This collection is made up of eleven folders of transcripts and correspondence pertaining to the trials of Little Six (Shakopee), Medicine Bottle, and Wo-wi-na-pa.

The first two folders deal solely with the trial of Medicine Bottle. Folder number one contains the orders that established the military commission which tried Medicine Bottle, a handwritten record of the trial proceedings, a list of specific charges, and correspondence dealing with the sentence of death that was handed down.

The third and fourth folders deal with Little Six (Shakopee)'s 1864 trial. Folder number three contains orders establishing a military commission to try Little Six, a handwritten record of trial proceedings, a letter by Henry H. Sibley approving the court's findings, and a list of specific charges against Little Six. The fourth folder contains a photocopy of the typewritten transcript of the trial proceedings. This typewritten transcript contains inaccuracies, and should be closely compared with the documents in folder three.

The fifth folder contains copies of correspondence relating to the trial and execution of Little Six and Medicine Bottle. Include in this correspondence is a letter from James Harlan, Secretary of the Interior, to President Andrew Johnson recommending a stay of execution, a letter from Joseph Holt, Judge Advocate General, recommending the execution of Little Six and Medicine Bottle, an order from President Johnson suspending the execution, and a note from H. Clay Wood noting that Medicine Bottle and Shakopee were executed in November of 1865. The sixth folder contains typewritten copies of the letters by Joseph Holt to President Lincoln, recommending the execution of Little Six and Medicine Bottle.

Folders seven through nine contain copies of trial proceedings and correspondence related to the trial of Wo-wi-na-pa. The seventh folder contains a handwritten copy of the court proceedings, while the eighth folder contains a photocopy of the typewritten transcript. Folder number nine contains copies of correspondence relating to the trial of Wo-wi-na-pa. Among these letters are orders by Major General John Pope, disapproving of the proceedings against Wo-wi-na-pa.

Folder ten contains correspondence and orders relating to the pardon of four Sioux Indians held at Camp McClellan, Iowa. The support for a presidential pardon included: Henry H. Sibley, Major General John Pope, Major General Halleck, all of whom endorsed a request for pardon. The pardon was granted by President Abraham Lincoln in Aril 1864, and Eyo-jan-jan, Ta-ho-hpe-wa-kan, Ta-pay-ta-tan-ka, and Wee-yoo-ha were released.

The eleventh file folder contains correspondence pertaining to requests made to the War Department for copies of the trial documents of Medicine Bottle, Shakopee, and Wo-wi-na-pa.

The photocopies of the trial documents that were handwritten are sometimes difficult to read. This is due to the quality of the original document or because of poor photographic reproduction.

These documents are included in the book, The Dakota trials : the 1862-1864 military commission trials : including the trial transcripts and commentary, by John Isch.