USA > Minnesota > Houston County > History of Houston County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota > Part 41
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At Hutchinson a military company, consisting of about sixty members, had been organized for the purpose of defending the place against any attacks from the Indians. Of this company Louis Har- rington was elected captain. On the first appre- hension of danger a house was barricaded as a last retreat in case of necessity. The members of the company, aided by the citizens, afterward con- structed a small stockade fort of one hundred feet square. It was built after the same style as that at Forest City, with bastions in the same position, and a wall composed of double timbers rising to the height of eight feet above the ground. The work was provided with loop-holes, from which a musketry fire could be kept up, and was of suffi- cient strength to resist any projectiles that the sav- ages had the means of throwing. At this place Captain Strout halted his company, to await fur- ther developments.
At about nine o'clock on the next morning, the
4th of September, the Indians approached the town thus garrisoned and commenced the attack. They were replied to from the fortification; but, as they were careful not to come within close range, and used every means to conceal their per- sons, but little punishment was inflicted upon them. They bent their energies more in attempts to burn the town than to inflict any serious injury upon the military. In these endeavors they were so far successful as to burn all the buildings sit- uated on the bluff in the rear of the town, includ- ing the college building, which was here located. They at one time succeeded in reaching almost the heart of the village, and applying the incendiary torch to two of the dwelling-houses there situated, which were consumed.
Our forces marched out of the fort and engaged them in the open field; but, owing to the superior numbers of the enemy, and their scattered and hidden positions, it was thought that no advantage could be gained in this way, and, after driving them out of the town, the soldiers were recalled to the fort. The day was spent in this manner, the Indians making a succession of skirmishes, but at the same time endeavoring to maintain a sufficient distance between them and the soldiers to insure an almost certain impunity from the fire of their muskets. At about five o'clock in the evening their forces were withdrawn, and our troops rested on their arms, in expectation of a renewal of the fight in a more desperate form.
As soon as General Stevens was informed of the attack made upon Captain Strout, near Acton, and his being compelled to fall back to Hutchinson, be directed Captain Davis to proceed to the com- mand of Lieutenant Weinmann, then stationed near Lake Addie, in the same county, to form a junction of the two commands, and proceed to Hutchinson and reinforce the command of Captain Strout.
On the morning of the 4th of September the pickets belonging to Lieutenant Weinmann's com- mand reported having heard firing in the direction of Hutchinson. The Lieutenant immediately as- cended an eminence in the vicinity of his camp, and from that point could distinguish the smoke from six different fires in the same direction. Being satisfied from these indications that an at- tack had been made upon Hutchinson, he deter- mined at once to march to the assistance of the place. Leaving behind him six men to collect the teams and follow with the wagons, he started with
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the remainder of his force in the direction indi- cated.
Some time after he had commenced his march the company of Captain Davis arrived at the camp he had just left.
Upon learning the state of affairs, the mounted company followed in the same direction, and, in a short time, came up with Lieutenant Weinmann. A junction of their forces was immediately effect- ed, and they proceeded in a body to Hutchinson, at which place they arrived about 6 o'clock in the evening. No Indians had been encountered on the march, and the battle, so long and so diligently kept up during most of the, day, had just been terminated, and the assailing forces withdrawn. A reconnoissance, in the immediate vicinity, was made from the fort on the same evening, but none of the Indians, who, a few hours before, seemed to be everywhere, could be seen; but the bodies of three of their victims, being those of one woman and two children, were found and brought to the village.
On the following morning, six persons arrived at the fortification, who had been in the midst of and surrounded by the Indians during the greater part of the day before, and had succeeded in con- cealing themselves until they retired from before the town, and finally effected their escape to the place.
The companies of Captain Davis and Lieuten- -ant Weinmann made a tour of examination in the direction that the Indians were supposed to have taken. All signs discovered seemed to indicate that they had left the vicinity. Their trail, indi- cating that a large force had passed, and that a number of horses and cattle had been taken along, was discovered, leading in the direction of Redwood. As the battle of Birch Coolie had been fought two or three days previous, at which time the Indians first learned the great strength of the column threatening them in that quarter, it is most likely that the party attacking Hutchinson had been called in to assist in the endeavor to repel the forces under Colonel Sibley.
On the 23d of September the Indians suddenly reappeared in the neighborhood. About 3 o'clock in the afternoon a messenger arrived, with dis- patches from Lieutenant Weinmann, informing Captain Strout that Samuel White and family, residing at Lake Addie, had that day been brutally murdered by savages.
At about 11 o'clock P. M., the scouts from the
direction of Cedar City came in, having been at- tacked near Greenleaf, and one of their number, a member of Captain Harrington's company, killed and left upon the ground. They reported having seen about twenty Indians, having killed one, and their belief that more were in the party. The scouts from nearly every direction reported having seen Indians, some of them in considerable num- bers, and the country all around seemed at once to have become infested with them.
On the 5th of September, Lieutenant William Byrnes, of the Tenth Regiment Minnesota Volun- teers, with a command of forty-seven men, started from Minneapolis, where his men were recruited, for service in Meeker and McLeod counties. Upon his arrival in the country designated, he was finally stationed at Kingston, in the county of Meeker, for the purpose of affording protection to that place and vicinity. He quartered his men in the storehouse of Hall & Co., which had been pre- viously put in a state of defense by the citizens of the place. He afterward strengthened the place by means of earth-works, and made daily examina- tions of the surrounding country by means of scouts.
Capt. Pettit, of the Eighth Regiment Minnesota Volunteers, was, about the same time, sent to re- inforce Captain Whitcomb, of Forest City, at which place he was stationed at the time of the sudden reappearance of the Indians in the country. On the 22d of September word was brought to Forest City that the Indians were committing depreda- tions at Lake Ripley, a point some twelve miles to the westward of that place. Captain Pettit there- upon sent a messenger to Lieutenant Byrnes, re- questing his co-operation, with as many of his command as could leave their post in safety, for the purpose of marching into the invaded neigh- . borhood.
In pursuance of orders, Lieutenant Byrnes, with thirty-six men, joined the command of Capt Pettit on the same evening. On the next morning, the 23d of September, the same day that Captain Strout's scouting party was attacked at Greenleaf, Captain Pettit, with the command of Lieutenant Byrnes and eighty-seven men, from the post at Forest City, marched in the direction in which the Indians had been reported as committing depre- dations on the previous day. Four mounted men of Captain Whitcomb's force accompanied the party as guides.
On arriving at the locality of reported depreda-
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tions, they found the mutilated corpse of a citizen by the name of Oleson. He had received three shots through the body and one through the hand. Not even satisfied with the death thus in- flicted, the savages had removed his scalp, beaten out his brains, cut his throat from ear to ear, and cut out his tongue by the roots. Leaving a de- tachment to bury the dead, the main body of ex- pedition continued the march by way of Long Lake, and encamped near Acton, where Captain Strout's command was first attacked, and at no great distance from the place where his scouts were attacked.
Scouts were sent out by Captain Pettit, all of whom returned without having seen any Indians. Two dwelling-houses had been visited that had been set on fire by the Indians, but the flames had made so little progress as to be capable of being extinguished by the scouts, which was done ac- cordingly. Three other houses on the east side of Long Lake had been fired and consumed during the same day. Three women were found, who had been lying in the woods for a number of days, seeking concealment from the savages. They were sent to Forest City for safety. During the early part of the night, Indians were heard driving or collecting cattle, on the opposite side of Long Lake from the encampment.
During the 24th of September the march was continued to Diamond Lake, in Monongalia county. All the houses on the route were found to be ten- antless, all the farms were deserted, and every thing of value, of a destructible nature, belonging to the settlers, had been destroyed by the savages. Only one Indian was seen during the day, and he being mounted, soon made his escape into the big woods. The carcasses of cattle, belonging to the citizens, were found in all directions upon the prairie, where they had been wantonly slaughtered and their flesh abandoned to the natural process of decom- position.
At break of day, on the morning of the 25th, an Indian was seen by one of the sentinels to rise from the grass and attempt to take a survey of the encampment. He was immediately fired upon when he uttered a yell and disappeared. Captain Pettit thereupon formed his command in order of battle and sent out skirmishers to reconnoiter; but the Indians had decamped, and nothing further could be ascertained concerning them.
At seven o'clock the return march to Forest City Was commenced, by a route different from that
followed in the outward march. About ten o'clock the expedition came upon a herd, comprising sixty- five head of cattle, which the Indians had collected, and were in the act of driving off, when they were surprised by the near approach of volunteers. As the latter could be seen advancing at a distance of three miles, the Indians had no difficulty in making their escape to the timber, and in this way eluding pursuit from the expedition by abandon- ing their plunder. The cattle were driven by the party to Forest City, where a great portion of the herd was found to belong to persons who were then doing military duty, or taking refuge from their enemies.
At Rockford, on the Crow river, a considerable force of citizens congregated for the purpose of mutual protection, and making a stand against the savages in case they should advance thus far. A substantial fortification was erected at the place, affording ample means of shelter and protection to those there collected; but we are not aware that it ever became necessary as a place of last resort to the people, nor are we aware that the Indians committed any act of hostilities within the county of Wright.
On the 24th of August rumors reached St. Cloud that murders and other depredations had been committed by the Indians near Paynesville, on the border of Stearns county, and near the di- viding line between Meeker and Monongalia coun- ties. A public meeting of the citizens was called at four o'clock in the afternoon, at which, among other measures adopted, a squad, well armed and equipped, was instructed to proceed to Paynes- ville, and ascertain whether danger was to be ap- prehended in that direction. This party immedi- ately entered upon the discharge of their duty, and started to Paynesville the same evening.
On the evening of the following day they re- turned, and reported that they met at Paynesville the fugitives from Norway Lake, which latter place is situated in Monongalia county, and about seventeen miles in a south-west direction from the former. That, on Wednesday, the 20th day of August, as a family of Swedes, by the name of Lomberg, were returning from church, they were attacked by a party of Indians, and three brothers killed, and another one, a boy, wounded. The father had fourteen shots fired at him, but suc- ceeded in making his escape. One of his sons, John, succeeded in bearing off his wounded brother, and making their escape to Paynesville.
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COMPANY FORMED AT ST. CLOUD.
On the 24th, a party went out from Paynesville for the purpose of burying the dead at Norway Lake, where they found, in addition to those of the Lomberg family, two other entire families murdered-not a member of either left to tell the tale. The clothes had all been burned from their bodies, while from each had been cut either the nose, an ear or a finger, or some other act of muti- lation had been committed upon it.
The party, having buried the dead, thirteen in number, were met by a little boy, who informed them that his father had that day been killed by the savages while engaged in cutting hay in a swamp. They proceeded with the intention of burying the body, but discovered the Indians to be in considerable force around the marsh, and they were compelled to abandon the design.
The party beheld the savages in the act of driv- ing off forty-four head of cattle, a span of horses, and two wagons; but the paucity of their num- bers compelled them to refrain from any attempt to recover the property, or to inflict any punish- ment upon the robbers and murderers having it in their possession. A scouting party had been sent to Johanna Lake, about ten miles from Nor- way Lake, where about twenty persons had been living. Not a single person, dead or alive, could there be found. Whether they had been killed, escaped by hasty flight, or been carried off as prisoners, could not be determined from the sur- rounding circumstances. As the party were re- turning, they observed a man making earnest en- deavors to escape their notice, and avoid them by flight, under the impression that they were Indi- ans, refusing to be convinced to the contrary by any demonstrations they could make. Upon their attempting to overtake him, he plunged into a lake and swam to an island, from which he could not be induced to return. His family were dis- covered and brought to Paynesville, but no infor- mation could be derived from them respecting the fate of their neighbors.
When this report had been made to the citizens of St. Cloud by the returned party, a mounted company, consisting of twenty-five members, was immediately formed, for the purpose of co-oper- ing with any forces from Paynesville in efforts to recover and rescue any citizens of the ravaged district. Of this company Ambrose Freeman was elected captain, and they proceeded in the direc- tion of Paynesville the next morning at 8 o'clock.
At Maine Prairie, a point to the south-west of
St. Cloud, and about fifteen miles distant from that place, a determined band of farmers united together, with a determination never to leave until driven, and not to be driven by an inferior force. Their locality was a small prairie, entirely sur- rounded by timber and dense thickets, a circum- stance that seemed to favor the near approach of the stealthy savage.
By concerted action they soon erected a sub- stantial fortification, constructed of a double row of timbers, set vertically, and inserted firmly in the ground. The building was made two stories in height. The upper story was fitted up for the women and children, and the lower was intended for purposes of a more strictly military character. Some of their number were dispatched to the State Capital to obtain such arms and supplies as could be furnished them. Provisions were laid in, and they soon expressed their confidence to hold the place against five hundred savages, and to stand a siege, if necessary. Their determination was not to be thus tested, however. The Indians came into their neighborhood, and committed some small depredations, but, so far as reported, never exhibited themselves within gunshot of the fort.
At Paynesville the citizens, and such others as sought refuge in the town, constructed a fortifica- tion for the purpose of protecting themselves and defending the village; but no description of the work has ever been received at this office, and, I believe, it was soon abandoned.
At St. Joseph, in the Watab Valley, the citizens there collected erected three substantial fortifica- tions. These block-houses were built of solid green timber, of one foot in thickness. The structure was a pentagon, and each side was fifty feet in length. They were located at different points of the town, and completely commanded the entrance in all directions. In case the savages had attacked the town, they must have suffered & very heavy loss before a passage could be effected, and even after an entry had been made, they would have become fair targets for the riflemen of the forts. Beyond them, to the westward, every house is said to have become deserted, and a great por- tion of the country ravaged, thus placing them upon the extreme frontier in that direction; but, owing, no doubt, to their activity in preparing the means for effective resistance, they were permitted to remain almost undisturbed.
Sauk Center, near the north-western corner of
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the county, and situated on the head-waters of the Sauk river, is, perhaps, the most extreme point in this direction at which a stand was made by the settlers. Early measures were taken to perfect a military organization, which was effected on the 25th of August, by the election of Sylvester Ramsdell as captain. The company consisted of over fifty members, and labored under discourag- ing circumstances at the outset. The affrighted and panic-stricken settlers, from all places located still further to the north and west, came pouring past tbe settlement, almost communicating the same feeling to the inhabitants. From Holmes City, Chippewa Lake, Alexandria, Osakis, and West Union, the trains of settlers swept by, seeking safety only in flight, and apparently willing to re- ceive it in no other manner.
Assistance was received from the valley of the Ashley river, from Grove Lake, and from West- port, in Pope county.
A small stockade fort was constructed, and within it were crowded the women and children. The haste with which it was constructed, and the necessity for its early completion, prevented its either being so extensive or so strongly built as the interest and comfort of the people seemed to require.
Upon being informed of the exposed situation of the place, and the determination of the settlers to make a united effort to repel the destroyers from their homes, orders were, on the 30th day of Au- gust, issued to the commandant at Fort Snelling, directing him, with all due speed, to detail from his command two companies of troops, with in- structions to proceed to Sauk Center, for the pur- pose of protecting the inhabitants of the Sauk Valley from any attack of hostile Indians, and to co-operate as far as possible with the troops sta- tioned at Fort Abercrombie.
In obedience to these orders, the companies under command respectively of Captains George G. McCoy, of the Eighth Regiment Minnesota Volunteers, and Theodore H. Barrett, of the Ninth Regiment, were sent forward. Their arrival at the stockade created a thrill of joy in the place, espe- cially among the women and children, and all, even the most timid, took courage and rejoiced in their security. Captain Barrett was, shortly afterward, sent with his command in the expedition for the relief of Fort Abercombie, and a short time after- ward Captain McCoy, in obedience to orders from General Pope, fell back to St. Cloud.
Upon the departure of these troops, many of the more timid were again almost on the verge of despair, and would willingly have retreated from the position they so long held. More courageous councils prevailed, and the same spirit of firmness that refused safety by flight in the first instance, was still unbroken, and prompted the company to further action, and to the performance of other duties in behalf of themselves and those who had accepted their proffers of protection. Disease was beginning to make its appearance within the stock- ade, where no other enemy had attempted to penetrate, and this fact admonished the company that more extensive and better quarters were required in order to maintain the health of the people.
Several plans were submitted for a new stock- ade, from which one was selected, as calculated to secure the best means of defense, and at the same time, to afford the most ample and comfortable quarters for the women, children, and invalids, besides permitting the horses and cattle to be secured within the works. In a few days the new fort was completed, inclosing an area of about one acre in extent, the walls of which were constructed of a double row of timbers, principally tamarack poles, inserted firmly in the ground, and rising eleven feet above the surface. These were prop- erly prepared with loopholes and other means of protection to those within, and for the repulsion of an attacking party.
When the people had removed their stock and other property within the new fortification, and had been assigned to their new quarters, they for the first time felt really secure and at ease in mind. Had any vigorous attack been made upon the party in their old stockade, they might have saved the lives of the people, but their horses and cattle would most certainly have been driven off or destroyed. Now they felt that there was a chance of safety for their property as well as themselves.
A short time after this work had been completed Captain McCoy, after having rendered services in other parts of the country, was ordered back to Sauk Center. A company from the Twenty- fifth Wisconsin Regiment was sent to the same place upon its arrival in the state, and remained there until about the first of December.
Two days after the citizens from Grove Lake- a point some twelve miles to the south-west of Sauk Center-had cast their lot with the people
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of the latter place, the night-sentinels of Captain Ramsdell's company discovered fires to the south- west. Fearing that all was not right in the vicinity of Grove Lake, a party was sent out the next morning to reconnoiter in that neighborhood. They found one dwelling-house burned, and others plundered of such things as had attracted the fancy of the savages, while all furniture was left broken and destroyed. A number of the cattle which had not been taken with the settlers when they left, were found killed.
A Mr. Van Eaton, who resided at that place, about the same time, started from Sauk Center, with the intention of revisiting his farm. He is supposed to have fallen into the hands of the sav- ages, as he never returned to the fort. Several parties were sent in search of him, but no positive trace could ever be found.
At St. Cloud, in the upper part of the town, a small but substantial fortification was erected, and "Broker's Block" of buildings was surrounded with a breastwork, to be used in case the citizens should be compelled to seek safety in this manner. In Lower Town a small work was constructed, called Fort Holes. It was located upon a ridge overlooking the "flat" and the lower landing on the river. It was circular in form, and was forty- five feet in diameter. The walls were formed by two rows of posts, deeply and firmly set in the ground, with a space of four feet between the rows. Boards were then nailed upon the sides of the posts facing the opposite row, and the inter- space filled and packed with earth, thus forming an earthen wall of four feet in thickness. The structure was then covered with two-inch plank, supported by heavy timbers, and this again with sods, in order to render it fire-proof. In the cen- ter, and above all, was erected a bullet-proof tower, of the "monitor" style, but without the means. of causing it to revolve, prepared with loop-holes for twelve sharp-shooters. This entire structure was inclosed with a breastwork or wall similar to that of the main building, two feet in thickness and ten in height, with a projection outward so as to ren- der it difficult to be scaled. It was pierced for loop-holes at the distance of every five feet. Within this fortification it was intended that the inhabitants of Lower Town should take refuge in case the Indians should make an attack in any considerable force, and where they expected to be able to stand a siege until reinforcements would be able to reach them. They were not put to
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