Atlas of Battles

battle, nineteenth century

Battle of Sand Butte

Battle of Sand Butte was a battle fought on 26 April 1873 in what is now California, United States. It was part of the Modoc War, which ran from 1872 to 1873. The recorded result: Modoc victory. Recorded strength: 20–30 warriors against ~70 soldiers; ~12 Indian scouts.

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Battle of Sand Butte
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought26 April 1873
WhereCalifornia, United States41.760N, 121.524W
OutcomeModoc victory
BelligerentsModocagainstUnited States; Warm Springs Indians
Casualties and lossesNoneand35 casualties
Part ofModoc War1872 to 1873

Where it sits in the Modoc War

Battle of Lost River, 1872First Battle of the Stronghold, 1873Second Battle of the Stronghold, 1873Battle of Sand Butte, 1873Battle of Dry Lake, 187318721873Battle of Sand Butte, 1873
5 placed engagements of the Modoc War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date26 April 1873
PlaceCalifornia, United States
41.760N, 121.524W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength20–30 warriors~70 soldiers; ~12 Indian scouts
Casualties and lossesNone35 casualties
Commanders
  • Donald McKay (scout)
Battle of Sand ButteBattle of Sand ButteSecond Battle of the StrongholdFirst Battle of the StrongholdBattle of Dry LakeBattle of Lost RiverBattle of Dry LakeBattle of Lost RiverMedfordKlamath FallsReddingGrants PassMt. Shasta100 km41.760N, 121.524W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1873

Battle of Sand Butte is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (23 in California).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q4872290, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Sand Butte, revision 1370588457, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.