Battle of Mud Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Mud Lake/Mud Lake Massacre |
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| Part of the Indian Wars, Snake War |
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| Nations | |||||
 United States |
Smoke Creek Paiute|Kuyuidika-a Paiute | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Almond B. Wells | Unknown | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| 50 troopers of 1st Battalion Nevada Volunteer Cavalry 2 civilian guides |
30 Kuyuidika-a Paiute women, children, elderly. | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| "several wounded" | 29 killed | ||||
The Battle of Mud Lake/Mud Lake Massacre, also known as the "Skirmish at Mud Lake", occurred on 14 March 1865 during the Snake War in northwest Nevada Territory, at present-day Winnemucca Lake, Nevada, during the closing months of the concurrent American Civil War.
Battle timeline
Fifty men from the 1st Nevada Volunteer Cavalry Battalion under Captain Almond D. Wells rode out towards Pyramid Lake in response to cattle theft in the area. Michno writes that upon arrival the troopers were informed by Chief Winnemucca that a band of Smoke Creek Paiutes were the likely thieves. However, Sarah Winnemucca wrote that her father, Chief Winnemucca, and all the young men were at Carson Sink on a hunting expedition at the time. Stewart states that Sarah Winnemucca and her father were in Dayton, NV at the time of the attack and that her father read about the attack in the newspaper. This claim is ironic because Chief Winnemucca could not read.
Wells report stated that he took 29 of his command and two civilian guides toward Mud Lake (now Winnemucca Lake) where the camp was located. Wells intended to arrest the thieves and wrote that the Paiutes began firing once the cavalry approached. Wells surrounded the camp and the natives attempted to escape. The troops killed 29 Native Americans while only one was reported to have escaped. Several of the troopers were reported wounded in the fight. Wells also reported that Chief Winnemucca expressed he was pleased with Wells' victory believing it would teach the thieving bands a lesson.
Aftermath
Major Charles McDermit and Nevada's first governor Henry Blasdel met with Paiute leaders at Fort Churchill. Chief Winnemucca arrived wearing full war paint, along with more than 60 Paiute chiefs and leaders. Winnemucca said that the men who stole the cattle were not in their camp. Numaga recanted that Winnemucca had just lost his wives and newborn son, and that if only asked they would have given up any cattle thieves before this blood was spilled. There was already a precedent of forfeiting native people in the kangaroo courts of the wild west, regardless of actual guilt. (At this time the Paiutes were suffering from starvation during the boom of the Comstock in a desert that was never designed to support large populations.) Though war is not started, it is this event which causes Chief Winnemucca to swear to never return to the Pyramid Lake Paiute reservation, a vow which he held to for the rest of his life.
Sessions Wheeler recounts newspaper coverage of the skirmish in detail. Wheeler quotes Major McDermit as stating that 32 were killed and "all but two were men" rather than 29. Other sources claim only 16-18 were women and children. Wheeler notes that in the aftermath, "the Black rock Desert region became the principal battleground for a conflict which, in respect to its ferocity, probably had no equal in Nevada history."
Most of the local newspaper coverage applauded Wells for his actions, reflecting the savage attitude of the men of the Comstock Lode. However, while the Virginia Daily Union initially called to "let loose the dogs of war, and cry havoc" the paper later questioned how Wells's company survived such a fight with only one wounded returning volunteer, and why no weapons had been confiscated from the enemy. The Virginia Daily Union's subsequent call for an investigation into this military action has no recorded response.
