Surprise Attack at Redwood Ferry

Surprise Attack at Redwood Ferry (HM1CXD)

Location: Fairfax, MN 55332 Nicollet County
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Country: United States of America
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N 44° 27.158', W 94° 44.11'

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Inscription

SURPRISE ATTACK AT REDWOOD FERRY

On the morning of August 18, 1862, Captain John Marsh, 46 soldiers, and interpreter Peter Quinn left the fort to respond to news of violence at Lower Sioux Agency. After an 11-mile march, the soldiers prepared to cross the Minnesota River at the Redwood Ferry. At the ferry, Sunka Ska (White Dog), leader of the farmer Indians, called out, "Come across the river." Suspicious, Marsh ordered his men to stay put. Dakota warriors, concealed in the brush on both sides of the river, opened fire on the soldiers. Quinn and 23 soldiers died in the attack.

Under fire and desperate to return to the fort, the surviving soldiers worked their way down the river for four hours. Marsh decided that their only chance was to cross the water. Taking his sword and revolver in hand, he led the way. Midway across, he lost his footing and drowned. The remaining soldiers straggled back to the fort under the cover of darkness.

What Did Sunka Ska Really Do at the Ferry Site?

There are conflicting stories of what happened at the ferry. In the official report of Lieutenant T.J. Sheehan, commander of Fort Ridgely during the attack, Sunka Ska was said to have calmed the soldiers' fears at the ferry: "Come across; everything is right over here." A soldier seeing Dakota warriors hiding in the bush gave a warning shout. Then "White Dog leaped back," stated the report, "firing his gun."

In 1894, Wambdi Tanka (Big Eagle) recalled that, "they (Dakota warriors) said that White Dog did not tell Mr. Quinn to come over, but told him to go back."

Testimony given by a soldier at Sunka Ska's trial offered a very different picture: the farmer Indian carried not a gun but "a big tomahawk, and was all painted over, red." The soldier asserted that Sunka Ska distracted Marsh and then "waved his hand to the Indians and gave them the order to fire." After his trial, Sunka Ska was hanged in December 1862.

Redwood Ferry is located 11 miles away in this direction.

Minnesota Historical Society
Fort Ridgely
Details
HM NumberHM1CXD
Series This marker is part of the Minnesota Historical Society series, and the Minnesota: Fort Ridgely Interpretive Series series.
Tags
Historical Period19th Century
Historical PlaceBattlefield, Fort, Military Installation, Monument, Park
Marker TypeOther
Marker ClassNeither
Marker StyleFree Standing
Placed ByMinnesota Historical Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014 at 1:33pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15T E 361946 N 4923612
Decimal Degrees44.45263333, -94.73516667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 44° 27.158', W 94° 44.11'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds44° 27' 9.4800" N, 94° 44' 6.6000" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)507
Can be seen from road?Yes
Is marker in the median?No
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 72404 Co Rd 30, Fairfax MN 55332, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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