U.S.- Dakota War of 1862

The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 is a significant event in the history and development of the state of Minnesota and in the long and complex history of the Dakota people and the United States.  Between 1805 and 1858 treaties made between the U.S. government reduced Dakota lands and significantly altered Minnesota’s physical, cultural and political landscape The treaties were major factors in the lead-up to the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. The treaties established that the Dakota would be paid for their land in yearly installments called “annuities” but in many cases, traders received a portion of these payments directly from the U.S. government because of claims of debts owed to them by the Dakota. By the summer of 1862 the situation for many Dakota families had grown desperate: annuity payments were late due to the U.S. government’s priority in financing the Civil war, some traders at the Indian Agencies refused to extend credit for food and others goods until the Dakota had cash to pay their debts and finally, recent droughts had contributed to poor harvest which left many Dakota families hungry.  Due to these and other factors, tensions within Dakota communities reached a breaking point. On August 17, 1862 killed five people living on farms near Acton, Minnesota. When word of the killings spread to people at the Lower Sioux Reservation, a group of Dakota men argued that it was time to go to war with Minnesota’s European-American settler population to reclaim their ancestral land. While there was no consensus within the Dakota community and many did not agree and some helped protect white settlers, the war was underway. We spent two days visiting the sites of this ancient tragedy three hours west of our home.

 The conflict focused on Minnesota's "frontier" at the time which was the Minnesota River Valley in the southwest. There several Indian Agencies had been established by the Federal Government to supervise the Indians confinement on a narrow reservation along the river.

It was here at the Lower Sioux Agency that trader Andrew Myrick had been informed by the Indian Agent Thomas Galbreath that the "traders paper" that allowed the traders to be paid right from the annuity allotments for what they were owed on credit was not going to be allowed this time, so he responded that they would give no more credit at the  post." So far as I am concerned, if they are hungry let them eat grass or their own dung."  

His comment is considered an inciting factor in the war that began shortly thereafter. Although Myrick escaped from this building when the Dakota attacked he was killed shortly thereafter.  When his body was found sometime later his mouth was stuffed with grass. 

Two days after the attack on the Lower Sioux Agency hundreds of Dakota surrounded Fort Ridgley, a small frontier army post near the town of New Ulm.  It was manned mostly by a small force of volunteer soldiers due to the fact that the regular army had been called east to defend Washington City and The Union. A force of about forty soldiers had been sent to defend New Ulm and were ambushed nearby at a crossing on the Minnesota river and mostly killed.  The fort was left with only a few soldiers and large number of settlers who had fled there for shelter.

  We hiked down from the fort to the river to look at the site of the ambush….

More later......