What happened in the Dakota War of 1862?
Dakota War of 1862. The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862 or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of Dakota (also known as the eastern ' Sioux ').
When did the Dakota War start?
It began on August 18, 1862, at the Lower Sioux Agency along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota. The eastern Dakota ceded large tracts of land to the United States in a series of treaties signed in 1837, 1851 and 1858.
Where were the Dakota Indians interned after the Dakota War of 1862?
Census of Dakota Indians Interned at Fort Snelling After the Dakota War in 1862. Minnesota Historical Society. 2006. Archived from the original on February 20, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2006. ^ "Exile". The US-Dakota War of 1862.
What happened to the Dakota tribe in Minnesota?
On August 17, 1862, one young Dakota with a hunting party of three others killed five settlers while on a hunting expedition. That night a council of Dakota decided to attack settlements throughout the Minnesota River valley to try to drive whites out of the area.
What happened to the Dakota in 1862?
On September 23, federal forces defeated the Dakota at the Battle of Wood Lake in Yellow Medicine County. Three days later, the Dakota surrendered, releasing nearly 300 captives. The Dakota who surrendered were held until military trials could take place that November.
What happened to the settlers during the US-Dakota war?
By the end of the war, 358 settlers had been killed, in addition to 77 soldiers and 29 volunteer militia. The total number of Dakota casualties is unknown. On September 26, 1862, 269 "mixed-blood" and white hostages were released to Sibley's troops at Camp Release.
Why did some of the Dakota people go to war in 1862?
Hunger was widespread throughout Dakota lands in Minnesota. Since crops had been poor in 1861, the Dakota had little food stored for the “starving winter” of 1861-62. Their reservation supported no game, and increasing settlement off the reservation meant more competition with Euro-Americans hunting for meat.
Where was the Dakota war fought?
MinnesotaFrom the spring of 1863 until the late summer of 1864, Dakota who had surrendered or been captured by the army were held at the Fort Snelling stockade before being exiled from Minnesota. In November of the following year, an event marked the close of the US-Dakota War era at Fort Snelling.
Where do the Dakota people live today?
The Dakotas traveled freely, however, and there was also significant Dakota presence in the modern states of Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, and northern Illinois, and in south-central Canada. Today, most Dakota people live in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Saskatchewan.
Did settlers and Dakota returned immediately to their homes after the war?
Settlers and Dakota returned immediately to their homes after the war. This group was arriving in southern Minnesota by the thousands, eager to start farms on land available as a result of treaties. This group had adopted many European American customs, including attending church and raising livestock.
What is the Dakota tribe known for?
Located in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, the Dakota have lived for countless generations along the wooded shores of the region's lakes and rivers. They harvested wild rice, maple sugar, and cultivated gardens. They were semi-nomadic people, spending most of the year in villages populated with Bark Long Houses.
What is the largest mass execution in U.S. history?
On December 26, 1862, following the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, the federal government hanged 38 members of the Dakota tribe in Minnesota. It was the largest mass execution in United States history.
How long did the Dakota war last?
six weeksWhen the U.S. government broke its promises, some of the Dakota Indians went to war against the white settlers. Many Dakota did not join in, choosing to aid and protect settlers instead. The fighting lasted six weeks and many people on both sides were killed or fled Minnesota.
What happened to the traditional Dakota after the war?
A small number of Dakota people remained in Minnesota after the war. In the 1880s, more began to return from exile. Several families purchased land that eventually became the Lower Sioux community.
What was one cause of the First Dakota war which occurred in 1862 quizlet?
What was of the main causes of the war? The killing of the white settlers by the Dakota Hunters.
Who was involved in the Dakota War of 1862?
The war was fought primarily by Mdewakanton and Wahpekute men. Of the estimated 6,500 Dakota people living on Minnesota reservation land in 1862, historians think no more than 1,000 actually fought, including some who were coerced into the battles.
Why did the Dakota Sioux start an uprising in 1862 quizlet?
The first major clash that began in 1862 when the Dakota people known as the Sioux launched a major uprising in Minnesota. The government agreed to give annual payments to the Sioux Indians in exchange for them living on a reservation. The payments never reached them. They lived in poverty and many starved.
How many Dakota men were hanged?
After a trial by military tribunal, 38 Dakota men were hanged in Mankato on Dec. 26, 1862. It remains the largest mass execution in U.S. history. More than 300 Dakota men had initially been condemned to death but President Abraham Lincoln commuted all but 39 of the sentences. Another was reprieved at the last minute because of questions about the testimony used to convict him.
Where were the prisoners held in 1862?
Approximately 1600 Dakota and mixed-race people at Camp Release near Montevideo (so named because friendly Dakota had gathered 269 captives there to release to Sibley after the Dakota were defeated at the Battle of Wood Lake) were taken into U.S. Army custody. In November the prisoners, mostly women, children, the elderly, non-combatants and others who had filtered into the camp, were taken in a six-day march to Ft. Snelling. There, they were held over the winter of 1862-63 in an internment camp, sometimes called a concentration camp, below the fort. As many as 300 Dakota prisoners died over the winter, victims of illness and attacks by civilians and soldiers. Eventually, they were forcibly removed from the state to reservations in the Dakota Territory and what is now Nebraska. The convicted prisoners whose death sentences were commuted were transported to a military prison at Camp McClellan, near Davenport, Iowa.
How long did the Dakota War last?
While the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 lasted just six weeks, the issues surrounding its causes went on for decades and its aftermath continues to affect Minnesota and the nation to this day.
When did missionaries escape from the fighting?
Missionaries escaping from the fighting. - Aug. 21, 1862
What did the Dakota tribes do in 1837?
Between 1837 and 1858, the Dakota tribes agreed to a series of treaties that exchanged Dakota land for money and food. At the same time, the US government passed a number of policies encouraging settlement along the western frontier, including the creation of the state of Minnesota.
What is the Dakota War Trials?
The United States - Dakota War Trials: A Study of Military Injustice: Examination of the troubling impact and legacy of the Dakota trials.
What was the reward for dead Indians in the Dakota War?
US-Dakota War of 1862. “The state reward for dead Indians has been increased to $200 for every red-skin sent to Purgatory. The sum is more than all the dead bodies of all the Indians east of the Red River are worth.". The Dakota War of 1862 was a brief conflict between the Dakota people of Minnesota and settlers.
How long did the Dakota conflict last?
Lasting only five weeks, the conflict had a profound impact on not only the Dakota, but Native Americans across the state. The conflict can be viewed as one of the genocidal efforts to forcibly remove the Dakota from Minnesota, which also included the internment of hundreds of women, children, and elderly on Pike Island below Fort Snelling.
When did the Dakota Treaties come to a head?
The situation would come to a head in the summer of 1862. For more information about the treaties between the Dakota and US government, check out: MN–Dakota Treaties: Copies of many of the treaties the US government and Minnesota signed with Native American tribes, including the Dakota.
How many sentences did Lincoln commute?
In the end, Lincoln commuted all but 39 sentences, deciding only the Dakota involved in civilian massacres should be executed. On December 26, 1862, 38 Dakota men were hung in Mankato, an event which remains the largest single execution in American history.
What caused the decimation of the Indian population?
These caused, together with starvation and disease, a massive decimation of the Indian population across the United States. Following these repeated attempts to destroy Native American populations, the United States government embarked on a policy of assimilation towards indigenous people into Euro-American society.
What happened August 20-22?
August 20-22: The Dakota make two attacks on Fort Ridgely and are turned back. The Lake Shetek settlement is attacked, and the women and children taken hostage are carried into Dakota Territory. An attack at West Lake (Norway Lake or present-day Monson Lake) occurs, killing 13 people.
How many people died in the New Ulm skirmish?
New Ulm comes under seige by a relatively small group of Dakota warriors. This skirmish lasts several hours and leaves five settlers dead.
What happened in September 2nd?
September 2: A burial party sent out by Sibley is attacked at Birch Coulee. The Peace Party opens negotiations with Sibley. September 3-4: A Dakota force led by Little Crow fights a skirmish at Acton and attacks barricaded settlements at Forest City and Hutchinson.
What happened at Fort Abercrombie?
Fort Abercrombie on the Red River is attacked and surrounded. Sibley learns that the Dakota hold more than 250 hostages; he begins negotiating for their release. September 18: Sibley’s forces leave Fort Ridgely and advance up the Minnesota River Valley.
How many people died in Renville County in 1862?
There are an estimated 1,200 settlers in Renville County in 1862. On the 18th and 19th, more than 160 residents are killed; more than 100 more are taken captive. With few exceptions, the bodies of those who died are in unmarked graves, where they fell. Milford Township also suffers many losses.
What was the purpose of the Mdewakantons' lodge?
Before the war broke out, a group of Mdewakantons had formed a soldiers’ lodge. Traditionally, the soldiers’ lodge regulated hunting efforts within a village. Increasingly, though, this lodge attracted young men who resisted U.S. assimilation policies. Dakota farmers were not allowed to join.
When was the second battle of New Ulm?
August 23 : The second battle of New Ulm. This time, more than 600 Dakota soldiers fight under the guidance of Chiefs Waŋbdí Tháŋka, Wabaṡa, and Makato. This is the largest battle over a US town since 1776. After holding off the attack, Charles Flandreau leads the evacuation of new Ulm on August 25, leaving much of the city in ashes. Little Crow’s camp retreats to the upper reservation.
What was Fort Snelling's role in the Civil War?
Fort Snelling played a central role in the war and its aftermath. In early August 1862, recruitment of the Sixth through Eleventh Infantry regiments meant for service in the Civil War had commenced. When news of Dakota attacks reached St. Paul, Governor Ramsey appointed Henry Sibley a colonel in the state's military forces and commander ...
What did the Minnesota Legislature award McKenzie and Giguere for their services?
In 1867 the Minnesota Legislature awarded McKenzie and Giguere $1,000 as payment for their services. While imprisoned, Sakpedan supposedly heard a steam engine pass by Fort Snelling and was quoted as saying, "'There—that is what has driven us away.
What was the purpose of the Punitive Expeditions?
In the summers of 1863–64, the US Army launched the Punitive Expeditions into Dakota Territory, intent on carrying war to the Dakota people. Fort Snelling became a center for marshalling supplies, stock, and troops for these efforts.
What was the purpose of the concentration camp at Fort Snelling?
In the summers of 1863–64, the US Army launched the Punitive Expeditions into Dakota Territory, intent on carrying war to the Dakota people. Fort Snelling became a center for marshalling supplies, stock, and troops for these efforts. From the spring of 1863 until the late summer of 1864, Dakota who had surrendered or been captured by the army were held at the Fort Snelling stockade before being exiled from Minnesota.
Where was the Dakota War held?
From the spring of 1863 until the late summer of 1864, Dakota who had surrendered or been captured by the army were held at the Fort Snelling stockade before being exiled from Minnesota. In November of the following year, an event marked the close of the US-Dakota War era at Fort Snelling.
How long did the Dakota trials last?
Some of the trials lasted no longer than five minutes. At the time, and ever since, the legal authority of the commission and the procedures it followed have been questioned.
Where was the Dakota camp?
The Fort Snelling Concentration Camp. The Dakota non-combatants arrived at Fort Snelling on November 13, 1862, and encamped on the bluff of the Minnesota River about a mile west of the fort. Shortly after, Marshall and his soldiers moved the Dakota to the river bottom directly below the fort.
What was the history of the Dakota War?
Historical Context. As the Civil War raged, Dakotans and white settlers engaged in heated combat during the late summer of 1862. The U.S.-Dakota War was a short-lived conflict that uprooted both Dakota and white settlers throughout the Minnesota River Valley in south central Minnesota.
How many Dakota men were hanged?
Following the 1862 struggle, 38 Dakota men were hanged for their participation in the war—the largest mass execution in U.S. history—and large numbers of Dakota were forcibly displaced from Minnesota.
How many Dakota Indians were killed in the 1862 war?
The war ended on December 26, 1862, when thirty-eight Dakota Indians were hanged in Mankato in the largest mass execution in U.S. history. Afterward, the government forced most of the remaining Dakota to leave Minnesota. For white Minnesotans, their experience of blood and terror negated all promises they had made to the Dakota.
Why did the Dakota Indians go to war?
When the U.S. government broke its promises, some of the Dakota Indians went to war against the white settlers. Many Dakota did not join in, choosing to aid and protect settlers instead. The fighting lasted six weeks and many people on both sides were killed or fled Minnesota.
The Dakota People Before The War
- The Sioux settling in North and South Dakota, Western Minnesota, and Northern Iowa are known as the Eastern Dakota. Although culturally related to the Western Dakota and Lakota, several differences exist to distinguish the tribal communities. The Eastern Dakota had been a part of Minnesota for centuries. The bluffs where the Minnesota and Minneapolis Rivers diverge, near p…
Broken Treaties
- The first treaties signed by the Dakota tribes came in 1805 when the Dakota signed a treaty with Zebulon Pike that gave the US government a significant amount of land where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers meet. In 1825, the tribe agreed to define its borders, along with several other tribes, at a meeting at Prairie du Chien, what is now western Wisconsin. This would make it easi…
The War
- On August 17, a Dakota hunting party stole eggs from settlers in Acton Township, located in Meeker County. The raid led to the deaths of five settlers. Little Crow, a chief of the Mdewakanton band of Dakota, decided to continue the raids. The day after the raid in Acton, Little Crow led another raid against the Lower Sioux Agency near Morton, MN in...
The Dakota Trials and Their Aftermath
- In November 1862, the trials of the Dakota held at Camp Release began. Of the 498 trials held, more than 300 men were sentenced to death, for crimes ranging from rape to murder. The defendants were not allowed legal representation and the trials themselves were brief, with some lasting less than five minutes. President Abraham Lincoln personally reviewed the convictions o…
The Legacy of The War
- In the years following the Dakota War, a number of memorials were established honoring the white settler casualties of the conflict. In Mankato, a memorial to mass execution existed until the early 1970s. One hundred and fifty years after the war, Governor Mark Dayton formally apologized, declaring August 17, 2012 to be a “Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation.” The Minneapolis a…
Educator Resources
- CHGS US-Dakota War Unit Plan: From the “Sioux Massacres” to the “Dakota Genocide:” Minnesota’s “Forgotten War” in the State’s Newspapers from 1862 to 2012
- Bdote Memory Map: Resources for Teachers
- Why Treaties Matter: Educator Resources
- USDakotaWar.org: Teacher Resources
Documentaries