"We went down determined to take the fort," said Wambdi Tanka (Big Eagle). "If we could take it we would soon have the whole Minnesota valley."
One of the bloodiest U.S.-Indian wars was fought along the Minnesota River, from Upper Sioux Agency to New Ulm. Here at Fort Ridgely, soldiers & Dakota warriors battled for two days.
By the summer of 1862m Dakota families were on the verge of starvation. They had been waiting month for food promised them in government treaties. Tensions exploded on August 16, 1862, when Dakota leaders confronted Lower Sioux Agency trader Andrew Myrick demanding the food they had been promised. Myrick reportedly said they should "eat grass if they are hungry." Furious Dakota warriors attacked the agencies, towns, & settlers in the region. Myrick was one of the first to be killed, & his mouth was stuffed with grass.
The violence lasted more than a month. About 500 settlers & 80 soldiers were killed. Many Dakota were also killed, & hundreds died in the aftermath. Hundreds more were rounded up & incarcerated at Fort Snelling where at least 130 died, most of them children. All treaties were voided, & the Dakota people were exiled from the state. After a trail, 38 Dakota men were hanged in Mankato on December 26, 1862-the largest execution in U.S. history.
Loading contexts...
