Battle of Sand Butte
| Battle of Sand Butte | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Modoc War (Indian Wars) | |||||||
 Scarface Charley, who massacred the US troops. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Modoc | United States | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Scarface Charley | Evan Thomas † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 34 warriors | 67-man patrol | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| none | 23 killed, 19 wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Sand Butte or the Thomas Massacre was a clash between the Modoc Indians and the United States 12th Infantry Regiment in the Modoc War. A small force of US troops were ambushed and nearly wiped out by Modoc warriors led by Scarface Charley. Ten days after the battle, the dead bodies of the soldiers were discovered by a patrol.
References
- MHQ Summer 2011: Fooled Again by Peter E. Cozzens
- Indians of the Pacific Northwest: A History by Robert H. Ruby and John A. Brown