OSEU Six: Interview With Sidney Byrd

The Dakota Uprising - Sidney Byrd - OSEU #6 His father, my grandfather, great-grandfather, would have been one of those who was executed at Mankato. His Indian name was Wambalikiyan Hiyai, an eagle that flies along or flying by. He would have been executed, but he got a reprieve from Sergeant Lincoln, and he was sent to a prison camp in Davenport, Iowa. And what they fed them, slop, unfit for human consumption. No one cared. If they died, one less mouth to feed. Same thing. The other group was sent to Davenport, or to Fort Thompson. Came by steamship, and there was nothing there. Dismal place. The soldiers raped the women, abused the young girls. No one, not a single one of those soldiers were ever brought to court martial for raping our women and abusing the young girls. None of them. Fed them slop. If they died, so much the better. Finally, one of them that had brought a rifle went out near what is now a town in South Dakota, found a small herd of buffalo, brought some meat back, and so they went on their last buffalo hunt, and they got meat, and they were able to sustain themselves. That group, many deaths, disease, no one cared. Their hills were full of graves. Davenport the same way. My grandfather, great-grandfather, told what happened. He said, soldiers went out, some of the farmers would bring, have the prisoners come out and do farm work. They enjoyed that because the farmers fed them good food. They got a good meal. They didn't get any money, but they ate good food, and that was worth it for them. for, Daniel Weston. That's where we got the name Weston. He told one of the soldiers could speak a few words in Indian. He took the dipper and he banged it against the water pail. Money, money, money, water, water. Indians came, took that bucket and brought water. He took that dipper. Good, very good, very good. What he didn't know was that the Indians urinated in that water. That was the only way they could retaliate. Very good, very good. Finally, the two groups, after so many deaths and embarrassed Congress, decided to relocate them again. So the two groups were brought to a new reservation at Shanti, Nebraska. While they were bringing through New Ellum, one of the places that they had been attacked during the uprising, townspeople armed themselves, pickaxes, pitchforks, any kind of weapon. They attacked that wagon train, all the prisoners. One woman was so incensed, grabbed the baby from its nurse, his mother, bashed its head against the wheel and threw it back in. At that point, finally the soldiers, the militia, opened up. But not before many of them were injured, fatally injured, brought through.