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During
the Battle of Whitestone Hill, 20 soldiers were killed and 38 were wounded.
Although there was no accurate count of the Indian casualties, estimates ranged
from 100 to 300 dead. In addition, 32 men and 124 women and children were captured.
For two days, military patrols guarded against reprisal raids while troops destroyed
Indian property. Tipis, buffalo hides, wagons, travois, blankets, and perhaps
as much as half million pounds of buffalo meat were stacked and burned. Some
of the fires were set over the graves of the soldiers to obscure the location
of the burial places. Troops threw pots, kettles, weapons, and other things
that would sink, into the lake.
On
September 5, one of the scouting details ran into a party of Indians. In the
ensuing skirmish, two more white soldiers were killed. The following day, Sully
and his army marched south toward their transport on the Missouri River. The
Indians, who had escaped the battlefield, scattered over the plains looking
for friends and families who could share necessities during the winter months.
Today,
Whitestone Battlefield State Historic Site includes a portion of the battlefield
and a small museum with exhibits explaining the 1863 Sibley and Sully expeditions
and the Battle of Whitestone Hill. There are two monuments, one honoring the
Indian dead and a second commemorating the soldiers who died in the battle.
A marker also recognizes two early settlers, Tom and Mary Shimmin. A fieldstone
shelter beside the trail provides a resting point overlooking part of the battlefield
and a freshwater lake. Nearby is a picnic area with a shelter, table, horseshoe
pits, pit toilets, and a parking lot. The site is open May 16 through September
15, Thursday through Monday. Admission is free, and donations are accepted.
Brochures describing the site are available from the State Historical Society of North Dakota. For more information and specific hours, contact shspreservation@nd.gov, or mail the Site Supervisor, Whitestone Hill Battlefield State Historic Site, R.R. 1, Box 125, Kulm, North Dakota, 58456, or call (701) 396-7731. For more information on the region call the Ellendale Chamber of Commerce: (701) 349-3622 or Jamestown CVB: 1-800-222-4766. See also Whitestone Historical Society.