Ted Potters' Notes: The Dakota Soiux were upset about not recieving the credit needed from the traders [actually, the U.S. government which gave it to the traders to give to the Sioux] to get essential goods. The Dakota were starving from lack of food and their emotions were running very high. Many of them were looking for the slightest reason to further the hostilities.

The war started in a very peculiar manner. Four young men, who belonged to Shakopee's band, went out to hunt on Sunday, August seventeenth. The four young men wandered to the farm of a settler. One of the boys reached in and stole eggs out of the hen's nest. Another boy demanded that he put the eggs back fearing that they might get into trouble. The boy who had taken the eggs was enraged by the outburst of his companion. The boys were very hungry and wanted to eat the eggs. The thief called the boy a coward who was afriad of the white man. Both of the young men argued for a bit, when the boy who asked to put the eggs back stated that he was not afriad of the white man and that he would go up to the house and shoot its occupants. The four boys decided to enter the house of Mr. Robinson Jones. Mr. Jones was scared and fled next door to his son-in-law's house. The four men followed Mr. Jones into the house and shoot all of its inhabitants, including a fourteen-year-old girl.

When the four boys returned home they told everyone what had happened. "War was now declared, blood has been shed." The leaders knew that the white men would come for revenge because women were killed in the shooting. Despite the overall feeling of war, some did still hjave hope for a peaceful solution to the problem. However, no one would listen to those calling for peace. Once the council met and declared war, many hurried out of camp to go and kill white people.

Many of the Dakota were initially not in favor of war. Emotions were running so high that people were taken over by them. Regardless, as the war persisted, many gave their support to the war effort. The Dakotas first attacked the Redwood Agency, then New Ulm followed by Fort Ridgely. The Dakota were very sucessful at the start of the war. So successfull that President Lincoln appointed a new Major General, John Pope to lead the war effort. This move by the United States government began to turn the tides of the war. The longer the war the less favorable it became to the Dakota. Many who opposed the war stopped fighting and released many prisoners. This move forced the Dakota to give up their struggle against the white people. They had no bargaining power without any prisoners so they were left with no choice.

Many Dakota prisoners were taken after the war. Those who were not caught fled north to Canada. The conflict lasted only five weeks. It cost the lives of 500 white people. The houses, barns and other property were all destroyed by the Dakota during the conflict. Only 40 Dakota were killed in the war. However, 400 were put on trial for murder and 303 were sentenced to death. President Lincoln reviewed the ruling and commuted 265 of those sentences down to a life sentence. Thw white population was very upset at this act by Lincoln. On December fourth an angry mob armed with hatchets and other weapons surrounded the camp where the Dakota prisoners were held. U.S. troops who were recently at war with these Dakota were forced to disarm their allies and prevent them from killing anyone.

Ryan Grew's Notes: Studying the Dakota Sioux conflict presents a difficult challenge. This is because of the fact that nearly all acounts of what happened originate from whites. As with any conflict, each side believes they were justified in the situation. The Dakota Sioux were acting bravely and did so by showing they would kill the white man, and take some of his possessions. They believed that by doing this they were getting revenge for stolen land that was rightfully theirs. On the flip side there is the white man and his account of things.

The documents that they produced were very racially biased. The Army felt that all these indians deserved to die if they were indeed involved in the killing. The narrative of Big Eagle truly presents itself as an accurate description of how this conflict began. Big Eagle's describes what happened as a sign of bravery. Indians are very traditional and, when honor (part of their tradition) is challenged, they have to uphold that tradition. The Indians acted from this honor. However they knew there would be consequences and instead of letting the Army destroy them they decided to fight. At the time Indians were in constant battles over hunting territories as well as land. The indians were being raped [?] of their lands and saw an opportunity to seek revenge.

Isaac Heard seems less convincing about that conflict. Heard presents a story that tells of the Indians in massive numbers pillaging and raping. This compares to Big Eagle's account which states that they only took a wagon and some ponies. Heard was also an Army man who knew that if any injustice was done and he was the one to testify to that in his account only a year after mass hangings and imprisonments there would be trouble. So that might have hindered him. According to Heard, this incident occurred because Indians sought to butcher and burn.

Henry Whipple writes a testimonial letter explaining that the white man might be at fault. The government was at fault. Whipple believed that these two groups of people at first weren't meant to live together. He felt the government needed to implement [?] themselves within the Indians. Other faults were the allocation of money, and the Indian department of the Government and their corruption. Whipple is arguing for the indians but not really favoring them. He calls them bloodthirsty as a society and clearly looks down upon them. However, he made a claim that those involved were at an odd level, not indirectly involved, [?] but were just misguided in their own ways. He attributes the conflict to the intitial confrontation of the white man and the "red man." The other attribution was that they did not implement a government among them.

Because of Godfrey and his manner he was thought of as honest. He was quiet and very smooth. In his account of things he claimed that what he did was influenced at gunpoint. Godfrey does appear to be a little hard to believe. I found that he was very persuasive in arguing with indians who were accused. He would say "don't you remember, etc." Those bearing the majority of responsiblity were all involved. The whites for mistreating the Indians and then thinking they could settle it by paying off debts. The Indians described by Big Eagle didn't need to ransack innocent people who were going about their lives. The government and its politicians who were blinded by the idea of going west to settle and be rich should take the majority of the blame though.