"Soon after the battle I, with many others who had taken part in the war, surrendered to Gen. Sibley."
Wamditanka
"As soon as I surrendered I was thrown in prison," . . . — — Map (db m71612) HM
On the second day of the fight, we were reinforced...which ended one of the hardest and best fought battles known."
Joseph Anderson
Early in the afternoon of September 3, . . . — — Map (db m71590) HM
On the prairie half a mile east of this point, a party of about 160 troops was attacked by Sioux at dawn, Sept. 2, 1862.
During the battle, the force was surrounded for thirty hours, losing over a third of its number in killed and wounded.
. . . — — Map (db m67451) HM
Just before sunrise on September 2, 1862, the sharp crack of a warning shot signaled the start of the Battle of Birch Coulee.
One of the bloodiest battles of the U.S.-Dakota War was fought here. For a day and a half, this place echoed . . . — — Map (db m71159) HM
West of crest of hill
and 755 feet east
was one of the principal
points of attack by
the Sioux indians
under Big Eagle,
Sept 2-3, 1862. — — Map (db m67764) HM
In the then tall grass in
the swale, about 800 feet
north, a body of Sioux
Indians under Gray Bird
attacked the whites.
Behind the hill 400 feet
to the east was the last
point of attack by the
Indians, whence they were
driven by . . . — — Map (db m154042) HM
All our horses, both cavalry and transportation horses, were either killed or so badly wounded as to make them unfit for service."
Joseph Anderson
Tethered to wagons on the . . . — — Map (db m71575) HM
"It was concluded to surround the camp that night and attack it at daylight. We felt sure we could capture it."
Wamditanka
After the Dakota scouts spotted Anderson's men . . . — — Map (db m71510) HM
"It was a beautiful place to encamp, but it proved an unfortunate one for us, as the enemy had the advantage both of the timber and hill for protection."
Joseph Anderson
To . . . — — Map (db m71481) HM
north side Erected by the State of Minnesota in grateful remembrance of the Heroism of those gallant soldiers and citizens who fought the Battle of Birch Coulee and to perpetuate their names.
Capt. Hiram P. Grant. Co. A. 6th Minnesota . . . — — Map (db m69514) HM WM
In 1862, settlers in the area of Birch Coolie Creek were living peaceful lives, having come to this area to take up new homesteads. They were in large part recent immigrants to this country. When they settled here they were mostly unaware of . . . — — Map (db m69354) HM WM
175 feet north stood
the building
in which upwards of
100 Sioux Indians were
tried by Court Martial
convicted and
sentenced to death
Nov. 1862. — — Map (db m67772) HM
"We had no difficulty in surrounding the camp. The pickets were only a little way from it."
Wamditanka
No soldiers would have attempted to climb this hill during the battle. . . . — — Map (db m71551) HM
Erected by the
Renville Co. Pioneers,
Aug. 18, 1907.
In Memory of
Radnor Earle
who was killed by the
Indians in the massacre
of Aug. 18, 1862
while Saving his Father's life. — — Map (db m70510) HM WM
Erected A. D. 1899 by the Minnesota Valley Historical Society to commemorate the brave, faithful, and humane conduct of the loyal Indians who saved the lives of white people and were true to their obligations throughout the Sioux War in Minnesota . . . — — Map (db m69496) HM WM
"One of the sentinels fired. The shot was followed by a heavy volley from the Indians, which...killed and wounded several of our men and the fight was on."
Joseph Anderson
. . . — — Map (db m71554) HM
Erected by the
Renville Co. Pioneers,
Aug. 18, 1907.
In memory of
Mrs. S. R. Henderson
and her two little
daughters,
Jehiel Wedge,
and
Eugene White,
who were killed by
the Indians in the
massacre
of Aug. 18, 1862.
——— . . . — — Map (db m70514) HM WM
In the late summer of 1862, the land on which you're standing was a war zone. The causes of that war had been brewing for decades.
In treaties signed between 1805 and 1858, the Dakota nation ceded much of its land to the U.S. government. . . . — — Map (db m71337) HM
"I led my men up from the west through the grass and took up a position 200 yards from the camp behind a small knoll."
Wamditanka
You are standing where Wamditanka and his band took . . . — — Map (db m71532) HM
On a summer day in 1862 the Redwood Ferry landing on the Minnesota River below this point was the scene of the first attack against military troops in one of America's most tragic Indian wars.
Early in the morning of August 18, 1862, a large . . . — — Map (db m68897) HM
Ta ku wicuonyanpi kin hena, ca hota tawapi kin hena wakan qa tukted wicahapi kin hed maka kin hena nakin wakan.
Tona okioize ed opapi kin hena wicunkisuyapi. Oa maknce unkitawapi kin akand cante wasteya qa wookiye yuha untipi kte.
Unkan . . . — — Map (db m71025) HM
A center of Mdewakanton Dakota community life for several generations, St. Cornelia's Episcopal Church is a symbol of Dakota continuity in the homeland from which they once were exiles. In 1987 the remains of 31 Dakota who died in an Iowa . . . — — Map (db m70182) HM
Made of solid granite, the “Friendly Indian Monument” was dedicated in 1899 in honor of six Dakota Indians who befriended and protected government employees, immigrant settlers, missionaries, or aided soldiers during the . . . — — Map (db m70864) HM
Before the Battle
When glaciers receded from this region thousands of years ago, they left behind huge rivers and lakes in a broad valley.
Over time, the valley became filled with tallgrass prairies, small lakes, and the waterway known . . . — — Map (db m71445) HM
This monument was dedicated in 1894 as a testament to U.S. soldiers and civilians who fought and died in the Battle of Birch Coulee. The U.S.–Dakota Conflict of 1862 started when Dakota Indians, frustrated over broken treaty . . . — — Map (db m70848) HM
The story of Birch Coulee is told vividly by the men who fought here.
As you move along this trail, you will follow the stories of two men: Joseph Anderson, a captain in the U.S. Army, and Wamditanka (Big Eagle), a Mdewakanton chief.
. . . — — Map (db m71459) HM
"When the men in advance reached Little Crow's village...they saw a column of mounted men and some wagons...going eastward." Wamditanka
The "men in advance" were Dakota scouts. According to . . . — — Map (db m71472) HM
