Battle of Birch Coulee 1862
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 2 September 1862 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1862 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Dakota War of 1862 | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 44.5764, -94.9747 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Birch Coulee occurred on September 2–3, 1862, and resulted in the heaviest casualties suffered by U.S. forces during the Dakota War of 1862. The battle occurred after a group of Dakota warriors followed a U.S. burial expedition, including volunteer infantry, mounted guards and civilians, to an exposed plain where they were setting up camp. That night, 200 Dakota soldiers surrounded the camp and ambushed the Birch Coulee campsite in the early morning, commencing a siege that lasted for over 30 hours, until the arrival of reinforcements and artillery led by Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Birch Coulee (revision 1373049985), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Redwood Ferry 1862 · 6 km
- Attack at the Lower Sioux Agency 1862 · 6 km
- Battle of Fort Ridgely 1862 · 24 km
- Battle of Wood Lake 1862 · 39 km
- Battles of New Ulm 1862 · 50 km
- Attack on Hutchinson · 59 km
Other battles of the Dakota War of 1862
- Attack at the Lower Sioux Agency 1862
- Battle of Acton 1862
- Battle of Fort Ridgely 1862
- Battle of Redwood Ferry 1862
- Battle of Wood Lake 1862
- Battles of New Ulm 1862
All 7 battles of the Dakota War of 1862 →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles