The act allocated twenty-five square miles of land on the Red River of the North in Dakota Territory to be used for a military outpost, but the exact location was left to the discretion of Lieutenant Colonel John J. Abercrombie.

[4] The smaller upper agency force of Sisseton attacked the Ottertail Land Office, the nearby Pillager Chippewa village on Pine lake, Breckinridge, Grahams Crossing and Fort Abercrombie.

At the outbreak of the uprising, Fort Abercrombie was garrisoned by Company D of the 5th Minnesota Infantry Regiment, commanded by Captain John Vander Horck.

[5] On 23 August the fort was preparing to escort the Chipppewa treaty provisions when word came of the uprising on the lower Sioux Reservation.

[6] On August 25, 1862, Van der Horck mustered a militia company from the settlers seeking the security of the fort.

Pierre Bottineau, Indian Commissioner Dole and the Chippewa treaty commission which included John Nickolay President Lincoln's private secretary were at Abercrombie seeking safety on the frontier.

[8] Increased Indian activity and word of the Uprising at the lower Sioux Agency caused nearby settlers to seek security at the fort's stockade.

The first incident was a raid in which the Sioux took over 300 animals, including the 200 cattle intended as part of the treaty payment to the Red Lake and Pembina Chippewa.

[11][12] When darkness fell Bottineau slipped out of the fort, through the Sioux lines, to trek the 80 miles to Sauk Center for reinforcements.

After a long deliberation the Chiefs said rejected the request even though many of their men wanted to help, according to a report by Pierre Bottineau who had returned.

[15] Later when the Red Lake Chiefs learned that the Sioux had cattle intended for them and were the reason the treaty commission never came they offered to defend the northern frontier.

Another letter describes one of the dead, (Joseph Comptois, G Co. 9th Minn), as "one of the bravest citizens, a soldier from the redskins"(a White Earth Chippewa).

Killed: Wounded: 1870 Intertribal Treaty On August 14, 1870 Sioux and Chippewa leaders signed a peace agreement at Fort Abercrombie instigated by the Catholic priest Father Genin.