Battle of Wood Lake
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Wood Lake was a battle in the Dakota War of 1862
in September. By that time in the Dakota War of 1862, the Sioux offensive had slowed considerably, and the Minnesota
forces were beginning to implement a plan formulated by Governor Alexander Ramsey
. Ramsey's plan, implemented by Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley
and frontier commander Charles Eugene Flandrau
, had the goals of freeing settlers held captive by the Indians and to "exterminate" or drive the Dakota "forever beyond the borders of the state".
in early September, thinking that the Indians were growing weary of the war. Little Crow returned with an explanation of why the Indians started the war and hinting that he would consider negotiations about some United States prisoners they were holding captive. Sibley responded by refusing to negotiate and demanding Little Crow's surrender. Little Crow refused to surrender, and the conditions were set for another battle.
Sibley's initial expedition from Fort Snelling, which included 1400 troops, took nearly nine days to reach Fort Ridgely
. At Fort Ridgely, Sibley delayed still further, to the frustration of settlers and others who wanted swift action against the Indian uprising. Jane Grey Swisshelm, a St. Cloud newspaper editor, wrote, "For God's sake put some live man in command of the force against the Sioux & let Sibley have 100 men or thereabout for his undertaker's corpse." The delay was caused, in part, by the lack of experience of the new recruits and the shortage of supplies, such as guns, ammunition, and horses. These supplies finally reached Sibley's forces between September 11 and September 14. On September 19, the troops finally began their march up the Minnesota River
valley.
. Sibley's guide thought the lake was Wood Lake, which was about three and a half miles to the west, so the battle is actually misnamed. The Third Minnesota camped along the crest south of the creek, and the sixth Minnesota was next to the small lake. The Seventh Minnesota was at the right rear behind the creek’s ravine. All units and the wagon train and artillery were partially enclosed by trenches.
Little Crow planned to ambush the soldiers the next morning when they were marching, strung out along the road when the troops would be in a long, poorly defended column. In the morning, a few soldiers from the Third Minnesota regiment in several wagons left camp early in search of food from the Upper Sioux Agency near present day Rock Valle Church. Some of the wagons were not on the road, and were headed straight at some of Little Crow's men as they lay in the grass thus compelling them to rise up and fire. This brought on the fight, and veteran troops from the Third Regiment recently returned from fighting Confederates in the south, ran to assist their comrades, aided by the Renville Rangers. They advanced about a half mile from the camp until both flanks were threatened. Sibley ordered Lt. Colonel William R. Marshall with six companies and an artillery piece to advance and repulse the Indians on the right flank. On the left end of the line, Major Robert N. McLaren led his men around the lake to defeat an attempted flanking attack. The battle lasted about two hours, during which Chief Mankato was killed by a cannonball.
The battle was a decisive victory for the United States, with heavy casualties inflicted on the Sioux. For his part in the battle, Sibley received a promotion to Brigadier General
. Because of the high losses and the death of Chief Mankato the battle was the last fought by the Sioux in the uprising as the influence of the pacifist chiefs increased which led to the release of those held captive by the Sioux and the surrender of many of the Indians at Camp Release
.
, 6th Minnesota Infantry, 7th Minnesota Infantry, 9th Minnesota Infantry
, 10th Minnesota Infantry
, Citizen Soldier units and Militia including the "Renville Rangers", and an artillery unit with a 6 pound gun.
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
in September. By that time in the Dakota War of 1862, the Sioux offensive had slowed considerably, and the 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...
forces were beginning to implement a plan formulated by Governor Alexander Ramsey
Alexander Ramsey
Alexander Ramsey was an American politician. He was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.Alexander Ramsey was elected from Pennsylvania as a Whig to the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the 28th and 29th congresses from March 4, 1843 to March 4, 1847...
. Ramsey's plan, implemented by Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley was the first Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota.-Early life and education:...
and frontier commander Charles Eugene Flandrau
Charles Eugene Flandrau
Charles Eugene Flandrau was an American lawyer and colonel in the Union Army.-Early life:...
, had the goals of freeing settlers held captive by the Indians and to "exterminate" or drive the Dakota "forever beyond the borders of the state".
Background
Sibley attempted to negotiate a settlement with Chief Little CrowLittle Crow
The Little Crow is an Australian species of crow, very similar to the Torresian Crow in having white bases to the neck and head feathers but slightly smaller and with a proportionately smaller bill...
in early September, thinking that the Indians were growing weary of the war. Little Crow returned with an explanation of why the Indians started the war and hinting that he would consider negotiations about some United States prisoners they were holding captive. Sibley responded by refusing to negotiate and demanding Little Crow's surrender. Little Crow refused to surrender, and the conditions were set for another battle.
Sibley's initial expedition from Fort Snelling, which included 1400 troops, took nearly nine days to reach Fort Ridgely
Fort Ridgely
Fort Ridgely was a United States Army outpost near the Dakota reservation in southwestern Minnesota . Built between 1853–1855, it played an important role in the Dakota War of 1862...
. At Fort Ridgely, Sibley delayed still further, to the frustration of settlers and others who wanted swift action against the Indian uprising. Jane Grey Swisshelm, a St. Cloud newspaper editor, wrote, "For God's sake put some live man in command of the force against the Sioux & let Sibley have 100 men or thereabout for his undertaker's corpse." The delay was caused, in part, by the lack of experience of the new recruits and the shortage of supplies, such as guns, ammunition, and horses. These supplies finally reached Sibley's forces between September 11 and September 14. On September 19, the troops finally began their march up 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....
valley.
Battle
The troops camped east of Lone Tree or Battle Lake, a small lake drained by a creek running northeast to the Minnesota River, about five miles north of what is now Echo, MinnesotaEcho, Minnesota
Echo is a city in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 278 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
. Sibley's guide thought the lake was Wood Lake, which was about three and a half miles to the west, so the battle is actually misnamed. The Third Minnesota camped along the crest south of the creek, and the sixth Minnesota was next to the small lake. The Seventh Minnesota was at the right rear behind the creek’s ravine. All units and the wagon train and artillery were partially enclosed by trenches.
Little Crow planned to ambush the soldiers the next morning when they were marching, strung out along the road when the troops would be in a long, poorly defended column. In the morning, a few soldiers from the Third Minnesota regiment in several wagons left camp early in search of food from the Upper Sioux Agency near present day Rock Valle Church. Some of the wagons were not on the road, and were headed straight at some of Little Crow's men as they lay in the grass thus compelling them to rise up and fire. This brought on the fight, and veteran troops from the Third Regiment recently returned from fighting Confederates in the south, ran to assist their comrades, aided by the Renville Rangers. They advanced about a half mile from the camp until both flanks were threatened. Sibley ordered Lt. Colonel William R. Marshall with six companies and an artillery piece to advance and repulse the Indians on the right flank. On the left end of the line, Major Robert N. McLaren led his men around the lake to defeat an attempted flanking attack. The battle lasted about two hours, during which Chief Mankato was killed by a cannonball.
The battle was a decisive victory for the United States, with heavy casualties inflicted on the Sioux. For his part in the battle, Sibley received a promotion to Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
. Because of the high losses and the death of Chief Mankato the battle was the last fought by the Sioux in the uprising as the influence of the pacifist chiefs increased which led to the release of those held captive by the Sioux and the surrender of many of the Indians at Camp Release
Surrender at Camp Release
The Surrender at Camp Release was the final act in the Dakota War of 1862. After the Battle of Wood Lake, Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley had considered pursuing the retreating Sioux, but he realized he did not have the resources for a vigorous pursuit. Moreover, he feared that doing so would have...
.
Units
Due to the shortage of troops in Minnesota during the Dakota War of 1862, units were often dispatched in a piecemeal fashion as soon as they could be formed, with some companies and detachments assigned to other regiments. Units involved include: the 3rd Minnesota Infantry3rd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 3rd Regiment, Minnesota Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union army during the American Civil War. It fought in several campaigns in the Western Theater.-Service:...
, 6th Minnesota Infantry, 7th Minnesota Infantry, 9th Minnesota Infantry
9th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 9th Minnesota Regiment Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Service:...
, 10th Minnesota Infantry
10th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 10th Regiment, Minnesota Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 10th Minnesota was recruited into Federal service at Garden City, Winnebago Agency, Fort Snelling and St...
, Citizen Soldier units and Militia including the "Renville Rangers", and an artillery unit with a 6 pound gun.
External links
- Wood Lake Battlefield Preservation Association
- http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/sources/recordView.cfm?page=280&dir=019 Col. Marshall of the 7th Minn. Vols Report in Official Records of the War of the RebellionOfficial Records of the American Civil WarThe Official Records of the War of the Rebellion or often more simply the Official Records or ORs, constitute the most extensive collection of primary sources of the history of the American Civil War. Cornell University lists the official title as, "The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the...
Volume 13, Chapter 25. pp. 280-281] - CWSAC Report Update and Resurvey: Individual Battlefield Profiles