Lincoln and the Sioux Uprising of 1862

Abraham Lincoln before his presidency had fought in the Black Hawk War, and admitted that most of the time he fought more mosquitos. He also questioned the rights of the native american fighting for his land. Lincoln presented a flag to Black Kettle, who in Nov. 1864 was attacked at Sand Creek, waving the American Flag as well as a white flag declaring that they were peaceful. The natives were butchered, not only at Sand Creek, but at Bass River in Idaho. The Dakota War of 1862 was the result of the greed of Gov. Alex Ramsey, and Indian agents who were stealing their anuities, and giving them food that was spoiled, rotten, and sparce supplies to get them through the cold winters. It started as 3 young Native Americans stole some chickens, and ended up killing the farmer. The history of the attempts of the White Europeans to commit genocide and rid themselves of the Native Americans, to grab the land because of oil, gold, or other resources. Lincoln ordered the over 300 kangaroo courtsmartial trials, and pardoned all but the 38, claiming that killing women and children was not part of warfare. Today, others, like Hamas, performed massacres, and ghoulish murders to women and children. The humanity in the word "human" is difficult to find. And it continues to happen because of bigotry, hatred, and greed.

I live right where this happened, was married to an Indian from that reservation and am raising our girl to be proud of her roots, but not bittered by them. I have read many things on the Sioux Uprising, many things only published locally in New Ulm, and have never read anything that shows both sides of the conflict like this book does. Many of the books cover only why the Indians were retalliating aganist a goverment that was horrible to them in ways not even discrible, stories still told to this day by the grandchildren of the people who lived through it. But this book also covers the things the Indians did to the whites living in this section of the state. Not something u often find. Difficult to contemplate the lawlessness of the time. I recommend this book if u would like to get some of both sides of the story. I think it shows both sides in a light not seen before. And not for the weak of stomach. I do however resent the auther calling the Sioux uprising the 'biggest gangbang in Amercian history' Sorry, thats what the US goverment did to all Indian Tribes they encountered, and contiune to do now.

IN 1862, over 800 settlers lost their lives at the hands of Sioux warriors in what would become known as the Great Sioux Uprising of 1862. Many of the Sioux warriors were eventually brought to justice and in the end, 39, about 9% of the total number convicted of the crimes and sentenced to death, would swing from the gallows of Mankato, MN in the largest mass execution in U.S. history. Only the intervention of then President Abraham Lincoln would save the remaining 264 Sioux warriors from the same fate. LINCOLN AND THE SIOUX UPRISING OF 1862 by Hank Cox, tells the details of the account that has been largely forgotten in history due to events that were occurring at the same time in the eastern U.S. Names like Bull Run, Harper's Ferry and Vicksburg dominated the headlines. By 1862, many of the Sioux had migrated west to capture new lands and annihilate their Indian brethren of the Dakotas. Yet others chose to stay behind on land delineated by the 1851 Treaty of Mendota in which the Sioux had agreed to live on a reservation on the upper Minnesota River in exchange for money and trade goods. Due to a combination of government corruption, inefficiency, (no, not much has changed in the last century and a half) and preoccupation with the Civil War, much of the promised provisions never made it to the Sioux and they began taking out their frustration on the local settlers, led largely by Chief Taoyateduta, known to us as Chief Little Crow. Violence first erupted in 1857 at the Spirit Lake Massacre in Iowa but remained largely in check until August 18, 1862 when Chief Little Crow led a raid at the Lower Sioux Agency in Minnesota. This was quickly followed by literally dozens of raids on settlers and settlements over the following few months. When the dust finally settled, 303 Sioux stood convicted and sentenced to hang and the majority of Minnesotans were ready for justice. This is when Lincoln took a huge political risk and time out from the Civil War to intervene and called only for the hanging of those 39 Sioux known to have taken part in the massacres and rapes and commuted the sentences of all others. History tells us very little for Lincoln's motives and the book sheds little light in this vain as well, but is still quite an interesting read on a largely forgotten piece of American history. Monty Rainey www.juntosociety.com

I was fascinated by Lincoln And The Sioux Uprising Of 1862. Hank Cox's book was a real page-turner and afforded me a look into a part of history that was never part of my schooling. Through history classes in high school and college, we studied the Civil War but there was never a mention of the Indian uprising in Minnesota. I found the layout of the book, with chapters alternating between the Civil War and the Sioux uprising, to be totally captivating. Thank you, Mr. Cox, for teaching me about a chapter in our history that I had never known about in your intriguing and apparently well-researched book.

The Uprising of the Santee Sioux of 1862 is an important episode in U.S history often ignored by history because it coincides with the civil war. While more than a million Americans died in brutal fighting involving armies of 100,000 men, bands of Sioux fought a war in Minnesota against settlers. This book looks into claims that `thousands' of white settlers were killed. In the end the uprising was put down and 303 and Sioux were sentenced to death, a large number for a tribe that numbered only in the area of 10,000 people or less. In the end 28 were hung. Lincoln took a personal interest in the matter and at a time when 1000s of American soldiers were dying daily on the battlefield he became concerned with the lives of 28 native-Americans. In this we see the lie put to sleep that Americans of the time saw Indians as only blood thirsty savages, instead we see that Lincoln was a just man, not only interested in freeing slaves, but also interested in saving the lives of native Americans. He hoped to review and reform U.S Indian policy but his untimely death did not allow it. Instead further wars were fought with the Sioux tribes, primarily the Dakota and Hunkpapa tribes over control of the Black Hills. Celebrated chiefs came out of those conflicts such as Red Cloud and Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse and the famous Custer last stand. We see in the war of 1862 a prelude to this, but also a fascinating story that reminds us how close the frontier was at that time, only as far as Minnesota. A good popular history on an often unnoticed topic. Seth J. Frantzman