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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 3:36:03 GMT -5
Sioux Rebellion of 1862 The 1858 treaties that ceded the north strip of the Minnesota river -- and the south strip was to be allotted, which the Dakota regarded as equivalent to losing the land -- cost the leaders who agreed to it their reputations. The Traverse des Sioux treaty had not been considered honorable by many Dakota (and many whites). The Dakota were literally starving. There was nothing to hunt on their diminished lands. Crooked agents and traders withheld annuities and payments. Although there were warehouses full of food, trader Andrew Myrick at Lower Sioux Agency would not consent to Little Crow's plea to feed the starving people. An almost accidental killing of a farm family by hungry young warriors touched off the so called "Great Sioux Uprising" of 1862. After a few victories, the people were defeated. 38 were hanged at Mankato, still the largest mass execution in U.S. history, and the rest were expelled from Minnesota to the Crow Creek reservation in south Dakota, or the Santee reservation in Nebraska. Missing: 1863 postwar treaty with all 4 Sioux bands: All Daklota lands in Minnesota are forfeit; the right of occupancy of any land in Minnesota forfeited -- the exile treaty. 12 stat 652. Sale of all remaining Sioux lands in Minnesota 12 Stat 819 LINK TO Treaties with Minnesota Indians and to what is said above--- www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/mn/treaties.html |
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 3:49:51 GMT -5
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 3:51:36 GMT -5
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 18:57:53 GMT -5
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 18:59:16 GMT -5
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 19:05:38 GMT -5
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 19:42:11 GMT -5
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 19:47:35 GMT -5
Punishment of the Sioux Red Iron, an Upper Sioux chief who stood up to Little Crow to ensure the prisoners safety, set up the captives' camp opposite the mouth of ... and later his sons learned osteology from the ... www.frontiernet.net/~lchsmuseum/history_on_the_hillink below- www.frontiernet.net/~lchsmuseum/history_on_the_hill/1999/99sept23.html------------- Red Iron, an Upper Sioux chief who stood up to Little Crow to ensure the prisoners safety, set up the captives' camp opposite the mouth of the Chippewa River. In charge of the friendly camp were Wabasha, Red Iron, Taopi, the influential mixed-blood Gabriel Renville and others. Joseph Campbell, a mixed-blood prisoner, was sent to let Sibley know that the captives were safe and the soldiers could come up. There were 269 captives in all that were released at Camp Release, 107 whites and 162 mixed-bloods. The five-man military commission appointed to try the Sioux who participated in the outbreak first convened at Camp Release on Sept. 28, 1862. Reading the records today buttresses the impression that the trails were a travesty of justice. It is true that those in charge had to resist public pressure to do away with all the Indians, guilty and innocent alike, and it must also be pointed out that the trials were conducted by a military commission and not be a court of law. Nevertheless, many of the proceeding were too hasty and quite a number of prisoners were condemned on flimsy evidence. Many Indians who had expected to be treated as prisoners of war were sentenced to death merely for being present at such battles as New Ulm and Birch Coulee. As soon as a prisoner admitted firing a shot at a white, no matter where, the commission with inseemingly haste sentenced him to hang. The 303 Indians who had been condemned to death were moved by Sibley and his troops on Nov. 9 from the Lower Agency to Camp Lincoln at South Bend. At New Ulm, enraged citizens violently attacked the captives by throwing brickbats and other missiles upon the shackled prisoners. Fifteen Indians and some of the guards were severely injured. It took a bayonet charge by Sibley's men to drive the whites back. During the night of Dec. 4, an army of citizens from Mankato marched toward Camp Lincoln, intent on murdering the Indians. They were stopped by the troops. The following day the Indians were moved to safer quarters in a log structure in Mankato. On Dec. 6, 1862, Presiden Lincoln disappointed most Minnesotans by approving death sentences for only 39 of the 303 convicts. He wrorte out the names of those to be hanged for rape and murder and set the day of execution as Dec. 19, 1862. Later he permitted a week's postponement to allow more time for arrangements. One of the 39 convicted Indians, Tatemima (or Round Wind) was reprieved at the last minute because he had been convicted on the testimony of two young boys. The hanging of the 38 Sioux at Mankato on Dec. 26, 1862, was witnessed by ranks of soldiers and crowds of civilians. Martial law was declared in the town to prevent violence. This event has been called "America's greatest mass execution." The dead were buried in a single shallow grave near the river front. That night several doctors, quick to seize the rare opportunity to obtain subjects for anatomical study, dug up the bodies. Dr. William Mayo drew that of Cut Nose, and later his sons learned osteology from the Indian's skeleton. (Excerpts from The Indian Uprising of 1862, by Kenneth Carley). I hope you have enjoyed this history class. To me, it is still sad that this had to happen. I hope that we are never invaded by another group of people, because we, too, would fight for our home land and that is exactly what the Indians were doing. Until next week Shirley Zimprich LCHS |
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 19:53:47 GMT -5
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 20:09:17 GMT -5
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 20:17:56 GMT -5
Members of the Military Commission Appointed to Try Dakota and Mixed-Bloods Col. William Marshall The best known of the Commission members, Marshall participated in only the first twenty-nine cases before being replaced by Major Bradley. Marshall commanded five companies in the final battle at Wood Lake. Prior to joining the Army, he served in both the Wisconsin and Minnesota legislatures and was a founding member of the Republican Party in the Minnesota Territory. Marshall was also among the State's first newspapermen, founding and editing the St. Paul Press. After serving the Union in the Civil War, Marshall returned home a hero and was elected Governor of Minnesota in 1965. Col. William Crooks William Crooks commanded the 6th Minnesota Regiment at the battles of Birch Coulee and Wood Lake. He was a West Point graduate. After the 1862 Conflict, Crooks served in the Minnesota State Legislature. Captain Grant Captain Grant served under Col. Marshall at the Battle of Wood Lake. He commanded a company at the Battle of Birch Coulee, taking full command after his superior officers were wounded in the fighting. First Lt. Olin First Lt. Olin was second-in-command of the 3rd Minnesota Regiment at the Battle of Wood Lake. He later served as Assistant Adjutant General for the District of Minnesota. Captain Bailey Captain Hiram Bailey was of the 6th Minnesota Regiment. Major Bradley Major Bradley replaced William Marshall as a member of the Commission after twenty-nine trials. Bradley fought in the Battle of Wood Lake and with the 7th Regiment that relieved men under siege at Birch Coulee. He was later one of Minnesota's the first lawyers. Isaac Heard, Commission Recorder Isaac Heard was, at the time of the trials, a member of Colonel Sibley's staff. Heard was a St. Paul attorney and, for many years, worked as the prosecuting attorney of Ramsey County. In 1864, Heard authored a book entitled History of the Sioux War and Massacres of 1862 and 1863, which is the leading contemporary account of the Dakota Conflict. Biographies Page Dakota Conflict Trials Page link below- www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/dakota/Commission.html |
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 20:18:41 GMT -5
Members of the Military Commission Appointed to Try Dakota and Mixed-Bloods Col. William Marshall The best known of the Commission members, Marshall participated in only the first twenty-nine cases before being replaced by Major Bradley. Marshall commanded five companies in the final battle at Wood Lake. Prior to joining the Army, he served in both the Wisconsin and Minnesota legislatures and was a founding member of the Republican Party in the Minnesota Territory. Marshall was also among the State's first newspapermen, founding and editing the St. Paul Press. After serving the Union in the Civil War, Marshall returned home a hero and was elected Governor of Minnesota in 1965. Col. William Crooks William Crooks commanded the 6th Minnesota Regiment at the battles of Birch Coulee and Wood Lake. He was a West Point graduate. After the 1862 Conflict, Crooks served in the Minnesota State Legislature. Captain Grant Captain Grant served under Col. Marshall at the Battle of Wood Lake. He commanded a company at the Battle of Birch Coulee, taking full command after his superior officers were wounded in the fighting. First Lt. Olin First Lt. Olin was second-in-command of the 3rd Minnesota Regiment at the Battle of Wood Lake. He later served as Assistant Adjutant General for the District of Minnesota. Captain Bailey Captain Hiram Bailey was of the 6th Minnesota Regiment. Major Bradley Major Bradley replaced William Marshall as a member of the Commission after twenty-nine trials. Bradley fought in the Battle of Wood Lake and with the 7th Regiment that relieved men under siege at Birch Coulee. He was later one of Minnesota's the first lawyers. Isaac Heard, Commission Recorder Isaac Heard was, at the time of the trials, a member of Colonel Sibley's staff. Heard was a St. Paul attorney and, for many years, worked as the prosecuting attorney of Ramsey County. In 1864, Heard authored a book entitled History of the Sioux War and Massacres of 1862 and 1863, which is the leading contemporary account of the Dakota Conflict. Biographies Page Dakota Conflict Trials Page link below- www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/dakota/Commission.html#Isaac |
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 20:19:14 GMT -5
Colonel Henry H. Sibley When news of the outbreak of Dakota violence on the frontier reached Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey, he decided to ask a former governor, Henry H. Sibley, to assume command of troops for the purpose of suppressing the uprising. Historian William Folwell writes: There was no one who was as eminently qualified for the position as he was incapable of seeking it, Ramsey's old political foe and personal friend, Henry H. Sibley; and it was to him that Governor Ramsey instantly turned. Sibley, still in middle life, was robust and athletic and accustomed to outdoor life; he was widely experienced in great affairs and greatly trusted and respected; he spoke the French and understood the Dakota language; he was familiar with Sioux country and acquainted with many of the leading men of the four tribes; and above all,he possessed a profound knowledge of the Indian character and habits. Ramsey at once drove over to Mendota, where Sibley was still living in his stone house, and laid the duty upon him. Sibley was no Indian-hater. He had, in fact, made eloquent appeals to Congress for better treatment of Native Americans. As he learned details of uprisng, however, he had no sympathy for those participating in the massacres and attacks on civilians. The history of Sibley's military campaign against the Dakota is a story told elsewhere. It ended, successfully from his point of view, with the Battle of Wood Lake in late September, 1862. With the surrender of many warriors and the capture of others, it fell to Sibley to determine what should be done with participants in the conflict. General John Pope was urging an all-out effort to exterminate the Sioux, but Sibley was "too wise or too humane" to adopt that course. Instead he appointed a five-member military commission which was to "try summarily" those Indians and mixed-bloods accused of participating in murders, robberies, or other "outrages." Sibley told the commission not to be concerned with degrees of guilt, so long as the accused voluntarily participated in murder or massacre. Nontheless, he reminded the commission to be fair and to extend every reasonable doubt to the accused. As the trials progressed, and the death sentences against the accused began to mount, Sibley indicated a willingness to approve of them: "I shall probably approve them, and hang the villains" he said on October 7, 1862. General Pope, meanwhile, was unhappy with what he considered the 'too deliberate" procedures of his subordinate, and demanded that the prisoners be sent to him at Fort Snelling and placed under his control. The plan to move the prisoners was abandoned, however, because of the difficulty in bringing evidence and witnesses to St. Paul from the frontier. When the commission ended its proceedings on November 5, 1862, Sibley quickly approved the sentences, with one exception (the sentence of John Other Day's brother was commuted at Other Day's request). On November 9, Sibley marched his troops and the convicted prisoners down the Minnesota River Valley to a camp near Mankato. As the procession passed through New Ulm, an angry mob of citizens attacked the prisoners, resulting in numerous casualties. As the final decision on whether to carry out the 303 death sentences of the commission rested in Abraham Lincoln's hands, General Pope, Governor Ramsey, and many other whites sent telegrams to the President urging that all the convicted prisoners be hanged. Sibley, however, offered the President no advice: "I shall do full justice, but no more. I do not propose to murder any man, even a savage, who is shown to be innocent." As the President's decision was awaited, whites concerned that the soft-hearted Lincoln might not accept the commission's recommendations, planned attacks against the imprisoned Dakota and mixed-bloods. Sibley worried, "Any hour may witness a sad conflict." Soldiers were, however, successful in preventing vigilante action. On December 27, 1862, Sibley telegraphed the President that "the 38 Indians and half-breeds ordered by you for execution were hung yesterday at 10 A.M. Everything went off quietly." [DOL] Biographies Page Dakota Conflict Trials Page link below- www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/dakota/sibley.html |
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 20:20:21 GMT -5
Reverend Stepen R. Riggs [1] The prisoners were arraigned upon written charges specifying the criminating acts. These charges were signed by Colonel Sibley or his adjutant general, and were, with but few deceptions, based upon information furnished by the Rev. S.R. Riggs. He obtained it by assembling the half breeds; and others possessed of means of knowledge, in a tent, and interrogating them concerning suspected parties. The names of the witnesses were appended to the charge. He was, in effect, the grand jury of the court. His long residence in the country, and extensive acquaintance with the Indians, he knowledge of the character and habits of most of them, enabling him to tell almost with certainty what Indians would be implicated and what ones not, either from their disposition or their relatives being engaged, and his familiarity with their language, eminently qualified him for the position. [Heard, History of the Sioux Wars and Massacre] [2] Reverend Stephen R. Riggs, who was constantly present, publicly stated at the time that, when forty cases were disposed of in six or seven hours, there was not full opportunity for elucidation of evidence. He had no particular liking for the manner of procedure generally followed and expected that the meagerness of the record would lead to new trials. Still, he admitted that "a terrible necessity -- the demand of public justice -- requires that the great majority of those who are condemned should be executed." Numerous suggestions were thrown out that Riggs was unduly lenient toward the unfortunate people among whom he had spent the prime of his life. There is evidence enough to acquit him of that. It was with his assistance that a large number of the accused were identified and arraigned. The leading historian of the war, Isaac V.D. Heard, relates that Riggs assembled the half-breeds and others in a tent and interrogated them concerning suspected persons, and adds, "He was, in effect, the Grand Jury of the court." Riggs believed, as did many among the Sioux, that there were certain Indians who were guilty of crimes for which they deserved punishment and which could not be condoned as acts of war. [Folwell, A History of Minnesota, Vol. II] Biographies Page Dakota Conflict Trials Page link below- www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/dakota/riggs.html |
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Post by mdenney on Feb 2, 2007 20:21:04 GMT -5
Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple There was one man in Minnesota who was not swept off his feet by the tide of passion which raged throughout the state. This was Henry Benjamin Whipple, who in November , 1859, at the age of thirty-seven had come to Minnesota as the first bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He was descended from distinguished Revolutionary stock and was richly endowed with bodily and mental gifts. Debarred by infirm health in youth from completing the traditional classical education, he was thrown into business and political relations, which perhaps gave him a better raining for his future work than he might have got from the odes of Horace and Pindar. If ever a man was fitted for the time and the place, Bishop Whipple was. Tall and strongly built, gracious but not patronizing in manner, he easily won the good will of men of every class and creed. His enthusiasm was tempered by a saving common sense and an abounding humor. He magnified his office, but only to do the greater service to those to whom he was called to minister. He laved all me; he feared no man. He had been in Minnesota but a fortnight when he made an excursion to Fort Ripley to ascertain the condition of the mission to the Chippewa at Gull Lake. The mission had been established some seven years before by the enthusiastic James Lloyd Breck, but he had been suspended in 1857 because of the turbulence of the Indians due to the inundation of fire water which followed the treaties of 1854 and 1855. This journey and its experiences kindled in the heart of the young bishop an interest in the red man which never abated to the end of his life. Bishop Whipple informed himself of the condition and prospects of both nations and soon became satisfied that much of their wretchedness was chargeable to the indifference, not to say the rascality, of white men. [O]n the sixth of March, 1862 Bishop Whipple addressed an open letter to President Lincoln, in which he summarized the iniquities of the Indian system and insisted on the supreme importance of placing the Indians under a government of law, administered by hones and capable men selected for their merit and fitness and not as a reward for political services. Knowing as he did better than any other man in Minnesota, unless it was Sibley, the operation of the Indian policy and the machinations of selfish and dishonest officials, traders, employees, and half breeds, he was not surprised at the outbreak in August, 1862. In the fall of 1862 Bishop Whipple was in Washington and, in company with his friend and relative, General Halleck, he called on President Lincoln. In he course of their interview he gave an account of the outbreak, its causes, and the sufferings of the Sioux. That he did this with the force and eloquence of which he was so capable may be inferred from a remark made by the president not long after: "He came here the other day and talked with me about the rascality of this Indian business until I felt it down to my boots." It is not likely that this impression had faded out when the president came to act upon the findings of the military commission. In December Bishop Whipple published in the St. Paul newspapers a calm, clear statement of the train of events which had led to this terrible explosion. So far as is known, he was the only public man who had the courage to face the whirlwind of popular denunciation of all Indians and of the Dakota in particular. To punish the guilty would avail little if the traditional Indian policy was to be left unreformed. In some quarters the bishop came in for denunciation almost as spiteful and unsparing as that directed against the Sioux themselves, but he never retracted a syllable nor budged an inch. [Folwell, A History of Minnesota, Vol. II] Biographies Page Dakota Conflict Trials Page link below- www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/dakota/Whipple.html |
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