Andrew Myrick
Encyclopedia
Andrew J. Myrick was a trade
r with an Indian wife who operated a store in southwest Minnesota
near the Minnesota River
in the late part of his life.
. When the tribesmen appealed to Myrick to allow them to take food on credit, he said, "So far as I am concerned, if they are hungry let them eat grass or their own dung." He made this retort while involved in a confrontation between Dakota tribesmen, the United States
government, and other traders. His comment is considered an inciting factor in the Sioux Uprising that began shortly thereafter.
were living in a reservation along the southern bank of the Minnesota River. Two agencies were established to distribute food
and other supplies to the Indians. In a meeting at the Upper Sioux Agency on August 4, the local agent for the Bureau of Indian Affairs
directed food to be released in order to alleviate hunger among a community that was dealing with food shortages. Within days, the Sioux Uprising began, leading to hundreds of deaths across southwest Minnesota. Myrick was killed on the second day of fighting at the Battle of Lower Sioux Agency
as Dakota warriors took revenge at the agency settlement. When his body was found days later, it was discovered that grass had been stuffed in his mouth and stomach.
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
r with an Indian wife who operated a store in southwest Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
near the Minnesota River
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....
in the late part of his life.
Claim to fame
Myrick worked at the Lower Sioux Agency to the southeast. When another group of Indians appeared at the Lower Sioux stores on August 15, Indian Agent Thomas Galbraith wouldn't let them take any food since they didn't have any money. Payments to the Indians had not been made, partly because of delays caused by the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. When the tribesmen appealed to Myrick to allow them to take food on credit, he said, "So far as I am concerned, if they are hungry let them eat grass or their own dung." He made this retort while involved in a confrontation between Dakota tribesmen, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government, and other traders. His comment is considered an inciting factor in the Sioux Uprising that began shortly thereafter.
Death
In the summer of 1862, eastern bands of Sioux Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
were living in a reservation along the southern bank of the Minnesota River. Two agencies were established to distribute food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
and other supplies to the Indians. In a meeting at the Upper Sioux Agency on August 4, the local agent for the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
directed food to be released in order to alleviate hunger among a community that was dealing with food shortages. Within days, the Sioux Uprising began, leading to hundreds of deaths across southwest Minnesota. Myrick was killed on the second day of fighting at the Battle of Lower Sioux Agency
Battle of Lower Sioux Agency
The Battle of Lower Sioux Agency was the initial battle of the Dakota War of 1862 in August. After the initial conflict at Acton Township, Minnesota on August 17, in which five white settlers were killed, tensions were running high within the Lower Sioux tribe. The Sioux feared that the murders...
as Dakota warriors took revenge at the agency settlement. When his body was found days later, it was discovered that grass had been stuffed in his mouth and stomach.