Birch Coulie: The Epic Battle of the Dakota War
In the days following the Battle of Birch Coulie, the decisive battle in the deadly Dakota War of 1862, one of President Lincoln s private secretaries wrote There has hardly been an outbreak so treacherous, so sudden, so bitter, and so bloody, as that which filled the State of Minnesota with sorrow and lamentation Even today, at the 150th anniversary of the Dakota War, the battle still raises questions and stirs controversy In Birch Coulie John Christgau recounts the dramatic events surrounding the battle American history at its narrative best, his book is also a uniquely balanced and accurate chronicle of this little understood conflict, one of the most important to roil the American West.Christgau s account of the war between white settlers and the Dakota Indians in Minnesota examines two communities torn by internal dissent and external threat, whites and Native Americans equally traumatized by the short and violent war The book also delves into the aftermath, during which thirty eight Dakota men were hanged without legal representation or the appearance of defense witnesses, the largest mass execution in American history With its unusually nuanced perspective, Birch Coulie brings a welcome measure of clarity and insight to a critical moment in the troubled history of the American West. Best Read Birch Coulie: The Epic Battle of the Dakota War [ By ] John Christgau [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr I d rather try to get Minnesotans to read a substantial and thoroughly documented book on the Dakota War of 1863, but if it is necessary to let their illusions that their big blond ancestors arrived to perfectly platte...A relatively brief book, focusing on one important engagement in the Dakota War, with some attention to background and ensuing events The work is suspect This becomes plain at the beginning, where the author inserts a caveat This explains, in language obscure, that the author has incorporated a lot of dialog, which has been lifted from original sources except when it isn t In other words, he makes up dialog for the sake of his story As you work through the volume, too, it becomes evident A relatively brief book, focusing on one importa...While he covers the battle of Birch Coulee well, the authors telling of the rest of the Dakota Uprising is quickly done and isn t as accurate as it could be Some things are simply wrong, he spends a lot of ink condemning the federal governme...973.7476 C462The Battle of Birch Coulie was one of the most determined of Native attacks on U.S troops, and it was a decisive battle in the Dakota War of 1862 It is 150 years since this event, but there is still controversy surrounding the battle Christgau examines the two communities of white settlers and Dakota Indians to show the trauma that affected both sides Th...While a readable narrative, the work is farconjectural than the reader might suspect Like many similar works, it tells a story, but the story does not reflect the actual complexity of the events and actors.Birch Coulee was about 10 miles from where I grew up The stories and legend was always part of the landscape My brothers and I would often explore the area This book is the first in depth history of the events that I ve seen.Compelling historical narrative, strongly researched and woven in to a readable history, well done, unbiased and very balanced, epilogue is especially poignantRead this book because it was an important part of Minnesota History.short summary of the beginning of the Dakota war in MN, he did a lot of research to tell the story as if he was there listening to it unfold.
- English
- 02 January 2019 John Christgau
- Paperback
- 152 pages
- 0803236360
- John Christgau
- Birch Coulie: The Epic Battle of the Dakota War