The History of Minnesota and Tales of the FrontierFlandrau, Charles E. (Charles Eugene)
History
The History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier
Flandrau, Charles E. (Charles Eugene)
Frontier and pioneer life -- Minnesota; Minnesota -- History
On Thursday, the 21st, two further attacks were made on the fort, one in
the morning and one in the afternoon, but with a reduced force, less
earnestness, and little damage. On Friday, the 22d, the savages seemed
determined to carry the fort. About eight hundred or more, under the
leadership of Little Crow, came down from the agency. Concentrating
themselves in the ravines which lay on several sides of the fort, they
made a feint, by sending about twenty warriors out on the prairie for
the purpose of drawing out the garrison from the fort, and cutting them
off. Such a movement, if successful, would have been fatal to the
defenders; but fortunately there were men among them of much experience
in Indian warfare, who saw through the scheme, and prevented the success
of the maneuver. Then followed a shower of bullets on the fort from all
directions. The attack was continued for nearly five hours. It was
bitterly fought, and courageously and intelligently resisted. Sergeant
Jones and other artillerists handled the guns with effective skill,
exploding shells in the outlying buildings, and burning them over the
heads of the Indians, while the enemy endeavored to burn the wooden
buildings composing the fort, by shooting fire arrows on their roofs.
One of the most exposed and dangerous duties to be performed was
covering the wooden roofs with earth to prevent fire. One white man was
killed and seven wounded in this engagement. Lieutenant Sheehan, who
commanded the post through all these trying occurrences, Lieutenant
Gorman, of the Renville Rangers, Lieutenant Whipple, and Sergeants Jones
and McGrew, all did their duty in a manner becoming veterans, and the
men seconded their efforts handsomely. The Indians, after this effort,
being convinced that they could not take the fort, and anticipating the
coming of reinforcements, withdrew, and, concentrating all their
available forces, descended upon New Ulm the next morning, August 23d,
for a final struggle. In the official history (written for the state)
of this battle at Fort Ridgely, I place the force of the Indians as 450,
but have learned since from reliable sources that it was as above
stated.
BATTLE OF NEW ULM.
We left New Ulm, after the arrival of the various companies which I have
named on the 21st of August, strengthening its barricades and awaiting
events. I had placed a good glass on the top of one of the stone
buildings within the barricades for the purpose of observation, and
always kept a sentinel there to report any movement he should discover
in any direction throughout the surrounding country. We had heard
distinctly the cannonading at the fort for the past two days, but knew
nothing of the result of the fight at that point. I was perfectly
familiar, as were many of my command, with the country between New Ulm
and the fort, on both sides of the river, knowing the house of every
settler on the roads.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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