| Battle of Sand Butte | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Modoc War (Indian Wars) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Modoc |
United States Warm Springs Indians | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Scarface Charley Kientpoos |
Donald McKay Evan Thomas † Thomas Wright † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 20-30 warriors |
~70 soldiers ~12 Indian scouts | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| none | 35 casualties | ||||||
The Battle of Sand Butte between the Modoc Indians and the United States Army was a part of the Modoc War in California. On April 26, 1873, a force of ~70 Army soldiers and ~12 Warm Springs Indians scouts went looking for a group of Modoc who had escaped a previous assault attempt by the Army. Mid-day, the Army and Warm Springs Indians were ambushed at the base of Sand Butte, and nearly wiped out by 20 Modoc warriors. The Modoc victory lead to further public calls for their extermination.