“The Fight Was On”

Early on the morning of September 2, a U.S. guard sensed movement in the grass and fired a warning shot, and Dakota men immediately returned fire. Joseph Anderson recalled scrambling from his tent on his hands and knees and shouting for the men to keep low, grab their arms, get to the camp's front line, and hold back the Indians. Anderson reported that men under his command shielded themselves behind overturned wagons and dead horses during the battle, while Grant's men, he said, jumped to their feet when the fighting started. Wamditanka remembered that the white men exposed themselves at first but eventually learned to keep quiet. Some of the U.S. soldiers had seen action before, but many were new recruits, and the force also included many civilian volunteers without battle experience.

Minnesota · United States