The Dakota-U.S. War of 1862

Noongom, Saturday, August 17, marks the 150th anniversary of what is considered the start of the war between the Dakota nations and the United States. The United States broke its treaties with the sovereign Dakota nations by delaying annuity payments in a time of drought, creating severe hardships on Dakota families, including children and elders, and resulting in much sickness and starvation. After an incident of four Dakota men killing five settlers in Acton, Minnesota on August 17, 1862, the Dakota nation, under the leadership of Taoyateduta / Little Crow, declared war on the United States and sought to reclaim their homelands from the occupational forces of the United States military and the invasive settlers. Fighting intensified over six weeks and culminated in the last major battle, the Battle of Wood Lake on September 23, 1862. While some Dakota people were able to flee Minnesota, others were captured or surrendered to the United States forces. In the largest mass execution in United States history, thirty-eight of these men were hanged on December 26, 1862, in Mankato, Minnesota, for actions committed in the defense and reclamation of their homeland.

The Dakota-U.S. War of 1862 is far from ancient history. It has had a profound impact on the relationships between tribal nations, the federal and state governments, and all Minnesota citizens. Minnesota's Dakota nations lost major land bases, lives were lost on both sides of the conflict, and the war marks a deep scar -- arguably, a wound -- on the history of this state, especially with the long-suppressed telling of the Dakota side of the story.

Learn more about the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862 and why it matters still from the following resources:

• Brown County, Minnesota, 150th Anniversary of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 - http://www.browncountydakotawarcommemoration.com
• "Dakota War: Good Guys? Bad Guys? History Isn't Always So Simple" (Mankato Free Press) http://mankatofreepress.com/local/x1555259647/Dakota-War-Good-guys-Bad-guys-History-isnt-always-so-simple
• Famous American Trials: The Dakota Conflict Trials, 1862 - http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/dakota/dakota.html
• "History Topics: U.S.-Dakota War of 1862" (Minnesota Historical Society: Library) http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/94dakota.html - Showing primary (firsthand) and secondary resources on the conflict
• Mahkato Wacipi: Honoring the 38 Dakota - http://www.mahkatowacipi.org
• "Stanley Crooks: Mdewakanton Divided over U.S.-Dakota War" (Minnesota Public Radio) http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/08/15/human-interest/dakota-war-stanley-crooks/
• The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 - http://www.usdakotawar.org - The Minnesota Historical Society's official hub of information on the conflict and its sequicentennial commemorations
• "The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862" (Historic Fort Snelling: History) http://www.historicfortsnelling.org/history/us-dakota-war
• "The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862" (Minnesota History Center: Exhibits) http://minnesotahistorycenter.org/exhibits/us-dakota-war-of-1862
• "The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862: Explore the War That Changed Minnesota" (Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community) http://mendotadakota.com/mn/2012/06/19/the-us-dakota-war-of-1862-explore-the-war-that-changed-minnesota/