Wood Lake MN002

supportedunresolved Sibley says small parties of Indians had been in plain sight each day as scouts. After the fight Campbell told him of dissension in the Dakota camp and that Little Crow's intended night attack had been overruled.

Knowledge attributed in an interested report; Campbell's statements are relayed hearsay. No message log inspected.

supportedunresolved Sibley says he was very much in want of bread rations, 6-pounder ammunition and howitzer shells and would have to fall back unless supplied, and that with 500 cavalry he could have ended the campaign.

Stated needs in an interested report; not a return.

supportedunresolved Sibley meant to cross the Yellow Medicine and await a company of the Seventh; he feared a retreat would let the Dakota escape with their captives, and answered the Wahpeton flag of truce that peace could be discussed when the prisoners were delivered.

Stated aims from an interested report; the Wahpeton message is relayed by Sibley. No account by the Dakota side was inspected; every statement of their numbers, aims and losses comes from their opponents or from the NPS summary.

supportedpost_outcome The frozen and live results read Union victory; NPS says Sibley's force won the day and calls Wood Lake the first decisive defeat of the Sioux. Sibley says the Indians, repulsed at all points after about two hours, retired with precipitation.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen casualty text reads US 37 and Indian losses unknown; the live field reads 66 (US 41; CS 25). Sibley gives 4 killed and 35 to 40 wounded; he relays Campbell's 30 Indians killed and says 14 bodies were found and buried. Marshall gives one killed, two wounded and one bruised in his five companies and 7 enemy dead brought in by his command.

Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap. Sibley's 14 buried and Marshall's 7 may overlap.

supportedunresolved The frozen commanders are Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley and Little Crow (no rank recorded); the live page gives Sibley as brigadier general and tags Little Crow [CS], neither adopted. Sibley's 1865 note says he was acting as colonel under the Governor's authority and had not yet received the order to report to Pope. Sibley sent the Renville Guards (his report's name for them) under Lieutenant Gorman to check the attack and ordered Marshall with five companies of the Seventh to the support of the Third; Marshall led the charge. The inspected reports mention Little Crow only in Campbell's relayed statement.

Command roles from interested reports; no automatic sole credit.

unknownunresolved

No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. Imported numerical estimates remain unchanged; this pass does not validate them as simultaneous opening forces.

disputedunresolved The frozen force field gives volunteer troops of about 1,500 (US bounds 1,500 and 1,500) and the Santee Sioux without figures; the frozen description says Sibley set out with 1,500 and escaped an ambush by 700 warriors. Sibley says the camp was attacked by about 300 Indians, and relays the half-breed Joseph Campbell's statement that 800 were assembled within 2 miles but the greater part took no share in the fight; he names his cavalry as only 27 and says the other companies of the Sixth were held back to defend the camp. Marshall reports five companies of the Seventh engaged.

Column, attacking and assembled figures of different scopes: the 1,500 is the column leaving Fort Ridgely on September 19; the 300 attackers, the 27 cavalry and Campbell's 800 assembled (relayed hearsay) refer to September 23; the frozen 700 is not traced. No account by the Dakota side was inspected; every statement of their numbers, aims and losses comes from their opponents or from the NPS summary. None is adopted as a matched opening strength.

supportedunresolved Sibley says part of the attacking force moved down a ravine to outflank the Third Regiment and was cleared by Marshall's charge; Marshall faced the ravine, and half of Company H held rifle pits dug for the protection of the camp. The Yellow Medicine River was about 3 miles off.

Natural ravine and a prepared camp position from interested reports; tag unresolved. No map verification.