Fort Ridgely MN001

supportedunresolved Jones says the alarm was given about 2 p.m. on the 20th and the gun detachments were promptly at their posts.

A clock time from one garrison report; no warning, reconnaissance or message record was inspected.

supportedunresolved Sheehan says small-arms ammunition nearly failed and balls were taken from spherical-case shot and recast by a party of men and women, and that most of the quartermaster's mules and oxen were taken. Jones says the small-arms ammunition on hand was all expended, while the field-gun ammunition was in good order and sufficient.

Supply statements from two garrison reports of the same date; not a return.

supportedunresolved NPS says the fort had become the refuge for white civilians and summarizes the Santee grievances over annuities and rations. Sheehan says the attackers could not effect a lodgment and prepared to storm the post.

The grievance is the NPS summary's; the attackers' aims are inferred by an opponent. No account by the Dakota side was inspected; every statement of their numbers, aims and losses comes from their opponents or from the NPS summary.

supportedpost_outcome The frozen and live results read Union victory; the frozen description says the garrison and civilians held the fort. Sheehan says the attackers withdrew at dusk on the 20th and were compelled to withdraw on the 22nd.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen casualty text reads US 16 and Indian losses unknown; the live field reads 26 (US 26; CS 0). Sheehan's return of casualties in the garrison for August 20 and 22 totals 16 (read as '3 13 16' in the garbled OCR columns, apparently 3 killed and 13 wounded). No inspected source gives a Dakota loss.

Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap. The return covers the garrison, not the armed refugees; the live 26 is not traced; the column reading is tentative.

supportedunresolved The frozen commanders are First Lieutenant Timothy J. Sheehan and Little Crow (no rank recorded); the live page tags Little Crow [CS], which is not adopted. Sheehan signs as commanding the post and ordered the outbuildings destroyed; the artillery was under Ordnance Sergeant Jones, and the Renville Rangers under Lieutenant Gorman. Jones credits Sheehan with organizing the casting of balls. The inspected reports do not name Little Crow; only NPS places the Santee under him.

Command roles from two garrison reports and the NPS summary; no automatic sole credit.

unknownunresolved

No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. The frozen side-specific numerical strength bounds are blank (missing_numeric_strength). No figure in this pass is adopted as a simultaneous opening force.

supportedunresolved The frozen force field names the Fort Ridgely garrison and refugee civilians and the Santee Sioux without figures; the live field reads 0. The frozen description gives about 400 Sioux on August 20 and 800 on August 22. Sheehan names the remnant of Company B and a detachment of Company C of the Fifth Minnesota and the newly organized Renville Rangers as his only troops, with armed refugees aiding the defense, and gives no figures; he describes a large force on the 20th and a much larger one on the 22nd, and Jones a very large force.

Unit names and qualitative descriptions only; the frozen 400 and 800 are not traced in the inspected reports. No account by the Dakota side was inspected; every statement of their numbers, aims and losses comes from their opponents or from the NPS summary. None is adopted as a matched opening strength.

supportedunresolved Sheehan says ravines surround the post, that the heaviest attack of the 22nd fell on the east and west corners near them, and that stables and log buildings covered the west corner until he ordered them destroyed; the men's quarters and store-house were stone.

Ground from an interested report; the ravines are natural, but the outbuildings were destroyed on the defenders' order during the action, so the tag stays unresolved. No map verification.