The Dakota War : the United States Army versus the Sioux, 1862-1865

As the United States fought the Civil War in the early 1860s, the country's western frontier was simultaneously the site of significant military campaigns that took the lives of both American and Sioux. The Dakota campaign, led by Commander Henry Hastings Sibley and Brigadier General Alfred Sully against the Sioux between 1863 and 1864 was greater in scope, intensity and bloodshed than almost all other Indian battles fought in the West but is often overlooked. The Minnesota War of 1862 and the Dakota War of 1863-1865 were among the most significant U.S. victories in the Indian wars, but did not temper the passions of the Sioux to preserve their people and land or the desires of the whites to settle the frontier. The wars only incited the Teton Sioux to enter into a long-term resistance that would end only at Wounded Knee in 1890. Acknowledgments 8 Table of Contents 10 Introduction 14 Prologue 16 1. The Frontier Army 22 2. The Sioux Nation 30 3. Inkpaduta and the Spirit Lake Massacre 36 4. Little Crow and the Minnesota Massacre 48 5. The Death of Little Crow 75 6. The Raiding Season, ¡863 84 7. Into Dakota 93 8. The Sibley Brigade 101 9. The Battle of Whitestone Hill 131 ¡0. The Battle of Killdeer Mountain 168 ¡¡. The Battle of the Badlands 191 ¡2. The Siege of Fort Dilts 205 ¡3. The Last Dakota Campaign 215 ¡4. The Ride of Sam Brown 229 Epilogue 234 Appendix A: Non-hostile Fatalities 238 Appendix B: Whitestone Hill and Killdeer Mountain Today 240 Chapter Notes 246 Bibliography 262 Index 270 The,Dakota,War pt. 1. Minnesota War, 1962 -- ch. 1. Frontier army -- ch. 2. Sioux Nation -- ch. 3. Inkpaduta and the Spirit Lake massacre -- ch. 4. Little Crow and the Minnesota massacre -- ch. 5 . Death of Little Crow -- pt. 2. Dakota War, 1863-65 -- ch. 6. Raiding season, 1863 -- ch. 7. Into Dakota -- ch. 8. Sibley Brigade -- ch. 9. Battle of Whitestone Hill -- ch. 10. Battle of Killdeer Mountain -- ch. 11. Battle of the Badlands -- ch. 12. Siege of Fort Dilts -- ch. 13. Last Dakota campaign -- ch. 14. Ride of Sam Brown. "Recommended"--Choice; "detailed"--C & RL News; "sure to please"--The Reviewers Consortium; "well-documented ... important"--The Journal of American History. The Dakota campaign, led by Commander Henry Hastings Sibley and Brigadier General Alfred Sully against the Sioux between 1863 and 1864 was greater in scope, intensity and bloodshed than almost all other Indian battles fought in the West but is often overlooked