ORDER OF BATTLE // July 24, 1863
Battle of Big Mound
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 3,056–3,556 estimated
United States of America
2,056
Medium-confidence figure
Santee Sioux
1,000–1,500
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Big Mound was a United States Army victory in July 1863 over Santee Sioux forces allied with Yankton, Yanktonai, and Teton Sioux in Dakota Territory. The engagement took place under the command of Henry Hastings Sibley and brought a sizable U.S. force of over two thousand troops against an estimated one thousand to fifteen hundred Sioux fighters led in part by Inkpaduta. The battle represented part of the broader U.S. military campaign to suppress Sioux resistance in the region following earlier conflict, extending pressure into Dakota Territory against a coalition of Sioux bands.
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