Years ago I had a book on New Mexico history that mentioned this battle.
The author said that some of those in the Pawnee camp were really french soldiers disguised as Pawnee.
The casualty figures were so low, it would lead one to guess that the “expansion” wasn’t all that energetic in the first place.
[LBM, 1970] ...but it was a band of Pawnee what attacked us. I ain’t had no use for Pawnee ever since... “Little White Man, fool poor Pawnee. Big fooling. You want to eat?” Pawnees was always sucking up to whites. “Little White Man not mad, huh? See? Pawnee friend. Fix this bad Indian for Little White Man.” I always felt kind of bad about that poor Pawnee. I didn’t mean to kill him. I just meant to distract him.
Obama Praises Indian Chief Who Killed U.S. General (Sitting Bull)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2627449/posts