The Role Of Native Americans In August 1862

The Indians during this time were having problems of their own. They were not getting paid for the land the government had gotten from them. They were not able to hunt and fish throughout the land as they did previously and they were starving. The Indians did not adapt well to farming. Confined to the reservations along the Minnesota River, Chief Big Eagle later remarked that it seemed too sudden to make such a change. Unhappy with the whole situation, the Indians in August 1862 made an intense effort to drive the settlers off the land. On August 18, 1862, the Indians attacked the Lower Sioux Agency and it wasn't long before they crossed the river and preceded to loot, kill and burn buildings on the north side. At the onset of the Sioux uprising