Stony Lake

Stony Lake marked the final clash in a string of three fights that made up Henry Hastings Sibley's 1863 push through Dakota Territory against the Santee, Yankton, Yanktonai and Teton Sioux. Once this engagement ended, the Sioux turned to delaying tactics, holding Sibley's forces at bay long enough for their women and children to reach the far side of the Missouri River safely. With that crossing accomplished, Sibley abandoned his pursuit.

Background

Before the events at Stony Lake, Sibley had already clashed with the Sioux twice, first at Big Mound on July 24 and again at Dead Buffalo Lake two days later. In each encounter the Sioux pulled back toward the west, with their warriors shielding the women and children as the group made for the Missouri River. Sibley held out hope that these movements might work in his favor, potentially catching the Indians in a pincer between his own troops and the 1,200 soldiers under General Alfred Sully, who was making his way up the Missouri at the time.

The day following the fight at Dead Buffalo Lake, July 27, Sibley pushed his 2,000-man force across 23 miles of ground to reach Stony Lake, where they made camp for the night. Well before sunrise the following morning, he had his men moving again, following the path the Indians had left behind. Roughly two hours into this march, scouts riding ahead of the column, most of them mixed-blood Sioux, came back with word that a substantial body of mounted warriors was bearing down on Sibley's men.

Battle

Sibley's pursuit had drawn the attention of the Sioux, who evidently intended to catch him off guard, hit a vulnerable point in his lines, and compel him to give up the chase. Word of their approach reached Sibley in time, allowing him to tighten his spread-out column, push skirmishers forward, and position his artillery. Before long the warriors materialized on the surrounding hills, forming a semi-circle that stretched across five or six miles around Sibley's men. Sibley put their strength at somewhere between 2,200 and 2,500, though the Sioux themselves claimed only 1,600 warriors took part. Bows, arrows, and muskets made up the bulk of their weaponry, however, which left most fighters unable to do much damage past a hundred yards.

Though they had nearly enclosed Sibley's column, the element of surprise was gone, so the Sioux began searching for gaps in his defenses instead. Leading Sibley's advance was Colonel James H. Baker with the 10th Minnesota Regiment, which pushed ahead delivering volley fire while two mountain howitzers backed them up. Meanwhile the Sixth and Seventh Minnesota Regiments took up positions guarding either side of the wagon train. Infantry companies then charged forward and cleared the Indians off several of the hills. Not long after, the Sioux abandoned the fight and withdrew, and exhaustion among Sibley's men and horses kept him from chasing them down.

Sibley's side came through without a single casualty. The losses on the Sioux side went unrecorded, though they were likely minor, apart from three warriors observed being thrown from their horses by an artillery shell.

Across the wide Missouri

Once the Sioux had moved on, Sibley pushed forward eighteen miles without incident and made camp at Apple Creek, roughly ten miles southeast of what is now Bismarck, North Dakota. He had expected to link up with Sully near this spot, since Sully was meant to be steaming up the Missouri River, but no trace of him could be found. On the morning of July 29, Sibley dispatched a pair of howitzers along with his mounted Rangers some twelve miles ahead, hoping to cut off the Sioux before they could cross the Missouri. The effort came too late. The bulk of the Sioux had already made the crossing the day before, leaving behind a great deal of property in their rushed departure.

A number of warriors remained on the river's eastern bank, and Sibley opened fire on them with artillery, driving them to swim to the relative safety of the western shore, from which they kept up long range fire on his troops. Two soldiers who had strayed from the main column lost their lives in this fighting. Sibley then set up camp by the river, where for three consecutive nights his men endured persistent harassment from small Sioux raiding parties, who torched the prairie grass, shot into the tents of the soldiers, and drove off some of the livestock. Since Sully, along with badly needed supplies and fresh troops, had failed to appear, Sibley made the call on July 31 to call off the campaign and head back toward Minnesota, his men and horses by then exhausted.

In his own account, Sibley described the campaign as a triumph, arguing that he had driven the Sioux west across the Missouri and away from settlements in Minnesota and the eastern Dakota territory. He put Indian losses at 150 killed and wounded across the three engagements, against only six of his own men killed. Standing Buffalo, a Santee chief, disputed this, insisting that just 13 Indians had died. Given the uncertainty over how many warriors actually took part in the fighting, there is no way to reconcile these conflicting casualty counts.

Retribution came from the Sioux on August 3, only three days after Sibley had turned away from the Missouri and started back to Minnesota. They struck a raft on the river, killing 22 civilians aboard it. Violence in Minnesota persisted as well, with sixteen more white deaths attributed to the Sioux before the year was out.

That same summer, Sully, who had been slow to unite his forces with Sibley's, would go on to clash with the Sioux at the Battle of Whitestone Hill.

Federal units involved

Brigadier General Henry Hastings Sibley commanded the District of Minnesota, overseeing several units that took part in the engagement. Colonel Samuel McPhail led the 1st Minnesota Cavalry, known as the "Mounted Rangers." Infantry strength came from three regiments: the 6th Minnesota, under Colonel William Crooks; the 7th Minnesota, headed by Lieutenant Colonel William R. Marshall; and the 10th Minnesota, commanded by Colonel James H. Baker. Artillery support was provided by the 3rd Minnesota Light Artillery Battery, led by Lieutenant J. C. Whipple.