Although Miller, the painter, did not see this scene after it occurred during one of Captain Stewart’s earlier trips to the mountains, the witnesses recounted it to him in detail and he painted several versions of it. The story goes that a band of young Crows invaded the camp while Stewart was in charge. They carried off stock, pelts, and other property. As Stewart described the incident, a Crow medicine man had told the braves that, if they struck the first blow, they could not win. Thus, the braves had to provoke Stewart or someone in his party into striking first. Stewart stood firm, refusing to strike. The Crows left, and the captain survived a situation in which he would have surely lost the battle.
Learn more about William Drummond Stewart, Antoine and Alfred Jacob Miller.