Legends of the Old West - DAKOTA WAR Ep. 4 | “The Turning Tide”

Episode Date: February 5, 2025

With Fort Ridgely reinforced, Colonel Henry Sibley sends troops on a burial mission that results in a disastrous ambush. Dakota warriors continue to sweep through the western half of Minnesota, and Colonel Sibley leads a column out of Fort Ridgely to confront the warrior army. At the Battle of Wood Lake, Sibley’s force delivers a crushing blow to the Dakota army and turns the tide of the war.   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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Must be 19 years of age or older, Ontario only. Please gamble responsibly. Gambling problem? For free assistance, call the Connex Ontario Helpline at 1-866-531-2600. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. On August 27th, 1862, the soldiers and settlers who had defended Fort Ridgely in southwestern Minnesota for ten days finally breathed a little easier. The Dakota War was not done, not by any stretch of the imagination. But reinforcements had arrived at the fort, and now there was very little chance it would be overrun by the Dakota. During two days of nonstop assaults on the fort, about 350 soldiers and settlers held

off a Dakota army that numbered between 400 and 800 warriors. Near the end of the second assault, the Dakota had almost captured the fort. One final blast of canister shot from the fort's cannons had been enough to turn back the attackers. Five days later, Colonel Henry Sibley arrived at the fort with a motley crew of 1,400 reinforcements from around the area of St. Paul, Minnesota. The relief column was a mix of regular army soldiers, local militiamen, and spontaneous volunteers. For the exhausted and shell-shocked defenders of Fort Ridgely, they didn't care who was

in the relief column. They only cared that relief had arrived. If the Dakota had chosen to attack during the five days between the second assault and the arrival of the reinforcements, the warriors were virtually guaranteed to have taken the fort and killed everyone inside. But when the sun came up on August 28, ten days after the Dakota started the war with the destruction of the Lower Sioux Agency, the tide was turning in favor of the settlers and the soldiers. During those ten days, the Dakota had burned the Lower Sioux Agency to the ground. They had attacked countless farms, homes, and towns.

They had laid siege to Fort Ridgely as well as the town of New Ulm. Both places held out against multiple attacks, but the people of New Ulm decided to evacuate the town because it had suffered such severe damage that it could no longer be defended. After 10 days on offense, it felt like the Dakota Army might be on defense. Despite the widespread devastation in southwestern Minnesota and the tidal wave of panic that surged through the entire region, the Dakota had failed to capture the two biggest targets in their domain, Fort Ridgely and New Ulm. But being on the defensive was not the same thing as surrendering. In the final days of August, the Dakota and their overall leader, Little Crow, had no thoughts of surrender.

Less than a week after Colonel Sibley's reinforcements arrived at Fort Ridgely, some of those reinforcements would receive their first taste of battle. There was still a month of fighting left in the Dakota War, and one more Dakota victory in store. On September 2nd, when Colonel Sibley tried to honor fallen soldiers with a proper burial, he unknowingly sent more men to their deaths. 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 and historic judgment against Dakota warriors and then Sitting Bull's first major confrontation with the U.S. Army. This is episode four, The Turning Tide. This is episode 4, The Turning Tide. On August 31, 1862, the Minnesota River Valley was still reeling from the Dakota War's first devastating weeks. Colonel Henry Sibley, now charged with quelling the rebellion, could not shake the growing concern for Captain John Marsh and his men, who had been ambushed and slaughtered at Redwood Ferry.

The bodies of the fallen soldiers and settlers remained where they had fallen, a somber reminder of the conflict that consumed the region. Determined to bring them home for a proper burial, Sibley ordered a burial expedition to recover the dead, hoping the mission would offer some closure for the grieving families left behind. The burial party, composed of 153 men, included members of the 6th Minnesota Infantry Regiment, the Cullen Frontier Guards, and a group of teamsters and civilians. It was a grim task, but necessary.

As they moved cautiously through the Minnesota River Valley, the men were on edge. They knew the Dakota War Parties still roamed the countryside, and the threat of ambush was ever present. Despite the lingering tension, they were not prepared for what lay ahead. By the night of September 1st, the burial party made camp near a place called Birch

Cooley. It was a quiet, unassuming stretch of land with tall prairie grasses and a natural ravine that could have provided decent cover. But the men, weary from their march and focused on the solemn duty ahead, overlooked the dangers of camping in such a vulnerable position. They were unaware that a group of 200 Dakota warriors, led by Chiefs Red Middle Voice and Big Eagle, had been tracking them for miles. The Dakota had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, and Birch Cooley provided just that. As the burial party settled in for the night, setting up tents and stowing their artillery,

the Dakota warriors silently closed in. Under the cover of darkness, they surrounded the camp, positioning themselves in the ravine and tall grasses that overlooked the soldiers. The men of the burial party, exhausted and unsuspecting, had no idea they were being watched. In the early hours of September 2nd, just before dawn, the Dakota launched their ambush. Gunfire erupted from all sides,

breaking the pre-dawn silence with terrifying force. The soldiers scrambled from their tents in confusion. Chaos reigned as they tried to find cover, but there was little to be had. The Dakota had chosen their positions well, and the soldiers were completely exposed. Horses, spooked by gunfire, bolted from the camp or were shot by the Dakota. With their animals gone, the soldiers' ability to maneuver or flee was all but eliminated. Tents collapsed under the barrage of gunfire, and many of the soldiers were killed or wounded in the opening minutes of the attack.

Panic spread as the men realized they were surrounded. They had no access to their artillery, and the Dakota's relentless fire made it impossible to regroup. Pinned down and with nowhere to go, the burial party dug shallow trenches. They used dead horses and debris as makeshift barricades, and the scene became an eerie preview of the siege of Reno Hill during the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which would happen 14 years in the future. Each passing minute stretched into an eternity as the men knew they were trapped with no means of escape.

Food and water were scarce, and morale plummeted as the dead and wounded piled up around the uninjured. Every attempt to return fire was met with devastating precision from the Dakota, who held the upper hand from their elevated positions. Sometime that day, word of the ambush reached Colonel Sibley at Fort Ridgely. When he learned his burial party was under siege at Birch Cooley, Sibley moved quickly. He ordered a column of troops, including much-needed artillery, to march to their aid, and Sibley himself

led the reinforcements. Time was of the essence, and the relief column had to hurry. On the morning of September 3, Sibley's column arrived near Birch Cooley. By that time, the burial party had been trapped and had endured wave after wave of Dakota gunfire for 31 hours. The sounds of gunfire still echoed through the river valley as the relief column approached, and the sight that greeted them was grim. The burial party's camp was in shambles. Tents were torn apart, horses were dead,

and wounded or lifeless men were lying everywhere. When the Dakota warriors saw the reinforcements, they began to retreat into the wilderness. They had done enough damage, and there was no reason to risk a full-scale battle. Sibley's men attempted to pursue the warriors, but the Dakota vanished into the tall grasses and woods. The battle at Birch Cooley had been a bloody affair. 13 soldiers were dead, nearly 50 were wounded, and many of those would not survive. The speed and brutality of the attack was a stark reminder of the Dakota's strategic prowess and their determination to resist the encroaching military forces. The men who survived were shaken and haunted by the siege.

Like many other soldiers who faced Native American enemies, they would now see warriors in every shadow, every shimmer of light, every movement of grass. Sibley's arrival had saved the remnants of the burial party from total annihilation, but the Battle of Birch Cooley was proof that the Dakota War was far from over. Bagel? Bagel. Bagel? Bagel? was proof that the Dakota War was far from over. Bagel? Bagel.

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They began to split into smaller mobile groups. Little Crow, the central figure in the uprising and the driving force behind the initial attacks, led a detachment northward. His goal was to disrupt US forces and settlements further afield and stretch the conflict into central Minnesota and beyond. Little Crow and his warriors had launched devastating attacks earlier in the war, but their situation was growing more desperate by the day. The Dakota were running low on supplies. Food, ammunition, and even horses were becoming scarce. U.S. forces, now bolstered by reinforcements, were tracking their movements.

But despite the growing challenges, Little Crow pressed on. As Little Crow's war party moved north, his forces launched a series of raids on isolated settlements. The first target was the small town of Acton, where the war had spontaneously started two weeks earlier. Settlers took refuge in hastily built stockades. Armed with little more than hunting rifles and farming tools, they prepared to defend their homes from another wave of attacks. But the Dakota were unable to breach the fortified defenses, and Little Crow's forces, frustrated and short on supplies, were forced to withdraw. From Acton, Little Crow led his warriors toward Hutchinson, a larger settlement in central Minnesota.

There, too, the settlers had fortified their town by building a stockade that offered some protection against the approaching war party. On September 4, 1862, Little Crow's warriors attacked Hutchinson, hoping to capture supplies and strike another blow against the settlers. The attack was swift and brutal, but the settlers, along with local militia forces, managed to fend off the assault. The Dakota warriors, facing stiff resistance and unable to overwhelm the defenses, withdrew once more. The raids had successfully spread fear throughout the region, but they had failed to capture any major settlements, and Little

Crow's forces started to show signs of strain. Meanwhile, further north in the Red River Valley, other detachments of Dakota warriors continued to target stagecoach stops, trading posts, and military outposts. These smaller, isolated attacks were meant to disrupt communication and trade between U.S. settlements and military posts. Fort Abercrombie, a key outpost in the northwest part of the state, became a focal point of the Dakota's northern campaign. The garrison at the fort, supported by local militia members and soldiers from the 5th Minnesota Infantry, repelled multiple assaults by Dakota war parties. Each time the Dakota attacked, they were met with fierce resistance

as soldiers and settlers grew more confident in their ability to hold their ground. The Dakota warriors had managed to cause significant disruption across the northern frontier, but the tide was slowly beginning to turn against them. Reinforcements from neighboring states, including Wisconsin, began arriving in Minnesota to bolster Colonel Sibley's ranks. Coalitions of soldiers and volunteers started seeking out the Dakota War Parties, and increasingly, the hunters became the hunted.

And then on September 16, 1862, a new face arrived to take command of the U.S. military efforts in the region. General John Pope had been appointed commander of the Department of the Northwest after his defeat as the overall Union Army commander at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the Civil War. He arrived in Minnesota with the determination to prove himself and to put an end to the Dakota conflict swiftly and decisively. His orders to Colonel Sibley were clear. Do whatever it takes to crush the Dakota resistance and bring the war to an end.

Colonel Henry Sibley now commanded more than 1,600 men. His forces had been resupplied with ammunition and provisions. Many of them were still recent recruits and volunteers, but they were now better equipped to face the Dakota on open ground. Sibley knew the final confrontation was approaching. He just had to find Little Crow. Little Crow's forces, though still formidable, were worn down by weeks of constant movement, dwindling supplies, and failed attacks on fortified towns. The Dakota's initial successes, driven by the element of surprise, had given way to

a slow, grinding war of attrition. U.S. forces were tightening their grip on the region, and the Dakota were running out of options. Little Crow and his warriors were on the run through central Minnesota, and various Dakota forces still carried out deadly raids across the frontier, but Little Crow knew his days were numbered. At Fort Ridgely, Colonel Sibley's army was ready to move. His force consisted of the 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 9th Minnesota Infantry, the Renville Rangers,

a local militia group, and mounted citizen guards. On September 19th, they marched out of Fort Ridgely. They were headed west and determined to bring the Dakota War to a close. For most of the people in America, the Dakota War was barely a footnote in their newspapers, if they read about it at all. Two days earlier, the Civil War had displayed its full horror. The Union Army met the Confederate Army near Sharpsburg, Maryland,

in an engagement that was named after a meandering creek that ran through the battleground. It was called Antietam, and it was the deadliest single-day battle in American history. Two days after Antietam, Colonel Sibley's column went on the hunt for the Dakota. Sibley's army moved northwest along the Minnesota River, through land that had been ravaged by the conflict. Fields lay barren, farmhouses stood charred and empty, and the roads were littered with the remnants of hurried retreats. Sibley's column was the largest body of troops that had moved into the field up to that time, but Sibley still remained cautious.

He knew he was hunting an enemy that was a master of guerrilla warfare, and Sibley was not about to lead his men into the same kinds of ambushes that had happened at Redwood Ferry and Birch Cooley. As Sibley's troops advanced, Dakota runners reported their movements back to Little Crow. Little Crow knew a decisive confrontation was coming. His forces had dwindled, with many Dakota warriors dispersing into smaller bands to raid or flee as the U.S. Army closed in. But he still commanded a core group of around 700 warriors, all of whom were determined

to continue fighting for their land and survival. On September 21, Dakota scouts informed Little Crow that Sibley's troops were approaching the Upper Sioux Agency, the largest of the two reservations in southern Minnesota. The Upper Sioux Agency was about 30 miles northwest of the Lower Sioux Agency, and like the Lower Sioux Agency, it was right along the Minnesota River. The Dakota quickly convened a war council to decide their next move. Some leaders urged caution, suggesting that they continue to avoid large-scale engagements and instead strike U.S. forces through smaller, hit-and-run tactics.

They pushed for a surprise night attack on Sibley's camp, arguing that catching the U.S. forces off guard was their best chance for success. They had seen the US artillery in action and knew that the Dakota, despite their skill and bravery, were not equipped to withstand a sustained military assault. Others argued that the time had come to stand and fight. With the US Army advancing deep into their territory, many Dakota leaders felt they had no choice but to confront the army head on. As the debate raged, Little Crow, the central figure of the rebellion, weighed

the options carefully. He was a seasoned leader, but he also understood the fragility of his position. In the end, Little Crow and his council decided against a night attack. Too many variables, including the risk of being discovered before they could strike, made the plan seem too dangerous. Instead, they opted to ambush Sibley's forces in the morning, when they were on the march and more vulnerable. The Dakota would position themselves along the road, leading to the Upper Sioux Agency, and use the tall prairie grass as cover to conceal their numbers.

They would spring the trap when the US troops were stretched out in long lines of march. On the night of September 22, Sibley's Army made camp near Woodlake Creek, a stream that connected to the Minnesota River. They had marched about 40 miles northwest of Fort Ridgely in three days, and they were a couple miles short of the Upper Sioux Agency. The exhausted soldiers set up their tents and positioned their wagons in defensive formations around the camp. Later that night, while Sibley's army rested, Dakota warriors crept quietly through

the tall prairie grass and moved into position. As dawn approached, the Dakota warriors knew the moment to strike was near. The ambush was meticulously planned. Little Crow and the warriors had remained vigilant all night, and the plan for the first light was simple. As soon as Sibley's force started to march, the warriors would spring out of their hiding spots and lay waste to the soldiers. Little Crow hoped the ambush would be a decisive blow against the US Army. But the day did not unfold as expected. Around 7 a.m., just as the first light began to creep over the horizon, a group of soldiers from the 3rd Minnesota Infantry Regiment left camp on an unauthorized and unexpected mission.

They were hungry and restless, and they piled into wagons and set out to forage for food. As the soldiers crossed a ravine and emerged onto the high prairie, they found themselves surrounded. Dakota warriors unleashed a barrage of gunfire. The Dakota had the advantage of surprise, and they quickly overwhelmed the foraging party. But the attack was a catch-22. They had crushed the foraging party, but by springing the trap too early against just

a handful of men, they gave the rest of the soldiers a precious few moments to organize. The ambush was supposed to have happened when 1,600 men were strung out along miles of road and thoroughly vulnerable. Instead, even though the army camp was immediately thrown into chaos, some of the more level-headed commanders took control quickly. Sibley's army heard the gunfire of the attack on the foraging party and rushed to their positions. Major Abraham Welch, commanding part of the 3rd Minnesota Infantry, reacted decisively. Without waiting for orders from Sibley, Welch gathered 200 men and led a bold charge into the open prairie.

His men fired as they advanced and hoped to drive the Dakota back. Welch's attack was swift and aggressive, and for a moment, it seemed as if his men might break through the Dakota lines. But the open ground left his troops vulnerable to counterattack. As Welch's men pushed forward, they became dangerously exposed. Colonel Sibley realized the danger and ordered Welch to fall back. The Dakota forces saw Welch's retreat and regrouped. The warriors attempted to flank the US troops and to exploit the gap in their lines. Similar to Antietam, the Minnesota battlefield was near a meandering creek

that became a whirlwind of smoke, gunfire, shouted orders, and screams of pain. The Dakota advanced with speed, using the rolling terrain and tall grass to their advantage. They fired from concealed positions while attempting to outmaneuver the U.S. soldiers. But despite not knowing an attack might happen, Sibley was ready when the time came. As the Dakota warriors tried to encircle his forces, Sibley responded with reinforcements. The Renville Rangers, a mixed militia of Dakota and European settlers who were loyal to the U.S., rushed to bolster the flanks. Companies from the 6th and 7th Minnesota Infantry Regiments followed, bringing more firepower

into the fight. Armed with rifled muskets and supported by artillery, the U.S. soldiers began to turn back the assault. The Dakota warriors, many of whom were armed with traditional weapons or outdated firearms, found themselves facing a more organized and heavily armed enemy. But that didn't mean it was over quickly.

For two hours, the battle raged across the prairie. The US forces, now coordinated under Sibley's command, pushed the Dakota back with relentless follies of musket fire and artillery blasts. The cannons, positioned on the high ground near the camp, fired canister shots into the advancing Dakota lines and shattered their ranks. One of the shots killed Chief Mankato, a respected Dakota leader, which sent a wave of dismay

through the warrior army. The Dakota attack faltered. The warriors began to fall back in a disoriented and disorganized retreat. Little Crow, seeing his warriors scattered and the battle slipping from his grasp, called for a full withdrawal. The Dakota forces moved back into the hills and ravines that had once provided them cover. The U.S. soldiers, exhausted but victorious, watched as the enemy vanished into the wilderness. The Battle of Wood Lake, as the engagement would be known,

was the decisive victory that Colonel Henry Sibley had hoped for. As the smoke cleared near Wood Lake Creek, Colonel Sibley took stock of the battlefield. Seven U.S. soldiers were dead and 34 were wounded. The casualties weighed heavily on the minds of the survivors, but for the Dakota, the losses were far greater. The exact number of Dakota casualties remains unknown, but the death of a key leader like Chief Mankato and another failed attempt to destroy a U.S. Army force dealt a crushing

blow to organized Dakota resistance. Sibley remained cautious and decided not to pursue the retreating Dakota warriors. He knew the war was effectively over. The Dakota had lost their ability to mount any significant opposition, and the U.S. forces, now firmly in control of the region, had achieved their objective. Little Crow and the remaining warriors fled west, and their campaign of open warfare was at an end. For Sibley and his men, the Battle of Wood Lake marked the conclusion of a bloody and

painful chapter in Minnesota's history. The victory had not come easily, but it had been achieved through discipline and superior firepower. The Dakota War as a singular entity of combat had lasted 36 days, from the August 18th assault on the Lower Sioux Agency to the September 23rd Battle of Wood Lake. It had featured shock and awe tactics on settlements and prolonged battles for control of towns or forts, and it had ended on a windswept prairie

less than 30 miles from where it started. On the morning of September 24th, 1862, the day after the Battle of Wood Lake, Little Crow fled north, knowing that Dakota could not continue their fight. His dreams of reclaiming Minnesota for his people had been shattered. The land fled north, knowing the Dakota could not continue their fight. His dreams of reclaiming Minnesota for his people had been shattered. The land that had been their home for generations was now lost. Little Crow, once a powerful leader, vowed never to return to what had been his homeland. Accompanied by a small band of Mettawankanton warriors and families, Little Crow sought

refuge with other Sioux tribes, hoping to find new allies among the western Sioux, particularly the Yankton, Yanktoni, and Lakota. He also held out hope that the British in Canada might support him, but everywhere he turned, he found himself rebuffed. Chief Standing Buffalo in the Cisseton Sioux, north of Big Stone Lake, turned him away. Standing Buffalo's people were unwilling to involve themselves in a rebellion that had already failed. The Yankton Sioux, to the southwest along the Missouri River, also refused to offer assistance. With nowhere left to go, Little Crow and his followers became wanderers, exiles from their own land. For nearly ten months, Little Crow traveled

across the plains and forests of the region, seeking shelter and allies, but finding none. His once proud band of warriors dwindled, and the weight of isolation deepened with every passing day. Soon he would reach a metaphorical crossroads. He could continue to wander and live his lonely existence, or he could do what he said he would never do – go home. By the time he made his choice, his former comrades-in-arms had suffered worse than they were suffering when they chose to fight. For 39 of them, they would face an historic reckoning, the largest mass execution in American history. Next time on Legends of the Old West,

the Dakota fighters who remain in Minnesota negotiate a surrender to Colonel Sibley. who remain in Minnesota negotiate a surrender to Colonel Sibley. Within two days, a military tribunal begins to pass judgment on 400 men. The sentences shock the nation and force President Abraham Lincoln to intervene. The resolution is still a dark moment in American history. And even then, the fighting isn't done. 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, blackbarerylMedia.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.