Peck Lake in the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.