USA > Minnesota > Faribault County > The history of Faribault County, Minnesota : from its first settlement to the close of the year 1879 : the story of the pioneers > Part 21
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A line of strong military posts having been established through the counties west and north of this, between which constant com- munication was kept up by scouts, the companies of minute men were. about October 2d, disbanded. Many of these frontier posts were maintained through the next year. and until the spring of 1866, and were very necessary as we shall see hereafter, to the pro- tection of the borders.
SAVING THE COUNTRY.
The presidential election came on this year. Vast interests were involved, and at stake, but not so much in local as in national politics. Very early, statesmen, politicians and the rank and tile of the two great parties were at work.
Abraham Lincoln had been nominated by the republicans for re-election to the presidency. Gen. Geo. B. McLellan was the can- didate of the democracy.
Wm. Windom was the republican and H. W. Lamberton the democratic candidate for Congress in this district.
Horace Austin, of St. Peter, republican, and Daniel Buck, of Mankato, democrat, were the candidates for judge of the Sixth Judicial District, of which this county was a part.
The Republican Union County Convention met at Blue Earth City on the 24th day of August. It was largely attended, and har-
197
FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
monious in its action. The proceedings resulted in the following nominations:
A. Bonwell, for Register of Deeds.
F. W. Cady, for County Auditor.
Jno. K. Pratt, for Clerk of Court.
Geo. Hart, for Judge of Probate and Court Commissioner.
Thos. Blair, for County Commissioner 3rd District.
The democracy met in mass convention at Blue Earth City, August 30th, and made the following nominations:
For Senator, 20th district, George B. Kingsley.
For Representative, R. B. Simmons.
For Register of Deeds, James H. Huntington.
For County Auditor, Thomas S. Fellows.
For Clerk of Court, Chester M. Sly.
For Judge of Probate and Court Commissioner, Jo. L. Wier.
The republican union district convention met at New Ulm, in Brown county, on the 3d day of September, and unanimously nomi- nated D. G. Shillock, of Brown county, for senator, and J. A. Kies- ter, of this county, for representative.
James L. Huntington was an independent candidate for Register of Deeds.
The general election was held on the 8th day of November. A large vote was polled. The following table gives the result of the official canvass of the votes.
199
Presid't'h Dis.Judge Electors 6th DJst.
State Senator
State Rep.
Register of Deeds
County Auditor
Clerk Dis, Court
Probate Judge
Court l'oml.
Co. Com'r 3d INst.
Names of Townships.
Whole Number Ballot- Cast.
Republican.
Democratic.
Horace Austin.
Daniel Buck.
D. J. Shillock.
George B. Kingsley.
J. A. Kiester.
R. B. Simmons.
A. Bonwell.
J. II. Huntington.
J. L. Huntington.
T S. Fellows.
Scattering.
J. K. Pratt.
C. M. Sly.
G. Ilart.
J. L. Weir.
Scattering.
G. Hart.
J. L. Welr.
Scattering.
Thomas Blair.
Scattering.
Blue Earth City
15%
134
107
44
130
132
19
129
10
10
132
20
Brush Creek.
20
17
17
17
19 |
15
2.8
1
28
2
15
17
15
17
1.
41
6
=
6
Elmore
-1 |
6
37
10
41
6
11
41
6
00
11
6
l'oster ..
21
4
19
20
3
20
3
20
00
20
3
19
3
19
19
3
Guthrie.
13
16
23
19
19
97
16
32
7
39
10
00
42
7
-1
31
12
37
12
1 35
Marples. .
49
33
1.1
18
14
31
14
14
33
1.1
00
55
8
Prescott
19
1-1
5
14
5
14
5
14
5
13
15 M
00
00
15
00
Seely ..
10
00
11
-
15
00
10
00
39
4
21
5.1
Verona. .
55
12
17
1.8
14
.16
19
21
12
21
12
17
10
3
21
10
21
10
21
10
ISI
556
177
6 175
5
Totals .
$09
612
160
516
211
6:22
169
611
1.16
533
115
130
633
149
56.1
190
5,66
66
20
21
-
10
20
Winnebago City
...
Walnut Lake.
21
12
21
12
52
22
52
22
33
21
18
51
2.1
1
49
20
3.1
28
3 32
41
LUTA. .
.12
6
12
42
53
56
8
48
8
5 4
32
11
32
11
32
14
30
-
.
12
-1
17
00
15
00
15
48
1-1
16
47
96
15
13
21
10
-
1
1
129
21
17
1
17
1
17
1
17
00
17
1
Barber ..
32
15
17
13
16
27
29
15
16
Jo Daviess
1
42
14
5
16
Pilot Grove.
11
30
6.
F. W. Cady.
20
3
5
10
42
2
HO AHOLSIN
15
17
1
28
17
199
FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
As the county returns show the results of election only as to county officers, it may be stated that Abraham Lincoln was re- elected president, Wm. Windom was re-elected member of congress, Mr. Austin was elected judge of this district and D. G. Shillock was elected senator and J. A. Kiester, representative.
GOLD AND SILVER.
Soon after the war commenced, gold and silver money began to grow scarcer and scarcer until they entirely disappeared from circu- lation. They fluctuated very greatly in value. Gold soon began to bring a premium. A dollar in gold was valued at from one dollar to as high as two and eighty . two one hundreths dollars in "greenbacks," depending on the condition mainly of public affairs and the circum- stances of the war. A rebel victory of importance sent gold up, a great union victory sent gold down. Speculation and some other causes also affected the value. Silver followed closely upon the heels of gold. During several of the last years of the war and for a number of years after, neither gold nor silver was seen. If some oue happened to have a "quarter" or a "dime" and choose to exhibit it, a crowd would soon gather around to see the curious relic. During these times, the "circulating medium" was greenbacks, national bank notes of one dollar and upwards, fractional currency of five, ten, twenty-five, fifty and seventy-five cents called "scrip." That was the "soft money" epoch, the "greenback age." "Hard money" began again to appear near the close of the seventies. First came nickel five-cent pieces, then ten cent pieces, afterwards larger silver pieces (three of which made a dollar) and then silver dollars, and about 1880 and 1881 both gold and silver money, the latter depreciated, became quite common, but greenbacks and national bank notes still formed a large part of the currency.
VARIOUS INCIDENTS.
The sixth annual fair was held at Winnebago City on the 23d and 24th days of September. It wasa decided success. The weather was fair, the attendance large, and the show of stock, grain, vegeta- bles, fruits and articles of domestic manufacture excellent.
On the 31st day of October the first sale of school lands was had in this county. The commissioner of the State land office, Hon. Chas. McIllrath, attended in person. The sale took place at Blue Earth City. Much interest was manifested in the sale, and people were in attendance from all parts of the county. There were 924 acres of land sold for the aggregate sum of $17,621.60, of which sum $14,904.91 were paid in hand, and on the balance remaining unpaid, the interest was paid for one year in advance, according to the terms of sale, amounting to $109.45, thus adding in money to the school fund of the
200
HISTORY OF
State the sum of $15.014.36. And this was the time when many of our citizens purchased their "wood lots" from which has come the fuel which has kept them warm and made the "pot boil" for many years since.
THE WAR.
On the 19th of December the president issued a call for 300,000 more volunteers to finish the war. This was the fourth call during the year and the aggregate number called for during the year was 1.500.000.
The government and the loyal people of the North had become in terrible earnest Military operations, and matters incident thereto, absorbed every other consideration in all sections of the country. The rebels were putting forth almost superhuman and in- human efforts, while in the North the cry went forth from the moun- tain and plain, from the city and the farm house, "no compromise," "down with treason," "crush the rebellion, cost what it may, in men or money!"
In military operations this year was particularly remarkable for the vast destruction of property in the South by the Union armies. This had become a necessity. Of the almost innumerable battles and important events of the year, but a few can be noted here. March 12th, Gen. U. S. Grant made commander of the U. S. armies: March 28th. battle of Cane River, La .; May 5th, the great battle or series of battles of the Wilderness began-one of the greatest exhi- bitions of military prowess known to history; May 8-10, battle of Spottsylvania; May 15th, battle of Raseca: June 1st. battle of Cold Harbor; June 19th, the rebel pirate Alabama was sunk by the Kearsage; July Ist, public debt, 81,740,000,000; July 20-22d, great battles near Atlanta, Ga .; July 30th, Chambersburg, Pa., burnt by rebels-loss $1,000,000; Aug. 5th, Admiral Farrigut takes Mobile, Ala .; Aug. 9th, Atlanta, Ga., bombarded by Gen. Sherman and fell Sept. 2d. and was burned; Sept. 19th, about this time there was great fight- ing in the Shanandoah Valley, Va .; October 19th, battle of Cedar Creek, Va .- this was a terrific fight; Nov. 14. Gen. Sherman left Atlanta on "the march to the sea"; Nov. 25th, an attempt was made to burn New York City by southern desperados, who set fire in their rooms in fifteen different hotels and other places, but the plot failed. At this time Gen. Grant, with the army of the Potomac, was operating about Richmond. Va .. the rebel capital; Dee. 15-16th. great battle of Nashville, Tenn .: Dec. 21st. Gen. Sherman captured Savan- nah, Ga. Although when the year closed the rebellion was still raging. yet the back-bone of the Confederate power was broken. Any other power on earth. after the terrible defeats suffered by the rebels in 1-63 and 1864. would have given up in despair, but the Con-
201
FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
federates were Americans. And now, as the year closed, hopes of final triumph over treason, and of peace soon to come, were cheer- ing the loyal millions. The year was indeed a mighty one in the history of the nation. Glorious in its victories in the field and forum, and at the ballot box for the Union cause, and correspond- ingly terrible to the rebels and traitors of the South, and their sym- pathizers and allies everywhere.
202
HISTORY OF
CHAPTER XI.
A. D. 1965.
"Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths; Our bruised arms hung up for monuments; Our stern alarms changed to merry meetings: Our dreadful marches to delightful measures."
We now enter upon the record of another year of general reekon - ing in this history. We have reached, so to speak, another mile- stone in the journey, the eleventh year of the county. By comparing the very full statistics of this year, with those of former years, we shall see that the county has made great progress in the past, and bids very fair for the future.
LEGISLATION.
The seventh State Legislature assembled January 3d, and ad- journed March 3d.
The members of the legislature for this district, were D. G. Shil- lock, of Brown county, senator; and J. A. Kiester, of this county, representative.
The only legislation of this year, of special interest to the peo- ple of this county, was an act fixing the time of holding the annual term of the District Court. for the first Tuesday of June, in each year, and a Memorial to Congress introduced by Mr. Kiester pray- ing the establishment of a mail route from Blue Earth City. in this county, ria. Fairmont and Jackson, to Yankton, the capital of Da- kota Territory, and an act granting swamp lands to aid the Minne- apolis and St. Cloud Railroad Company in the construction of their road. This company was authorized to build a branch road, (Act of 1856), southward from Minneapolis to the Iowa state line, which would pass through either Martin or Faribault counties. This bill was fa- vored by both of our members, as it afforded some prospect of a rail- road in one or the other of said counties. At this session Daniel S. Norton was elected United States senator, to succeed Mr. Wilkinson. Andrew C. Dunn, of this county was again chief clerk of the House of Representatives.
Considering the action of this and some other sessions of the legislature, the following statement is not much out of the way.
"A young politician" writes: "Why does a State have a legislature?" My dear boy, it doesn't. The legislature has the State, every time. Has it by the throat by a large majority. Has it by the pocketbook. Has it on its back. You bet your slippers young man, the State never has the legislature .- Burdette."
203
FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
THE COMMISSIONERS.
The honorable board of commissioners met January third. Allen Shultis, of Elmore, was chosen chairman for the year. Other meetings of the board were held March 28th, April 18th, May 26th, and June 27th. No business of historical interest was transacted at any of these meetings. So much for the commissioners during the first half of the year. It may be observed that the County Record about this time exhibits a number of long lists of bounty orders of fifty dollars and one hundred dollars issued to soldiers.
CONSCRIPTION AND EXEMPTION.
A call for 300,000 additional troops having been made in De- cember, 1864, as we have seen, and a draft having been ordered to take place on the 8th day of March of this year. to fill up the ranks of the army, considerable excitement and activity in military affairs existed throughout the county, during January and February. The quota of each town had been assigned, and to prevent drafting, large town and county bounties were offered, and recruiting agents were abroad everywhere, and men were being enlisted in large num- bers. It has often been said during the war, "well, the county can- not furnish another soldier," yet at every call, numbers were still found ready to enlist and march to the frout and fill up the ranks of the country's defenders thinned by disease and rebel bullets. In order to reduce the quotas of the several towns to a just basis, by discharging such as were not, because of ill health, or other physi- cal infirmities, qualified for military service, many of our citizens, in February, went before the enrolling board at Mankato, to be ex- amined and exempted, if so entitled. The expenses of those who were exempted, of going before this board, were paid by the sev- eral towns. And this proceeding was an entirely proper, in fact a necessary one, to determine the just quota from each town, by striking out of the estimate of the population, or basis of deter- mining the number due from the several towns, those who were really not liable to draft.
Owing to alleged corruption and other causes, all the exemp- tion certificates granted at this time, were subsequently cancelled, and so the whole proceeding went for naught.
SPRING.
Spring dawned upon the land about the middle of March, and farmers prepared for seeding, but the weather was quite unsettled. Some seeding was done the last week in March, but the greater part along the middle of April, and there was some very cold weather late in this month. In fact this spring, like many others, was one of frequent changes of cloud and sunshine, of alternating smiles and tears.
204
HISTORY OF
FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!
On Sunday, March 26th, at about eleven o'clock, a. m., the build- ing used for county offices at Blue Earth City, was discovered to be on fire. The register of deeds, Mr. Bonwell, to whom the building belonged, had left the house but a few minutes before, having first carefully closed up the stove in which was but little fire, and locked the outside door of the office. The stove pipe passed through the chamber floor and out through the roof, there being no chimney. The stove- pipe was somewhat old and much rusted. and it is quite probable that the soot in the pipe took fire, making the pipe very hot, thus setting fire to the adjoining wood work, or perhaps holes had been eaten through the pipe by rust, through which fire may have escaped. In the experience of insurance companies, such pipe arrangements have been found so dangerous. that companies have long refused to insure buildings where the pipes pass through the roof.
Albert Sortor first discovered the fire and gave the alarm. He ran to the building and bursting open the door, commenced car- rying out the books. C. Huntington, John Blocher and several others, were soon on the ground, and by their joint exertions, all the books and most of the valuable papers were saved, though some of the books were somewhat damaged.
Quite a number of papers, however, on file in the auditor's cases, and a large package of deeds and other instruments in the regis- ter's department, which had, fortunately all been recorded, but had been left in the office, were burned. It was a most fortunate escape from destruction, as nothing of great value, in either the auditor's or register's office was lost. But Mr. Bonwell, besides the loss of the building, lost also considerable personal property in the building at the time. and consumed with it.
VICTORY, VICTORY, PEACE!
About the third of April the whole country was electrified by the announcement of the glorious news that the Union arms had tri- umphed over the last strong hold of the rebellion, and peace was at hand. After four years of bloody conflict, in comparison with which. most of the wars of the earth sink into insignificance, the national flag at last waved over the rebel Capital-the head and heart of the monster rebellion. On the 9th day of April, Lee sur- rendered to Grant, at Appomattox. The full import and signifi- cance of these great events cannot be described here. No pen can do justice to the occasion, and no words could give utterance to the emotions of joy and hope and thankfulness which swelled the hearts of the loyal millions of the land, but those of the old hymns-
205
FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
the grandest of the ages, the Gloria in Excelsis and the Te Deum Laudamus.
"Glory be to God on high and on earth; Peace, good will toward men." "We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting."
ASSASSINATION, DEATH.
And now following fast upon the joyful news of final victory and peace, and while the people were giving hearty expression to their feelings, there came the appalling tidings of the assassination of President Lincoln, on the 14th day of April, by J. Wilkes Booth. The world was shocked, stood aghast, confounded at the atrocity of the deed.
In the very hour of the final triumph of that cause-the pre- servation of the Union and the life and liberties of the nation, he, the chiefest actor, the most revered and beloved, the purest, the wisest and most merciful, had fallen by the hand of the dastardly assassin.
Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, the friend of man, name blessed evermore with Washington, in the records of our race, was martyred, murdered.
"Divinely gifted man, *
* * The pillar of a peoples' hope The centre of a world's desire."
Oh, perfidy! Oh, crime! when didst thou such an other deed as this?
"This is the bloodiest shame, The wildest savag'ry, the vilest stroke That ever wall-eyed wrath, or stareing rage."
conceived, or Hell's agents executed.
The sacrifice of Lincoln was the crowning sacrifice of the war, the outgrowth, the final culmination of that demoniatic spirit of treason, which, in the graphic words of another made "the parra- cidal effort to destroy the nation's life by murder; murder on the lakes, murder and piracy on the high seas; murder and arson in cities; murder by the introduction and spreading of loathsome and contageous diseases; murder and highway robbery by guerrillas; murder and starvation of over thirty thousand defenseless prison- ers." It was indeed such a spirit and only this, that could breed such a moral monster as him who did this deed.
And that far-seeing and wise statesman, that kindly man, that incorruptable and faithful executive bore.
"-His faculties so meek hath been So clear in his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against The deep damnation of his taking off-
206
HISTORY OF
Probably no events in the world's history ever carried a great people to such heights of rejoicing and such depths of grief, almost simultaneously as those we have just related. The citizens of this county always earnest and patriotic, keenly appreciated the signiti- cance of these mighty events, and gave utterance to their thoughts and emotions in words and earnestness of manner unmistakable.
INDIAN DEPREDATIONS.
About the first of May the country was again thrown into a great state of excitement by the reports current, that the frontier settlers were in danger from prowling bands of Indians. War with the In- dians was still in progress on the plains and on the extreme western frontiers, which lasted until late in August of this year. But the principal local cause of the excitement and apprehensions, was the murder by the Indians of the Jewett family, near Garden City, in Blue Earth county, on the second day of May. The family consisted of six persons, five of whom they murder in cold blood and severely wounded one, a child. Horses were stolen at various points, and other depredations committed by these marauding red skins, but as these events did not occur in this county, we shall not enter into details; suffice it to say, that some of the murderers of the Jewett family were killed by scouts from Fort Wadsworth, and one of them, Campbell, a half-breed, a diabolical wretch, and the leader of the Jewett murderers, was taken, and was hung by order of Judge Lynch at Mankato. As a result of the excitement, the "mounted minute men" of the previous year, were again, by order of the State author- ities, called out. The company at Blue Earth City was reorganized under Lieut. Foster, and the one at Winnebago City and others along the Blue Earth river and at other points on the frontier reorganized. but did not long remain in service. for very soon a line of military posts was established and kept up, from Alexander on the Red river of the North, to Spirit Lake on the Iowa boundary.
About the time of these depredations, a novel idea was con- ceived by certain persons on the frontier for the protection of the border, and the hunting down of these skulking Indian marauders. The expedient adopted in many of the slave states for the recovery of runaway slaves by putting bloodhounds upon their track to hunt them down in the cane breakes, swamps and jungles of the south, recommended itself as a feasible method of pursuing these Indians in their devious ways. Several persons were sent to the southern states for the purpose of procuring hounds, and they re- turned with quite a number, which were parcelled out to several frontier counties, and were paid for by those counties. The hounds were to be kept at certain points, and be used when occasion re- quired. This county did not enter into the "bloodhound scheme"
207
FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
as it did not appear to be of any practical utility. The whole project finally proved useless. And now the writer is happy to say that the above is the last notice of the Indians it will be neces- sary to take in the course of this history, for the above incident was the last one in the history of our relations to the red men, our predecessors on this soil. The Indian Reservations in Blue Earth county and on the Upper Minnesota, had now been broken up for several years and ere this year closed. the Indians were driven far from this immediate country, to return as hostiles, no more forever, and
"Of their mortal weal or woe, No trace is left to-day, For like the foam upon the wave They all have passed away."
A GRAND REVIEW.
On the 23d and 24th days of May of this year, there occurred the grandest military review the world ever saw. On those days- the victory won, the war ended-the victorious eastern and western armies of the republic made their triumphal entry into Washington, the capital of the nation. On those great days these battle-scarred legions of the Union, the heroes of many bloody conflicts with trea- sou, travel worn, covered with sweat and dust, but proud and vic- torious, marched in review for the last time, and through the broad streets of the capital city of that nation which had been redeemed, protected and made one forever. No such pageant as this was ever seen before. History tells, indeed, of the grand triumphal displays accorded to Roman conquerors in the days of old, but they bear no comparison with this, they were but the rewards of conquests and robbery and the soldiery were in the main.
But ambition's tools, to cut a way, To her unlawful ends."
But here, on those days, marched in the serried ranks, thousands and tens of thousands of the intelligent volunteer soldiers of the re- public, not with the spoils of conquest and arms befouled with rapine and plunder, but bearing the honors of freemen-of citizen heroes, who fought for constitutional liberty, for the maintenance of the Union, the supremacy of law, that the grandest, freest nation of all time-the last hope of the world might continue to live. And in those gallant companies and regiments and battalions there marched many of our own citizens, men of Faribault county, proud as the proudest, brave as the bravest, following their tattered battle flags, the relics of many a bloody day.
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