Sites of big battles and massacres during the Dakota War

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Sun, 2012-07-01 07:37 -- deusmagister
Forums: 
During the War

Hi
I have noticed that there aren´t alot of activity on this forum. Actually no posts what so ever. :)
But I hope someone will accidentially pop by and have some information for me. I´m from Norway and it has been hard to find concrete information about specific events. At least when you want to go in depth into spesific event such as certain battles or massacres during the 6 weeks of the Dakota War. What information I have gathered is mostly about why the conflict started and a surface knowledge about transpired events.
The reason why I am asking these question is because I am writing a book. Part of the book is set in Minnesota and is about the protagonist finding his lost relatives and getting involved in events pertaining to the events during the Dakota War. What I want to find out are as follows:
1. Where did the three biggest battles take place? Specific locations. Not just, "in Eden Prairie", but actual field or specific area. Adress if you will
                a) How many took place in the battles and how many died.
                b) Are there landmarks for any of these battles? Can one visit these places?
 2. I have read that the Sioux and their leader Little Crow massacred as much as 500 to 800 civians. Where there any particular place they massacred a big number of these civilians/settelers? Was any one place or event of such massacre especially brutal or more brutal than any other? I have read what little i could find on the massacres of the small townships of Milford, Leavenworth and Sacred Heart, but nothing spesific to numbers and events. Which I want to find out about.
                a) Where are these places and are there memorials to these places?
3. I know that aprox. 300 Sioux where sentanced to death and that Lincoln pardoned about 260 of them. The rest were hanged in Mankato, Minnesota. But Mankato is a City and searching through their history online, it bearly mentions these executions. Alon it stands as the biggest single execution in American history and I´m perplexed too find little to no information about the event. I jave been to Mankato a few times, but can´t remember seing or finding anything marking the place or telling of the events.
               a) Where in Mankato did these executions take place`?
               b) Where is this mass-grave that they put all the bodies in? It should be a landmark or a place where people could come to pay their respect to lost ancestors.
               c) What were they charged with? Why did Lincoln pardo 260 of the prisoners, and not the last 35-40 that were hanged? What sepperated those 40 from the rest?
4. What is the largest and most bloody battle in the history of Minnesota?
               a) Where was it?
               b) Who was involved?
               c) Why did they battle?
               d) How many died and who won?
 
I hope someone can help me with this research. Sitting in Norway I´m mostly using the web and my memory from when I lived in Minneapolis (And that isn´t serving me as well as I would like :) )
I thank anyone who can answer in advance for any help regarding my research.
With kind Regards,
Vidar

Submitted by Danny on

Vidar, contact John Koblas at jkoblas@gmail.com. He has written 3 books on the Dakota Uprising of 1862. The series is called Let them Eat Grass. Smoke, Fire, and Ashes ar the names of the books. I am sure he will answer any questions you would have. It can take him some time to reply to emails. If you don't get a timely reply, you can email me at Danny@TheUrbanFamily.org, and I will make sure he gets back to you. Looking forward to seeing your book.... Danny

Submitted by deusmagister on

Thank you very much sir! This will be such a help in my work. The information will be invaluable in the work of making the book believable to the reader. I spent two years studying in Minneapolis and I ended up loving the city and the state of Minnesota. I wrote a small paper on the subject of the Dakota War of 1862 during my time at the U, and found it a interesting conflict. So when I a few years later dug up some old family documents on relatives that emigrated to Minnesota, I got and idea to write the story of a fictional character from my family, digging up his roots and finding connections to the conflict between the sioux and the settlers in Minnesota.

You have no idea how much this means to me and the work i´m doing. Thank you again. You have done more towards making the historic part of my book alive than three of the biggest historical libraries in Norway ever did. :)

With thanks and kind regards
Vidar

Submitted by rocknchair on

Hei alle sammen

Lots of good advice here. you should also take a look at the the www.nllha.org. this years program focuses on the lives lost at Monson Lake as well as the stories of the 61 people that fled to the Isle of Refuge. In fact if you were in Minnesota on August 19th you could hear these stories told and read from the decendants of those directly impacted by the events occuring on that date. this event occurs at the Old Log Church of Norway Lake located by Sunburg Minnesota beginning with a church service at 10:30 and culminating with a readers theatre and program in the afternoon.

Ha det bra

Submitted by janklein325 on

Go to my website, www.dakotavictims1862.com and you will find a lot of the information you are looking for.
Jan Klein, Co-Chair, Family and Friends of Dakota Uprising Victims

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