These Dakota men fought for the U.S. Army – after America stripped them of everything

Gabriel Renville’s Dakota Scouts at Fort Sisseton

After the Dakota War of 1862, the U. S. kicked all Dakota people out of Minnesota. Yet soon after, about 250 Sisseton and Wahpeton Dakota men chose to help the very army that removed them.

Under Gabriel Renville, who rose to Chief of Scouts in 1864, these men worked from Fort Wadsworth to keep hostile Dakota from attacking Minnesota settlers.

Their loyal service paid off when the fort was renamed Fort Sisseton in 1876, and later when Congress restored their canceled payments in 1891.

The stone buildings of Fort Sisseton Historic State Park still stand as monuments to this complex chapter of American loyalty and betrayal.

The U.S. Government Kicked All Dakota People Out of Minnesota

The Dakota War of 1862 changed everything for Minnesota’s Dakota people.

After fighting broke out in August and September, the federal government forced all Dakota to leave the state, regardless of who fought.

Fewer than 1,000 Dakota actually fought, while over 4,000 Sisseton and Wahpeton opposed the war. Many even saved settlers’ lives.

About 1,600 Dakota women, children, and elderly ended up stuck at Fort Snelling, where between 130 and 300 died from disease that winter. On December 26, 1862, the U.S. hanged 38 Dakota men in Mankato in the largest mass execution in American history.

Scout Leader Gabriel Renville Watched His People Suffer

Gabriel Renville stepped up in February 1863, offering to work as a U. S. Army scout under General Henry Sibley. This Sisseton-Wahpeton leader came from mixed Dakota and European background and strongly opposed the 1862 war. He led what folks called the Peace Party.

Before becoming a scout, Renville saw many children die from disease at Fort Snelling. The scouts had a tough job: stop unfriendly Dakota from coming back to Minnesota to attack settlers.

About 250 Dakota, mostly from Sisseton and Wahpeton bands, worked as scouts from 1863 to 1866.

General Sibley Marched West With 3,300 Men

In June 1863, General Sibley started his push into Dakota Territory.

He led about 3,300 soldiers and Dakota scouts from Minnesota, trying to catch Dakota who ran west after the 1862 war.

Renville and other scouts worked with Sibley and Joseph Brown as they tracked those the Army called “hostiles. ” The huge group included 225 mule-drawn wagons carrying cannons and supplies, plus cattle for fresh meat.

Many of the Dakota they chased weren’t fighters but peaceful buffalo hunters trying to feed their families.

Three Battles Broke Out Along The Missouri

Fighting started on July 24, 1863, at the Battle of Big Mound, the first major fight in Dakota Territory. The troops fought again just two days later at Dead Buffalo Lake.

A third battle happened on July 28 at Stony Lake. Dakota warriors used fighting retreats to give their families time to escape across the Missouri River.

The Army counted three soldiers killed in these battles, while at least nine Dakota warriors died at Big Mound alone. The Dakota fought to protect their families, not to win land.

Families Made A Desperate Escape Across The Missouri

Dakota families reached the west side of the Missouri River on July 30, 1863. They left behind most of their belongings.

Sibley’s men burned their winter supplies of dried meat and tipis. The Army waited two more days, hoping to meet General Sully’s forces coming from the south.

With food running low and tired men and animals, Sibley ended the campaign on July 31. The group had traveled more than 300 miles in just 21 days before heading back to Minnesota in August.

The Dakota people lost vital supplies right before winter.

Renville Earned The Top Scout Position

The Army promoted Renville to Chief of Scouts in 1864 after the 1863 expedition. He later became Superintendent of Scouts, leading Dakota scouts based at Fort Wadsworth.

The scouts kept patrolling the frontier and stopping Dakota raids on settlements. Samuel J. Brown, Renville’s nephew, worked with him as post interpreter, scout, and inspector of scouts. That same year, Renville joined Major John Clowney’s Wisconsin volunteers as they built Fort Wadsworth.

His leadership gained respect from both the Army and his own people.

A New Fort Created A Base For The Scouts

Major John Clowney of the 30th Wisconsin Infantry started building Fort Wadsworth on August 1, 1864. They named it after Brigadier General James S. Wadsworth, who died in the Battle of the Wilderness that May.

Located about 30 miles west of today’s Sisseton, South Dakota, the fort protected settlers moving into Dakota Territory. It also served as a supply spot for miners traveling to Montana and Idaho gold fields.

Dakota scouts made the fort their home base and set up camp nearby along the James River.

The Fort Got A New Name To Honor The Scouts

Scout service officially ended in early 1866 when the Army needed fewer men. Ten years later, on August 29, 1876, the military renamed the fort as Fort Sisseton.

This new name honored the Sisseton band that had provided scouts to the fort throughout the conflict. The name change also fixed a practical problem: another Fort Wadsworth already existed in New York.

The military kept using the fort until 1889, when they left it.

Today, Fort Sisseton stands as a state historic park, keeping this chapter of American history alive.

Treaty Negotiations Created A New Home

The U. S. signed a treaty with the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands on February 19, 1867.

This agreement created the Lake Traverse Reservation as a permanent home for the bands that had stayed friendly to the U. S.

The government set up the reservation partly to recognize their service and to make up for taking away their promised payments.

Gabriel Renville and other leaders signed the treaty and helped pick the reservation location.

The land stretched from Lake Traverse south to Lake Kampeska, covering parts of what we now call South Dakota and North Dakota.

Leaders Fought For Their People’s Rights

The War Department named Gabriel Renville head chief of the Sisseton-Wahpeton bands in 1866. A year later, members of the Sissetowan band made him Chief for life.

Renville worked hard to get land back and secure rights for his people. The 1867 treaty clearly acknowledged how the scouts had faithfully served during the war years.

Not everyone agreed with Renville’s approach. Some Dakota saw cooperation with the U.S. as betrayal, but Renville focused on making sure his people survived during an impossible time.

Congress Finally Paid The Scouts What They Earned

The Forfeiture Act of February 16, 1863, had canceled all payments promised to Dakota bands after the 1862 war. Almost 30 years later, in 1891, Congress finally recognized what the Sisseton and Wahpeton scouts had done.

The scouts and their families received $342,778. 37 in back payments owed under the 1851 treaty.

This money made up for payments they should have received since 1863.

Two years later, in 1893, Congress set aside more money for Mdewakanton and Wahpeton scouts who had also served but weren’t included in the first payment.

Visiting Fort Sisseton Historic State Park, South Dakota

Fort Sisseton Historic State Park at 11907 434th Avenue in Lake City preserves the story of Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota scouts who helped the U. S. Army from 1863-1866. You need an $8 daily vehicle pass or $36 annual pass to enter.

The park has 14 original 1864 buildings including stone barracks and officers’ quarters. Summer guided tours run at 10:30am, 1:30pm, and 4pm daily.

Visit during the first weekend in June for the Historical Festival with military reenactments.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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