Big Mound
North Dakota

American Civil War
July 24-25, 1863

Brig. General Henry Hastings Sibley led his troops from Fort Ridgely, Minnesota, into the Dakotas, pursuing the Santee Sioux, who had initiated an uprising in the Minnesota River Valley in August 1862. The Santee had joined forces with the Teton Sioux. Having marched all day on July 24, 1863, Sibley's scouts, around 1:00 pm, reported that they had spotted a large Native American camp a few miles away. Sibley established a camp on a nearby salt lake and set his men to entrenching it for protection.  While in the process of making camp, numerous Native Americans appeared expressing friendship. A number of them approached the scouts gathered about 300-400 yards from the camp and began talking with them. Surgeon Josiah S. Weiser, 1st Regiment Minnesota Mounted Rangers, joined the assembly, but soon afterwards a Sioux shot and killed him. The scouts attempted to kill the attacker but he escaped. Native Americans who had hidden behind the surrounding ridges now emerged and attacked. In detachments, the soldiers went out to meet the Native Americans. Sibley, with some men, approached the "Big Mound" on the opposite side of the ravine. He attempted to dislodge those Sioux who were on the upper part of the large ravine firing at the infantry and cavalry with impunity. The Union forces displaced these and other well-placed Sioux in the surrounding ridges by accurate artillery fire and forced them into the broken prairie where they fled in confusion. The mounted troops, with some of the infantry and artillery following, set out in pursuit. A running battle ensued for the rest of the day.  Before dark, the soldiers broke off the pursuit and returned to camp as previously ordered, some not arriving until the next morning. The Sioux forces were broken and dispirited. Result(s): Union victory Location: Kidder County Campaign: Operations against the Sioux in North Dakota (1863) Date(s): July 24-25, 1863 Principal Commanders: Brig. General Henry Hastings Sibley [US]; Chief Inkpaduta [I] Forces Engaged: District of Minnesota [US]; Santee and Teton Sioux [I] Estimated Casualties: Total unknown (US unknown; I 13)

The American Indian and the End of the Confederacy, 1863-1866 The vulnerability of the Indians caught between two warring sides. The failure of the US government to afford to the southern Indians the protection solemnly guaranteed by treaty stipulations was the great cause of their entering into an alliance with The Confederacy

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Women in the War

American Civil War Book Titles

The Confederate War Bonnet: A Novel of the Civil War in Indian Territory An evocative historical novel that helps to answer how Indians became involved in the Civil War, why they joined Confederate forces, and how the experience shaped their future in America.	The American Indian in the Civil War, 1862-1865 The 1862 Battle of Pea Ridge, a bloody disaster for the confederates but a glorious moment for Colonel Stand Watie and his Cherokee Mounted Rifles. The Indians were soon enough swept by the war into a vortex of confusion and chaos.	General Stand Watie's Confederate Indians The Confederacy pioneered the idea of giving blacks and women positions of authority [the Matron Law], placed Jews in positions of power, put General's stars on a Mexican and the first American Indian General. This book is his story	Sam Bell Maxey and the Confederate Indians Accompanying photos, clear maps. This book will leave you wanting to learn more about this rather neglected region of the war. No less important in many regards for the defining of the nation's future than the more well-known battlefields of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Highly recommended
The Civil War in Arizona: The Story of the California Volunteers, 1861-1865 History of the California Column in wartime Arizona and a rare compilation of letters written by the volunteer soldiers who served in the U.S. Army from 1861 to 1866. These letters provide testimony of the grueling desert conditions the soldiers endured as they fought on many fronts	Civil War in the American West An accurate and detailed history of the Western Theater of the Civil War, which was largely forgotten by history. He was one of the first historians to fully understand the impact that California had on the war as he gives an accounting of the Federal raid on the Dan Showalter Ranch in San Bernadino on October 5, 1861.	Confederate Armies: Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, the Confederate Units and the Indian Units This volume is arranged by state; units organized directly by the Confederate authorities from various state companies; and those units from the Indian nations allied with the Confederacy. Chapters are included for artillery, cavalry and infantry units that are broken down by size: battalions, batteries, companies and regiments	The American Civil War in Indian Territory Native Americans fought in both Union and Confederate units. The Indian Territory saw its share of battles and campaigns. If you are a reenactor or modeler this is the kind of detail that you need. The photos and artwork make this a must-have.