Battle of Dead Buffalo Lake The Battle of Dead Buffalo Lake was a skirmish in July 1863 in Dakota Territory between United States army forces and Santee , Yankton , Yanktonai and Teton Sioux . The Indians 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 . In June and July 1863 , Brigadier general 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 . 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 .