the soldiers were harassed by indians, who avoided pitched battles. connor established fort connor, later fort reno, and destroyed an arapaho village at the battle of the tongue river. his pawnee scouts also ambushed and killed a band of 24 cheyenne warriors. most of the time, however, connor's three units were on the defensive, fending off indian raids on their horses and supply wagons, which left many soldiers on foot, in rags, and reduced to eating raw horse meat. on the whole, the expedition was considered "a dismal failure" carried out with "large, ungainly columns filled with troops anxious to get home now that the civil war was over."