Lawrence Taliaferro (February 28, 1794–1871) was a United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 officer best known for his service as an Indian agent at Fort Snelling, Minnesota

Fort Snelling, Minnesota

Fort Snelling, originally known as Fort Saint Anthony, was a military fortification located at the confluence of the Minnesota River and Mississippi River in Hennepin County, Minnesota...

 from 1820 through 1839 and also as an individual who played a part in the saga of the famous African American slave Dred Scott

Dred Scott

Dred Scott , was an African-American slave in the United States who unsuccessfully sued for his freedom and that of his wife and their two daughters in the Dred Scott v...

.

Taliaferro was born at Whitehall plantation in King George County, Virginia

King George County, Virginia

As of the census of 2010, there were 23,584 people, 9,411 households, and 4,525 families residing in the county. The population density was 93 people per square mile . There were 6,820 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...

 to James Garnett Taliaferro and his wife Wilhelmina (Wishart) Taliaferro. During the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

, he enlisted at age 18 as a volunteer in a Virginia militia company. He was soon picked to study for a regular army commission, and was made an ensign

Ensign

An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...

 in the 1st United States Infantry Regiment. He chose to remain in the army after the war, intending to make it his career.

Taliaferro partnered with Colonel Josiah Snelling

Josiah Snelling

Colonel Josiah Snelling was the first commander of Fort Snelling, a fort located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers in Minnesota. He was responsible for the initial design and construction of the fort, and he commanded it from 1820 through 1827. He had a reputation for...

 to ensure peace and safety for the frontier outpost. His role was to mediate between the American Fur Company

American Fur Company

The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...

 traders, the Ojibwa

Ojibwa

The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...

 and Dakota

Sioux

The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...

 Indians in the area, and United States interests. His was a difficult task, as evidenced by his diary: "How to get rid of me at this Post seems now the main object of Tom, Dick, and Harry — so that those who may come after me can the more easily be bribed or threatened into silence and acquiesce in the plans on foot to cheat & destroy the Indians."

Taliaferro encouraged the Dakota to rely less on hunting and more on farming, as a response to their difficulties in hunting at that time. However, most Dakota were not willing to do so, as they considered farming the way of the white men.

Taliaferro had previously served with Josiah Snelling at the battle of Fort Erie

Fort Erie

Fort Erie was the first British fort to be constructed as part of a network developed after the Seven Years' War was concluded by the Treaty of Paris at which time all of New France had been ceded to Great Britain...

 in the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

. They were close friends as well as professional allies. Chief Little Crow

Little Crow

The Little Crow is an Australian species of crow, very similar to the Torresian Crow in having white bases to the neck and head feathers but slightly smaller and with a proportionately smaller bill...

 named Taliaferro "No-Sugar-in-Your-Mouth" for his ability to deal candidly and for his record of not making promises that he could not keep. Taliaferro built a council house just west of the fort in 1823, where he received Indian visitors and mediated in the affairs of the area. Both the Dakota and the Ojibwa would travel along the Minnesota

Minnesota River

The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....

 and Mississippi

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 Rivers to the fort to seek advice and to ask for charity and favors. Taliaferro was able to exert his influence by carefully distributing supplies such as food, gunpowder, tobacco, and whiskey. The agency's blacksmith also was on hand to repair Indians' guns and traps. Since the Indians relied on these supplies and services, and since those services could be stopped at any time, this promoted peaceful relations between all parties involved.

Taliaferro presided over the drafting of a treaty in 1837

Treaty of St. Peters

Treaty of St. Peters may be one of two treaties conducted between the United States and Native American peoples, conducted at the confluence of the Minnesota River with the Mississippi River, in what today is Mendota, Minnesota....

. He brought Dakota leaders to Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 and negotiated what he thought were fair terms for Dakota lands east of the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, the United States government was unable to keep up its end of the bargain. The Indians ended up debt-ridden and desperate for their means of survival, and Taliaferro became increasingly critical of the United States' inability to make good on their promises. In poor health, he resigned his position and left the army.

Dred Scott connection

Taliaferro was the owner of a slave named Harriet Robinson, whom he permitted to marry Dred Scott

Dred Scott

Dred Scott , was an African-American slave in the United States who unsuccessfully sued for his freedom and that of his wife and their two daughters in the Dred Scott v...

. Robinson worked as a servant to Taliaferro's wife. As Justice of the Peace in the territories, Taliaferro officiated the marriage of Scott and Robinson, which many historians believe gave additional credence to the Scotts' claim to freedom. Taliaferro gave Harriet to Scott's master so that the couple could live together as man and wife.

Tributes

Taliaferro (played by local actor John Wehrman) is the lead character and narrator of the 1983 film, Tower and Braid, produced by the Minnesota Historical Society and shown regularly at Historic Fort Snelling's museum. In the film, the character is called Lawrence Tolliver, the Americanized pronunciation of his originally Italian surname.

External links

• The Lawrence Taliaferro Papers are available on microfilm from the Minnesota Historical Society.