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    A Welcome Tragedy: Factors that Led to the U.S. - Dakota Conflict of 1862
    A Welcome Tragedy: Factors that Led to the U.S. - Dakota Conflict of 1862
    A Welcome Tragedy: Factors that Led to the U.S. - Dakota Conflict of 1862
    Ebook64 pages54 minutes

    A Welcome Tragedy: Factors that Led to the U.S. - Dakota Conflict of 1862

    By Colin Mustful

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    On December 26, 1862, the United States Government hanged thirty-eight Dakota Indians in Mankato, Minnesota, for their participation in what is known as the U.S. – Dakota Conflict of 1862. This remains the largest mass execution in U.S. history. But the hangings and the depredations that preceded them were not the result of an isolated incident or event. The Conflict did not occur by chance. Rather, it was the foreseeable result of years of misconduct, fraud, and exploitation. Recommendations were made and warnings were given, but nothing was done. The Indians System fostered neglect, nourished corruption, and welcomed tragedy.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherColin Mustful
    Release dateApr 8, 2014
    ISBN9781311266125
    A Welcome Tragedy: Factors that Led to the U.S. - Dakota Conflict of 1862
    Author

    Colin Mustful

    Colin Mustful is an independent historian, author, and publisher. His work, which includes five historical novels, focuses on the tumultuous and complicated periods of settler-colonialism and Native displacement in American history. He has a Master of Arts degree in history and a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing. He is the founder and editor of History Through Fiction, an independent press that publishes compelling historical novels that are based on real events and people. As a traditional publisher, he works with authors who want to share important historical stories with the world. Mustful is an avid runner and soccer player who lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He believes that learning history is vital to understanding our world today and finding just, long-lasting solutions for the future.

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      Book preview

      A Welcome Tragedy - Colin Mustful

      A Welcome Tragedy

      Factors That Led to the U.S. - Dakota Conflict of 1862

      Colin Mustful

      Published by Colin Mustful at Smashwords

      Copyright 2014 Colin Mustful

      Table of Contents

      Abstract

      On December 26, 1862, the United States Government hanged thirty-eight Dakota Indians in Mankato, Minnesota, for their participation in what is known as the U.S. – Dakota Conflict of 1862. This remains the largest mass execution in U.S. history. But the hangings and the depredations that preceded them were not the result of an isolated incident or event. The Conflict did not occur by chance. Rather, it was the foreseeable result of years of misconduct, fraud, and exploitation. Recommendations were made and warnings were given, but nothing was done. The Indians System fostered neglect, nourished corruption, and welcomed tragedy.

      Essay - A Welcome Tragedy

      Appendix

      George E.H. Day to Abraham Lincoln, January 1, 1862

      Thomas J. Williamson and Stephen R. Riggs to Congress, January 2, 1862

      Trader’s Paper, July 1851

      Henry B. Whipple to Abraham Lincoln, March 6, 1862

      New Ulm Residents to Alexander Ramsey, August 14, 1862

      George A.S. Crooker to Abraham Lincoln, October 7, 1862

      Bibliography

      End Notes

      Essay

      On January 1, 1862, Special Agent George E.H. Day wrote a letter to President Abraham Lincoln warning the President of an impending Indian outbreak. Day declared that the Indians had been defrauded of more than one hundred thousand dollars and called the entire Indian System defective. He persisted by warning the President that if such wrongs are continued, the just vengeance of heaven . . . [will] be poured out and visited upon this nation for its abuses and cruelty to the Indian. Eight months later Agent Day’s warning was realized.¹

      On August 18, 1862, war broke out between the Mdewakanton Dakota Indians and the people of Southwestern Minnesota in what is now known as the U.S. – Dakota Conflict of 1862. The hostile Dakota, led by Chief Little Crow, captured and killed hundreds of settlers and mixed bloods but they were unable to obtain key victories at Fort Ridgely and New Ulm. Minnesota forged a volunteer militia led by Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley which forced the Dakota into retreat, along with their over two-hundred fifty captives. The conflict ended with a decisive victory by Minnesota forces at Wood Lake on September 23, 1862. Shortly thereafter the captives were released and the Dakota were taken prisoner. Eventually, on December 26, 1862, thirty-eight Dakota men were hanged in Mankato, Minnesota, for their participation in the Conflict. This remains the largest mass execution in United States history. As a final result, in the spring of 1863, all Dakota, Winnebago, and Ho-Chunk Indians were expelled from beyond the borders of the state of Minnesota forever.²

      At the time of the Outbreak the Indian situation in Minnesota was far from the minds of Union officials. The United States was engrossed in the Civil War and few resources could be dedicated to the frontier. On August 26, 1862, Governor Ramsey wrote to President Lincoln to request an extension on the draft in Minnesota because of the terrible situation in Minnesota.³ Lincoln’s reply was curt and he said only, Attend to the Indians. If the draft cannot proceed, of course it will not proceed. Necessity knows no law. The government cannot extend the time.⁴ The U.S. Government simply could not attend to the situation in Minnesota no matter how dire. So, on August 10, 1861, when George E.H. Day was appointed as a Special Agent it was a mere afterthought. Day was given a one hundred day contract and assigned specifically to investigate the charges against a carpenter named Mr. Morrison who had allegedly cut timber belonging to the Rabbit Lake band of Indians.⁵ It was a simple assignment.

      Day arrived in St. Anthony, Minnesota, on August 30, 1861, and was quite eager to undertake his duties.⁶ It took just four days before Day uncovered his first crime of fraud. In a letter to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, William P. Dole, Day revealed that a physician assigned to Leech Lake and paid a handsome salary of $4,000 never once went on to the reservation. Day further noted that in the previous year one hundred of the Pillager and Winnebogosh Indians at Leech Lake had died of illness.⁷ Day continued with his investigation and practically overlooked the Morrison lumber case in favor of the much more grievous and large scale charges he found. After just over a month in Minnesota, Day wrote to Dole that

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