Columns of Vengeance

"The Punitive Expeditions of 1863 and 1864 against the Dakotas led to some of the most significant engagements between the Sioux and the U.S. Army. However, they have been underappreciated and less covered by historians than the Dakota War of 1862 and the latter post Civil War conflicts with the Sioux. This manuscript intends to examine the Punitive Expeditions as part of the overall Civil War experience and highlight the Dakotas' interpretations of the campaigns. Additionally, the manuscript will use diaries and accounts from common soldiers to focus on the personal, human side of the conflicts and how they impacted the lives of the people involved. The author applies a "bottom up" approach, which uses personal accounts by participants and interpretations by descendants to understand the conflicts on a larger scale. The Dakota as well as U.S. Army soldier's perspectives will be presented to give an even-handed account of the significance of these military encounters"--