Qualla: Battle of Dry Lake https://qualla.com/battle-of-dry-lake en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:03 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Battle of Dry Lake https://qualla.com/battle-of-dry-lake Battle of Dry Lake: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-dry-lake/ "God damn it, let's charge!" The words of 1st Sergeant Thomas Kelley cut through the dawn chaos on May 10, 1873, and in that moment, the Modoc War finally turned. For months, fifty-three Modoc warriors had humiliated the United States Army across the volcanic badlands of northern California. But here, at a dry lakebed the soldiers had sarcastically renamed from "Sore Ass Lake," the military would claim its first decisive victory - and Captain Jack's legendary resistance would begin to crumble.

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]]> Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/r/3/t/battle-of-dry-lake-wp/9r3t-battle-of-dry-lake-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Dry Lake: A Lake Without Water https://qualla.com/battle-of-dry-lake/ The U.S. cavalry had arrived expecting a lake. What they found was a parched basin beneath stark bluffs - the kind of cruel joke the Modoc homeland seemed to specialize in. Colonel Jefferson C. Davis, newly appointed commander of the Department of the Columbia, had taken direct c...

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]]> Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/r/3/t/battle-of-dry-lake-wp/9r3t-battle-of-dry-lake-a-lake-without-water.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Dry Lake: Dawn Attack https://qualla.com/battle-of-dry-lake/ The Modocs struck at first light. A small detachment of warriors hit the camp while their comrades took positions in the bluffs overlooking the dry lake. Startled soldiers tumbled from their blankets, scrambling for cover behind anything they could find - rocks, saddles, supply c...

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]]> Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/r/3/t/battle-of-dry-lake-wp/9r3t-battle-of-dry-lake-dawn-attack.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Dry Lake: The Charge That Changed Everything https://qualla.com/battle-of-dry-lake/ The troopers hesitated at the base of the bluff. The Modocs held the high ground - a scenario that had meant disaster in every previous battle. Then Sergeant Kelley shouted his now-famous profanity, and the soldiers charged. For the first time in the Modoc War, U.S. troops overra...

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]]> Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/r/3/t/battle-of-dry-lake-wp/9r3t-battle-of-dry-lake-the-charge-that-changed-everything.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Dry Lake: A Band Divided https://qualla.com/battle-of-dry-lake/ Dry Lake was more than a tactical victory - it was a psychological turning point. Colonel Davis reported that his men had finally held their ground when attacked, a basic achievement that spoke volumes about previous failures. But the real damage was to the Modoc themselves. Hook...

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]]> Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/r/3/t/battle-of-dry-lake-wp/9r3t-battle-of-dry-lake-a-band-divided.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Dry Lake: The Landscape Remembers https://qualla.com/battle-of-dry-lake/ Today, the dry lakebed sits in the same volcanic high country where the Modoc made their last stand. The bluffs still rise above the basin, and the terrain remains as unforgiving as it was in 1873. The Army and Navy Journal praised Colonel Davis for transforming the "formerly mis...

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]]> Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/r/3/t/battle-of-dry-lake-wp/9r3t-battle-of-dry-lake-the-landscape-remembers.mp3 0:06 6 full