| Birch Coulie: The Epic Battle of the Dakota War Contributor(s): Christgau, John (Author) |
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ISBN: 0803236360 ISBN-13: 9780803236363 Publisher: Bison Books OUR PRICE: $15.26 Product Type: Paperback Published: March 2012 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - Civil War Period (1850-1877) - History | Native American - History | United States - 19th Century |
| Dewey: 973.747 |
| LCCN: 2011032553 |
| Physical Information: 0.69" H x 5.53" W x 8.49" (0.50 lbs) 152 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - Native American - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 - Topical - Civil War |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 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. John Christgau, an award-winning writer on issues of restitution and reconciliation, is the author of several books, including Enemies: World War II Alien Internment, available in a Bison Books edition. |