Archives West Finding Aid

On November 1, 1861 twenty-four year old George Wirt enlisted in Brackett's Battalion of the Minnesota Calvary. Organized on a volunteer basis, the battalion traveled from Iowa to Minnesota to assist with peacekeeping duties between the Native Americans and the white settlers. George Wirt's diary focuses on the Indian Campaign of 1864; an intensified effort by the federal government to provide protection for settlers traveling west. In June 1864 the government sent a series of dispatches to tribes in the North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho territories in an attempt to create a treaty promoting a peaceful coexistence between Native American tribes and the incoming settlers. Those who did not respond to the treaty were considered hostile. The battalion based itself at Fort Sully, near present day Pierre, South Dakota. Wirt belonged to Company B under the direction of captains D. Mortimer West, William Smith, and John A. Reed. The troop's duties primarily consisted of conducting daily scouting excursions and accompanying caravans of settlers traveling westward. George Wirt served in the battalion until June 1, 1866 and eventually attained the rank of sergeant. Brackett's Battalion continued its work in the west through 1866.