During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln’s attention was understandably focused on the conflict. The government’s focus was diverted from issues affecting the American West. Tensions between Plains tribes and settlers were allowed to escalate, as there were no resources to spare. The U.S.-Dakota War was sparked by competition for land and resources, resulting in loss of life on both sides and the dislocation of the Dakota.
On this date in 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee rode into Appomattox Court House under a white flag and surrendered his sword to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. Although sporadic fighting continued into November, for all intents and purposes the war was over, and Americans felt that life could return to something resembling normal. Among other results, Lee’s surrender allowed the Union to redirect resources to the western territories. This included an increased military presence and expanded efforts to control the Indigenous population. The end of the war also allowed for the implementation of policies that encouraged westward expansion and pushed Indigenous people further and further west.
Fort Abraham Lincoln was an infantry post established in 1872. Congress authorized the addition of a cavalry post the following year. Freed from the demands of the Civil War, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer was assigned as the first commander of the enlarged post. Custer was a larger-than-life figure who had an outsized influence on Dakota. His very presence in the territory attracted widespread media attention. He and his wife, Libby, were front-page news. In 1874, Custer led an expedition into the Black Hills, land set aside as the Great Sioux Reservation. When Custer announced that the expedition had found gold, prospectors swarmed into the Black Hills, and the Indigenous people living there were pushed off the land. Custer’s command ended at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Lee’s surrender at Appomattox allowed the government to pursue further westward expansion. Although the event occurred in the East, its impact on Dakota Territory cannot be overlooked.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- National Archives. “Morrill Act.” https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/morrill-actAccessed 3/24/2026.
- North Dakota Parks and Recreation. “General Custer.” https://www.parkrec.nd.gov/general-custerAccessed 3/24/2026.
- U.S. History Scene. “War is Cruelty: The Civil War Lessons of the Dakota War of 1862” by Alexandra E. Stern. https://ushistoryscene.com/article/civil-dakota-war/Accessed 3/24/2026.
