"It was concluded to surround the camp that night and attack it at daylight. We felt sure we could capture it."
??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? Wamditanka
After the Dakota scouts spotted Anderson's men crossing the prairie, they were sent "to follow the movements of the soldiers, creeping across the prairie like so many ants," Wamditanka said. When the scouts reported that the U.S. soldiers were camped near Birch Coulee, the Dakota forces planned their attack. About 200 men, led by Wamditanka, Mankato, Zitkadaska, and Hushasha, moved in to surround the camp.
The Best We Could
Wamditanka did not support the Dakota decision to fight a war that he felt was a lost cause. "I did not have a very large band—not more than thirty or forty fighting men," he said. "Most of them were not for the war at first.... I said to my men that I would lead them into the war and we would all act like brave Dakotas and do the best we could."
Minnesota Historical Society
Birch Coulee Battlefield
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