“On August 17, 1862, four young Dakota men killed five European Americans living in Acton Township in Meeker County. That night a group of Dakota men argued it was time to go to war with the U.S. to reclaim their ancestral homeland. These men asked Taoyateduta (Little Crow) to lead a military effort. Taoyateduta agreed, though he believed the war would end disastrously for the Dakota. The next morning Dakota soldiers attacked the Lower Sioux Agency, killing many civilians. Over the next several weeks, Dakota soldiers attacked farms, communities and military posts throughout Southwestern Minnesota, killing hundreds of people. More than 250 European-Americans and “mixed-bloods” (people of both Dakota and European ancestry) were captured by Dakota soldiers during the war. Governor Alexander Ramsey appointed Henry Hastings Sibley colonel, and gave him command of the state’s military response. Sibley was a former fur trader and the first governor of Minnesota. On August 20, Sibley and a unit of volunteer soldiers left Fort Snelling and headed to Fort Ridgeley. In addition to other battles, Dakota and military forces clashed at Birch Coulee (September 2) and Wood Lake (September 23). After the battle of Wood Lake, many Dakota left the state, and on September 26 approximately 2,000 mostly non-combatant Dakota met Sibley and his forces at “Camp Release” near present day Montevideo, where they were placed under military custody.”