The Kevin Costner Western history documentary series, recently debuted on the History Channel, takes a direct approach to revisiting the major stories of America’s westward expansion. As both host and narrator, Kevin Costner scrutinizes how film, especially from the 1940s to 1960s, molded people’s beliefs about this era, perpetuating myths and omitting complex truths about events and key figures.
Throughout his career—including his efforts with Yellowstone—Kevin Costner has shown a deep interest in the iconic and often misunderstood tales of the West, seeking to strike a balance between preserving cultural memory and rectifying historical errors. His latest project, Kevin Costner’s The West, promises to present the realities behind legendary events, especially those involving the triumph and tragedy of Indigenous communities, through nuanced storytelling and research-based revision.
An In-Depth Look at the Fetterman Fight and a Forgotten Indigenous Victory
The documentary’s seventh chapter, titled “The Fetterman Fight,” revisits a lesser-known but pivotal 1866 conflict near Fort Phil Kearney in what is now Wyoming. In this historical episode, Captain William Fetterman led infantry, cavalry, and civilians along the Bozeman Trail, only for his entire group—totaling 81 individuals—to be killed by allied warriors of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes.
This clash, often referenced as the Fetterman Massacre, represented the U.S. Army’s most devastating defeat in the West until the famous Battle of Little Big Horn some ten years later. The significance stems from Fort Phil Kearney being one of a network of military outposts erected to facilitate settler access to Montana’s newly discovered gold of the 1860s. This expansion infringed on territories already promised by the government to Native nations like the Sioux, Arapaho, and Cheyenne, sowing the seeds of repeated conflict.
Despite its historical magnitude, the Fetterman Fight only infrequently appeared in mainstream stories. Such decisive Indigenous victories against encroaching settlers presented a narrative contrary to popular Western legend, which often cast Native resistance as futile or tragic instead of strategic and successful.
The episode corrects several inaccuracies, largely informed by the work of historian Shannon D. Smith. Where cultural portrayals previously painted Captain Fetterman as an insubordinate glory-seeker, Smith’s research reveals he was in fact respected by peers and superiors, not driven by reckless ambition. The true catalyst for the tragedy, according to the documentary, was Lieutenant George Grummond, whose eagerness for recognition and minimal experience with Indigenous battle tactics contributed to the ill-fated engagement.
The Contrast Between Hollywood Westerns and Historical Reality
The 1951 film Tomahawk, directed by George Sherman and featuring Van Heflin and Yvonne De Carlo, loosely interprets the events leading up to the Fetterman Fight. While celebrated as a Technicolor Western, it delivers a simple view of the conflict, framing it through the virtuous lens of cavalry officers while offering only fleeting sympathy to the Native side, reflecting the biases prevalent when the film was produced.
Kevin Costner’s The West sets itself apart by actively dismantling these traditional presentations. Throughout the show, historians—such as Doris Kearns Goodwin, whose insights also informed portrayals in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln—exchange ideas about how the myth of limitless frontier land drove bloody confrontations with existing Indigenous nations. The documentary underscores that the rush for gold and economic exploitation, not just high-minded ideals, propelled the incursion westward, leading directly to confrontations like the Battle near Fort Phil Kearney.
Drawing connections with modern works, the narrative recalls Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of the Flower Moon, itself a meditation on violent conquest and the commodification of Native lands. These cultural references illustrate how interpretations of western expansion persistently echo through contemporary film and media, even as new stories attempt to correct the record.
Understanding the Historical Context of Expansion and Conflict
Long before the attacks on Fort Phil Kearney and the construction of the Bozeman Trail, the vision for Montana and the West was entangled with national politics. Promoted as a territory under Abraham Lincoln’s presidency in 1864, Montana was seen by leaders as a way to heal wartime rifts by encouraging development and the pursuit of prosperity in the West. However, as shown in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and elaborated upon by biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin, the reality often clashed with the rhetoric. The lure of western riches, even for a president committed to principle, led to hard compromises that shaped the fate of Native populations.
Kevin Costner’s documentary draws sharp attention to these contradictions, illustrating how settler ambitions for economic growth came at the expense of previous government promises and Indigenous sovereignty.
Kevin Costner Examines the Portrayal of Native Resistance and Leadership
Across the series, the format critiques classic Western tales that tend to place noble military officers at the narrative’s center while relegating Native experiences to the background. Kevin Costner, acknowledging the influence of his own directorial debut Dances With Wolves—widely seen as exemplifying the ‘white savior’ trope—guides the series to highlight the individual and collective strategies of Native leaders.
The documentary focuses on the ingenuity of key Native figures, including legendary warriors such as Crazy Horse, showcasing not only their combat skills but also their efforts to unify and defend their people. Mainstream cinema, the series suggests, still fails to grant these leaders the epic treatment commonly afforded to their settler adversaries.
“The Fetterman Fight communicates a level of Indigenous capability that few American policymakers believed [was] possible,”
—Ned Blackhawk, historian.
This observation addresses how U.S. history narratives and public memory frequently paint Native Americans during expansion as passive victims, rather than as active, strategic defenders of their homes and rights. Kevin Costner’s The West calls attention to the determination of tribes across the West, for whom the defense of their sovereignty, land, and dignity shaped every encounter.
As demonstrated in the accounts of the Fetterman Fight, these stories of Indigenous resilience and military effectiveness are essential yet rarely emphasized in either educational materials or entertainment, making their inclusion in Costner’s project a significant corrective to long-standing popular history.
Lasting Significance and What the Documentary Series May Achieve
By rigorously reexamining the events, individuals, and motivations that defined the American West, Kevin Costner’s The West questions the accuracy of legendary accounts still taught and depicted today. With insights from historians like Shannon D. Smith and Ned Blackhawk, the show attempts to rebalance the narrative, acknowledging the impact of conflicted policies, flawed leaders, and the underrepresented stories of Indigenous triumph amid overwhelming adversity.
As the conversation around historical truth and cinematic storytelling evolves, the series stands as a timely intervention against misinformation perpetuated by media old and new. Its exploration of battles like the Fetterman Fight, and the broader themes of expansion and resistance, invites viewers to reconsider long-held assumptions—and to recognize the enduring legacy of those who fought, lost, and sometimes won, against the tide of American history.
