Dakota Conflict, Sioux Uprising, American Civil War, Hanging of the Sioux "Firsts"

Again, my thanks to family genealogist Jon Schweitzer for sending this material about Minnesota's Sioux Uprising, also known as the Dakota Conflict of 1862, an action of the American Civil War.

The below was prepared by Curtis Dahlin who wrote "The Dakota Uprising, A Pictorial History" in 2009. The book was dedicated to the innocent white settlers and the innocent Dakota Indians. A book well worth reading!

    “The War was the most significant event in Minnesota’s History. If it were to take place today and the same proportion of people were killed, there would be over 15,000 dead.

    The over 600 who were killed compares with 615 battlefield deaths of Minnesota Civil War soldiers. One difference is that the soldiers were armed whereas most of those killed in the   U.S. – Dakota War were unarmed, and a second difference is that the Civil War deaths were spread out over a 4 year period while most of the U.S. – Dakota War victims were killed within a 6 week period, between August 17 and September 23, 1862.

    When looking at a daily toll of victims, there were over 200 killed on August 18, 1862, in the U.S. – Dakota War, whereas there were about 235 soldiers killed with General George Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876. One difference is that the soldiers were armed.

    The magnitude of the War can be measured by the number of “mosts” in the nation, since its founding in 1776. The over 600 victims were the largest number killed in the nation in a war with the Indians. In response to this, 38 Dakota were hanged at Mankato on December 26, 1862, the largest number of people executed at one time in the nation.

    The August 22, 1862 battle at Fort Ridgely was the largest attack on a fort by the Indians, with about 800 Dakota attacking the fort in which there were over 400 people, most of whom were unarmed refugees fleeing the Dakota.

    The August 23, 1862 battle at New Ulm was the largest attack on a town, with about 650 Dakota attacking the town containing about 2,000 people, most of whom were unarmed.

    The August 25, 1862 evacuation of New Ulm – some 2,000 people – was the largest number of people to completely evacuate a town during an Indian war. An estimated 20,000 people fled their homes, which was the most in any Indian war in the nation.

    The New Ulm City Cemetery contains the largest number of civilians (about 45) who were killed by the Indians and buried in a single cemetery. Some of the gravestones contain the inscription “by Indians.”

    About 400 victims lie in unmarked and unknown graves, the most in any Indian war in the nation.”

By Curtis Dahlin

For more information on Minnesota's Great Sioux Uprising of 1862, follow this link.

http://youtu.be/QK2Df5HD9zI

And this link:

 http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Prairie-Uprising-Sesquicentennial-Edition/dp/0983205744/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336445975&sr=8-1