Miraculous Preservation of Cavalry Horses during a Sioux Indian Skirmish
Published October 12, 2026 at 6:20 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
In 1872, during a skirmish with Sioux Indians in Dakota, the Third United States Cavalry lost their horses during a violent rain and hail storm when the animals broke free and ran into enemy territory. Facing certain defeat, the commanding officer ordered the 'stable call' to be sounded; despite the circumstances, every horse returned to the encampment, saving the soldiers.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, 1 April 1897 (Vol. 59, No. 13)):
In 1872, during a skirmish with Sioux Indians in Dakota, the Third United States Cavalry lost their horses during a violent rain and hail storm when the animals broke free and ran into enemy territory. Facing certain defeat, the commanding officer ordered the 'stable call' to be sounded; despite the circumstances, every horse returned to the encampment, saving the soldiers.
In Their Own Words
“In the year 1872, during a skirmish with the Sioux Indians, the Third United States Cavalry formed an encampment in the valley on the southern border of Dakota. At nightfall the horses were tethered by a long line to the ground. Toward daybreak a violent storm of rain and hail burst over the valley, when the terrified animals broke loose from their fastenings and tore away up the steep sides of the valley into the territory of the enemy. Without horses, at the mercy of the enemy, we would have been lost; yet it was impossible, in the darkness, to go after them into an unknown country, probably full of Indians. The commanding officer, as a last resource, ordered the stable call to be sounded. In a few minutes every horse had returned to the encampment, and we were saved.— Millennial Star 59:13”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 1 April 1897 (Vol. 59, No. 13). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1897-04-01_59_13 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, 1 April 1897 (Vol. 59, No. 13) https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1897-04-01_59_13
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