History of Dakota County and the City of Hastings, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 24

Author: J. Fletcher Williams
Publication date: 1881
Publisher:
Number of Pages:

USA > Minnesota > Dakota County > History of Dakota County and the City of Hastings, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota > Part 24

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The disastrous termination of the operations

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OUTLINES OF THE HISTORY OF MINNESOTA.

by Mcclellan, and the heavy losses of the army, produced a feeling of great discouragement and doubt throughout the North. On July 2, the pres- ident called for 300,000 more troops. Still this heavy draft was met cheerfully, and in this State vigorous steps were taken to fill our quota. On July 24th, a rousing war meeting was held at the Capital, which lighted anew the fires of patriot- ism, roused the despondent, and infused new hopes into all. Recruiting commenced vigor- ously. But scarcely was the work under way, when the call of August 4th, for 300,000 more troops, was issued. It now became evident that special exertions would be needed to fill our quo- ta by the 18th, at which time the Secretary of War had ordered a draft to be made, if not filled. Public meetings were held at various places, and large sums of money were subscribed by individ- uals, in addition to local bounties, to stimulate enlistments. Great excitement prevailed through- out the State for some days-fully equal to the patriotie war spirit following the fall of Sumpter, and business seemed to be almost suspended ; in

fact, in many instances, actually was, as the en- tire employees of many establishments enlisted. To some extent, martial law was enforced in the State. The Adjutant General, in a published proclamation, forbade citizens (males of military age) from leaving the State without a pass from him, nor were they allowed to go from one county to another without a permit from the Sheriff. The Sixth Regiment, which was partially filled when the call of July 2d was issued, was quickly filled and organized. A seventh regiment was authorized on August 5th. On August 10th the eighth was called for ; on August 13th, the ninth; and soon after even a tenth. Recruiting for the old regiments was also brisk. Four companies were received at Fort Snelling in one day. The Press of August 19th, says : "On Sunday and yesterday, large bodies of men were continually pouring in." Over three thousand men were then at the fort. The work of receiving, muster- ing in, clothing and equipping these troops, laid on the authorities a heavy task.

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THE SIOUX MASSACRE.

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CHAPTER XXVI.

THE SIOUX MASSACRE.

The Sioux Massacre -The Events Which Probably led to It. - Discontent of the Indians. - The Murders at Acton .- Commencement of the Carnage at Rel Wool. - Awful Scenes. - Narrow Escape of Whites. - The Battle of Rel Wood Ferry .- Fiendish Cruelties of the Savages .- Panic and Flight of the Settlers .- Condition of Affairs at Fort Ridgely. - The Alarm Reaches St. P'rter .- Rein- forcements Set Out from There .-- Th : first Attack on New U'lm .- The Savages Repulsed. - They Besiege Fort Ridgely-But Fail to Capture It-And Again Fall on New Ulm .- Desperate Fighting .- The Town Nearly Burned Down - The Savages Withdraw, Unsuccessful .- The Town Evacuated. - End of he first " Week of Blood."-Its Results to the State.

While these exciting events were occurring, and attracting the attention of our citizens, a fearful storm was gathering in an unexpected quarter, and soon burst upon our state with ap- palling fury. The Sioux Indians, of whom sev- eral thousand were living on reservations in the western portions of Minnesota, had been for sev- eral weeks (i. e. since about June 14th) collected at the Yellow Medicine agency, to receive their annual payment. This would have been made to them by the proper officer, at that time and place, promptly, had not the necessities of the government just at that juncture, prevented the prompt transmission of the $70,000 in gold coin, which was to. pay the Indians their annuities. As soon as it could be got ready, it was sent, and hurried forward by special messengers, night and day, arriving just one day too late. Meantime the Indians were waiting impatiently for their money, and for the provisions and other supplies which were to be given them when the payment was made. They were almost destitute of food. and some were really suffering from hunger. In this discontented condition, they were ready to listen to bad counsel. Malicious parties had whis- pered to them that the war had destroyed most of the young men of the whites; that only old men and boys were left; and if so disposed they could repossess themselves of the land; that they were to be cheated out of their money by the traders, whom they had before accused of de- frauding them; and other wrongs, real or fan- cied, were recited to inflame them. As was usual, a small detachment of troops had been

sent to the agency when the Indians first assem- bled, to preserve order. This consisted of fifty men from Fort Ridgely, under Capt. Jno. S. Marsh, and fifty from Fort Ripley, commanded by Lieut. T. J. Sheehan. Yet, notwithstanding the presence of these soldiers, guarding the ware- houses, on Aug. 4th, several hundred Indians attacked and broke into one of the buildings, and took about one hundred sacks of flour before they could be stopped. The missionaries, with Major Galbraith, the agent, at length quieted this outbreak. The agent issued some ammuni- tion and goods to them, and persuaded them to disperse, and he would send them word when the money was ready for them. To this they appeared to agree, and apparently left the agency and went to their hunting-grounds. It was now supposed that the trouble was over, and the troops were allowed, on Aug. 16th, to depart for their posts. But it was only the calm before the storm. All this time bad blood was brewing, and the storm gathering, unnoticed, or at least unheeded by the whites. Only a spark was needed to explode this magazine of savage fury, and that, at length came. There is good evi- dence to believe that during this interval the In- dians were holding councils and " soldier's lodg- es, " and had concluded that as the forts were manned by but a handful of soldiers, it would be a good time to rise and sweep away the white race from their old hunting-grounds.

On Sunday, Aug. 17. a party of four Indians, be- longing to a band noted for insubordination, were in the neighborhood of Acton, Meeker County, where they had been for several days hunting. They were angry and quarrelsome. They came to the house of a Mr. Howard Baker, where they found him and his wife, and a Mr. Webster and wife. Mr. Robinson Jones and wife and a Miss Wilson, neighbors, came in soon after. The In- dians had previously had a quarrel with Jones,

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which was now renewed. They then proposed shooting at a mark with Baker and Jones, which was done. After discharging their guns, the Indians at once reloaded, and commenced firing on the whites. Jones and his wife, and Baker and Webster were killed, and Miss Wilson, Mrs. Baker and child, and Mrs. Webster, were un- hurt. The four Indian murderers then stole horses in the neighborhood, and rode rapidly, during the night, to the Indian village near the agency, where they told what they had done, and urged that, as blood had been spilt, and they would suffer the penalty, they must all unite and exterminate the whites. The other Indians then armed themselves, and at sunrise, Aug. 18, the work of the death commenced. at the Lower Sioux Agency, near Red Wood. It is strongly asserted by other writers, who give good reasons for the belief, that the Indians collected at the Agency had all ready demanded on the massacre, and commenced it on the 18th, without knowing of the events at Acton.

The first victim to this hellish plot was James W. Lynde, a clerk in the trading house of Nathan Myrick. He was a man of fine attainments, and had written a work on the History and Religion of the Dakotas, which was just ready for publi- cation. Three other persons were killed at the same store. At Forbes' trading house, near by, George H. Spencer, the clerk, was badly wounded, when his life was saved by the interposition of a friendly Indian, named Chaska, who protected him until he recovered. Other white persons in and near the houses at the agency. were either killed or wounded, within a few minutes. At this point the Indians ceased their carnage, in order to plunder the stores and government ware- houses, and this delay enabled Rev. S. D. Hin- man and some other whites, to escape to Fort Ridgely, spreading the alarm as they went.

After a brief time spent by the savages in rob- bing the stores, they continued their work of car- nage in every direction. They were soon joined by the warriors of the other bands, and, to the number of two or three hundred, spread through the settlements for several miles up and down the river, murdering all the whites whom they could find, excepting a few young womem, whom they took captive, and in many instances burning the houses of the settlers.

Meantime, the whites at the upper, or Yellow Medicine Agency, some thirty miles distant, were in ignorance of these dreadful scenes, and of the danger which threatened them. It was not until nearly night when John Other-Day, a Christian Indian, brought them the dreadful news, and warned them to save their lives. The whites, sixty-two in number, at once took refuge in a warehouse ; but flight seemed the only safe course, and before daylight the next morning, they were on their way across the prairies to- wards Henderson, the men on foot, and the wo- men and children, with S. B. Garvie, who had escaped from his warehouse, after being badly wounded, in wagons. The noble Other-Day piloted them truly and skillfully. This party, after great hardships, arrived safely at the settle- ments on the Minnesota river, and thence to St. Paul, though Mr. Garvie died on the way. The two missionaries, Messrs. Williamson and Riggs, also escaped, with their families, after suffering much hardship.

On Monday morning, August 18th, about three hours after the first outbreak at Red Wood agency, a messenger from that place arrived at Fort Ridgely, twelve miles distant, with the startling news. Captain Marsh, Company B, Fifth Regiment, then in command, at once dis- patched a courier to Lieutenant Sheehan, Com- pany C, Fifth Regiment. who, with his detach- ment, had left the post the morning previous on his return to Fort Ripley, and also to Major Gal- braith, who had left at the same time for St. Peter. with about fifty recruits, called the "Ren- ville Rangers," en-route for Fort Snelling, urging them to return at once. Captain Marsh at once left for the scene of carnage, with forty-four men on foot. After a forced march, he arrived about 2 o'clock P. M. at the ferry opposite the Agency, near which place they found nine dead bodies. They were met here by Rev. Mr. Hinman, on his way to the fort, who cautioned Capt. Marsh against an ambuscade, and warned him to return, as tire Indians greatly outnumbered his force. Captain Marsh, who was a very brave but very rash man, would not listen to the advice, declaring that he could "whip all the Indians," or something to that effect. Arriving at the ferry, his men were drawn up on the bank, in plain sight, when three or four hundred Indians concealed in the thickets

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near by, poured a volley into them. Nearly half of his men fell dead or mortally wounded at the first fire, some of them pierced with twenty bul- lets, while several others were wounded, but managed ultimately to escape; some of them not reaching the fort for three days. The survivors of this sudden attack (Captain Marsh being himself uninjured) fell back from the ferry towards the fort, keeping up a running fight amidst the thick timber on the river bottom, but against terrible odds.

Rushing up to the fallen soldiers, the savages tomahawked those still living, and tore the scalps from most of them, inflicting also nameless bru- talities on their corpses. All the fine Springfield muskets carried by the dead, and their ammuni- tion, fell into the hands of the redskins. and were subsequently used by them, with deadly effect, at the sieges of Fort Ridgely and New U'im, and the battle of Birch Coolie. The remains of the fallen heroes were ultimately interred at Fort Ridgely. and the legislature, some years subsequently, caused a fine monument to be erected there in honor of their bravery.

For some time a hot battle raged in the forest. Capt. Marsh and his men retreating towards the fort, contesting the ground, inch by inch. Find- ing that his men were falling fast, and that the enemy was gathering in force ahead of him, so as to cut him off, he determined to cross the river. so as to gain the open prairie on that side, and reach the fort, if possible. He had now but thir- teen men left. At their head he attempted to wade the river, but was drowned while so doing. His men got over in safety. and made their way to the fort about dark. Out of the forty-four who had left it that morning, twenty-four were dead. Thus ended the Battle of Redwood Ferry. the first engagement of the war. The Indians, it is thought, lost only one or two warriors.

Flushed with this easy victory in their first encounter with our troops, the Indians now con- sidered that the way was clear for their bloody war of extermination. They scattered in every direction, carrying death and torture to the homes of all the settlers within reach. For several days the work of carnage was awful. No pen can describe the horrors of that bloody week. So sudden and unexpected was the outbreak, and so insidious and skulking the mode of warfare of

the savages, that the inhabitants were overtaken at their various pursuits and butchered in cold blood, without any chance of flight or resistance. Most of them were European immigrants who had re- cently settled on the frontier, and were quite un- acquainted with savage warfare and treachery. But few of them possessed effective fire-arms, or weapons of any kind, indeed, and even if they had these, so sudden and stealthy was the onset, that resistance would have been unavailing. The savages generally went about on these raids in squads of eight or ten, well armed. In many instances the treacherous devils would advance boldly and with friendly demeanor into houses with whose owners they were acquainted, as if to ask for food, (as was their custom, for the set- tlers had always freely supplied them); when all at once they would shoot down or tomahawk the unsuspecting inmates, perhaps the very per- sons who had many times fed them when hun- gry. In a few instances children, and sometimes adults, fled unobserved while this work of death was going on, and escaped a like fate by skulking in the grass or bushes, from whence they were often compelled to witness the cruel tortures practiced on the other members of their family, or flee for life with the death shrieks of the suffer- ing victims ringing in their ears. Some of those who escaped thus, were rescued many days sub- sequently, after enduring incredible hardships, skulking by day around deserted houses, endeav- oring to find food, and wandering by night through the trackless waste, towards the settle- ments. Delicate women, carrying or leading in- fant children, thus traveled scores of miles to some place of safety, sometimes wounded and sick and almost naked. Many perished from hunger, exposure or wounds. Others lived, to suffer for years from their injuries. There were literally hundreds of such incidents as the above, and a full narrative of these adventures and escapes would fill volumes. No record can ever be made of them, and the fate of many will never be known until the last day.

The cruel barbarities practiced by the savages on their victims, was another sickening feature of the massacre, and its bare recital makes one shudder. All the fiendish cruelties that their savage nature and pent up hatred of the pale faces could suggest, they wreaked on their vic-

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tims, a people who had always been their friends and benefactors. The wounded and dying were scalped or tomakawked out of all semblance of humanity. The bowels of many were gashed open, and their hands and feet, or other members, cut off and thrust into them. Children were slashed with knives, eyes gouged out, ears or hands cut off, or skulls smashed with war clubs. Some of these survived even such awful wounds. Babes were thrust living into stove ovens, and there left, to roast to death. Pregnant women were ripped open, and their unborn babes torn away, and thrown into their face, or nailed to a door or tree, for their dying gaze to witness. But few women, comparatively, were killed outright. Instant death would have been a more merciful fate than they were reserved for. Frequently delicate young maidens were tied, or held by the fiends, and repeatedly outraged by the band of captors, some actually dying in the hands of their tormentors, or if they survived, led into a cap- tivity of horrors. But let us draw a veil over these atrocities.

After the murder of the inmates of a house, pillage was the next step, and the torch was then generally applied to it, oftentimes the wounded victims, unable to escape, being burned to death. Day after day the columns of smoke rising here and there showed where the various bands of de- mons were plying their work of destruction, while night after night the sky along the frontier was lurid with the light of burning homes. Two or three thousand dwellings were thus destroyed, in addition to three entire towns. Cattle were shot from mere wantonness, and others left to starve, with no one to attend them, Horses were saved for the use of the marauders, hundreds of them being stolen, and in many instances the savages were observed riding to and fro in fine buggies and carriages.

As the houses of the settlers were generally isolated from each other, the news of the out- break could not reach the more remote and scat- tered, in season to save them. Along the main roads leading to the settlements, the alarm was spread by fugitives, after a day or two, and this fact enabled thousands to save their lives who would otherwise have fallen. Abandoning houses, crops, cattle-everything, hastily seizing some

food and clothing, and harnessing their teams, they fled towards New Ulm, Fort Ridgely, St. Peter, Mankato, Henderson, and other towns along the river. Some even pressed on to St. Paul. Soon the roads were literally crowded with a panic-stricken cavalcade, on foot, on horseback, in all sorts of vehicles, hurrying along with blanched faces and nervous trepidation. Many were pursued and shot at (some killed, even) while flying, and all had horrid stories to relate. Lieut. Gov. Donnelly, on Aug. 26, wrote from St. Peter: "You can hardly conceive the panic existing along the valley. In Belle Plaine I found 600 people crowded in. In this place there are between 3,000 and 4,000 refugees. On the road between New Ulm and Mankato were

* over 2,000. Mankato is also crowded. * * Their property in the mean time abandoned and going to ruin." The condition of these throngs of fugitives, crowded into the small towns, was pitiable.

The handful of men who survived the massa- cre at Redowod Ferry, and made their way back to Fort Ridgely, found that post already crowded with panic-stricken fugitives from the sur- rounding country. All night these poor settlers arrived from every direction, many of them wounded, having left portions of their families murdered, and their homes in flames. In every direction, all night long, the sky was reddened with the light of burning houses. It was a night of terror and despondency. About ten o'clock on Tuesday morning, the inmates were gladdened with the return of Lieutenant Sheehan and his command, who, on being overtaken the evening before by the messenger sent out to recall them, had made a forced march of sixteen hours. Lieutenant Sheehan at once took command of the post, and in connection with Sergeant John Jones, of the regular army, post ordinance ser- geant, took effective measures to put the fort in a defensible condition. All the civilians who were fit for duty, were armed, or put on guard, and even the women were employed making cart- ridges, running bullets, &c. No attack was made that day, however, although Indians were seen watching the fort. [The warriors were busy at- tacking New Ulm, as will be seen a little farther on.] About noon on Monday, the messengers and guard in charge of the $70,000 in gold, reached

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Fort Ridgely, and remained there during the siege.

Let us now follow Mr. J. C. Dickinson, of Lower Agency, the messenger sent from Red- wood to recall Maj. Galbraith from St. Peter. Maj. G., so well satisfied was he with the loyal promises of the Indians, had left the agency with some volunteers for Fort Snelling. His family were at Yellow Medicine, and escaped from that place. He, with the " Renville Ran- gers," Lieut. O'Gorman, had arrived at St. Peter Monday evening, when Mr. Dickinson reached there, with the startling news. It was at first discredited, but he at once made preparations to return, with the Rangers, and a company of vol- unteer citizens. He immediately dispatched Wm. H. Shelley, of St. Paul, who was with him, with a message to Gov. Ramsey, asking military aid. Shelley rode at full speed all night, and reached St, Paul. nearly one hundred miles distant, at 10 o'clock P. M. Tuesday, spreading the news as he passed down the valley. Gov. Ramsey at once took steps to send troops to the scene of blood. But of this anon.

Monday night was spent by the soldiers and citizens at St. Peter in organizing companies, searching for arms, making cartridges, etc. Early on Tuesday morning, the bells were rung and the inhabitants called together. Great excitement prevailed, but a company was at once organized. IIon. Chas. E. Flandrau, associate justice of the Supreme Court, was elected captain, and W. B. Dodd, first lieutenant. Teams, wagons, camp equipage, etc., were hastily collected.

Major Galbraith, with the Renville Rangers, and others who accompanied them, armed as well as could be possible, left St. Peter at 6 A. M., and after a hard march, reached Fort Ridgely (Forty-five miles distant) the same evening. Just as they arrived at the fort, a furious thunder- gust came up. In the darkness and rain they got into the fort safely, although hundreds of Indians were watching it, and must have seen them but for the storm. There were now 250 fencible men in the fort, and the crowd of fu- gitives hourly increasing. These were cared for as well as possible, the hospital being full of wounded.

Meantime a company of sixteen horsemen left St. Peter (Tuesday) for the aid of New Ulm,

which was reported by fugitives to be in great danger. At one o'clock the same day, Hon. Chas. E. Flandrau left for the same place with 100 well armed men, on foot. Let us uow give some account of the

SIEGE OF NEW ULM.

This town was on the south bank of the Minne- sota River, thirty miles, by land, from St. Peter, and eighteen miles below Fort Ridgely. It con- tained about 1,500 inhabitants, mostly Germans. On Monday morning, Aug. 18th, a party of citizens left New Ulm to recruit for volunteers. When some seven or eight miles west of new Ulm, they found several dead bodies lying in the road. Con- vinced that the Indians had risen, they retraced their steps, but on their way back were fired on, and several of the party killed. The rest fled to town and gave the alarm. At the same time, fugitives came in from other directions, near the town, all telling horrid tales of butchery. This created a great panic in the town, and many fled to St. Peter. All that day and night, and next day, fugitives continued pouring into the place. The leading men of the town at once took steps to organize for defence. Arms were collected, barricades erected, sentinels posted, and every- thing done which could be, to repel an attack. These precautions were taken none too soon. About four o'clock on Tuesday, a party of mount- ed Indians appeared on the prairie above the town, and dismounting, advanced on the place. The few men who had arms, at once attacked them, but most of the people gathered into the houses in the center of the town, panic stricken. Fortunately, soon after the attack commenced, the fifteen horsemen from St. Peter arrived, and at once began a vigorous defence. The savages burned several buildings on the west edge of th town, and kept up a hot fire on the people with- in the barricade. The St. Peter cavalry soon made such a brave advance on the Indians, that they were compelled to retire, about dark, sev- eral having been killed. During the engagement. the whites lost several, killed and wounded, also. About nine o'clock, in the midst of a furious thunder-storm, Judge Flandrau, with over one hundred men, reached the town, and were warmly welcomed. Vigorous efforts to organize for defence were at once made. Judge Flan-

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History of Dakota County and the City of Hastings, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 24

Author: J. Fletcher Williams Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Number of Pages:

Author: J. Fletcher Williams
Publication date: 1881
Publisher:
Number of Pages: