Operations Against the Sioux in North Dakota

The Battle of Dead Buffalo Lake was a skirmish in July 1863 in

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

between

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

army forces and Santee, Yankton, Yanktonai and Teton

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota: /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and ...

. The

attempted to capture the pack train of the army and retired from the field when they were unsuccessful.

Background

The defeat of Little Crow in the Dakota War of 1862 caused the widespread dispersion of the Santee Sioux or Eastern Dakota. More than 4,000 Santee and other Sioux congregated in the summer of 1863 in a large encampment in present-day

Kidder County, North Dakota Kidder County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,394. Its county seat is Steele. History The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with areas part ...

. In June and July 1863,

Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

Henry Hastings Sibley led a military expedition to punish the Santee. Sibley had 2,056 men – 1,436 infantry, 520 cavalry, and 100 artillery and white and Indian scouts. On July 24, Sibley found the Sioux camp and the Battle of Big Mound ensued. The Sioux retired from the battlefield, the warriors fighting a rear guard action to protect their families for about 12 miles (20 km). As the families continued to flee toward safety across the Missouri River, the warriors paused at Dead Buffalo Lake, about two miles (3 km) northwest of present-day Dawson, North Dakota to await Sibley's advance. Many of the Santee under their leader Standing Buffalo had been reluctant fighters and appear to have avoided further conflict by fleeing northwest and eventually to Canada, rather than halt at Dead Buffalo Lake. The remaining Santee, Yankton, and Yanktonai whose best known leader was Inkpaduta, were joined by about 650 Hunkpapa and Blackfoot (Lakota) Teton warriors. This brought the number of Indian warriors up to 1,600, according to one estimate. Sitting Bull was among the Teton reinforcements.

Battle

Sibley marched to Dead Buffalo Lake on July 26 and about noon camped near the shores of the small lake. Mounted Sioux appeared shortly on the hills surrounding the lake and Sibley's camp, threatening an attack. Sibley advanced his artillery, two companies of infantry, and his pioneers to a position about 600 yards in advance of his camp and opened fire at long range on the Indians. The Indians withdrew to a safe distance. The objective of the Sioux seems to have been to capture the army's pack train of horses and mules and immobilize Sibley. They first attempted an assault on Sibley's left flank, but were checked by a company of mounted rangers and two companies of infantry. The Indians then disappeared into the hills. Several muleteers in Sibley's camp assumed the engagement was over and took the livestock out of the defense lines to graze. The Sioux re-appeared in force on the right flank and made another effort to capture the stock, but were repulsed in a brief close-quarter fight by two companies of cavalry and 6 companies of infantry. Sitting Bull, armed with only a whip, was said to have counted coup on a muleteer and captured his mule. Failing in their mission to capture most of the horses and mules, the Indians then retired from the field and the battle was over. One soldier was killed. The soldiers estimated they had killed 15 Sioux.Clodfelter, pp. 102-104 The number of Indian combatants and Indian casualties were often overestimated by the army.

Aftermath

Sibley continued his pursuit of the Sioux the following day, attempting to catch them before they could cross the Missouri River. On July 28 he engaged them again at the

Battle of Stony Lake The Battle of Stony Lake was the third and last engagement of Henry Hastings Sibley's 1863 campaign against the Santee, Yankton, Yanktonai and Teton Sioux in Dakota Territory. Following the battle, the Indians fought delaying actions aga ...

Federal Units Involved

District of Minnesota The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (in case citations, D. Minn.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Minnesota. Its two primary courthouses are in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Cases are al ...

: Brigadier General Henry Hastings Sibley ** 1st Minnesota Cavalry "Mounted Rangers": Colonel Samuel McPhail ** 6th Minnesota Infantry: Colonel William Crooks ** 7th Minnesota Infantry: Lieutenant Colonel

William R. Marshall Willian Rainey Marshall (October 17, 1825January 8, 1896) was an American politician. He was the fifth Governor of Minnesota from January 8, 1866 to January 9, 1870 and was a member of the Republican party. He served as an officer in the 7th ...

** 10th Minnesota Infantry: Colonel James H. Baker ** 3rd Minnesota Light Artillery Battery: Lieutenant J. C. Whipple

Notes

Sources

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National Park Service Battle Summary

CWSAC Report Update and Resurvey: Individual Battlefield Profiles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dead Buffalo Lake 1863 in the United States Conflicts in 1863 Battles of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War Battles involving the United States Battles involving the Sioux Kidder County, North Dakota Operations against the Sioux in Dakota Territory (American Civil War) Pre-statehood history of North Dakota Union victories of the American Civil War Battles of the American Civil War in North Dakota July 1863 events