Battle of the Brule

During the 17th and 18th centuries, control of northern Wisconsin and northeastern Minnesota was hotly contested by the Santee Sioux and the Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe).

Armstrong, the adopted son of Chief Buffalo of the La Pointe Band, was an American who had decided to live with the Ojibwas on Madeline Island.

Although the Ojibwas living along Lake Superior's south shore were collectively referred to as the La Pointe Band by 19th-century sources, in actuality, they maintained seasonal camps all along the shoreline.

The Dakota, still thinking they were dealing with a very small unsuspecting group of Ojibwe fell for Buffalo's maneuver of sending out a few warriors to engage in a decoy retreat.

As they drew close and started climbing the bank the Ojibwa were perched behind, Buffalo had his left and right flanks pour into the river on either side to surround the Lakota.