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By this date in 1823, troops of the United States Sixth Infantry were back in their barracks after a punitive expedition against the Arikaras. A generation of tensions had led to the conflict. St. Louis fur traders felt entitled to go anywhere they wanted on the Missouri River, while the Arikara felt entitled to control their own territory.
This date in 1823 saw the second day of combat in \“The Arikara War.\” That morning, Colonel Leavenworth's Sixth Infantry bombarded the upper and lower villages of the Arikara in the vicinity of what is now Mobridge, South Dakota. His howitzers attacking the upper village mostly fell into the Missouri River or onto the river sands. By noon, his artillery ran out of ammunition.
Throughout the summer there are 28 special memorial days recalling Indian Wars conflicts. In the Bismarck-Mandan region alone there is the Apple Creek Fight of 1863, Woodcutter Fight of 1872,