History of Houston County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 38

Author: Edward D. Neill
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 547

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The frontier of Nicollet county contiguous to the reservation was not generally visited by the savages until Tuesday, the 19th, and the succeed- ing days of that week. The people had, generally in the meantime, sought safety in flight, and were principally in the town of St. Peter. A few, how- ever, remained at their homes, in isolated locali- ties, where the nows of the awful scenes enacting around them did not reach them; or, who having removed their families to places of safety, returned to look after their property. These generally fell victims to the rifle and tomahawk of the savages. The destruction of life in this county, was, how- ever, trifling, compared with her sister counties of Brown and Renville; but the loss of property was immense. The entire west half of the county was, of necessity, abandoned and completely desolated. The ripened grain crop was much of it uncut, and wasted in the field, while horses and cattle and sheep and hogs roamed unrestrained at will over the unharvested fields. And, to render the ruin complete the savage hordes swept over this por- tion of the county, gathering up horses and cattle shooting swine and sheep, and all other stock that

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DEVASTATION IN NICOLLET COUNTY.

they could not catch; finishing the work of ruin by applying the torch to the stacks of hay and grain, and in some instances to the dwellings of the settlers.

William Mills kept a public house in the town of West Newton, four miles from Fort Ridgely, on the St. Peter road. Mr. Mills heard of the out- break of the Sioux on Monday, and at once took the necessary steps to secure the safety of his fam- ily, by sending them across the prairie to a se- cluded spot, at a slough some three miles from the house. Leaving a span of horses and a wagon with them, he instructed them, if it should seem necessary to their safety, to drive as rapidly as possible to Henderson. He then went to Fort Ridgely to possess himself, if possible, of the exact state of affairs. At night he visited his house, to obtain some articles of clothing for his family, and carried them out to their place of concealment, and went again to the fort, where he remained until Tuesday morning, when he started out to his fam- ily, thinking he would send them to Henderson, and return and assist in the defense of that post. Soon after leaving the fort he met Lieutenant T. J. Sheehan and his company, on their way back to that post. Sheehan roughly demanded of him where he was going. He replied he was going to send his family to a place of safety, and return. The lieutenant, with an oath, wrested from him his gun, the only weapon of defense he had, thus leav- ing him defenseless. Left thus unarmed and powerless, he took his family and hastened to Hen- derson, arriving there that day in safety.

A few Indians were seen in the neighborhood of West Newton on Monday afternoon on horseback, but at a distance on the prairie. The most of the inhabitants fled to the fort on that day : a few re- mained at their homes and some fled to St. Peter and Henderson. The town of Lafayette was, in like manner, deserted on Monday and Monday night, the inhabitants chiefly making for St. Peter. . Courtland township, lying near New Ulm, caught the contagion, and her people too fled-the women and children going to St. Peter, while many of her brave sons rushed to the defense of New Ulm, and in that terrible siege bore a conspicuous and hon- orable part.

As the cortege of panic stricken fugitives poured along the various roads leading to the towns be- low, on Monday night and Tuesday, indescribable terror seized the inhabitants; and the rapidly ac- cumulating human tide, gathering force and num-

bers as it moved across the prairie, rolled an overwhelming flood into the towns along the river.

The entire county of Nicollet, outside of St. Peter, was depopulated, and their crops and herds left by the inhabitants to destruction.

On the arrival of a force of mounted men, under Captains Anson Northrup, of Minneapolis, and R. H. Chittenden, of the First Wisconsin Cavalry, at Henderson, on the way to Fort Ridgely, they met Charles Nelson, and, on consultation, decided to go to St. Peter, where they were to report to Colonel Sibley, by way of Norwegian Grove. Securing the services of Nelson, John Fadden, and one or two others, familiar to the country, they set out for the Grove.

Captain Chittenden, in a letter to the "New Haven Palladium," written soon after, says:

" The prairie was magnificent, but quite desert- ed. Sometimes a dog stared at us as we passed; but even the brutes seemed conscious of a terrible calamity. At 2 o'clock we reached the Grove, which surrounded a lake. The farms were in a fine state of cultivation; and, strange to say, although the houses were in ruins, the grain stacks were un- touched. Reapers stood in the field as the men had left them. Cows wandered over the prairies in search of their masters. Nelson led the way to the spot where he had been overtaken in attempt- ing to escape with his wife and children. We found his wagon; the ground was strewn with ar- ticles of apparel, his wife's bonnet, boxes, yarn, in fact everything they had hastily gathered up. But the wife and boys were gone. Her he had seen them murder, but the children had run into the corn-field. He had also secreted a woman and child under a hay-stack. We went and turned it over; they were gone. I then so arranged the troops that, by marching abreast, we made a thorough search of the corn-field. No clue to his boys could be found. Passing the still burning embers of his neighbor's dwellings, we came to Nelson's own, the only one still standing. * * * The heart-broken man closed the gate, and turned away without a tear; then simply asked Sergeant Thompson when he thought it would be safe to return. I must confess that, accustomed as I am to scenes of horror, the tears would come."

The troops, taking Nelson with them, proceeded to St. Peter, where he found the dead body of bis wife, which had been carried there by some of his neighbors, and his children, alive. They had fled

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through the corn, and escaped from their savage pursuers.

Jacob Manerle had taken his family down to St. Peter, and returned on Friday to his house, in West Newton. He had tied some clothing in a bundle, and started for the fort, when he was shot and scalped, some eighty rods from the house.

The two Applebaum's were evidently fleeing to St. Peter, when overtaken by the Indians and killed.

Felix Smith had escaped to Fort Ridgely, and on Wednesday forenoon went out to his house, some three miles away. The Indians attacked the fort that afternoon, and he was killed in endeavor- ing to get back into that post.

Small parties of Indians scoured the country be- tween Fort Ridgely, St. Peter, and Henderson, during the first week of the massacre, driving away cattle and burning buildings, within twelve miles of the first-named place. The Swan Lake House was laid in ashes. A scouting party of six savages was seen by General M. B. Stone, upon the bluff, in sight of the town of St. Peter, on Friday, the 22d day of August, the very day they were making their most furious and determined assault upon Fort Ridgely.

This scouting party had, doubtless, been de- tached from the main force besieging that post, and sent forward, under the delusion that the fort must fall into their hands, to reconnoiter, and re- port to Little Crow the condition of the place, and the ability of the people to defend themselves. But they failed to take Fort Ridgely, and, on the 22d, their scouts saw a large body of troops, under Colonel Sibley, enter St. Peter.

CHAPTER XXXVL.

BIG STONE LAKE-WHITES KILLED-LAKE SHETEK- NAMES OF SETTLERS-MRS. ALOMINA HURD ES- CAPES WITH HER TWO CHILDREN-THE BATTLE- SPIRIT LAKE-WARFARE IN JACKSON COUNTY- DAKOTA TERRITORY-MURDERS AT SIOUX FALLS- DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY-KILLING OF AMOS HUGGINS.

At Big Stone Lake, in what is now Big Stone county, were four trading houses, Wm. H. Forbes, Daily, Pratt & Co., and Nathan Myrick. The habi- tues of these Indian trading houses, as usual, were mostly half-breeds, natives of the country. The

store of Daily, Pratt & Co. was in charge of Mr. Ryder of St. Paul. On the 21st of August, four of these men at work cutting hay, unsuspicious of danger, were suddenly attacked and all murdered, except Anton Manderfield; while one half-breed, at the store, Baptiste Gubeau, was taken prisoner, and was informed that he would be killed that night. But Gubeau succeeded in escaping from their grasp, and making his way to the lake. His escape was a wonderful feat, bound as he was, as to his hands, pursued by yelling demons determ- ined on his death. But, ahead of all his pursners, he reached the lake, and dashing into the reeds on the margin, was hid from the sight of his disappointed pursuers. Wading noiselessly into the water, until his head alone was above the water, he remained perfectly still for some time. The water soon loosened the rawhide on his wrists, so that they were easily removed. The Indians sought for him in vain; and as the shades of night gathered around him, he came out of his hiding place, crossed the foot of the lake and struck out for the Upper Mississippi. He finally reached St. Cloud. Here he was mistaken for an Indian spy, and threatened with death, but was finally saved by the interposi- tion of a gentleman who knew him.

The other employes at the lake were all killed except Manderfield, who secreted himself while his comrades were being murdered. Manderfield, in his escape, when near Lac qui Parle, was met by Joseph Laframboise, who had gone thither to ob- tain his sister Julia, then a captive there. Man- derfield received from Laframboise proper direc- tions, and finally reached Fort Ridgely in safety.

LAKE SHETEK .- This beautiful lake of quiet water, some six miles long and two broad, is situ- ated about seventy miles west of New Ulm, in the county of Murray. Here a little community of some fifty persons were residing far out on our frontier, the nearest settlement being the Big Cot- tonwood. The families and persons located here were: John Eastlick and wife, Charles Hatch, Phineas B. IIurd and wife, John Wright, Wm. J. Duly and wife, H. W. Smith, Aaron Myers, Mr. Everett and wife, Thomas Ireland and wife, Koch and wife; these with their several families, and six single men, Wm. James, Edgar Bently, John Voight, E. G. Cook, and John F. and Daniel Burns, the latter residing alone on a claim at Wal- nut Grove, some distance from the lake, consti- tuted the entire population of Lake Shetek settle- ment, in Murray county.

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LAKE SHETEK.

On the 20th of August some twenty Sioux In- dians rode up to the house of Mr. Hurd. Mr. Hurd himself had left home for the Missouri river on the 2d day of June previous. Ten of these In- dians entered the house, talked and smoked their pipes while Mrs. Hurd was getting breakfast. Mr. Voight, the work-hand, while waiting for break- fast, took up the babe, as it awoke and cried, and walked with it out in the yard in front of the door. No sooner had he left the house than an Indian took his gun and deliberately shot him dead near the door. Mrs. Hurd was amazed at the infernal deed, as these Indians had always been kindly treated, and often fed at her table. She ran to the fallen man to raise him up and look after the safety of her child. To her utter horror, one of the miscreants intercepted her, telling her to leave at once and go to the settlements across the prairie. She was refused the privilege of dressing her naked children, and was compelled to turn away from her ruined home, to commence her wandering over an almost trackless waste, without food, and almost without raiment, for either herself or little ones.

These Indians proceeded from the house of Mr. Hurd to that of Mr. Andrew Koch, whom they shot, and plundered the house of its contents. Mrs. Koch was compelled to get up the oxen and hitch them to the wagon, and drive them, at the direction of her captors, into the Indian country. In this way she traveled ten days. She was the captive of White Lodge, an old and ugly chief of one of the upper bands. As the course was tow- ards the Missouri river, Mrs. Koch refused to go farther in that direction. The old chief threatened to shoot her if she did not drive on. Making a virtue of necessity she reluctantly obeyed. Soon after she was required to carry the vagabond's gun. Watching her opportunity she destroyed the explosive quality of the cap, and dampened the powder in the tube, leaving the gun to appear- ance all right. Soon afterward she again refused to go any farther in that direction. Again the old scoundrel threatened her with death. She in- stantly bared her bosom and dared him to fire. He aimed his gun at her breast and essayed to fire, but the gun refused to take part in the work of death. The superstitious savage, supposing she bore a charmed life, lowered his gun, and asked which way she wishsd to go. She pointed toward the settlements. In this direction the teams were turned. They reached the neighbor-

hood of the Upper Agency in ten days after leav- ing Lake Shetek, about the time of the arrival of the troops under Colonel Sibley in the vicinity of Wood Lake and Yellow Medicine. White Lodge did not like the looks of things around Wood Lake, and left, moving off in an opposite direction for greater safety. Mrs. Koch was finally rescued at Camp Release, after wading or swimming the Minnesota river ten times in company with a friendly squaw.

At Lake Shetek, the settlers were soon all gath- ered at the house of John Wright, prepared for defense. They were, however, induced by the ap- parently friendly persuasion of the Indians to abandon the house, and move towards the slough for better safety. The Indians commenced firing upon the retreating party. The whites returned the fire as they ran. Mrs. Eastlick was wounded in the heel, Mr. Duly's oldest son and daughter were shot through the shoulder, and Mrs. Ireland's youngest child was shot through the leg, while running to the slough. Mr. Hatch, Mr. Everett, Mr. Eastlick, Mrs. Eastlick, Mrs. Everett, and sev- eral children were shot. The Indians now told the women to come out of the slough, and they would not kill them or the children, if they would come out. They went out to them with the children, when they shot Mrs. Everett, Mrs. Smith, and Mrs. Ireland dead, and killed some of the children. Mrs. Eastlick was shot and left on the field, sup- posed to be dead, but she finally escaped, and two of her children, Merton and Johnny. Her inter- esting narrative will be found in the large work, from which this abridgment is made up. Mrs. Julia A. Wright, and Mrs. Duly, and the two chil- dren of Mrs. Wright, and two of the children of Mrs. Duly were taken captive. Some of these were taken by the followers of Little Crow to the Missouri river, and were subsequently ransomed at Fort Pierre, by Major Galpin. All the men ex- cept Mr. Eastlick, being only wounded, escaped to the settlements. The brothers Burns remained on their claim, and were not molested. One sneaking Indian coming near them paid the for- feit with his life.

SPIRIT LAKE .- On or about the 25th day ot August, 1862, the "Annuity Sioux Indians" made their appearance at Spirit Lake, the scene of the terrible Inkpaduta massacre of 1857. The inhab- itants fled in dismay from their homes; and the savages, after plundering the dwellings of the set-

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HISTORY OF THE SIOUX MASSACRE.

tlers, completed their fiendish work by setting fire to the country.

DAKOTA TERRITORY .- Portions of Dakota Ter- ritory were visited by the Sioux in 1862. At Sioux Falls City the following murders were com- mitted by the Sioux Indians on the 25th of Au- gust: Mr. Joseph B. and Mr. M. Amidon, father and son, were found dead in a corn-field, near which they had been making hay. The son was shot with both balls and arrows, the father with balls only. Their bodies lay some ten rods apart. On the morning of the 26th, about fifteen Indians, supposed to be Sioux, attacked the camp of sol- diers at that place. They were followed, but eluded the vigilant pursuit of our soldiers and es- caped. The families, some ten in number, were removed to Yankton, the capital, sixty-five miles distant. This removal took place before the mur- ders at Lake Shetek were known at Sioux Falls City. . The mail carrier who carried the news from New Ulm had not yet arrived at Sioux Falls, on his return trip. He had, on his outward trip, found Mrs. Eastlick on the prairie, near Shetek, and carried her to the house of Mr. Brown, on the Cottonwood.

In one week after the murders at the Falls, one- half of the inhabitants of the Missouri slope had fled to Sioux City, Iowa, six miles below the mouth of the Big Sioux.

THE MURDER OF AMOS HUGGINS .-- Amos Hug- gins (in the language of Rev. S. R. Riggs, in his late work, 1880, entitled "Mary and I,") "was the eldest child of Alexander G. Huggins, who had accompanied Dr. Williamson to the Sioux coun- try in 1835. Amos was born in Ohio, and was at this time (1862) over thirty years old. He was married, and two children blessed their home, which for some time before the outbreak had been at Lac qui Parle, near where the town of that name now stands. It was then an Indian village and planting place, the principal man being Wa- kanmane-Spirit Walker, or Walking Spirit. If the people of the village had been at home Mr. Huggins and his family, which included Miss Julia Laframboise, who was also a teacher in the employ of the Government, would have been safe. But in the absence of Spirit Walker's people three Indian men came-two of them from the Lower Sioux Agency-and killed Mr. Huggins, and took from the house such things as they wanted." pp. 169-170.

This apology for the conduct of Christian In-

dians towards the missionaries and their assistants, who had labored among them since 1835 up to 1862, a period of twenty-seven years, shows a truly Christian spirit on the part of the Rev. S. R. Riggs; but it is scarcely satisfactory to the general reader that the Christian Indians were entirely in- nocent of all blame in the great massacre of 1862.

CHAPTER XXXVIL.

OCCURRENCES PREVIOUS TO THE ATTACK ON THE TOWN OF NEW ULM-THE ATTACK BY INDIANS- - JUDGE FLANDRAU ARRIVES WITH REINFORCEMENTS -EVACUATION OF NEW ULM.

On the 18th of August, the day of the outbreak, a volunteer recruiting party for the Union army went out from New Ulm. Some eight miles west of that place several dead bodies were found on the road. The party turned back toward the town, and, to the surprise of all, were fired upon by In- dians in ambush, killing several of their party. Another party leaving New Ulm for the Lower Agency, when seven miles above the town some fifty Indians near the road fired upon them, killing three of these men. This party returned to town. One of these parties had seen, near the Cotton- wood, Indians kill a man on a stack of grain, and some others in the field. The people of the sur- rounding country fled for their lives into the town, leaving, some of them, portions of their families killed at their homes or on the way to some place of safety.

During the 18th and 19th of August the In- dians overran the country, burning buildings and driving off the stock from the farms.

The people had no arms fit for use, and were perfectly panic-stricken and helpless. But the news of the outbreak had reached St. Peter, and at about one o'clock of August 19th, T. B. Thompson, James Hughes, Charles Wetherell, Samuel Coffin, Merrick Dickinson, H. Caywood, A. M. Bean, James Parker, Andrew Friend, Henry and Frederick Otto, C. A. Stein, E. G. Covey, Frank Kennedy, Thomas and Griffin Williams, and the Hon. Henry A. Swift, afterwards made Governor of Minnesota, by opera- tion of the organic law, and William G. Hayden, organized themselves into a company, by the elec- tion of A. M. Bean, Captain, and Samuel Coffin, Lieutenant, and took up position at New Ulm, in the defense of that beleaguered place. They at once advanced upon the Indians, who were posted behind

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BATTLE OF NEW ULM.

the houses in the outer portions of the place. By this opportune arrival the savage foe were held in check. These were soon joined by another arrival from St. Peter: L. M. Bordman, J. B. Trogdon, J. K. Moore, Horace Austin (since Governor), P. M. Bean, James Homer, Jacob and Philip Stetzer, William Wilkinson, Lewis Patch, S. A. Buell, and Henry Snyder, all mounted, as well as a few from the surrounding country.

By the time these several. parties had arrived, the savages had retired, after burning five build- ings on the outskirts of the town. In the first battle several were killed, one Miss Paule of the place, standing on the sidewalk opposite the Da- kota House. The enemy's loss is not known.

On the same evening Hon. Charles E. Flandrau, at the head of about one hundred and twenty-five men, volunteers from St. Peter and vicinity, en- tered the town; and reinforcements continued to arrive from Mankato, Le Sueur, and other points, until Thursday, the 21st, when about three hun- dred and twenty-five armed men were in New Ulm, under the command of Judge Flandrau. Cap- tain Bierbauer, at the head of one hundred men, from Mankato, arrived and participated in the de- fense of the place.

Some rude barricades around a few of the houses in the center of the village, fitted up by means of wagons, boxes and waste lumber, par- tially protected the volunteer soldiery operating now under a chosen leader.

On Saturday, the 22d, the commandant sent across the river seventy-five of his men to dislodge some Indians intent on burning buildings and grain and hay stacks. First Lieutenant William Huey, of Traverse des Sioux, commanded this force. This officer, on reaching the opposite shore, discovered a large body of Indians in ad- vance of him; and in attempting to return was completely intercepted by large bodies of Indians on each side of the river. There was but one way of escape, and that was to retreat to the company of E. St. Julien Cox, known to be approaching from the direction of St. Peter. This force, thus cut off, returned with the command of Captain E. St. Julien Cox; and with this increased force of one hundred and seventy-five, Captain Cox soon after entered the town to the relief of both citizens and soldiers.

The Indians at the siege of New Ulm, at the time of the principal attack before the arrival of Captain Cox, were estimated at about five hundred,

coming from the direction of the Lower Agency. The movement is thus described by Judge Flan- drau:

"Their advance upon the sloping prairie in the bright sunlight was a very fine spectacle, and to such inexperienced soldiers as we all were, intense- ly exciting. When within about one mile of us the mass began to expand like a fan, and increas- ing in the velocity of its approach, continued this movement until within about double rifle-shot, when it covered our entire front. Then the sav- ages uttered a terrific yell and came down upon us like the wind. I had stationed myself at a point in the rear where communication could be had with me easily, and awaited the first discharge with great anxiety, as it seemed to me that to yield was certain destruction, as the enemies would rush into the town and drive all before them. The yell unsettled the men a little, and just before the rifles began to crack they fell back along the whole line, and committed the error of passing the outer houses without taking possession of them, a mis- take which the Indians immediately took advan- tage of by themselves occupying them in squads of two, three and up to ten. They poured into us a sharp and rapid fire as we fell back, and opened from the houses in every direction. Sev- eral of us rode up to the hill, endeavoring to rally the men, and with good effect, as they gave three cheers and sallied out of the various houses they had retreated to, and checked the advance effect- ually. The firing from both sides then became general, sharp and rapid, and it got to be a regu- lar Indian skirmish, in which every man did his own work after his own fashion. The Indians had now got into the rear of our men, and nearly on all sides of them, and the fire of the enemy was becoming very galling, as they had possession of a large number of buildings."

FIGHT AT THE WIND-MILL .- Rev. B. G. Coffin, of Mankato, George B. Stewart, of Le Sueur, and J. B. Trogdon, of Nicollet, and thirteen others, fought their way to the wind-mill. This they held during the battle, their unerring shots tell- ing fearfully upon the savages, and finally forcing them to retire. At night these brave men set fire to the building, and then retreated within the bar- ricades, in the vicinity of the Dakota House. During the firing from this mill a most determined and obstinate fight was kept up from the brick post-office, where Governor Swift was stationed, which told most fatally upon the foe, and from

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History of Houston County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 38

Author: Edward D. Neill Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Number of Pages: 547

Author: Edward D. Neill
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 547