Legends of the Old West - DAKOTA WAR Ep. 3 | “Siege of Fort Ridgely”

Episode Date: January 29, 2025

After defenders at Fort Ridgely and New Ulm survive the first Dakota attacks, they re-fortify and brace for the second attacks. Dakota warriors assault both locations in greater numbers and threaten to overrun the two strongest pockets of resistance in southwestern Minnesota.   Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join   Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial.   On YouTube, subscribe to LEGENDS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage.   For more details, visit our website www.blackbarrelmedia.com and check out our social media pages. We’re @OldWestPodcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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At dawn on August 22, 1862, the Dakota War was four days old. As the sun rose, people in two critical places in southwest Minnesota waited for fresh attacks. The spontaneous killing of five settlers on August 17th had led to the destruction of the Lower Sioux Agency on the morning of the 18th, and then the ambush of a column of soldiers from the nearest army outpost, Fort Ridgely, later that day. Dakota warriors had swept through the village of Milford Township on the morning of the 19th, and then made a concentrated attack on the town of New Ulm that afternoon. The people of New Ulm had successfully defended their town, but it was a brutal bloody fight and now they were essentially trapped.

By August 22nd, they had been waiting for more than two days for a second attack, which they knew would happen at some point, but they just didn't know when. At the same time, a similar situation existed at Fort Ridgely. On August 18th, the first day of the war, a company of soldiers led by the commander of the fort, Captain John Marsh, rushed to a river crossing called Redwood Ferry near the Lower Sioux Agency. They had hoped to intercept the Dakota and stop the violence. Instead, they walked into a trap.

Half the men were killed and the other half straggled back to the fort after the fight. After the decimation of Captain Marsh's company, 19-year-old Lieutenant Thomas Gere was in charge of the fort. He and Sergeant John Bishop, a survivor of the ambush, rallied the 30 remaining soldiers to defend their position. It wasn't easy because the outpost was far more of a supply depot than a fortified military installation. The sprawling, wide-open compound was a mix of wood and stone buildings.

As civilians fled the oncoming Dakota Army and hurried to the fort, they united with the soldiers to create makeshift defenses and prepare for an attack. The first assault on Fort Ridgely happened August 20th, the day after the first assault on New Ulm. Like the people of New Ulm, the defenders of Fort Ridgely successfully repelled about 400 Dakota warriors who were led by Little Crow. Now, again like the defenders of Fort Ridgely successfully repelled about 400 Dakota warriors who were led by Little Crow. Now, again like the people of New Ulm, the defenders of Fort Ridgely were trapped in the outpost. They were surrounded by a growing army of Dakota warriors and they could do nothing but wait for the inevitable. The inevitable happened on August 22, 1862, when the Dakota returned with a vengeance.

More than 800 warriors, double the number from the first attack, descended on the fourth. Little Crow, leading the Dakota forces, had learned lessons from the first engagement and was determined to finish what he had started. This time, the attack was far more coordinated. At dawn, the defenders spotted the first signs of movement in the ravines that surrounded the fort. Dakota warriors advanced silently through the thick brush, keeping low and using the terrain to their advantage. In the fort, Lieutenant Thomas Gere and Sergeant John Bishop rallied their men. The survivors of the first assault, battle-worn and exhausted, took up their positions once

again. Civilians who weren't on the front lines huddled in the stone buildings. When the second assault began, it targeted a spot that had been untouched up to that time. that time, the warriors would gain a critical foothold that would endanger the entire fort. From Black Barrel Media, this is Legends of the Old West. I'm your host Chris Wimmer, and this season we're telling the story of the Dakota War of the early 1860s. It follows the largely untold tale of Dakota leader Little Crow,

an historic judgment against Dakota warriors, and then Sitting Bull's first major confrontation with the U.S. Army. This is Episode 3, Siege of Fort Ridgely. The Dakota's first target was not the fort itself, but the outbuildings that dotted the perimeter. Those smaller structures, used for storage and workshops, had been left relatively untouched during the initial attack. But Little Crow recognized their strategic importance. If his warriors could seize the buildings, they could use them as cover to launch a closer, more devastating assault. Within minutes, two of the outbuildings had fallen to the Dakota. From the newly captured

positions, the warriors unleashed a barrage of musket fire and arrows, forcing the defenders inside the fort to scramble for cover. Sergeant John Bishop realized the danger posed by the captured buildings. The Dakota had transformed them into strongholds, and the defenders were now exposed to close-range fire. Bishop and Ordnance Sergeant John Jones, who commanded the fort's artillery, knew there was only one option. They ordered the fort's three cannons to be aimed at the captured buildings. With a thunderous boom, the first artillery rounds slammed into one of the buildings. Within moments, flames began licking at the wooden

beams. Smoke billowed into the air as the structure ignited. The Dakota warriors inside were forced to flee or burn alive. The second outbuilding was still in enemy hands, but before the defenders could launch another artillery strike, the Dakota set it on fire themselves. The warriors knew they couldn't hold the building, and they decided to burn it down rather than let it fall back into the defenders' control. The sky filled with black smoke as the outbuildings went up in flames,

and the Dakota pressed forward with renewed determination. Little Crow ordered his warriors to use flaming arrows in an attempt to set buildings inside the perimeter on fire. The defenders watched in horror as the arrows arced through the air and landed on rooftops and wooden structures within the fort's boundaries. But luck was on the defenders' side. Rain from the previous day had soaked the buildings, leaving the rooftops too damp to catch fire.

The flaming arrows sputtered out in the wet thatch and wood. Still the Dakota forces surged forward. They reached the makeshift walls of the fort, and fierce hand-to-hand combat erupted. Dakota warriors, armed with tomahawks and knives, clashed with the soldiers and settlers who defended the barricades. The fighting was brutal, with neither side willing to give an inch. The defenders were badly outnumbered, and the civilians, men and women alike, grabbed anything they could use as weapons and stood shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers to hold back the onslaught. Amid the chaos, Ordnance Sergeant John Jones proved invaluable. Commanding the fort's

cannons, he ordered his men to load the howitzers with canister shot, an anti-personnel round designed to scatter deadly shrapnel across a wide area. The cannons roared, and the effect was devastating. At close range, the canister shot ripped through the advancing Dakota forces, mowing down warriors by the dozen. Hundreds of miles to the east, Union and Confederate soldiers were experiencing the same type of devastation from the same type of weapon on the battlefields of the Civil War. And like many of those battles, each blast from the cannons pushed back the waves of attackers and bought the defenders at Fort Ridgely precious moments to regroup. But the defenders were running out of ammunition.

With musket balls and gunpowder in short supply, they resorted to desperate measures. In the blacksmith shop, iron bars were hastily cut down to size and loaded into the cannons as makeshift projectiles. Anything that could be fired was used. The cannons, though designed for precision, now became instruments of raw survival, spitting iron and steel at the advancing enemy.

As evening fell, the Dakota launched one final, massive assault from the north. They charged the fort with everything they had, determined to break through the defenses once and for all. The defenders tried to weather the storm. Sergeant Jones and his artillerymen fired their last rounds of canister shot and cut down the attackers as they reached the walls. The final push was repelled, and as the sun set, the battle began to wane. The Dakota were unable to breach the fort, and they slowly retreated into the darkness. For the defenders, it was a bittersweet victory.

They had survived the second assault, but the cost had been high. Bodies littered the ground inside and outside the fort, and the buildings that had once provided shelter were now smoldering ruins. As night fell over Fort Ridgely, the defenders had withstood the siege for now. But the Dakota could return at any moment, and supplies in the fort were dangerously low. If the defenders abandoned the fort and tried to flee,

they had nowhere to go, and they would be at the mercy of the Dakota. If the defenders stayed, it was only a matter of time before they were overrun. Their only hope was reinforcements. With TD Direct Investing, you can get live support. So whether you need help buying a partial share from your favorite tech company, opening a TFSA, or learning about investing tools,

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Whatever you choose, your espresso will be handcrafted with care at Starbucks. In St. Paul, 80 miles away from Fort Ridgely, Colonel Henry Sibley had been recruiting a force of soldiers and volunteers to march to the aid of the people in southwest Minnesota. He had heard reports of the initial uprising and the attack on the lower Sioux agency, and it became obvious that the US Army was unprepared for the speed and intensity of the conflict. But that stood to reason. The Army was stretched thin, with many of its regular forces engaged in the Civil War. The Comanche in Kiowa down in Texas

were realizing the same thing at the same time. Many of the forts on the western frontier of Texas had been abandoned by the U.S. Army or were now manned by a sparse regiment of volunteers who were half Texas Ranger, half Confederate soldier. The Comanche and Kiowa were resurgent with cattle raids and attacks on settlements. In Minnesota, the waves of attacks that spilled out onto the frontier from the Lower Sioux Agency shocked everyone in the region. Farms were burned, families were slaughtered, and entire towns were emptied as settlers fled

for their lives. The situation rapidly spiraled out of control, and the state's military forces scrambled to respond. The man who was tasked with leading the U.S. military response was Colonel Henry Sibley, not to be confused with the Confederate general of the same name who was leading a column of Texas volunteers in the New Mexico campaign at the same time. Union Army Colonel Sibley had served as the first governor of Minnesota and had worked extensively in the fur trade. He had been a key negotiator of many of the treaties the Dakota felt had been broken,

which had led to the current war. Sibley's knowledge of Dakota culture and language, as well as his political influence, made him a natural choice to lead the effort to suppress the uprising. When news of the uprising reached St. Paul, Colonel Sibley began to raise a volunteer militia to bolster the state's defenses. From the very beginning, Sibley faced serious challenges in forming an effective fighting force.

The hastily assembled militia was made up of farmers, clerks, and townsmen with little to no military experience. Most of the men were armed with outdated weapons or none at all, and Sibley found himself leading a force that was woefully unprepared for battle. In addition to the lack of supplies and weapons, Sibley had to contend with the fact that his volunteers were terrified. It wasn't a situation like the early days of the Civil War when young men joined up in waves from a sense of adventure and had no idea what they were getting themselves into. The volunteers in Sibley's militia left behind their homes and families, and they knew very well what the enemy was capable of. Added to the fear was a daunting logistical problem.

Sibley's forces were poorly supplied in every sense – food, ammunition, and medical provisions. Communications were difficult, with little reliable information reaching Sibley's headquarters about the exact location and strength of the Dakota forces. Furthermore, the sprawling nature of the Minnesota frontier made it difficult to coordinate an effective defense or counterattack. Because of the Columns' limitations, Sibley marched it out of St. Paul at a slow and cautious pace. He knew he couldn't march his poorly trained and ill-equipped volunteers

straight into battle with virtually no preparation. pace. He knew he couldn't march his poorly trained and ill-equipped volunteers straight into battle with virtually no preparation. If he sent unseasoned men against fierce and motivated Dakota warriors, the fight would likely end in disaster for the volunteers. But at the same time, the cautious approach frustrated his men and the settlers who were desperate for help. Despite the challenges, Sibley slowly advanced toward Fort Ridgely. Along the way, he encountered burned out farms, abandoned towns, and the bodies of settlers who had been unable to escape the Dakota raids. The site of the destruction galvanized his men,

many of whom had friends and family among the victims. And while Sibley's reinforcements slowly made their way toward the conflict, the conflict exploded back to life in the town of New Ulm. One day after the second attack on Fort Ridgely, Dakota warriors launched a second attack on New Ulm. A Day and a Half After the Dakota War Started attack on New Ulm. A day and a half after the Dakota War started, approximately 100 warriors attacked the town of New Ulm. The town had about 900 people, but only a hastily organized militia force of 50.

Under command of Sheriff Charles Roos, Judge Charles Flandrau, and Military Commander Jacob Nix, the militia and the citizens defended their town against hours of assaults. The defenders suffered six dead and five wounded, and they successfully repelled the Dakota warriors. But the people of New Ulm knew the warriors would return, and the town needed reinforcements. Judge Flandrau, a well-known figure in the region, quickly organized a relief force. Four days after the first attack, volunteers arrived from nearby towns like St. Peter, Lasseur, and Mankato,

until about 300 citizen soldiers had gathered in New Ulm. But while their numbers had grown, the defenders were still poorly armed and lacked proper military training. Most were merchants or farmers who were not used to the kind of fighting they were about to face. That fighting started at about 9.30 in the morning on August 23rd. The Dakota warriors launched their second and most devastating assault on New Ulm. This time, they came in greater numbers and their attack was more organized. Hundreds of Dakota warriors descended from the bluffs in a U-shaped formation, screaming

war cries and surrounding the town. The defenders of New Ulm, outnumbered and outgunned, tried to hold their ground, but the Dakotas disciplined attack soon broke through their outer defenses. The settlers retreated to barricades that they had constructed in the center of town. There, the fight reached its bloody climax. For hours, the Dakota pressed their attack, circling the town and firing from multiple directions. Captain William B. Dodd, second in command of the volunteer force, was killed while leading

a charge to try to reinforce a section of the barricades. The Dakota had managed to infiltrate buildings along the perimeter of the town and used them as cover to fire down on the settlers. As the day faded, the defenders became more desperate. Judge Flandrau and Jacob Nix organized a counterattack. They rallied the defenders and charged down the town's main street. The bold move surprised the warriors. The militiamen swept the Dakota from the buildings and forced them to retreat from the heart of New Ulm.

The counterattack was the final surge that was needed, and the day-long battle was done. The defenders held their town, but the cost of victory was high. As night fell, the residents of New Ulm gathered their dead and wounded. Fires in businesses and homes burned throughout the night, and much of the outer part of New Ulm gathered their dead and wounded. Fires in businesses and homes burned throughout the night, and much of the outer part of New Ulm was destroyed. Judge Flandrau recognized the town was still vulnerable, and he ordered the burning of all buildings outside the barricades to prevent the Dakota from using them as cover for future attacks.

By the time the fires were extinguished, 190 structures had been reduced to ash. Only 49 homes still stood for the more than 2,500 people who now sheltered in New Ulm. As dawn broke on August 24th, the Dakota briefly reappeared and fired a few shots from long range before retreating into the woods. Flandrau and his officers met later that day and resigned themselves to the fact that New Ulm could not withstand another assault. They were low on ammunition and food, and disease was already beginning to spread among the civilians who were crammed into the remaining buildings.

Despite objections from Nix and others, Flandral made the difficult decision to evacuate the town. The next day, August 25th, a column of 153 wagons and 2,500 people departed the smoldering ghost town that was New Ulm. They headed for Mankato and reached the city without incident. The battles at New Ulm, though costly, were a testament to the determination of the settlers and the ferocity of the Dakota warriors. William Watts Falwell, a Minnesota historian, later remarked, This was no sham battle, no trivial affair, but a heroic defense of a beleaguered town against a much superior force.

New Ulm had been abandoned, but it had not fallen, and the attention turned back to Fort Ridgley. On August 23, 1862, an eerie stillness hung over Fort Ridgley. The sounds of battle, which had filled the air for days, were gone. The Dakota warriors had retreated into the thick woods and ravines, leaving the fort in a precarious silence. Inside, the defenders cautiously emerged from their battered positions. Smoke still rose from the ruins of the outbuildings, and the walls of the fort bore the

scars of relentless attacks. Lieutenant Thomas Gere and Sergeant John Bishop walked the grounds and assessed the damage. The fort had survived two massive assaults, but the cost had been steep. Casualties had mounted, and the men set about taking care of the wounded and removing the bodies of the dead soldiers and civilians. The emotional toll was heavy. Families who had sought refuge at the fort mourned their fallen loved ones. The soldiers were exhausted and on edge, and the fort's supply situation was grim. More than 300 refugees sheltered within the fort. That was more than the number of

soldiers who had been stationed at the fort before the war started. Stockpiles of gun powder and other essential supplies were nearly depleted. Every meal was rationed and every bullet was counted. The wounded were cared for as best as possible, but there were no doctors and the limited medical supplies were running out. But despite the dire situation, there was a flicker of relief in the air. The defenders had survived two major assaults from an overwhelming force. Men and women, soldiers and civilians had defended the last safe haven in the region, and their resilience was a source of pride. There was a chance the survivors might just

get out of this alive, if they received reinforcements. The Dakota, though forced to retreat for the time being, still loomed as a threat. Little Crow had not given up, and the defenders of the fort knew more attacks could come at any time. Every sound beyond the walls, every shift in the wind, felt like a potential warning. Four days later, on August 27, 1862, salvation arrived when Colonel Henry Sibley and his force of 1400 men finally marched up to the battered gates of Fort Ridgley. As Sibley's men entered the fort, the emotional toll of the siege became clear. Some of the soldiers collapsed from exhaustion. Others broke down in tears as the weight of the defensive effort and the relief of survival caught up to them. With Sibley's reinforcements, the fort was

now well protected. Dakota warriors recognized they were the ones who were now outnumbered and outgunned, and they retreated deeper into the wilderness. In the days that followed, Fort Ridgely became a symbol of resilience. Word of the fort's survival spread quickly, and the men and women who defended it were hailed as heroes. Their names became legend in the area. Sergeant John Bishop, who led the survivors of the Redwood Ferry ambush back to the fort. Lieutenant Thomas Gere, who commanded the fort through two brutal sieges despite his youth and inexperience. And Ordnance Sergeant John Jones, who turned the tide of battle with

his canister shot and quick thinking. They were all praised for their leadership and bravery. The settlers who fought side by side with the soldiers were also honored for their courage. Many of them had never fired a weapon in anger, but they had defended their families with a fierce determination. Women who had picked up muskets or armed themselves with knives were lauded for their resolve in the face of overwhelming odds. But the celebrations and pats on the back only went so far. The war was only a week old, and it was nowhere near done. In the days following the siege of Fort Ridgely, Minnesota's southern frontier was gripped

by fear and urgency. The successful defense of the fort had provided only a brief respite, and the threat of further Dakota attacks loomed large. Settlers in the surrounding areas had witnessed the brutal raids, and many had already fled their homes, seeking refuge in hastily built block houses or the relative safety of nearby towns. Governor Alexander Ramsey knew the state had to act quickly to prevent more bloodshed. To organize a defensive line across the vulnerable southern settlements, Governor Ramsey turned to Judge Charles Flandraud.

Flandraud had proven his leadership during the defense of New Ulm, and he was well-suited to the task at hand. Newly commissioned as a colonel in the volunteer militia, Flandraud wasted no time. He established his headquarters in South Bend near Mankato and started recruiting men to secure the frontier. Flandrau quickly gathered 80 men to serve as his personal guard,

a dedicated force that would form the backbone of his operations. But 80 men would not be enough. The southern frontier, stretching from New Ulm to the Iowa border, was vast, and the scattered settlements offered little in the way of formal defenses. To protect the vulnerable areas, Flanders began organizing a series of small forts and block houses, simple, crudely constructed outposts that would serve as bastions of defense for the settlers. The forts, positioned strategically along key routes, reflected the growing panic among the frontier population.

In Garden City, Blue Earth, and Medelia, settlers worked alongside militia members to erect makeshift blockhouses. They cut down trees and constructed rudimentary walls as defensive barriers. Families moved into the block houses, and the men took up guard positions in case of attack. Across the state line in Iowa, panic spread just as quickly. Though the Dakota had not launched any attacks across state lines, the fear was palpable. Memories of the Spirit Lake Massacre in 1857, in which Dakota raiders slaughtered dozens of settlers, were still fresh in the minds of many.

Iowa officials were worried about a repeat of that bloody event and they began constructing their own defensive line. Blockhouses and small forts were erected from Sioux City to Iowa Lake and the entire region braced for the worst. While the defensive lines were being built, the Dakota continued their raids. city to Iowa Lake, and the entire region braced for the worst. While the defensive lines were being built, the Dakota continued their raids. Isolated settlements became prime targets, and small groups of Dakota warriors launched hit-and-run attacks on farms, homesteads, and supply routes. The stagecoach lines that connected the towns across southern Minnesota were particularly vulnerable. Dakota war parties ambushed stagecoaches, killed passengers and drivers, looted supplies, and set the vehicles ablaze.

River crossings, vital for the transport of goods and people, were also disrupted. The Minnesota River, a lifeline for trade, was now virtually empty of boats. Trade and communication across the region ground to a halt, leaving settlements isolated and cut off from reinforcements. Fort Abercrombie, located in northwestern Minnesota, became another flashpoint in the expanding war. Positioned along critical supply roads, the fort was attacked multiple times by Dakota forces,

who attempted to cut off the US Army's logistics and further disrupt the government's control over the region. The soldiers stationed at Fort Abercrombie fought fiercely to repel the attacks, and they held the line despite being outnumbered and under-supplied. Colonel Henry Sibley, who had relieved Fort Ridgely, was now tasked with reasserting control over the Minnesota River Valley. His force, bolstered by reinforcements from Fort Snelling and local militiamen, grew in size each day. But Sibley still faced the ever-present challenge.

His inexperienced troops and no experienced volunteers would have to face off against an experienced, mobile, versatile, knowledgeable, and unpredictable guerrilla fighting force. With each passing day, Sibley's army prepared for the next phase of the war. A full-scale campaign to drive the Dakota from their strongholds and restore order to the frontier. And Sibley would lead his army into the field, but that did not mean they were on the offensive. In just four days, they would receive their first taste of battle, and it would not go well for Sibley's army.

Next time on Legends of the Old West, Colonel Sibley wants to honor Captain Marsh and the men who fell at the Redwood Ferry ambush, but Sibley's noble effort sends soldiers into the same trap that devastated Marsh's column. Then at the Battle of Wood Lake, the tide finally begins to turn in favor of the settlers and soldiers. That's next week in favor of the settlers and soldiers. That's next week on Legends of the Old West. Members of our Black Barrel Plus program don't have to wait week to week to receive new episodes. They receive the entire season to binge all at once with no commercials.

And they also receive exclusive bonus episodes. Sign up now through the link in the show notes or on our website, blackbarrelmedia.com. Memberships are just $5 per month. This series was researched and written by Matthew Kearns. Original music by Rob Valier. I'm your host and producer, Chris Wimmer. Thanks for listening.