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U.S.–Dakota War of 1862 August 18, 1862 War begins at the Redwood (Lower

Sioux) Agency, led by Taoyateduta (Little Crow).

August19−25 AttacksonNewUlmandFortRidgely;NewUlmisevacuated.Sibleyisappointedtocommandtroops and scouts.

September1–2 BattleofBirchCoulee.

September23 BattleofWoodLake.

September26 CaptivesarereleasedandsomeoftheDakotawhohadbeenfightingsurrenderatCampRelease.

September28 MilitarytrialsbeginforDakotawhohadfought.

October24 Sibleymoveshiscamp,alongwithallDakotaprisoners,fromCampRelease to the Redwood Agency.

November4 Trialsend;303Dakotaaresentenced to death.

November7–13 Removalof1,658noncombatantDakotatoFortSnelling.

November9−10 SibleymovesthosesentencedtoSouthBendnearMankato.

December6 NumberofDakotasentencedtobeexecutedisreducedto40byauthorizationofPresidentLincoln.

December26 38DakotaareexecutedbyhangingatMankato.

Spring,1863 ForcedexileofmostDakotafromMinnesotabegins.

1863– BattlesbetweensomeDakotaandU.S.militaryforcescontinueforyears in the West.

The U.S.–Dakota War of 1862TheMinnesotaRiverValleywasripeforconflictin1862.TensionsbetweentheDakotapeopleandtheU.S.governmenthadlongbeenbrewingoverbrokentreatypromisesanddramaticchangestoDakotatraditionallifestyles.FocusedontheCivilWar,thegovernmentwasslowtorespondtoDakotademandsforthemoneyandfoodowedtothem.Finally,someDakotawarriorsweredriventoreclaimtheirhomeland.Thetragicsix-weekwarthatfollowed—calledtheU.S.–DakotaWarof1862—changedlivesforever.

Bythe1860s,landthathadoncebeenhometotheDakotawasfillingupwith farmsand towns.Culturalmisunderstandingsbetweenthenewneighborsaddedtothetensions.WhenmattersreachedaboilingpointinAugustof1862,acouncilofDakotaleadersmettodecidewhattodo.Thenextmorning,onAugust18,someDakotawarriorsattacked theRedwood (LowerSioux)Agency,aremotegovernmentoutpost,alongwiththenearbytrader’sstores,startingthe war.

The fighting soon encompassed all of southwesternMinnesota,withmajorbattlesatNewUlm,FortRidgely,BirchCouleeandWood Lake. Nothing was left untouched — not farms, remotesettlements,smalltownsorDakotavillages.BythetimetheWoodLakebattlewasfoughtonSeptember23,morethan500settlers,agencyemployees,traders,soldiersandothershadlosttheirlives.A smaller, unknown number of Dakota people also were killedduringthefighting.

SomeoftheDakotasurrenderedandturnedovertheircaptives.Otherswerecapturedbysoldiers.Amilitarycourt,convened inthefield,condemnedover300Dakotamentodeath.Eventually,38ofthemwerehanged,andtheremainingmenweretakentoaprisoninIowa.Manydidnotsurvivethejourneyandtheirthree-year sentences.

Life changed forever for theDakota living along theMinnesotaRiver. A smallnumberwhohadassistedthegovernmentduringthewarwereallowedtostay.Butintheend,almostallDakotawereforcedtoleavetheirhomeland.Thosewhohadnotengaged inbattle—mostlywomenandchildren—wereremovedfromtheirvillagesandtakentoaconcentrationcampatFortSnelling,wherehundredsdiedduringthewinterof1862–63.MostofthesurvivorswereforciblymovedtoareservationatCrowCreekinwhatisnowSouthDakota.AndthestategovernmentpaidabountyforanyunauthorizedDakotapersonremaininginMinnesota.SomeoftheexiledDakotaeventuallyreturnedtoMinnesota.Butfamilieswerepermanentlybrokenapart,andmanyDakotadidnotlivetoseetheirhomelandagain.

Oftheimmigrantsettlerswhohadfledtheirhomesduringthefighting,somewentbacktotheirtownsandhomesteads.Othersneverreturned.

Atragiceventfromallviewpoints,theU.S.–DakotaWarof1862hadrepercussionsfarbeyondMinnesota.Itledtootherbattlesfartherwestastheindigenouspeoplefought to retain their homelands and way of life. TheMinnesota River ValleyNationalScenicBywayencouragesvisitorstolearnmoreaboutourpastinordertopromoteunderstandingamongdiverseculturestoday.

A drawing depicting life in the Minnesota River Valley in the 1860s. This scene was near the Redwood (Lower Sioux) Agency.

Illustration from Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, June 1863, as seen in “The Sioux Uprising of 1862” by Kenneth Carley (Minnesota Historical Society Press).

Minnesota in 1862. Map from “Through Dakota Eyes” (Minnesota Historical Society Press).