27th Iowa Infantry in the Minnesota Sioux Uprising

Attack on the Lower Agency in Minnesota Sioux Uprising

In August 1862, violence swept across Minnesota in what became known as the “Minnesota Sioux Uprising.” It hit fast and close. Along the Minnesota River valley, families fled farms and small towns with little warning.

New Ulm was attacked on August 19, and panic spread across southern Minnesota. Fort Ridgely was assaulted on August 20 and again on August 22. Settlers crowded into towns or ran east, leaving wide stretches of countryside empty.

On September 6, the War Department created the Department of the Northwest and placed Major General John Pope in command, with headquarters at St. Paul. Pope’s orders were clear: restore order and end the violence. His first problem was also clear. He needed troops.

The Civil War made that difficult. Regular army units were tied down in the South and East. Pope had to pull help from nearby states, even if the men were brand new. Iowa responded with the 27th Iowa Volunteer Infantry.

The 27th Iowa was organized at Dubuque and mustered into federal service on October 3, 1862. The regiment’s commander was Colonel James I. Gilbert, with Lieutenant Colonel Jed Lake as his second. Gilbert had been appointed colonel in August, and the regiment had been in federal service barely a week when it was ordered north. On October 11, the 27th Iowa joined Pope’s command in St. Paul.

First attack on Fort Ridgely

By then, the uprising was fading, but Minnesota wasn’t settled. Refugees still crowded the roads. Many settlers refused to return to isolated farms. The Army had to secure routes, protect posts, and prevent scattered violence from starting again.

That’s where the 27th Iowa came in. They weren’t sent north to win a battle. Their job was  to stabilize the frontier after the worst days had passed.

The regiment was divided to cover multiple points. On October 17, Companies A, B, C, E, F, and G moved from St. Paul to Mille Lacs. Posting six companies there placed a strong force in a sensitive area and allowed the Army to watch movement on the frontier.

The remaining companies stayed closer to the center. Companies D, H, I, and K were stationed at Fort Snelling, a key post near St. Paul and a base for supplies and military authority.

Daily life for the 27th Iowa was garrison and patrol work—guard duty, drilling, scouting roads, protecting supplies. It wasn’t glorious, but it was necessary. Minnesota needed soldiers in place while fear still shaped decisions.

They weren’t there long. Less than a month. The Fort Snelling companies left for Cairo, Illinois, on November 1. The Mille Lacs companies at off for Cairo three days later to join General Grant’s campaigns in Tennessee and Mississippi.