Davis assumed field command of the army and ordered an expedition to trap Captain Jack who was moving southeast from the Lava Beds.
At dawn on May 10, a small detachment of Modoc warriors attacked the U.S. camp while the rest took up a position in the bluffs above the lake.
The startled troopers quickly rolled out of their blankets and took cover behind any obstacle they could find, no matter how small, in order to fasten their gunbelts and pull on their boots.
For the first time in the Modoc War, U.S. troops charged and routed the warriors defending the bluff.
Davis reported after the battle that he was pleased with the conduct of his troopers and that they had not fled when the Modocs first attacked.