USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 9
USA > Iowa > Emmet County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 9
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A company of volunteers from Spirit Lake and Estherville went up the Des Moines and rescued some of the settlers. On the day this party returned Lieutenant Sawyer arrived at Spirit Lake with thirty men of the Sioux City Cavalry. The little detachment was divided into three parts. One under Corporal Robbins was sent to Okoboji; another, under Sergeant Samuel Wade, was sent to Estherville, and the third, under Lieutenant Sawyer, remained at Spirit Lake.
In the meantime the settlers about Spirit Lake had gathered at the court-house for protection. The building was not yet completed, but loose lumber was thrown over the joists to form a floor, the doors and windows were barricaded as well as possible, and while some slept others stood guard. This was the situation there when Sawyer's squad of cavalry arrived. After a consultation it was decided that the settlers should return to their homes, while the soldiers kept watch for the coming of the sav- ages. It was also decided to build a stockade about the court-house, in which all could assemble upon a signal of danger. Prescott's sawmill at Okoboji Grove was in good condition and the mill-yard was full of logs. Both mill and logs were requisitioned. Planks twelve feet long and from four to five inches thick were cut and taken to the court-house. While some were operating the sawmill, others dug a trench about three feet deep around the court-house. As the planks arrived they were set on end in the trench, the dirt firmly packed around the foot, and a piece of timber pinned along the top for greater strength. Portholes were then cut and
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THE OLD COURTHOUSE AND STOCKADE, SPIRIT LAKE, AUGUST, 1862
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ASTOR, LEVOY TILD. N H. T.D .R.
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in a short time the "fort" was ready for an assault. It was occupied by United States troops until in July, 1865.
At Estherville the people gathered at the school house and organized for defense. A writer in the Northern Vindicator some years later, after the danger was passed and the subject could be treated with some levity, says: "The school house was used for all the purposes of barracks, hos- pital and soldiers' quarters, and a strange scene it presented. At night the floor was literally covered with citizens of all ages, classes, sex and nation- alities."
Judge A. R. Fulton, in his "Red Men of Iowa," gives this interesting account of the Sioux City Cavalry : "While acting as an independent organ- ization, they were generally stationed in squads in the principal settle- ments, including those at Correctionville, Cherokee, Peterson and Spirit Lake. Their valuable and arduous services doubtless contributed largely to securing to the people of Northwestern Iowa immunity from danger during the perilous summer of 1862, when more than eight hundred per- sons were massacred by the Indians in Minnesota. In the spring of 1863 the Sioux City Cavalry were ordered to rendezvous in Sioux City prepar- atory to joining an expedition under General Sully against the Indians, in which they were detailed as the body-guard of the General.
"On the third of September, 1863, they participated in the battle of White Stone Hill and distinguished themselves by taking 136 prisoners. After this battle they were consolidated with the Seventh Iowa Cavalry as Company I. On returning to Sioux City, Captain Millard, commanding the company, was assigned by General Sully to the command of a sub- district embracing Northwestern Iowa and Eastern Dakota, with head- quarters at Sioux City. On the twenty-second of November, 1864, their term of enlistment having expired, they were mustered out of service.
"Referring to this company, General Sully expresses the following high compliment: 'A better drilled or disciplined company than the Sioux City Cavalry cannot be found in the regular or volunteer service of the United States.'"
NORTHERN BORDER BRIGADE
As soon as news of the Indian outbreak in Minnesota reached Gov- ernor Kirkwood, he immediately took steps to protect the Iowa frontier against an invasion. To that end he addressed the following communica- tion to S. R. Ingham, of Des Moines, appointing him a sort of special agent to investigate conditions on the border :
"August 29, 1862.
"S. R. INGHAM, Esq.,
"Sir: I am informed there is probable danger of an attack by hostile Indians on the inhabitants of the northwestern portion of our state. Arms
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and powder will be sent you at Fort Dodge. Lead and caps will be sent with you. I hand you an order on the auditor of state for one thousand dollars.
"You will proceed at once to Fort Dodge, and to such other points as you may deem proper. Use the arms, ammunition and money placed at your disposal in such manner as your judgment may dictate as best to promote the object in view, to wit: The protection of the inhabitants of the frontier. It would be well to communicate with Captain Millard com- manding the company of mounted men raised for the United States service at Sioux City. Use your discretion in all things and exercise any power I could exercise if I were present according to your best discretion.
"Please report to me in writing.
"Very respectfully your obedient servant,
"SAMUEL J. KIRKWOOD."
Immediately upon receipt of this commission, Mr. Ingham set out on a tour of the border counties. He visited Webster, Humboldt, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Emmet and Dickinson counties and "found many of the inhab- itants in a high state of excitement and laboring under constant fear of an attack by the Indians." He also ascertained that quite a number of families had left, or were preparing to leave, for the more thickly settled portions of the state. In his report to the governor he says:
"In Emmet and Kossuth, both border counties, I had the settlers called together in order that I might learn from them their views and wishes as to what ought to be done for their safety, or rather what was necessary to satisfy and quiet their fears and apprehensions. They said all they wanted or deemed necessary for the protection of the northern frontier was a small force of mounted men stationed on the east and west forks of the Des Moines River to act in concert with the United States troops then stationed at Spirit Lake, but that this force must be made up of men such as could be chosen from amongst themselves, who were famil- iar with the country and who had been engaged in hunting and trapping for years, and were more or less familiar with the habits and customs of the Indians, one of which men would be worth half a dozen such as the state had sent there on one or two former occasions. In a small force of this kind they would have confidence, but would not feel safe with a much larger force of young and inexperienced men, such as are usually raised in the more central portions of the state.
"I at once authorized a company to be raised in Emmet, Kossuth, Humboldt and Palo Alto counties. Within five days forty men were en- listed, held their election for officers, were mustered in, furnished with arms and ammunition and placed on duty. I authorized them to fill up
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the company to eighty men if necessity should demand such an addition to the force."
The company thus organized afterward became Company A of the Northern Border Brigade. After it was organized and equipped for duty, Mr. Ingham went on to Spirit Lake, where he found Lieutenant Sawyer's detachment of the Sioux City Cavalry. In his report Mr. Ingham says: "From the best information I could obtain, I deemed this a sufficient force and therefore took no action to increase the protection at this point fur- ther than to furnish the settlers with thirty stands of arms and a small amount of ammunition, for which I took a bond as hereinafter stated," etc.
All this work was preliminary to the organization of the Northern Border Brigade. While Mr. Ingham was absent on his mission a special session of the Legislature was convened and the first bill passed authorized the governor "to raise a volunteer force in the State of Iowa, from the counties most convenient to the northwestern border of said state, of not less than five hundred mounted men, and such other force as may be deemed necessary, to be mustered into service by a person to be appointed by the governor, at such place as he may designate, to be stationed at various points in the northwestern counties of said state in such numbers in a body as he may deem best, for the protection of that portion of the state from hostile Indians at the earliest practicable moment."
The Legislature also adopted a joint resolution calling upon the Gen- eral Government for aid. Both the resolution and the above bill were approved by Governor Kirkwood on September 9, 1862. The next day Mr. Ingham made his report of conditions in the counties he had visited and was appointed to superintend the organization of the force authorized by the act of the Legislature. On September 13, 1862, the governor issued
GENERAL ORDERS NO. 1
"First. The number of companies that will be received for service under the act to provide for the protection of the northwestern frontier of Iowa from the hostile Indians, passed at the extra session of 1862, and the acts amendatory thereto, is as follows, viz .: One to be raised at Sioux City, one at Denison, Crawford County, one at Fort Dodge, one at Web- ster City, and one now stationed at Chain Lakes and Estherville.
"Second. These companies shall contain not less than forty nor more than eighty men each. They will elect the company officers allowed and in the manner prescribed by law. As soon as company elections are held, certificates of the result must be sent to the adjutant-general for commis- sions. After being mustered and sworn in they will proceed, on a day . to be fixed by S. R. Ingham, to vote at their several places of rendezvous
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by ballot for a lieutenant-colonel to command the whole. The highest number of votes cast for any one candidate shall elect."
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The general orders also stated that each man would be required to furnish his own horse, subsistence and forage to be provided by the state, and that the pay allowed would be the same as that allowed for like service by the United States. In his instructions to Mr. Ingham the gov- ernor said: "It is impossible to foresee the contingencies that may arise rendering necessary a change in these orders or the prompt exercise of powers therein contained, and delay for the purpose of consulting me might result disastrously. In order to avoid these results as far as pos- sible, I hereby confer upon you all I have myself in this regard. You may change, alter, modify or add to the orders named as in your sound discretion you may deem best. You may make such other and further orders as the exigencies of the case may, in your judgment, render neces- sary. In short, you may do all things necessary for the protection of the frontier as fully as I could do if I were personally present and did the same. The first object is the security of the frontier; the second, that this object be effected as economically as is consistent with its prompt and certain attainment."
Mr. Ingham was also given power to fix the places where the troops should be stationed, until after the election of a lieutenant-colonel, when the power should be given to the commanding officer. The election for lieutenant-colonel was held on November 7, 1862, and the choice fell on Lieut. James A. Sawyer, of the Sioux City Cavalry, though his commis- sion was dated from September 1, 1862, for some reason.
The original Northern Border Brigade consisted of five companies- A, B, C, D and E. As already stated, Company A was organized before the passage of the bill by the special session. It was mustered in on September 24, 1862, with William H. Ingham, of Kossuth, as captain; Edward McKnight, of Dakotah, first lieutenant; Jesse Coverdale, of Es- therville, second lieutenant. The Emmet County men in this company were: Howard Graves, first sergeant; Amos A. Pingrey, third sergeant; Morgan Jenkins, second corporal; Thomas Mahar, fourth corporal; Ruel Fisher, farrier; Robert A. Ridley, wagoner, and the following privates : Peter S. Baker, Hiram Barrett, Ira Camfield, John H. Clark, Hogen Gil- bert, Willis C. Jarvis, George Palmer, Judah Phillips, Eugene G. Ridley, Otto Schadt (promoted to third corporal), Elbridge Whitcomb (promoted to fourth sergeant).
Company B and the greater part of Company C came from Webster County; Company D, from Crawford, Company E. from Woodbury. As fast as the companies were raised they were mustered in for nine months, unless sooner discharged, by S. R. Ingham, who ordered blockhouses and
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stockades to be erected at Correctionville, Cherokee, Peterson, Estherville and Chain Lakes. The stockade at Estherville was known as
FORT DEFIANCE
Capt. W. H. Ingham took up his headquarters at Estherville, the de- tachment of Company A at Chain Lakes being under the command of Lieutenant Coverdale. As soon as orders came to erect a stockade Captain Ingham took possession of the sawmill at Estherville, sent men out to cut logs without asking permission of the owner of the land, or without even inquiring who the owner was. Teams were pressed into service to haul the logs to the mill and the lumber to the site of the fort, which was one block west and three blocks south of the southwest corner of the public square. The captain's high-handed methods aroused considerable indignation among the citizens, who dubbed him "The Dictator," but it is quite possible that his prompt action in the erection of the stockade had a salutary effect upon the Indians, and had an attack been made before the stockade was completed he would no doubt have been criticized for not doing his duty. Fort Defiance was occupied by the troops until late in the fall of 1863. After that it was used as a residence for some time. It was torn down or moved away in 1876.
Lewis H. Smith, of Kossuth County, was made quartermaster of Company A, his appointment dating from September 7, 1862. As soon as the company was mustered in he went to Des Moines for arms, etc., while Captain Ingham and William B. Carey went to Mankato, Minnesota, to learn the extent of the Indian uprising. Provisions were scarce during the winter of 1862-63 and some of the members of the company com- plained of the rations with which they were served. Rumors soon got abroad that Quartermaster Smith was appropriating the best of the food supply, and Captain Ingham was charged with being remiss in his duties, if not a party to the appropriation of company supplies. These rumors reached Lieut .- Col. James A. Sawyer at Sioux City, who came over to investigate. About noon one day he drove up to Fort Defiance in a rather shabby looking two horse wagon, dressed in civilian garb, and asked per- mission to cook his dinner. This was readily granted and he took his cooking utensils-an old skillet and a coffee pot-from the wagon and began, all the time watching to see what the men had to eat. He noticed that the beef had the appearance of being slightly tainted and unwhole- some, and asked if that was the best the commissary could afford. The men informed him that they had been living upon that kind of meat for weeks. Lieutenant-Colonel Sawyer then made himself known and called the captain and quartermaster "upon the carpet," after which the mem- bers of the company were supplied with a better quality of food.
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COMPANY F
Company A was mustered out on September 26, 1863, and was re- organized as Company F, with William H. Ingham, captain; Jerome M. White, first lieutenant; Lewis W. Estes, second lieutenant. In the reor- ganization, which was completed on October 20, 1863, Emmet County fur- nished the following members of the company: Edward Altwegg, Henry Archer, Peter S. Baker, William Carter, Jerry Crowley, John D. Goff, Erwin Hall, John W. Hewitt, Patrick Jackman, Gunther Knutzen, John A. Lucas, James Maher, Thomas Maher (or Mahar), Joseph T. Mulroney, Keiran Mulroney, William J. Salisbury, George F. Schaad.
Dickinson County furnished a large part of the company, viz .: Hud- son D. Barton, Franklin Bascomb, Jacob Bossert, Alexander H. Burd, Charles Carpenter, David N. Carver, William W. Collins (promoted bugler), Joseph Courrier, John H. Evans, Samuel N. Guilliams, William A. Harden, Roderick Harris, Charles W. Hathaway, Silas R. King, Joseph R. Line, Jonathan N. Lyon, Eben Palmer, John W. Rose, Robert Seeber, Joseph W. Sharp, Milan E. Sharp, Miles R. Sheldon, John Striker, John D. Striker, Harrison L. Thomas, John L. Thomas, William H. Thrift, Robert F. Turner, Crosby Warner. The company was mustered out in December, 1863.
Soon after the Northern Border Brigade was mustered out of service a detachment of Company I, Sixth Iowa Cavalry, under command of Cap- tain Wolf, was stationed on the frontier. Captain Wolf made his head- quarters at Estherville and part of his command was sent to Spirit Lake, under Lieut. Benjamin King. In the spring of 1864 Captain Cooper's company of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry relieved Captain Wolf. This com- pany remained but a short time, when Capt. Daniel Eichor came with Company E, Sixth Iowa Cavalry, and continued on duty until the spring of 1865, when he was succeeded by a detachment of Minnesota troops under Captain Read. This was the last military force stationed along the Iowa border.
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
From the time Cuba was first discovered until 1898-a period of a little more than four centuries-the island was a dependency of Spain. For three hundred years of that time the people of the island were in- tensely loyal in their allegiance to the mother country, even going so far as to declare war against Napoleon when in 1808 he overthrew the Spanish Bourbon dynasty. About that time the island was placed under the control of a captain-general, which form of government continued until Spain relinquished the island in 1898. In 1825 the royal decree of the Omni- modas gave the captain-general power to rule at all times as if Cuba was
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FORT DEFIANCE
the early settlers on the Iowa frontier in case of raid by the Sioux, following the New Ulm, Minnesota, massacre in August, Built at Estherville, Iowa, by Company A, Northern Border Brigade, in 1862-63, as a place of refuge and defense for
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under martial law, thus placing the lives and fortunes of the inhabitants at the absolute disposal of the governor. The "conquistadors" had been slow in coming, but they had at last arrived.
Under the humane policy of Captain-General Las Casas, the people of the island prospered, but he was succeeded by a man of different type and in 1829 was formed the first conspiracy for casting off the Spanish yoke. The movement was discovered before the conspirators were ready to begin active operations and was cruelly crushed. In 1844 there was an uprising of the blacks, which resulted in nothing more than to increase Spanish cruelty in dealing with the islanders. Then followed the futile expeditions of Narcisso Lopez in 1849, 1851 and 1854, in his Quixotic efforts to free the Cubans.
In 1868 there was a general uprising of the Cubans against Spanish oppression and for ten years the island was the scene of war. During that decade Spain sent 250,000 soldiers to Cuba and so great was the sacrifice of human life that fewer than fifty thousand returned to Spain. Property worth $300,000,000 was destroyed during the war, and the enormous debt contracted by Spain was saddled upon the Cubans in the way of taxes as a penalty for their rebellion. To offset the general dis- satisfaction that followed, the Spanish Cortes in 1880 abolished slavery upon the island. But even this measure failed to allay the discontent and the people began planning another insurrection. Past experience had schooled them in caution, and for fifteen years they continued their prep- arations with the greatest secrecy.
In 1895 the revolution broke out in several places simultaneously, under the leadership of Generals Gomez, Garcia and Maceo. Martinez Campos was then captain-general. To him Spain sent troops and in- structions to suppress the uprising at all hazards. Campos conducted his warfare according to the usage of civilized nations, which policy was not satisfactory to the Spanish authorities. He was therefore removed and in his place was appointed General Weyler. The new captain-general forced the people of the rural districts into the cities, where they were kept under strict guard, in order to prevent them from furnishing sup- plies to the revolutionists. This was a policy of starvation. The supply of food in the cities was soon exhausted and many of the "reconcentrados," as the people confined in the cities were called, actually were starved to death. Weyler's inhumanity aroused the indignation of the civilized world. In the United State political conventions, irrespective of party, commer- cial organizations in many cities and a few of the State Legislatures adopted resolutions calling upon the Federal Government to intervene in behalf of the suffering Cubans.
Early in the year 1898 the Atlantic squadron of the United States navy was ordered to the Dry Tortugas, within six hours sail of Havana,
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and on the evening of January 25, 1898, the battleship Maine dropped anchor in the harbor of that city. The presence of a war vessel was not pleasing to the Spanish officials, who sought to retaliate by ordering the armored cruiser Vizcaya to anchor off New York City. Thus matters stood until February 9, 1898, when the Spanish minister to the United States resigned his position and asked for his passports. On the evening of the 15th the Maine was blown up, with a loss of over two hundred of her officers and men. A court of inquiry afterward reported that the battle- ship was blown up "by a submarine mine, which caused the explosion of two or more of her forward magazines." This wanton destruction of one of the best ships in the navy, with the consequent loss of life, was followed by great excitement in the United States and the demand for intervention became more insistent.
About this time General Blanco, who had succeeded Weyler as cap- tain-general, issued a proclamation declaring a suspension of hostilities and announcing his intention to permit the reconcentrados to return to their homes. American consuls soon afterward reported that Blanco's promise was not being kept and that the suffering among the imprisoned reconcentrados had not been diminished in the least. On March 8, 1898, Congress made an appropriation of $50,000,000 "for the national de- fense," but nothing further was done for over a month, or until it was positively learned that Blanco's promise to release the reconcentrados had not been fulfilled.
On April 19, 1898, Congress adopted a resolution declaring that the "people of Cuba are and of right ought to be independent," and demanding that Spain immediately withdraw her troops and relinquish all authority over the island. The resolution closed as follows: "The United States hereby disclaims any disposition or intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction or control over said island, except for the pacificaton there- of, and asserts its determination when that is accomplished to leave the government and control of the island to its people."
Another resolution of the same date authorized the President to em- ploy the forces of the United States army and navy to aid the Cubans, and an act was passed providing for an increase of the regular army to 61,000 men. The next move on the part of the Government was to order Rear Admiral Sampson to blockade the Cuban ports, which was followed by a . formal declaration of war against Spain. On April 23, 1898, President Mckinley issued a proclamation calling for 125,000 volunteers, to be supplied as far as practicable from the militia of the several states.
The Iowa Legislature, which adjourned only a few days before war was formally declared, in anticipation of such an event, appropriated $500,000 "to aid the General Government in case of war." Two days before the President issued his call for volunteers, Adjutant-General
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Byers promulgated a general order to the company officers of the Iowa National Guard to have all officers and men undergo a physical examina- tion to determine their fitness for active military service. On the 25th Gov. Leslie M. Shaw received a telegram from the secretary of war ad- vising him of Iowa's quota of troops under the call. The state fair grounds, near Des Moines, were designated by the state authorities as a mobilization camp for the National Guard and the commanding officers of the four infantry regiments composing the guard were ordered to report "with the least possible delay."
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