While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
Escape Of Rev. Mr. Riggs And Dr. Williamson. Chaska, Paul
And Enos, Faithful Indians Aiding Riggs And Dr. Williamson In Their Escape.
Arrival At Birch Cooley.Burning Women Alive.Excitement Of The People. Attack On
New Ulm. Boardman And Judge Flanderan Defend New Ulm. Attack On Fort Ridgely.
Defended By Sergeant Jones. Indians Dispersed By Shells. Terrible Thunder Storm.
Little Crow Renewing The Attack. Slaughtering Of Men, Women And Children. Little
Crow Reenforced, Making The Second Attack. Evacuation Of New Ulm.
The couriers which Little Crow had
dispatched to the various bands, had but to
tell their story, and the savages were ready
for action. At the Upper Agency, .on the
Yellow Medicine, there was some hesitation
at first, whether they should kill the
whites or send them away and seize their
property. In the council that immediately
assembled, "Other Day," a civilized Indian,
opposed all violence, and told them they
were bringing ruin on the whole tribe. But
when the news of Marsh s overthrow was
received, all debate ended, and the war cry
sounded. Other Day, seeing that the storm
would soon burst on the Agency, secretly
informed the whites, who were in pro found
ignorance of what occurred, and assembling
them, sixty-two in all, crossed the river,
and conducted them in safety to the
settlements. But for his bravery and
devotion they would have shared the fate of
the inhabitants of the Lower Agency. On the
same night some Indians brought the news to
the missionary and school station of Rev.
Mr. Riggs and Dr. Williamson, six miles
above the Agency.
Although Little Crow in his message had
urged the chiefs to massacre the whites,
they hesitated at first what course to take.
Like those at the Yellow Medicine, they were
more Christianized than the great majority
of the tribe. Many of them were members of
the church, and all had been treated with
uniform kindness by the missionaries. In
sickness they had been attended by them, and
when in want had been fed and clothed. The
missionary houses were to them like taverns,
where they came and went as they wished, and
were never turned away empty. Hence, they
and their families, in total ignorance pf
what was going on, went about their usual
avocations in perfect security. On Sunday,
when the massacre had commenced, they had
religious services as usual, and it being
the regular communion Sabbath, the Lord s
supper was administered to the Indians who
composed the church. Though the missionaries
knew nothing of what was on foot, they
noticed that the Indians acted strangely.
Their usual meek and quiet demeanor was
wanting, and a certain brusqueness and
defiant manner was observed. Still, nothing
serious was apprehended. But after service,
an old squaw strode roughly in Mr. Riggs
house, and demanded payment for the injury
one of his hogs had done her potato patch.
When asked what she wanted, she replied a
calf. It being refused her, she went away,
muttering that she would have it any way
before long. Soon after, some Indians
quietly walked in Dr. Williamson's barn, and
led out two of his horses; and when the Dr.
called after them, they only laughed and
galloped off. Two others, following their
example, were about to take away those that
remained, when he stepped up to them and
demanded what they want by treating him in
this manner, asking if ho had not always
been kind to them, giving them clothes when
they needed them, and feeding them whenever
they came to him hungry. They said yes, and
that they did not wish to harm him, but the
horses would soon be taken, and they might
as well have them as any body else. All this
looked very strange; still the missionaries
thought it was only a passing mood of some
discontented individuals, and retired to
rest with a feeling of entire security. The
next morning, while the flames were wrapping
the dwellings of the Lower Agency, and the
inhabitants were falling or flying before
the yelling, infuriated savages; the various
members of their families went about their
ordinary avocations. Some went into the
hay-field, some into the woods hunting,
others fishing, and some of the ladies went
out to sketch. In the mean time, those who
remained at home began to feel the greatest
alarm. Some friendly Indians had told them
of fearful rumors of the rising of the
Indians down the river, and that the work of
destruction had already commenced. The
farmer Indians, instead of being at work,
gathered in groups around the missionary
house, and talked over the flying reports
that kept reaching them. When the family
assembled again that evening, the news of
the day was eagerly discussed, and they were
forced to admit that imminent danger
threatened them. None felt like retiring,
and the next tidings from below were
anxiously waited for. Some of the Indians
watched with them, declaring, come what
would, they would stand by them to the last.
Of these, however, Chaska, Paul, Ma-za-ku-ta-ma-ni
and Enos, alone remained faithful. Towards
morning, a messenger arrived, announcing
that the massacre had actually commenced,
and that the tide of destruction was rapidly
sweeping towards them. The greatest alarm
now prevailed, and some proposed immediate
flight to the fort. Others, however, thought
it was a mere "scare," such as had occurred
a year before when a warehouse was broken
open by the Indians; and said it would blow
over in a few hours. It did not seem
possible that the Indians would dare to come
into serious collision with the whites. But
with daylight, evidences of hostile feelings
multiplied; the Indians grew bolder; some of
the squaws began to roam over the house, and
seize such articles as they fancied, paying
no heed to the questions asked them, what it
all meant. At length they brought out the
sugar barrel, and after helping themselves
to what they wanted, distributed the rest to
those around. Others, catching the
contagion, pulled off the feather beds and
ripping them open, scattered the feathers on
the floor and ground, and sticking their
heads through the ticking, walked away with
them, laughing insolently at the
wonder-stricken whites.
It was now plainly time to leave, for there
was no mistaking these hostile signs.
Mischief was afoot, and there was no telling
how soon the storm might burst upon them. A
wagon of hay was standing by the barn, and
quickly unloading this, they got in, and
guided by Chaska, were driven to a ford of
the river but little known. Dr. Williamson,
however, with his wife and sister,
determined to stay behind a little longer.
In the mean time, Mr. Riggs had also taken
the alarm, and with his party had crossed
the river, and lay concealed in a thicket
about a mile distant. The Indians had
discovered their flight, and taken their
wagon away from them, compelling them to
travel on foot. These, after much search
wore discovered, and the two parties
joining, commenced their sad march over the
prairie. The nearest place, which could
afford them protection, was Fort Ridgely,
and thither they directed their steps. But
fearful of meeting warlike Indians on the
main route, they turned off, and wandered
hither and thither, keeping only the main
direction. Dr. Williamson, with his wife and
sister, soon became convinced that it would
be certain death to remain longer, and
taking an ox-cart, followed after. Two
friendly Indians, Lorenzo and Chaska,
accompanied them, driving the team, and
telling all whom they met, and who inquired
what was in the cart, that they were
carrying away their own goods. On one
occasion a war party met them, and being
suspicious that they had something besides
goods under the buffalo robe with which they
had covered the three fugitives, advanced as
if to lift it, when Lorenzo stepped in
between, and bringing his gun to his side,
declared that he would shoot the first man
that touched the covering. The Indians, not
liking an encounter with him, left, and soon
after struck the trail of the first party.
Supposing that all had fled together, they
exclaimed, "Ah! the tracks of Dr. Williamson
and Mr. Riggs! they can't be far off; we
will catch and kill them." Wheeling, they
dashed off on the open trail, and it Deemed
for a moment that the fate of these
missionaries was sealed. But just then a
heavy thunderstorm broke along the river,
and the rain came down in torrents,
completely washing out all traces of their
march. Thinking that better plunder was
behind, which could be secured with less
trouble than to follow the blind trail of
the poor missionaries, the Indians turned
back towards the Big Woods. Coming upon a
farmhouse in which were two men, they
entered it and killed one and sent a bullet
through the thigh of the other. The wounded
man immediately made for the window, but as
he was in the act of jumping out, they
stabbed him in the back with a butcher
knife. He, however, succeeded in reaching
the ground, and made off with the energy of
despair. The Indians chased him till
exhausted with the loss of blood, he fell.
Supposing he was dead, they turned back for
the plunder. The wounded man, finding
himself no longer pursued, got up and
limping forward, succeeded in reaching the
party which the Indians had left pursuing
but a little while before. His wounds were
at once bound up, and he was laid in the
wagon and covered with a shawl. All that
night, a cold, drizzling rain soaked the
suffering women and children, yet they did
not permit a complaint to escape them. The
next day they resumed their desolate
journey, and when night again came on, the
only provisions they had left, was a small
piece of raw pork. Again the pitiless rain
came down, and these women and children, who
all their lives had been accustomed to the
comforts of civilization, lay the whole
night on the wet, dark prairie, watching for
the day, which they still dreaded to see.
The next morning they started off, and
seeing a thicket in the distance, made
towards it through the wet and mud, in the
hopes that they could there find some sticks
with which to cook a breakfast, for they
were now entirely out of provisions, except
they killed one of the cattle they took the
precaution to bring- with them. But they
soon discovered that several marshy creeks
lay between them and it, over one of which
they had to draw the wagon and cart by hand,
after making a sort of bridge by bending
down the reeds and grass. There were only
six men in the whole party of forty, and
they had to carry over the women and
children as they best could. But alas, as
they approached the thicket, they found that
a marsh three miles wide lay between them
and it. The prospect of a breakfast looked
dim enough, but some of the women joined the
men, and passing for the whole three, miles
over the springy, and at times almost
floating sod, brought back on their
shoulders, sufficient wood to build a fire.
They then killed a calf, and roasting some
of the meat, assuaged the pangs of hunger.
It was three o'clock in the after-noon,
however; before this hard-earned breakfast
was ready to be eaten.
The next day, Friday, about noon, they
reached a spot known as Birch Cooley, about
twenty miles from Fort Ridgely. Here, Dr.
Williamson, with his wife and sister, in the
ox-cart, overtook them. Here, too, they came
on the track of the destroyer. Beside the
fence near them, lay a mother and three
children, dead, their bodies gashed and
mutilated by the tomahawk. A little further
on, stood a solitary house in which a sick
woman lay when the tidings came that the
Indians were approaching. Unable to leave
her bed, her two sons took up the straw
mattress on which she lay, and putting it
into a wagon, drove of as fast as they
could, but all too slowly for their
pursuers. The shouts and yells of the
Indians were borne to the ears of those two
sons, and though escape was hopeless, they
refused to leave their sick mother. The
Indians dashing up, murdered them both, and
then pulling the mattress on to the ground,
piled some brush around it, and setting it
on fire, burned the poor woman alive.
Never were a people so suddenly awakened
from a dream of security, and plunged into
such hopeless terror, as the inhabitants
along the Minnesota, and throughout the
adjoining country, during the three or four
days after the massacre at the Lower Agency.
Down towards New Ulm, a large village of
1,500 inhabitants, situated only about
thirty miles above St. Peters, and towards
Fort Ridgely, the Indians streamed in
crowds. When the news reached St. Peters,
the alarm bells were rung, and the people
assembled in the most intense excitement to
consult on what course to pursue.
In the mean time, Little Crow, the next
morning after the destruction of the Lower
Agency, assembled three hundred warriors in
the neighborhood of Fort Ridgely,
preparatory to an attack upon it. Had he
advanced at
once, it must have fallen, for it had a
garrison of only thirty men, and was totally
unprepared for a sudden assault. But that
night, Galbraith, with a company of men from
St. Peter's, and Lieut. Shehan, with a squad
who had been turned back on their way to
Fort Ripley, succeeded in getting into the
fort, thus giving it a sufficient force to
offer a stout resistance.
About one hundred warriors only stayed with
Little Crow, near the fort, while the others
roamed over the country, plundering and
slaying. About four hundred gathered around
New Ulm, and began to burn the buildings in
the suburbs, and sent their shots into the
streets of the place, killing several of the
citizens. The utmost consternation
prevailed, for the place was full of women
and children, nearly five hundred fugitives
having arrived from the surrounding country.
The utter want of organization and proper
leadership, showed, that at the first bold
dash, that crowded population would be at
the mercy of the savages. The sun was
stooping to the western horizon, and when
darkness should envelope the town, its
terrible doom would be sealed. But at this
critical moment, a Mr. Boardman from St.
Peters, broke on a wild gallop into the
place with fifteen mounted men. Moving
instantly outside of the mere apology for a
barricade, which the terrified inhabitants
had thrown up, they boldly attacked the
Indians, and by their steady and deliberate
firing, at dark drove them back, and saved
the town. About nine o clock, Judge
Flandrean, from St. Peter s, arrived with a
hundred more men, and the people took
courage. The savages, baffled here, went to
rein force Little Crow, who now thinking
himself strong enough, boldly attacked Fort
Ridgely. The shouting, yelling, painted
horde, swarmed like demons around it, and
would doubtless have swept over its frail
defenses with a bound had it not been for
two howitzers, commanded by Sergeant Jones.
As the -shells of these began to burst among
them, they grew cautious, for they had the
terror common to all savages, of the big
guns. But from behind bushes and trees, and
log-houses in the vicinity, they kept up a
perfect hailstorm of bullets, at those
working the guns, which steadily thinned the
garrison. At length, heaven seemed to
interfere in their behalf, for a heavy
August thunderstorm arose, and broke with
terrible fury over the fort. The successive
peals crashed louder than the cannon, while
the rain came down in a perfect deluge. The
savages, alarmed for their ammunition,
wrapped their blankets around their guns,
and uttering yells of rage, scampered off
for the shelter of the woods. This was the
same storm that saved Mr. Riggs and Dr.
Williamson. This respite gave the garrison
time to get the women and children more
thoroughly protected, and to throw up
stronger barricades. The next day, Little
Crow renewed the attack, but with diminished
numbers, as many had gone away on the
pleasanter and safer business of plundering
and massacring helpless women and children,
and ravishing such as suited their lusts.
They scattered up and down the Minnesota for
a hundred miles, committing every act of
fiendish atrocity, which their diabolical
natures were capable of conceiving. The
family at Red Wood, hearing that the Indians
were coming that way, fled in two wagons,
taking different directions. The Indians,
meeting one party, killed them all, and
leaving them dead in the road, drove back to
the house. Finding it deserted, they applied
the torch to it, and started off after the
party in the other wagon, which consisted of
three girls and a hired man. Overtaking
them, they butchered the man and one of the
girls, and struck a knife into the breast of
another. They then drew lots how many should
have each of the girls. The wounded one died
from the alternate abuse of sixteen. Seven
little children, huddled together in one
bed, were all ruthlessly murdered. Not
content with killing, they horribly
mutilated the bodies. They cut off one
farmer s head after they had killed him, and
laid it on a table, and bracing open the
mouth, filled it with milk. They shut up
another dead body with a hog, which devoured
all but the bones.
On Thursday night, after the second attack
on Fort Ridgely, Crow returned to the
Agency, where he found arrived a large body
of Indians from up the river, who had
answered his summons. Strengthened with
these, four hundred and fifty in all, he set
out next morning to renew his attack on the
fort. But this time the garrison was
prepared for them. The savages commenced the
attack with great fury, and kept to their
work with unflinching tenacity. Half the
resolution two days before would have
captured it. They fired all the buildings
around it, shot fire-arrows on to the roofs
of the buildings within, climbed up the
walls, poured in their destructive volleys
wherever a head appeared, but all in vain.
But since Monday the garrison had had no
communication with the outside world. They
were getting worn out, and it began to be a
serious question how long they could stand
this siege.
The utmost anxiety was felt all over the
country for their safety, and every day the
people of the state expected to hear of its
overthrow, and the massacre of all within.
But discouraged by the failure of his
prolonged and desperate attack on Friday, in
which he had lost many warriors, and
narrowly escaped death himself, Crow drew
off his bands towards New Ulm, thinking it
would be an easier prize. Since the arrival
of Flandrean, the Indians had left this
place unmolested.
This sudden abandonment of Fort Ridgely, was
most providential for Rev. Mr. Riggs and Dr.
Williamson, and their party of forty from
above the Yellow Medicine. Pushing out from
Birch Cooley, they had on Friday night
arrived near the fort, wholly unconscious of
the siege, and rejoicing that their dangers
and toils were almost over. Just after dark,
they saw a rocket go up from the fort, and
ignorant that it was a signal of distress to
any force that might be approaching, they
rejoiced in the fond belief that it was to
light them in. One of the party crept on his
hands and knees, through the line of fire,
into the fort. The commander of the
garrison, surprised to see him, told him to
hurry back, and tell the rest not to attempt
to enter the fort, for it would be certain
death. Their hearts sunk in despair at the
message, and rather than turn away to the
open prairie again, filled with Indians,
they at first resolved to make the attempt
to get in. But at last they gave it up, and
moved sadly off into the night, feeling that
a horrible death menaced them at every step.
Behind them the sky was red with the burning
buildings around the fort, and they pushed
on into the gloom, not knowing what was
before them. Reaching a creek, a prolonged
scream in the bushes, sent the blood
curdling back to every heart. However, there
was no other course left them but to keep
moving forward, for worse evils were behind
them. Crossing the creek, they went on a
little way, when the exhausted teams gave
out entirely. Their journey had come to an
end for the present, and placing a guard
they sank down in the wet grass and slept.
At daybreak they started on, and though the
appearance of two Indians, who narrowly
watched them, showed that they had been
discovered, the sudden departure of the main
body for New Ulm, prevented pursuit. The
vast booty at that place was a more tempting
prize than the little they carried.
Early that morning the people of New Ulm saw
huge columns of smoke ascending along the
banks of the river.
One after another they shot up into the air,
each one nearer the town than the other,
showing that the Indians were approaching,
burning the farmhouses and barns as they
came on. Judge Flandrean, thinking he could
fight them to more advantage on the open
prairie, led his two hundred and fifty men
out and awaited the attack. About ten o
clock, the savages, several hundred strong,
appeared in view, moving slowly over the
plain, and well packed together. When they
came within a mile, they began to spread out
swiftly, and increasing their speed as they
advanced, at length gave a wild yell, and
came down like a whirlwind. The assault, so
sudden and bold, and ac companied with such
unearthly yells, unnerved the raw volunteers
at first, and they fell rapidly back beyond
the outer houses of the town. They, however,
soon rallied, but they had given a great
advantage to the Indians, in leaving behind,
the houses as a cover to their approach. It
now became a regular Indian fight, and those
western men having got their mettle fairly
roused, effectually resisted every attempt
of the savages to get into the town. The
battle raged for several hours, without any
decisive result, when the Indians made a
desperate charge. The whites received them
with a cheer, and charging in turn, drove
them helter skelter to cover. The fighting,
how ever, was kept up till dark, when the
savages withdrew. The next morning they
renewed the attack, but not with the same
determination as before, and at noon
abandoned it altogether.
While these struggles with large bodies of
the enemy were going on, detached parties
and single Indians were roaming through the
settlements, murdering men, women and
children, and committing atrocities of the
most diabolical kind. Pregnant women were
violated again and again, and even little
girls abused till they lay lifeless on the
earth. One young woman was ravished by
sixteen. In succession, who then sharpened a
stake and drove it into her body, leaving
her to die in the most horrible agony.
Multitudes were taken prisoners and hurried
away into captivity.
Though New Ulm at present was saved, the
people did not know how soon the Indians
might return, and being nearly out of
ammunition, and the dead carcasses around,
under the hot August sun, filling the air
with disease, it was thought best to abandon
the place; and the two thou sand inhabitants
left in a body, and with a train of a
hundred and fifteen wagons, safely reached
Mankato.
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includes some historical materials that may imply negative stereotypes
reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. These
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Indian Races of North and South America, By Charles De Wolf Brownell, 1865
