Battle of Four Lakes

The Battle of Four Lakes was a battle during a US Army expedition against a confederation of Indian tribes in Washington and Idaho. Indian resistance to U.S. troops in the area had continued as part of the Yakima War. Commander of the Department of the Pacific, General Newman S. Clarke sent a force under Colonel George Wright to deal with the Indians. Wright's troops were armed with the new Springfield Model 1855 Rifle-Musket giving them an advantage over the Indians. Chief Kamiakin attacked Wright near present day Spokane, Washington. Wright counterattacked and drove off the Indians inflicting heavy losses while reportedly not losing a single soldier due to the long range (500+ yards) of the new Springfield Model 1855 Rifle-Musket vs. the short range (50-100 yards) of the Indian's smoothbores. The Indians were cut down by the long range rifle fire well before they could get in range with their smoothbores, which explains the zero American casualties.

Further reading

• U.S. Army defeats Native Americans at Battle of Four Lakes on September 1, 1858 at HistoryLink.org
• Map of the battle plan at Washington State University online library