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977.6 

N31c 

1727559 


REYNOLDS   HISTORICAL 
GENEALOGY  COLLECTION 


6- 


ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


3  1833  01053  2197 


CONCISE  HISTORY 


OF  THE 


STATE  OE  MINNESOTA 


BY 


EDWARD  D.  NEILL. 


MINNEAPOLIS,  MINN. 

S.  M.  WILLIAMS,  Publishes. 

1887. 


f 


7 


1727559 


-rn 


PHINTINO,  MOUSE 

HARRISON    &    SMITH. 

167  and  230  fiust  avenue  south 

Minneapolis,  minn. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Allen  County  Public  Library  Genealogy  Center 


http://www.archive.org/details/concisehistoryofOOneil 


PREFACE 


The  Greek  philosopher  Aristotle,  thought  that  the  commence- 
ment of  a  people  was  "more  than  half  of  the  whole."  In  all  ages 
men  have  looked  back  with  interest  to  the  origin  of  the  particular 
community  in  which  they  lived,  and  loved  to  compare  the  then 
with  the  now;  the  struggles  of  the  past  with  present  attainment. 
To  meet  a  desire  for  a  concise  history  of  Minnesota  the  author  has 
prepared  the  present  volume.  For  some  time,  the  fifth  edition  of  a 
large,  and  to  some  extent  documentary  History  of  Minnesota,  con- 
taining nearly  a  thousand  pages  has  been  exhausted.  It  was  pre- 
pared as  a  work  of  reference  suitable  for  large  libraries,  and  will 
always  be  of  some  service.  The  present  history,  it  is  thought,  may 
be  adapted  to  the  frontiersman's  cabin,  the  farmer's  fireside,  and 
to  the  large  number  of  intelligent  youth,  natives  of  Minnesota,  who 
can  appreciate  the  remark  of  the  Roman  orator  "that  to  be  ignorant 
of  what  has  happened  before  you  were  born,  will  always  keep  you 
a  child." 

For  valuable  assistance  rendered,  acknowledgments  are  due  to 
N.  H.  Winched,  State  Geologist  of  Minnesota:  H.  D.  Har rower: 
IvLson,  Blakeman,  Taylor  £  Company,  Xew  York  City;  and  Gen. 
H.  H.  Sibley,  the  commander  of  the  expedition,  which  released  the 
white  captives  among  the  Sioux. 

St.  Paul,  February,  1887. 


CONCISE  HISTORY  OF  MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER   FIRST. 

FRENCH  EXPLORERS  AND  FUR  TRADERS. 

Stephen  Brule,  (Broolay)  employed  by  Champlain  to 
collect  peltries  for  the  fur  company  of  whichhe  was  the 
head,  after  a  three  years'  absence,  among  the  Indian 
tribes,  bordering  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Huron,  in  the  year 
161S,  returned  to  Quebec  with  a  lump  of  copper,  and 
mentioned  that  he  ha  1  heard,  from  the  Indians,  of  an 
upper  lake  connected  with,  but  superior  to  Lake  Huron, 
which  was  so  long  that  it  required  nine  days  for  an 
Indian  to  pass,  in  a  canoe,  from  one  end  to  the  other. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1634,  Jean  Nicolet,  the  son  of 
poor  parents  at  Cherbourg,  France,  who  had  been  in  the 
service  of  the  same  fur  company  as  Brule,  left  Three 
Rivers,  a  trading  post  on  the  Saint  Lawrence  River 
ninety  miles  from  Quebec,  for  the  distant  West,  and 
was  the  first  white  man  to  reach  the  Green  Bay  of  Lake 
Michigan. 

It  was  not  however,  until  the  winter  of  1659-60,  that 
white  men  entered  the  region,  within  the  present  bound- 
aries of  the  State  of  Minnesota.  Medard  Chouart,  born 
near  Means,  France,  known  in  history  as  Sieur  des 
Grose  ill  h-r.-s  ( Grozayyay)  and  his  brother-in-law. 
Pierre  d'Esprit,  the  Sieur  Radisson,  a  native 
of  St.  Mulo.  were  the  first  Europeans  to  describe 
the     Mississippi     as     a     "deep,     wide     and    beautiful 


0  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

river  comparable  in  its  grandeur  to  the  Saint 
Lawrence,"  explore  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior, 
and  visit  the  Dakotahs  of  Minnesota,  known  among  the 
Algonquin  tribes,  because  of  their  hostility,  as  the 
Nadouessiouk,  and  for  brevity,  called  by  the  traders, 
Siou,  or  Sioux. 

After  passing  Sault  St.  Marie  at  the  entrance  of  Lake 
Superior,  they  paddled  their  canoes  towards  a  small 
stream  called  Pawabick  Konesibis,1  the  Ojibway  word 
for  Iron  River,  on  modern  maps  called  Little  Iron 
River,  and  from  thence  pushed  on  to  the  Picture  Rocks, 
called  by  the  Algonquin  Indians,  Xamitouck  Sinagoit, 
and  were  the  first  white  men  to  enter  the  Grand  Portal, 
an  arched  cave,  which  Radisson  described  in  these 
words:  "  It  is  like  a  great  portal,  by  reason  of  the  beat- 
ing of  the  waves.  The  lower  part  of  the  opeuing  is  as  a 
tower,  and  grows  bigger,  in   the  going  up, 

1  gave  it  the  name  of  the  portal  of  Saint  Peter,  because 
my  name  is  so  called,  and  that  I  was  the  first  Christian 
who  ever  saw  it." 

After  an  encampment  of  three  days,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Huron  Paver,  they  journeyed  to  Portage  Piiver  on 
the  west  shore  of  Keweenaw  Bay,  where  they  heard  of 
rich  copper  deposits.  Carrying  the  canoes  across  the 
peninsula  they  were  launched,  and  at  length  they  came 
to  Montreal  Paver,  and  in  a  half  day  from  this  stream 
saw  a  long  point  jutting  into  Lake  Superior  for  two 
leagues,  but  only  sixty  paces  in  width.  Crossing  this 
narrow  neck  of  land  they  found  themselves  in  a  beauti- 
ful bay,  and  going  to  the  bottom  of  it  near  a  brook,  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  modern  town  of  Ashland,  erected  a 
rude  trading  post  made  of  logs,  triangular  in  shape,  with 

1  Baraga,  in  his  Ojibway  Dictionary,  gives  "Biwabikosibi"  as  tb<?  name  for 
Irou  Liiver. 


FIRST    EXPLORERS.  7 

> 

tbe  door  facing  the  bay.  The  Indians  who  had  accom- 
panied them  to  this  point  were  Hurons,  some  of  which 
tribe  fleeing  from  the  Iroquois,  lived  for  a  time  upon  an 
island  in  the  Mississippi  River  above  Lake  Pepin,  about 
three  leagues  below  the  town  of  Hastings,  but  owing  to 
a  quarrel  with  the  Sioux  had  retired  to  one  of  the  lakes 
toward  the  sources  of  the  Chippewa,  and  Black  River,  in 
Wisconsin. 

After  they  had  been  about  two  weeks  at  Chagouamigon 
Bay,  the  Hurons,  who  had  been  informed  of  their  arrival, 
sent  a  deputation  to  invite  them  to  visit  them  on  the 
banks  of  an  inland  lake,  eight  leagues  in  circumference 
and  four  days'  journey  from  the  Bay.  Here  the  winter 
of  1659-GO  was  passed  in  hunting. 

Early  in  1660,  before  the  snow  had  melted,  eight  dele- 
gates from  the  Sioux  visited  the  Frenchmen  among 
the  Hurons  in  Wisconsin.  Each  of  the  deputation  had 
two  wives.  They  approached  the  white  men  with  great 
deference,  and  first  greased  their  feet  and  legs  and  then 
stripped  them  of  their  clothes,  and  covered  them  with 
hides  of  buffalo  ami  white  beaver  skins.  After  this  they 
wept  over  their  heads  and  then  offered  them  the  calu- 
met or  pipe  of  peace,  made  of  the  red  pipestone,  the 
stem  of  which,  about  five  feet  in  length,  was  adorned 
with  eagle's  tail,  painted  with  several  colors.  For  eight 
days,  feasts  and  councils  were  held,  at  which  the  Sioux 
expressed  their  friendship  and  desire  to  have  thunder, 
as  they  called  a  gun. 

Afterwards  the  Frenchmen  visited  a  large  hunting 
village  of  the  Tatanga  Sioux,  whose  wigwams  were  of 
skins  and  mats,  and  remained  with  them  six  weeks. 
This  baud  were  called  Tatanga,  the  Sioux  word  Eur 
buffalo,  because  they  came  from  their  winter  cabins,  in 


8  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

the  northern  forests,  to  hunt  this  animal  on  the  praries. 
It  is  noteworthy  that  Tatanga  is  one  of  the  first  Sioux 
words  mentioned  by  any  Frenchman. 

Radisson,  in  his  Journal,  describes  the  Mississippi 
as  having  two  forks,  one  running  toward  the  south  and 
the  other  westward.  The  tributary  known  as  the  Min- 
nesota River  runs  southward  as  far  as  Mankato.  Upon 
one  of  the  earliest  maps  of  the  upper  Mississippi  River 
the  Minnesota  is  called  the  River  of  Maskoutens 
(Prairie)  Xadouessioux,  and,  perhaps,  in  the  valley  of 
this  stream,  the  Frenchmen  first  visited  the  Sioux. 

Returning  to  Chagouamigon  Bay,  they  coasted  from 
island  to  island  on  the  north  shore,  and  learned  of  rivers 
that  flowed  into  Hudson's  Bay.  For  a  long  period  Pigeon 
River,  part  of  the  boundary  between  the  United  States 
and  British  Possessions,  was  called  Groseilliers. 

xVfter  the  middle  of  August,  1GG0,  after  a  voyage  of 
twenty-six  days,  Groseilliers  and  Radisson  arrived  at 
Montreal,  from  Lake  Superior,  with  three  hundred 
Indians,  and  a  flotilla  of  sixty  canoes  laden  with  "a 
wealth  of  skins,"  valued  at  200,000  livres,  French  cur- 
rency. 

Before  the  month  had  closed,  the  Frenchmen  were  on 
their  return,  with  six  others,  also  the  Jesuit  Father, 
Menard,  and  his  servant  Jean  Guerin,  a  lay  brother. 
On  the  15th  of  October,  Saint  Theresa"s  day,  of  the  cal- 
endar of  the  Church  of  Rome,  the  party  reached  Ke- 
weenaw Bay,  and  here,  Menard  stopped,  began  a  mission, 
and  passed  the  winter.  On  the  loth  of  June,  1661,  he 
and  Guerin  left  Keweenaw  to  visit  the  Hurons,  toward 
the  sources  of  Black  River,  accompanied  by  a  few  Indian 
guides  who  soon  deserted.  The  route  was  circuitous, 
by   way  of  streams  tributary   to    Lake  Michigan,   and 


COrPER-  DISCOVERED.  9 

down  the  "Wisconsin  to  the  Mississippi  river.  Ascend- 
ing this,  to  one  of  the  mouths  of  the  Black  river  they 
slowly  moved  up  this,  until  they  came  to  rapids, 
seven  weeks  from  the  time  they  left  Lake  Superior. 
While  Guerin  was  making  a  portage  with  the  canoe, 
Menard  disappeared,  and  it  was  supposed  that  he  had 
been  killed  by  some  skulking  savage.  South  of  the 
Montreal  river,  of  Lake  Superior,  upon  an  old  map,1  one 
of  the  earliest  to  show  the  valley  of  the  upper  Missis- 
sippi, a  point  near  one  of  the  branches  o£  a  river  flowing 
into  the  Mississippi,  is  marked  as  the  place  where 
Menard  died. 

After  the  explorations,  Groseilliers  again  visited 
Canada  and  in  May,  1662,  left  Quebec  to  go  by  way  of 
Lake  Superior  to  Hudson's  Bay,  and  on  the  25th  of  July, 
1663,  he  and  all  the  Frenchmen  who  had  been  with  him, 
with  thirty-five  canoes,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians 
arrived  at  Montreal. 

The  Canadian  authorities  displeased  because  the 
Indian  guides  had  forsaken  the  missionary  Menard, 
imprisoned  and  ironed  one  of  the  chiefs.  The  Indians, 
by  large  presents,  secured  his  release,  and  immediately 
returned  to  their  own  country. 

The  information  relative  to  the  region  west,  and  north 
of  Lake  Superior,  given  by  Groseilliers  and  Badisson, 
was  valued  by  the  fur  merchants  at  Quebec  and  Mon- 
treal, and  excited  the  attention  of  the  French  Governor. 
Pierre  Boucher,  an  intelligent  citizen  of  Canada, while  on 
a  visit,  published  in  1664,  a  little  treatise,  in  Paris,  in 
which  he  writes:  "In  Lake  Superior,  there  is  a  great 
island,  fifty  or  one  hundred  leagues  in  circumference,  in 
which  there  is  a  very  beautiful  mine  of  copper.     There 

1.    Vol.  IV.,  i».  206,  Nar.  and  Crit.  Hist,  of  America. 


10  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

are  other  places,  in  those  quarters,  where  there  are  sim- 
ilar mines,  so  I  learned  from  four  or  five  Frenchmen 
lately  returned.  *  *  *  They  told  me  that  they  had 
seen  an  ingot  of  copper  all  refined,  which  was  on  the 
shore,  and  weighed  more  than  eight  hundred  pounds 
according  to  their  estimate,  and  said  that  the  savages  on 
passing  it,  made  a  fire  on  it,  after  which  they  cut  off 
pieces  with  their  axes." 

Maps  of  the  region  of  the  Great  Lakes  were  now 
enlarged.  Sanson,  the  Geographer,  had  published  a 
map,  in  165G,  on  which  Green  Bay  was  for  the  first  time 
properly  placed  as  an  arm  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  called 
Lac  des  Puans.  In  16G0,  in  the  map  of  Creuxius,  this 
Bay  is  the  extremity  of  geographical  knowledge. 

Soon  after  fhe  explorations  of  Groseilliers  and  Piadis- 
son,  maps  began  to  be  drawn,  showing  the  Mississippi, 
above  the  Wisconsin  river.  Upon  one  of  Joliet's  maps, 
drawn  about  1674,  the  "Siou"  are  represented  at  Mille 
Lacs,  and  on  the  Mississippi  are  marked  beginning  south- 
ward, the  Ihanctoua,  now  known  as  the  Yankton  Sioux; 
the  Pintoua;  the  Napapatou;  the  Ouapikouti;  the  Cha- 
iena,  now  Cheyenties  who  formerly  lived  in  the  Tied 
River  Valley;  the  Agalomitou;  the  Ousittoau;  and 
Alempigouak. 

In  the  year  1678,  several  prominent  merchants  of 
Quebec,  and  Montreal,  formed  a  company  to  open  trade 
with  the  Sioux  of  Minnesota.  Oneof  these,  was  named 
Patron,  and  his  nephew  Daniel  Gresolon  l)u  Luth  was 
made  the  leader  of  the  expedition.  He  was  born  near 
Paris,  and  was  a  gendarme  in  the  king's  guard  at  the 
battle  of  Seneffe.  His  name  is  variously  spelled  in  the 
documents  of  his  day,    Da  Lhu,  Du  Lhut,  D\i  Lut,  and 


DU  ltjth's  explorations.  11 

Du  Lucl,  but  the  pronunciation  was  not  essentially  dif- 
ferent. 

With  a  party  of  three  Frenchmen  and  three  Indians, 
he  left  Montreal  on  the  1st  of  September,  1678,  and  on 
the  5th  of  April,  1679,  when  he  was  on  the  shore  of  Lake 
Superior,  three  leagues  beyond  Sault  Ste  Marie  he  wrote 
to  Frontenac,  Governor  of  Canada,  that  he  would  '  not 
stir  from  the  Nadoussioux,  until  further  orders,"  and 
that  he  would  set  up  the  King's  arms,  "lest  the  English, 
and  other  Europeans,  settled  towards  California,  should 
take  possession  of  the  country."  During  that  summer  he 
explored  that  part  of  Minnesota  west  of  Lake  Superior, 
and  east  of  the  Mississippi  and  on  the  second  of  July,  1679 
set  up  the  arms  of  France  among  the  Isanti  or  Knife  Sioux 
who  dwelt  around  Mille  Lacs,  and  then  visited  the  Songas- 
kitons,  probably  the  Sissetons,  and  the  Houetpatons,\vho 
were  one  hundred  and  twenty  leagues  beyond,  perhaps  at 
Sandy  Lake.  He  came  back  to  Lake  Superior,  and  on 
the  15th  of  September,  and  at  Kamanistigouia1  or  Three 
Rivers,  where,  Fort  AVilliam  was  built,  at  the  beginning 
of  this  century,  he  held  a  conference  with  the  Assine- 
boines,  and  other  northern  tribes,  and  persuaded  them 
to  make  peace  with  the  "Xadoueciuux,"  and  inter-marry. 
During  the  next  winter  he  encouraged  them  to  hunt 
together,  and  hold  feasts. 

In  June,  1680,  with  two  canoes,  an  Indian  and  four 
Frenchman,  he  entered  the  Brule  (  Broolay  )  Paver,  which 
flows  into  Lake  Superior,  and  slowly  ascended,  owing  to 
numerous  beaver  dams,  and  toward  its  source,  by  a  short 
portage,  reached  a  lake,  the  outlet  of  which,  was  the  Saint 
Croix  River,  which  he  descended  to  the  Mississippi,  and 
there  learned  from  some  Sioux,  that  there  were  French- 

1.    Bak.etigueia  is  the  Ojibway  for  a  forked  rivor. 


12  HISTOllY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

inen  on  the  Mississippi,  with  some  of  their  tribe.  Leav- 
ing two  of  his  men  and  his  goods  behind,  he  proceeded 
witli  the  other  two,  and  two  Indians,  in  a  canoe,  and 
descending  the  river  eighty  leagues, occupying  two  days 
and  two  nights,  found  early  on  the  third  day,  the  traders 
sent  up  the  Mississippi,  by  La  Salle,  who  were  accompa- 
nied by  the  Dutch  Franciscan  priest,  Louis  Hennepin. 
Accault  and  his  companions  had  been  taken  to  the  Mi  lie 
Lacs  region,  by  a  trail,  which  began  at  the  large  marsh 
just  below,  where  is  now  the  city  of  Saint  Paul.  In 
July,  1680,  by  way  of  the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony,  they 
descended  the  Mississippi  with  a  hunting  party  of  Sioux, 
to  the  point  where  Du  Luth  found  them.  They  went  back 
with  Du  Luth  to  the  Sioux  villages,  and  in  a  few  weeks, 
all  the  Frenchmen  again  passed  the  Falls  of  Saint 
Anthony,  on  their  way  to  Canada. 

La  Salle's  account  of  this  expedition,  written  at  Fort 
Frontenac,  on  August  22d,  1682,  contains  many  interest- 
ing facts.  He  writes:  "The  river  Colbert,  named  Gas- 
tacha  by  the  Iroquois,  and  Mississippi  by  the  Outaouacs, 
comes  from  the  Northwest.  I  have  caused  it  to  be  ex- 
plored by  two  of  my  men,  one  named  Michel  Accault, 
and  the  other  a  Picard  [Anthony  Augelle],  with  whom 
the  K.  P.  Louis  Hennepin  was  associated.         *       *       * 

*  *  They  had  about  a  thousand  pounds  of  goods, 
such  as  are  most  valued  in  those  regions,  which  with 
the  peace  calumet  are  never  disregarded  by  those  tribes, 
since  they  are  nearly  destitute  of  everything.         *         * 

*  *  Following  the  course  of  the  Mississippi,  one 
finds  the  river  Ouisconsing.  Misconsing,  or  Meschetz 
Odeba,  [a  Sioux  name  perhaps  intended  for  Meshdeke 
Wakpa,  River  of  the  Foxes.]  About  twenty-three  or 
twenty-four  leagues  to  the  north  or  northwest,  from  the 


MICHEL    ACCAULT'S    EXPEDITION.  13 

mouth  of  the  Ouisconsing,  which  has  a  rocky  shore  on 
the  south  side  and  a  beautiful  prairie  on  the  north,  near 
to  three  beautiful  basins  or  bays  of  still  water  is  the 
river  Noire  [Black],  called  Chabadeba  [Chapa  Wakpa, 
Beaver  River],  by  the  Nadoue-Sioux.  Ascending  about 
thirty  leagues  we  have  the  river  Boeufs  [Chippewa], 
about  as  large  at  its  mouth  as  the  Islinois.  It  is  so 
called  because  of  the  number  of  these  animals  [buffalo] 
which  are  there  found.  There  are  several  islands  at  its 
mouth. 

"  Thirty-eight  or  forty  leagues  higher  is  found  the  river 
[Saint  Croix]  by  which  Du  Lath  descended  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi. *  *  *  Ascending  still  the  Mississip- 
pi are  found  the  falls  which  those  whom  I  sent, 
passed  there  first  of  all,  named  from  St.  Anthony. 
They  have  the  height  of  thirty  or  forty  feet,  and  there 
the  river  is  also  narrow.  There  is  an  island  in  the  midst 
of  the  fall.  *  *  *  Here  the  canoes  are  car- 
ried about  three  or  four  hundred  steps,  and  eight  leagues 
above,  is  the  river  of  Nadoesioux.  It  is  narrow  at  its 
entrance,  and  drains  a  poor  country  covered  with  shrubs 
through  about  fifty  leagues,  when  it  terminates  in  a  lake 
called  Lake  of  the  Issati  [Mille  Lacs]  which  spreads 
over  a  great  marsh,  where  grows  the  wild  rice,  at  the 
point  of  its  outlet  in  this  river. 

"The  Mississippi  comes  from  the  west,  but  it  was  not 
followed  because  of  the  adventure  which  befell  R.  P. 
Louis,  Michel  Accault,  and  their  comrade  [Augelle]. 
This  affair  thus  happened.  After  having  pursued  the 
course  of  the  Mississippi  till  the  11th  of  April  about 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  rowing  along  the  shore, 
a  band  of  a  hundred  Xadouessioux  warriors,  who  were 
going  to  kill  some  of  the  Tchatchakigoua,  were  descend- 


V 


14  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

ing  in  thirty-thive  birch  bark  canoes.  There  were  with 
them  three  women,  and  one  of  those  base  fellows  who 
serve  the  women,  though  they  are  men,  which  the  Islinois 
term  Ikoueta.  They  passed  on  the  other  side  of  some 
islands,  and  thus  some  of  their  canoes  descended  below 
the  French;  perceiving  this,  they  all  collected  together, 
and  those  who  were  below,  ascending  easily,  closed  the 
passage.  There  was  one  party  on  the  land  who  invested 
them  on  that  side. 

"Michel  Accault,  who  was  the  leader,  presented  the 
calumet.  They  received  it  and  smoked,  after  having 
made  a  circle  upon  the  ground,  covered  with  straw, 
where  they  made  the  Frenchmen  to  seat  themselves. 
Then  two  old  men  commenced  to  weep  for  the  death  of 
relatives,  whom  they  designed  to  avenge;  and  after  hav- 
ing taken  some  tobacco,  they  caused  our  men  to  embark 
and  cross  over  first  to  the  other  shore  of  the  river.  They 
followed  after,  having  made  their  cries,  and  rowing 
rapidly.  Upon  leaving  their  canoes  Michel  Accault 
gave  them  twenty  knives  and  a  fathom  and  a  half  of 
tobacco,  which  they  accepted.  They  had  already  stolen 
a  short  pike  and  some  other  small  trinkets.  They  then 
traveled  ten  days  together,  without  any  evidence  of  dis- 
content or  ill  will ;  but  on  the  twenty-second  of  April,  hav- 
ing arrived  at  the  isles,  where  they  had  killed  some  Mas- 
koutens,  they  held  up  to  view  the  two  dead  whom  they 
were  going  to  avenge,  and  whose  bones  they  carried  with 
them,  between  P.  Louis,  and  Michel  Accault.  This  is  a 
ceremony  which  they  perform,  before  their  friends  to 
incite  them  to  compassion,  and  induce  them  to  give 
presents  to  cover  their  dead. 

"Michel  Accault,  unfortunately,  did  not  understand 
this  people,  and  there  was  not  a  slave  of  the  other  nations 


FRENCHMEN   NEAR    THE    SITE    OF   ST.    PAUL.  15 

whom  he  understood,  which  hardly  ever  happens,  all 
the  tribes  in  America  having  a  number  of  those  to  whom 
they  have  given  life  to  take  the  place  of  their  dead,  after 
having  sacrificed  a  large  number  to  satiate  their  veng- 
ance.  This  makes  them  aide  to  understand  all  those 
nations,  since  they  became  familiar  with  three  or  four 
languages  of  those  who  go  the  farthest  to  war,  as  the 
Iroquois,  the  Isliuois,  the  Akansa,  the  Xadouesioux  and 
Sauteurs.  Accault  understood  these,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Nadouesioux;  yet  there  are  among  them  a  num- 
ber of  tribes  who  have  been  slaves  to  the  others,  but  not 
one  was  found  willing  to  interpret.  As  a  mark  of 
friendship  he  gave  a  full  case  of  goods,  and  the  next 
day,  twenty-four  hatchets. 

"Eight  leagues  below  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  [just 
below  the  present  capital  of  Minnesota]  they  resolved 
to  go,  by  land,  to  their  village,  sixty  leagues  from  where 
they  left  their  canoes,  not  wishing  to  carry  the  baggage 
of  our  men,  nor  to  conduct  them  by  water.  They  made 
them  give  the  rest  of  their  hatchets,  which  they  dis- 
tributed among  themselves,  promising  to  pay  well  for 
them  at  their  village,  but  two  days  after,  they  divided 
among  themselves  two  cases  of  goods  and  had  a  cpiarrel 
concerning  the  merchandise  and  the  tobacco,  each  chief 
asserting  that  he  was  master,  when  they  separatf-d  on 
account  of  their  jealousy,  and  led  the  Frenchmen  to  the 
village,  where  they  promised  to  render  satisfaction  with 
beaver  skins,  of  which  they  said  they  had  a  large  num- 
ber. 

"There  they  were  well  received  and  made  a  feast  for 
Accault,  who  was  in  a  different  village  from  R.  P.  Louis 
and  the  Picard,  who  were,  also,  well  received,  except 
that  some  frolicsome  young  fellows  told   the  Picard  to 


16  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

sing.  The  fear  he  experienced  made  him  show  coward- 
ice, because  slaves  only  sing  on  arriving  at  a  village. 
Accault,  who  was  not  there,  could  not  prevent  it,  but 
they  experienced  no  other  treatment,  like  that  of  slaves. 
They  were  never  bound,  and  after  that,  they  promised  to 
pay  for  what  the  young  men  had  seized,  since  Accault 
had  found  some  to  whom  he  could  convey  his  ideas,  and 
comprehend  the  importance  of  it.  Then  they  danced 
two  calumets,  and  gave  some  beaver  skins  as  the  begin- 
ning of  payments,  but  as  they  were  too  little,  Accault 
was  not  satisfied. 

"Six  weeks  after,  all  having  returned  toward  the 
Ouisconsing  with  the  Xadouesioux,  on  a  hunt,  the  li.  P. 
Louis  Hennepin,  and  the  Picard  determined  to  go  to  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  where  I  had  promised  to  send  mes- 
sages, as  I  had  done,  by  six  men  whom  the  Jesuits  had 
enticed  away,  telling  them  that  the  H.  P.  Louis  Henne- 
pin and  his  companions  had  been  killed.  They  suffered 
them  to  go  alone,  to  show  that  they  were  not  treated  as 
slaves.  *         *         Jealousy  was  the  sole  cause 

of  the  pillage,  because  as  they  were  of  different  villages, 
and  but  few  from  that  where  the  Frenchmen  were  to  go, 
they  did  it  to  secure  their  portion  of  the  goods.  But 
the  old  men  strongly  censured  the  young,  and  offered 
and  began  to  render  the  proper  satisfaction  to  Accault. 
•  "All  that  Du  Luth  can  say  is,  that  having  arrived 
where  the  Father  and  the  two  Frenchmen  had  gone  in  a 
hunt  from  the  village,  where  he  for  the  first  time  went 
along  with  them  when  they  returned.  Pie  made  it  easier 
for  them  to  return  sooner  than  they  would  have  done, 
because  messengers  whom  I  had  sent  had  been  dis- 
suaded from  going  on." 

With  Du  Luth,  Accault,  Augelle,  called  the  Picard, 


HENNEPIN   CENSURED.  17 

and  Hennepin,  the  Franciscan,  returned  by  way  of  the 
Wisconsin  River,  to  Mackinaw.  Hennepin,  in  1GS2,  went 
to  France  and  published  a  book  the  next  year,  which  did 
not  add  to  his  reputation  for  veracity.  La  Salle,  in  ref- 
erence to  him,  wrote  in  the  communication  from  which 
the  above  extracts  have  been  taken:  "I  have  thought  it 
proper  to  give  this  narrative  of  the  adventures  of  this 
canoe,  because  I  do  not  doubt  it  is  talked  of,  and  if  you 
desire  to  confer  with  Father  Louis  Hennepin,  Piecol- 
lect,  who  has  returned  to  France,  it  is  well  to  know  some- 
thing about  it,  for  lie  will  not  fail  to  exaggerate  every- 
thing; it  is  his  character,  and  he  has  written,  even  to 
me,  as  if  he  had  been  almost  burnt  up,  although  not  at 
all  in  danger;  but  he  considers  it  honorable  to  act  in 
tins  way,  and  he  speaks  more  according  to  what  he 
writes  than  as  to  that  which  he  knows." 

Father  Gravier,  a  Jesuit  Missionary  in  Louisiana  in 
1701,  alluded  to  the  "false  stories"  of  Hennepin,  and 
some  years  later,  Charlevoix,  another  priest,  used  this 
language:  "All  his  works  are  written  in  a  declamatory 
style,  offensive  by  its  inflation,  by  the  liberties  which 
the  author  takes,  and  by  his  indecent  invectives." 

DuLuth  was  in  Paris  in  the  winter  of  1683,  but  in  the 
spring  returned  to  America,  and  during  the  summer 
reached  Mackinaw,  with  a  license  to  trade.  On  the 
eighth  of  August  he  left  with  thirty  men,  to  trade  with 
the  Sioux,  and  proceeded  by  the  way  of  Green  Bay.  It 
is  probable  that  he  established  the  post  at  the  sources 
of  the  St.  Croix  River,  which,  as  early  as  1088,  is  marked 
Fort  St.  Croix,  upon  one  of  Franquelin's  Maps.  In 
1GSG,  I)u  Luth  was  withdrawn  from  the  far  West,  and 
ordered  to  erect  a  fort  near  the  entrance  of  Lake  Huron, 
about  thirty  miles  above  Detroit. 


18  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

Nicholas  Perrot.  forty  years  of  age,  and  long  identi- 
fied with  the  Indian  trade,  in  the  spring  of  1685,  was 
commissioned  by  Governor  De  la  Bane,  as  commander 
for  the  West.  During  the  autumn,  he  reached  the  Miss- 
issippi, and  sent  some  Winnebago  Indians  to  notify  the 
Aiouez  (Ioway )  tribe  who  lived  in  the  valley  of  the  river 
which  still  bears  their  name,  that  he  would  be  glad  to 
see  them.  Discovering  a  point  on  the  east  shoie  of  the 
Mississippi  where  there  was  an  abundance  of  wood,  at 
the  foot  of  a  high  hill,  behind  which  was  an  extensive 
prairie,  he  directed  his  voyageurs  to  erect  a  stockade; 
.and  there  he  passed  the  winter  of  lGSo-6,  and  on  Fran- 
quelin's  Map,  just  above  the  Black  River,  is  marked  the 
place.  He  afterwards,  built  the  post  on  the  east  side  of 
Lake  Pepin,  just  above  its  entrance. 

Recalled  by  the  Canadian  authorities,  to  aid  in  the 
war  against  the  Seneeas,  it  was  not  until  the  autumn  of 
1688  that  he  again  reached  the  post  he  had  erected.  As 
soon  as  the  ice  melted  in  the  spring  of  1GS9,  the  Sioux 
came  down  and  escorted  Perrot  to  one  of  their  villages, 
where  he  was  received  with  much  enthusiasm,  and  car- 
ried around  on  a  beaver  lobe,  followed  by  warriors  sine- 
ing. 

On  the  8th  of  May,  16S9,  at  Post  St.  Antoine,  on  the 
Wisconsin  side  of  Lake  Pepin,  in  the  presence  of  a 
Jesuit  missionary,  Joseph  J.  Marest;  a  trader  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  named  Boisguillot,  Pierre  Le 
Sueur,  and  several  other  Frenchmen,  the  country  of  the 
St.  Pierre  or  Minnesota  River,  and  St.  Croix  River, 
named  after  a  Frenchman  drowned  in  its  waters,  was 
taken  possession  of  by  Perrot,  in  the  name  of  the  King 
of  France.  In  his  report,  the  Minnesota  River  is,  for 
the  first  time,  called    the    Saint   Pierre,   in  compliment 


franquelin's  map.  19 

probably  to  the  baptismal  name  of  his  associate,  who 
was  its  discoverer,  Pierre  Le  Sueur.  It  is  quite  remark- 
able that  both  La  Salle  and  Hennepin,  in  their  account 
of  the  trailing  expedition  under  Accault,  should  have 
omitted  to  mention  this  important  tributary  of  the  Miss- 
issippi. The  river  which  now  forms  the  boundary  be- 
tween the  States  of  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  -was  also 
first  designated  St.-  Croix,  in  memory  of  a  voyage  ur  who 
lost  his  life  in  its  waters.  In  1GS9,  the  "  Menchokatonx" 
(M'daywahkawntwons)  and  '•Songesquitons"  (Sisse- 
tons)  were  living  in  the  Mille  Lacs  region,  and  the 
"  Mantanton"  Sioux  as  near  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Pierre, 
or  Minnesota  River. 

A  map  drawn  in  1GSS,  by  the  engineer  Franque- 
lin,  was  an  advance  in  geographical  accuracy.  On 
the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  is  represented 
River  "  Raisins",  perhaps  the  Embarrass;  the  "Jamie" 
(Yellow)  River,  now  Vermillion,  and  the  "  Mascoutens 
Nadouescioux",  now  the  Minnesota  River.  Upon  the 
east  side,  just  above  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin, 
appears  Fort  St.  Nicolas,  then  the  '"Noire"  now  Black 
River,  above  which  is  the  "butte"  where  Perrot  wintered, 
now  Trempeleau.  At  the  entrance  of  Lake  Pepin  is 
marked  "R.  des  Sauteurs"  now  Chippewa  River,  and  a 
short  distance  above  is  Fort  St.  Antoine.  The  river 
called  by  Perrot,  St.  Croix,  is  named  "  Magdelaine;" 
Rum  River  is  ''Riviere  des  Francois,  ou  des  Sioux," 
Mille  Lacs  is  "  Lac  de  Buade",  around  which  are  the 
"  Issatis"  (Isanti)  Sioux,  and  west  of  these  the  Tintons 
(Teton  )  Sioux;  while  eist  of  them  are  marked  the  San- 
gatskitons  (Sissetons)  and  "  Houetpatons."  The  upper 
St.  Croix  Lake  is  "Lacde  la  Providence,"  and  at  the 
portage  to  the  Bois  Brule  River  is  "Fort  St.  Croix." 


20 


HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 


The  western  extremity  of  Lake  Superior  is  well  delin- 
eated, showing  "Isle  St.  Michel,"  or  "  Detour",  at  the 
head  of  "  Chagaoumegon"  Bay,  "  Peouabic"  now  Iron 
River,  "R.  du  Fond  clu  Lac",  the  present  St.  Louis 
Paver,  "  R,  des  Groiselliers,"  the  Pigeon  River,  then  the 
"Kanianistigouian1  on  les  Trois  Rivieres." 

In  the  autumn  of  1689,  Frontenac  returned  to  Quebec 
from  France,  having,  for  the  second  time,  been  appointed 
Governor,  and  the  next  spring,  Perrot  being  in  Canada, 
was  ordered  to  guide  Sieur  de  Louvigny  La  Porte,  a 
half-pay  captain,  to  Mackinaw,  as  commandant  of  the 
post.  After  performing  this  duty  he  went  to  Green 
Bay,  and  a  party  of  Miamis  met  him  there,  and  begged 
him  to  visit  the  lead  mine  region  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  below  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin.  After  ascend- 
ing to  his  old  post  on  Lake  Pepin,  he  went  to  the  lead 
mines,  and  found  the  ore  abundant.  La  Potherie  men- 
tions that  "the  lead  was  hard  to  work  because  it  was 
between  rocks,  which  required  blowing  up,  but  that  it 
had  very  little  dross  and  was  easily  melted."  Penicaut, 
who  ascended  the  Mississippi  in  1700,  wrote  that  twenty 
leagues  below  the  Wisconsin,  on  both  sides  of  the  Miss- 
issippi, were  mines  of  lead  called  "  Nicholas  Perrot's", 
and  Del'Isle's  Map  of  1703  indicates  them,  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  modern  towns  of  Galena  and  Dubuque. 

Pierre  Le  Sueur  was  the  son  of  a  Frenchman  from 
Artois,  and  in  1659,  was  born  in  Canada.  After  leaving 
Fort  Saint  Antoine,  on  Lake  Pepin,  he  went  to  Montreal, 
and,  on  the  20th  of  March,  1600,  married  Marguerite 
Messier,  whose  mother,  Anna  Lemoyne,  was  the  aunt  of 
Pierre  Lemoyne,  the  Sieur  D'Iberville,   the  hrst  Gov- 

1  The  i>lace  wlii're  a  river  divides  into  several  branches  modern  Ojibways  cal 
Ningitawitigveia. 


PIERRE    LE   SUEUB.  21 

ernor  of  Louisiana.  After  his  marriage  lie  was  sent  to 
La  Pointe  of  Lake  Superior.  In  a  dispatch  to  the 
French  government,  of  the  events  in  Canada,  in  1693, 
occurs  the  following:  "Le  Sueur,  another  voyageur  is  to 
remain  at  Chagouamigon  [La  Pointe]  to  endeavour  to 
maintain  the  peace  lately  concluded  between  the  Sault- 
eurs  [Ojibways]  and  Sioux.  This  is  of  the  greatest 
consequence,  as  it  is  now,  the  sole  pass  by  which  access 
can  be  had  to  the  latter  nation,  whose  trade  is  very  profit- 
able; the  country  to  the  south,  being  occupied  by  the 
Foxes  and  Maskoutens  who  several  times  hindered  the 
French  on  the  ground,  that  they  were  carrying  ammuni- 
tion to  the  Sioux,  their  ancient  enemies.''  About  the 
year  1694:,  he  had  descended  the  Saint  Croix  river,  and 
on  a  prairie  island,  nearly  nine  miles  below  its  mouth, 
in  the  Mississippi,  erected  a  trading  post.  Penicaut, 
who  passed  the  place,  in  1700,  wrote  in  his  journal:  "At 
the  extremity  of  the  lake  [Pepin]  you  come  to  the  Isle 
Pelee,  so  called  because  there  are  no  trees  on  it.  It  is 
on  this  island,  that  the  French,  from  Canada,  established 
their  fort,  and  storehouse,  and  they  also  winter  here, 
because  game  is  very  abundant.  In  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember, they  bring  their  store  of  meat,  obtained  by 
hunting,  and  after  having  skinned,  and  cleaned  it,  hang 
it  upon  a  crib  of  raised  scaffolding  in  order  that  the 
extreme  cold,  which  lasts  from  September  to  March, 
may  preserve  it  from  spoiling.  During  the  whole  win- 
ter they  do  not  go  out,  except  for  water,  when  they  have 
to  break  the  ice,  every  day,  and  the  cabin  is  generally 
built  upon  the  bank,  so  as  not  to  have  far  to  go.  When 
spring  arrives,  the  savages  come  to  the  island,  bringing 
their  merchandise." 

On  the  loth  of  July,  1005,  Le  Sueur  arrived  at  Mon- 

3 


22  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

treal,  with  some  Ojibways  from  Point  Chagouamigon, 

and  a  Sioux  Chief,  with  a  woman,  the  first  of  that  nation 
who  had  been  so  far  toward  the  east.  Teeoskahtay,  this 
chief  of  the  Sioux,  was  forty  years  of  age,  and  remained 
for  several  months.  Daring  the  winter  he  was  sick,  and 
baptized.  After  an  illness  of  thirty-three  days,  on  the 
third  of  February,  1G96,  he  died,  at  Le  Sueur's  home,  in 
Montreal.  Le  Sueur  did  not  immediately  return  to 
Minnesota,  but  went  to  France,  to  induce  certain  per- 
sons in  Paris  to  assist  in  working  some  mines,  which 
he  alleged,  he  had  discovered.  His  wife's  first  cousin, 
D1  Iberville  was  made  Governor  of  Louisiana  while  he 
was  there,  and  by  order  of  the  King,  on  August  -20th, 
1699,  he  was  permitted  to  go  in  the  same  ship  with  the 
Governor,  with  some  laborers  and  an  ecpiipment  for  two 
canoes  to  work  the  mines  of  green  earth  in  the  valley 
of  the  Minnesota  River. 

On  the  19th  of  February,  1700,  by  a  portage  from 
Lake  Pontchartrain,  he  came  to  the  Mississippi  river,  and 
began  to  prepare  for  his  ascent  to  the  Minnesota  river. 
On  the  first  of  September  with  about  twenty-eight  men, 
he  came  to  the  Wisconsin  river, l  where,  in  16S5,  he  had 
been  with  Perrot.'-  Ascending  beyond  this  stream,  above 
Black  River,  a  beautiful  prairie  was  reached,  surrounded 
by  lofty  hills,  which  was  named  "Prairie  aux  Ailes," 
and  just  beyond  on  tiie  opposite  shore  they  were  im- 
pressed by  another  prairie  called  ''Prairie  des  Paqui- 
lanets."     On  the  11th  of  September,   they  came  to  the 

1.  D'Iberville  mentions  that  at  this  time,  there  were  one  hundred  Miami, 
Indians  left  at  "Ouiseonsin  mi  the  Mississippi,"  Fort  St.  Nicholas,  the  rest  hav- 
ing gone  to  Chicago,  on  account  of  tin-  heaver. 

'1.  Count  Pontchartrain,  during  the  summer  of  the  year  1702,  when  Le  Suear 
was  at;ain  in  Paris,  wrote  to  the  Intendant  of  Canada:  "Due  need  not  bestir- 
pnsedif  .M.  D'Iberville  proposes  the  appointment  of  Le  Sueur  to  go  among 
the  tribes,  he  having  married  his  first  cousin,  and  one  of  the  most  active,  from 
CanaiJa,  in  the  trade  of  the  woods,  having  been  engaged  therein,  fourteen 
years." 


FORT   L'HUILLIER    ERECTED.  23 

"Hiambouxecate"  river,  now  Cannon,  which  the  Sioux 
called  Inyanbosndata,  because  the  rocks,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  stream,  stand  perpendicular.  The  next  day,  the 
river  St.  Croix  was  passed. 

By  the  19th,  the  Minnesota  river  was  entered,  ascend- 
ing which,  about  the  first  of  October,  the  expedition  came 
to  the  "Riviere  Verte,"  called  Mahkahto,1  by  the  Sioux, 
now  the  Blue  Earth.  Going  up  this  stream  a  league, 
Le  Sueur  resolved  to  build  a  fort  upon  a  wooded  point, 
which  displeased  the  bands  of  the  Sioux,  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  who  wished  a  post  at  the  junction  of  the  Min- 
nesota and  Mississippi  river.  The  fort  was  finished  ou  the 
fourteenth,  and  called  Fort  L'Huillier,  after  a  friend  of 
Le  Sueur,  in  Paris,  who  in  100(5  had  analyzed  some  of 
the  green  earth.  Some  Canadians,  one  of  whom  was  a 
former  acquaintance  of  Le  Sueur,  named  D'Eraque, 
came  to  the  Fort,  who  had  been  robbed  by  some  of  the 
eastern  Sioux,  of  the  Mdaywahkawntwan  band,  and  no 
further  intercourse  was  had  with  the  Sioux  until  they 
rendered  satisfaction  for  robbing  the  Frenchman,  from 
Canada.  On  the  25th  of  October  digging  was  begun  at 
the  mine  of  green  earth,  three-fourths  of  a  league  from 
the  post  and  accessible  by  canoes. 

On  the  20th  of  November,  some  Mantantons,  and 
Oujalespoitons  of  the  eastern  Sioux  came  to  the  fort, 
and  one  of  their  chief  men,  Oaacantapai,  begged  Le 
Sueur  to  come  to  his  lodg<v  as  they  were  relatives  of 
Tioscate  (Teeoskaktay)  the  chief,  who  in  1696,  had  died 
at  Le  Sueur's  house,  in  Montreal.  The  next  clay  lie 
assembled  the  principal  Indians  of  each  band,  at  the 
fort,  and  gave  reasons  why  he  hail  there  built  the  post. 

I.   Mah-ka  to  yaznpi  wakpa,  of  the  Dakota  or  Sioux  language,  means  rivt-r 
where  llie  green,  or  blue  earth  is  obtained. 


21 


HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 


On  the  1st  of  December,  the  Mantanton  Sioux  invited 
him  to  a  great  feast,  and  Wahkantapay  in  a  speech 
expressed  the  desire  of  his  people  to  live  on  friendly 
terms  with  the  French. 

On  the  12th  of  December,  a  large  number  of  Mende- 
ouacantons  from  east  of  the  Mississippi,  with  their 
chiefs  arrived  with  four  hundred  pounds  of  beaver 
skins,  as  a  satisfaction  for  the  robbing  of  D'Eraque  and 
his  companions.  In  the  beginning  of  May,  1701,  Le 
Sueur,  leaving  the  post  in  charge  of  D'Eraque  and  twelve 
Frenchmen,  with  his  felucca  or  shallop  rilled  with  green 
earth  and  three  canoes  of  peltries,  began  his  voyage  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  D'Eraque,  in  the  spring  of  1703, 
was  attacked  by  the  Foxes  and  Mascoutens,  and  three  of 
his  men  were  killed,  which  rendered  it  necessary  for 
him  also  to  return  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  About  the 
same  time  Boudor,  a  Montreal  merchant,  with  twenty 
or  thirty  thousand  pounds  of  goods,  on  his  way  to  join 
Le  Sueur,  was  robbed  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes. 

D'Iberville  andLe  Sueur  were  in  France,  in  1702,  and 
the  great  cartographer  De  Lisle,  from  information  given 
by  them,  in  1703,  issued  a  map  of  Canada  and  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  but  from  year  to  year  the  copper  plate  was 
corrected.  All  impressions  bearing  his  title  as  •'Premier 
Geographe  du  Roy,"  First  Geographer  of  the  King, 
although  retaining  the  date  1703,  were  issued,  after  the 
25th  of  August,  1718,  when  he  received  the  appointment 
of  Fioyal  Geographer.  An  inspection  of  a  section  of 
this  map  shows,  that  Lake  Pepin  has  been  erroneously 
drawn,  and  Le  Sueur's  fort  placed  below,  instead  of 
above  the  lake. 


CHART    OF    CANADA. 


25 


,^ 


kart!  QU  CAN  A  pa  1 

;j\-  an  Jell  Jjj 

I J  KOCVKLEE  FRANCE. | 

jfPdr  Guillaume  DE  LISLE,! 

|l>  uf  / A.V7lt'f/rue  fffytf.V  Jt\r  JctrftC£J \ 

APARIS 

1703.  " 


-V 


A; 


Aj.seiiipoiJ 


6  £)  f  Mj»ik»i*g» 


s^ 


^ 


SUPER(£y/? 


'26  -  ;  si    '.::  of  Minnesota. 

Some  year-  after  L-  Sueur  left  Minnesota.  De 
vllle.   a    relat:   e      :'     3   rernor  Bienville  of  L    ds 
with  tw     C    ...      -       td    ■        Indians,  in  ale  •: 

canoe    visit    I  the  Falls     :  St   Anthony,  which,  he   !e- 
scribed    is  c      sed  by  the  river         cng    _:-:      :'   I 
making  a  fall  of  eight  or  ten  teet 

By  the  treaty  of  Hi         I    I    &  Fren  ..  reE  -    - 1  all 

their  posts     a  Hudson's!  ad  to]  revent  I 

carrying  their  peltries  -    the  English,  th 
to  establish  a  line     £  posts     a  the  chain  of  1st    - 
forni  the  northern  boundary  ol  Minnesota. 

L:.  E      -.  la  Xoue,  in  1717,   with  -  r.  " 

procee  Le  .  :  K  n  :  list  i  jj  \  the  sstremit  :  L  •:- 
Super;:.    :  [uire  the  n       --     /  information 

levoix.  afterward  the  hist  rian  >f  Xew  France,  in  17"21. 
was  sent  by  the  French  government  :  report  :.  the 
condition  of  the  ts,  and  upon  his  return]     -    _-- 

gestedtl    :    :.  ittempt  should  be  n     let    find  tet 

the  Pacific   Ocean,   through  the  country  of  t_. 
an«l  the  next  ye  i  i:  _    -         i  le  I  :    build  a  :.-"    ;    st     a 
Lake  Pepin,  which  w   -   i    t   accomplished  for  seve     I 
years,  because  in  1723  seven  Frenchmen,  >ntheii 
Louisi  in  by  -   me  r  sing  Sioux 

In  June.  1727   I  □   -':'  e  lit     a  left  M 

for  that  purf    --.     :  which  Rene   I  I  i     Si    ir  de 

la  Perriere       -  the  commander         _    the  17th     :'   Sej 
tember  he  st  I  a  ~  rt  the  middle     : 

the  sh  re     :'  I.    •:-  1  -    in    snd  in  f      .         -  I    - 
coninienceil  three  log  boil  lings  in  a  plat 
Eeet  squai      °ra      ledl       pickets  I  teet  i  ith, 

with  t        bastions       I  -"        -  II 

Awnno  -'_     -  anied  him    were    his  br 

Jean,  the    Sietir    .  in,  his  nephew  Jemer 


FORT  BEAUHARNOIS,  LAKE  PEPIN.         27 

two  Jesuit  missionaries,  Dn  Gonor  and  Louis  Ignatius 
Guignas.  During  the  winter  no  Indians  visited  the  post, 
except  some  of  the  Prairie  Sioux,  about  the  last  of  Feb- 
ruary. Owing  to  very  high  water,  about  the  middle  of 
April,  the  French  were  obliged  to  leave  the  fort,  and  for 
two  weeks  camped  on  higher  ground.  In  the  spring 
Du  Gonor  left  for  Canada,  and  early  in  the  next  October, 
the  fort  having  been  left  in  charge  of  Sieur  de  la  Jemer- 
aye,  the  Sieur  de  Boucherville,  Montbrun,  the  Jesuit 
Guignas,  and  eight  other  Frenchmen  departed  for  Mon- 
treal, by  way  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  on  the  12th  of  the 
month,  twenty-two  leagues  above  that  stream,  were  cap- 
tured by  a  party  of  Kickapoos  and  Maskouteus.  It  was 
the  intention  of  the  Indians  to  surrender  the  prisoners 
to  the  Fox  tribe,  but  the  night  before  the  delivery,  the 
Sieur  de  Montbrun,  his  brother,  and  another  Canadian 
escaped.  Montbrun  left  his  brother  sick  and  hastened 
to  Montreal.  The  Sieur  de  la  Jemeraye  did  not  stay 
long  at  Fort  Beauharnois.  The  Sieur  de  Boucherville 
and  Guignas  remained  prisoners  for  more  than  six 
months,  but  at  length  purchased  their  release,1  and  in 
June,  1720,  reached  Detroit. 

Pierre  Gualtier  Yarennes,  the  Sieur  Yerandrie,''  when 
forty-three  years  of  age,  in  1727,  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  post  north  of  Lake  Superior  at  Lake  Xepigon, 
and  happened  to  be  at  Mackinaw  in  the  spring  of  172S, 
when  the  Jesuit  Du  Gonor  was  on  his  way  to  Montreal, 
and  learned  from  him  that  Father  Guignas  continued 
firm  in  the  belief  that  a  route  could  be  found  to  the 
Western  Ocean.  By  request  of  Yerandrie,  Du  Gonor 
carried  a  letter  to    Governor  Beauharnois,  in  which  it 

1.  A  list  of  the  ^ooils  ^iven  is  printed  on  pn^es  852^854,  5th  edition,  1*83,  of 
Ncill's  large  History  of  Minnesota. 

2.  The  name  is  spelled  variously.    Tue  mode  the  most  easily  pronounced  by 
the  English  reader  chosen. 


28  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

was  mentioned  that  Pacco,  a  chief  at  Lake  Nepigon,  had, 
while  on  a  war  party,  found  a  great  lake  with  three  out- 
lets, one  flowing  to  the  English,  at  Hudson's  Bay,  the 
second  southward  toward  the  Mississippi,  and  thn  third, 
in  the  direction  of  the  setting  sun.  In  another  letter  he 
wrote  that  Ochaka,  an  Indian  of  Lake  Nepigon,  had 
drawn  a  rude  map  and  was  ready  to  guide  an  expedition 
west  of  Lake  Superior,  either  by  the  Kamanistigoya  or 
the  Saint  Louis  river.  As  the  result  of  this  informa- 
tion, in  1731,  fifty  persons  left  Montreal,  under  three 
sons  of  Yerandrie,  and  his  nephew  Sieurde  la  Jemerave, 
not  long  returned  from  Fort  Beauharnois,  on  the  shores 
of  Lake  Pepin.  Arriving  at  Grand  Portage,  the  western 
extremity  of  Lake  Superior,  and  guided  by  the  experi- 
enced Jemeraye,  the  party  shortly  ascended  the  Groseill- 
iers,  now  Pigeon  River,  and  during  the  autumn  reached 
Piainy  Lake,  and  near  Kainy  Lake  Paver  erected  a  post 
called  Fort  St.  Pierre,  the  baptismal  name  of  Yerandrie. 
The  next  year  an  advance  was  made  to  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  and  on  its  western  shore  was  erected  a  fort,  in 
compliment  to  Charles  Beauharnois,  the  Governor  of 
Canada,  named  Fort  St.  Charles.  In  the  year  1734,  near 
the  entrance  of  Lake  Winnipeg,  was  established  Fort 
Maurepas,  and  here  for  a  time  exploration  ceased,  owing 
to  the  exhaustion  of  supplies.  During  the  month  of 
June,  1730,  twenty-one  members  of  the  expedition  were 
encamped  upon  an  island  in  the  Lake  of  the  Woods, 
and  surprised  by  a  band  of  hostile  Sioux,  and  all  killed. 
Among  the  slain  were  one  of  Yerandrie's  sons,  also  a 
priest  named  Ouneau1  who  was  the  spiritual  adviser  of 
the  party. 

1.    Perhaps  intended  for  Guymoneaa,  a  priest  who  as  early  as  17'-.!  was  in  thp 
country  of  the  Ottawas. 


First  Map  of  Country  west  jof  Lake  Superior,  suggested  by  Iniian  Ochagach. 


Lfc4*£&  tutu.  UJ&a.   , 


*»  s*  st  r°  r* 


Carte  trcute  ft*r-  a,  isStsraae  Oc4<*pa(yA    &£  autre* .  & au£&'  <z  dtmrtS    'Uew  «H40C&eeurer&* 


ROCKY   MOUNTAINS   DISCOVERED.  29 

Subsequently  a  post  was  erected  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Assineboine,  and  Red  River  of  the  North,  which  was 
abandoned,  because  of  the  establishment  in  1738,  of 
Fort  La  Reine  on  the  banks  of  the  Assineboine  River. 

The  eldest  son  of  Verandrie,  and  one  of  his  brothers,  on 
the  twenty-ninth  of  April.  1 742,  left  the  Lake  of  theTVoods, 
and  by  way  of  the  Assineboine,  and  Mouse,  reached  the 
Missouri  River,  which  they  ascended  as  far  as  the  great 
Falls.  Pursuing  their  journey  they  found,  thirty  leagues 
distant,  the  '"gorges"  or  gates  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
On  the  first  of  January,  174o,  they  saw  the  mountains  at  a 
distance,  and  on  the  twelfth  day.  the  Chevalier  Verandrie 
ascended  them.  On  the  nineteenth  of  March  the  brothers 
returned  to  the  upper  Missouri  River.and  in  the  country  of 
the  Petite  Cerise  Indians  they  placed,  upon  a  hill,  a  leaden 
plate  with  the  arms  of  France,  and  raised  a  monument  of 
stones,  which  they  called  Beauharnois.  Upon  the  second 
of  July  they  returned  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods. 

During  the  year  lToG,  Jacques  Legardeur  St.  Pierre,1 
a  descendant  of  Nicolet.  who.  as  early  as  1634,  had  ex- 
plored the  Green  Bay  region,  was  in  command  of  the 
post  upon  the  sandy  point  jutting  into  Like  Pepin,  but 
in  consequence  of  the  massacre  of  the  French  upon  the 
island  in  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  this  post  for  a  time 
was  abandoned.  In  the  summer  of  1743.  a  deputation 
of  Sioux  came  to  Quebec  to  ask  that  trade  might  be  re- 
sumed with  them.  During  the  winter  of  1745-6,  De 
Lusignan  visited  the  Sioux,  and  their  chiefs  brought  to 
him  niueteen  young  men  who  had  killed  three  French- 
men, and  four  chiefs  returned  with  him  to  Canada  to 
solicit  pardon  for  the  hostility  shown  their  tribe. 

c»1*tJrapt- SJ' Pierre- born  ia  l7"1-  was  the  ?on  of  PiiaI  Le_-ardeur.  the  Sienr 
M.  Pierre,  who  in  171^  re-established  the  post  at  Chajjouamiijon.  and  in  17:53 


30  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

In  1749,  Captain  St.  Pierre  was  in  command  at  Mack- 
inaw, and  his  brother,  Louis  Legardeur,  the  Chevalier 
de  Repentigny,  was  the  next  olhcer  in  rank.  In  1752  he 
was  at  Fort  La  Heine,  on  the  Assineboine  River,  and 
then  was  recalled  and  sent  to  the  forests  of  north-west- 
ern Pennsylvania,  and  had  been  at  his  post,  on  French 
Creek,  bnt  a  short  time,  when  he  received  a  visit  from 
George  Washington,  bearing  a  letter  of  complaint  from 
Governor  Dinwiddie  of  Virginia.  In  a  battle  with  the 
English,  in  1755,  near  the  head  of  Lake  George,  he  was 
killed. 


ENGLISH   AT    GREEN   BAY.  31 


CHAPTER  SECOND. 

OCCUPATION   BY    THE    BRITISH. 

The  French  garrison  at  Niagara,  early  in  the  morning 
of  July  25th,  1759,  surrendered  to  the  British  troops 
under  Sir  William  Johnson,  and  by  the  9th  of  Septem- 
ber the  flag  of  England  was  flying  from  the  heights  of 
Quebec,  and  the  next  year  Governor  Vaudreuil  yielded, 
by  articles  of  capitulation,  the  whole  of  Canada  to  Gen- 
eral Amherst,  the  British  commander. 

Immediate  steps  were  taken  to  secure  the  trade  and 
friendship  of  the  Indian  tribes  west  of  Lake  Michigan. 
On  the  12th  of  October,  17(31.  Ensign,  afterwards 
Lt.  James  Gorrell,  of  the  Sixteenth  Royal  American 
regiment,  a  native  of  Maryland,  arrived  at  Green  Bay 
with  a  few  soldiers,  and  established  Fort  Edward  Au- 
gustus, in  place  of  the  old  French  post,  which  had  been 
in  ruins  for  several  years. 

Sir  William  Johnson  in  his  journal  wrote:  'T  counted 
out  and  delivered  to  Mr.  Croghan  some  silver  works, 
viz:  One  hundred  and  fifty  ear  bobs,  two  hundred 
brooches  or  breast  buckles,  and  ninety  large  crosses,1 
all  of  silver,  to  send  to  Ensign  Grorell,  posted  at  La  Bay 

1.  Silver  crosses  were  articles  of  trade  with  all  of  the  Indian  tribes.  Iti 
Matthew  Clarkson'e  diary  in  4th  volume  of  Schoolcraft's  "Hist,  and  Stat,  i  'on- 
dition  of  Indian  Tribes,"  is  the  following  entry:  "Account  of  silver  truck  (apt. 
Long  left  with  mean  thr>  2*th  of  February.  17ti7.  the  day  when  he  went  from  the 
Kaskaskias:  lTlsmall  crosses,  S4  nose  crosses  Xi  long  drop  nose  and  ear  bobs, 
12(3  small  brooches,  :',s  lartre  brooches,  10  rin^s,  "J  wide  wristbands,  tj  narrow  scal- 
loped wristbands,  ;i  narrow  plain,  four  half  moon  gorgets,  :i  large,  6  full  moon, 
9  hair  plates,  17  hair  bobs." 


32  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

on  Lake  Michigan,  in  order  to  purchase  therewith  some 
curious  skins  an.l  furs  for  General  Amherst  and  my- 
self. 

Gorrell  was  an  efficient  officer,  and  in  the  autumn  of 
1762  permitted  Pennesha,  or  Penneshon,  a  French 
trader,  to  visit  the  valley  of  the  Minnesota  River, 
although  it  was  then  beyond  British  jurisdiction,  being 
in  the  Louisiana  Territory,  which  in  17(33,  the  French 
ceded  to  Spain. 

Jonathan  Carver,  born  in  1732,  a  uative  of  Connecti- 
cut, when  fifteen  years  of  age  lost  his  father,  and  when 
only  eighteen  was  an  Ensign  in  a  company  of  provincial 
troops.  In  the  year  1757,  he  was  a  captain  under  Colonel 
Williams,  at  Lake  George,  against  the  French,  and  re- 
mained in  the  army  until  1763,  when  peace  was  declared. 
In  June,  1766,  he  left  Boston,  and  on  the  eighteenth  of 
September  arrived  at  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  and  found 
the  English  post  abandoned.  On  the  first  of  November  he 
reached  Lake  Pepin,  and  on  a  sandy  point,  on  the  west 
shore,  observed  the  remains  of  the  French  post  which 
had  been  in  command  of  Captain  Legardeur  St.  Pierre. 
Near  the  St.  Croix  river  he  met  some  of  the  eastern 
Sioux,  whose  bands  he  mentions,  as  the  Nehogatawonahs, 
Mawtawbauntowahs  and  Shashweentowahs.  Peaching  the 
hills  now  included  within  the  city  of  St.  Paul,  he  visited 
the  cave  below  Trout  Brook,  where  the  Sioux  often  as- 
sembled and  over  which  they  placed  their  dead  on  scaf- 
folds, and  subsequently  buried  their  bones.  On  the 
seventeenth  of  November  he  was  at  the  Falls  of  St. 
Anthony,  of  which  he  wrote: 

"  In  the  middle  of  the  Falls  stands  a  small  island, 
about  forty  feet  broad,  and  somewhat  longer,  on  which 
grow   a  few  eragged    hemlock    and    spruce    trees,    and 


CARVER  S    DESCRIPTION   OF   ST.  AXTHOXI    FALLS.        33 

about  half  way  between  this  island  and  the  eastern  shore 
is  a  rock  lying  at  the  very  edge  of  the  falls,  in  an 
oblique  position,  that  appeared  to  be  about  five  or  six 
feet  broad  aud  thirty  or  forty  long.  At  a  little  distance 
below  the  falls  stands  a  small  island  of  about  an  acre 
and  a  half,  on  which  grow  a  great  number  of  oaks." 

Returning  from  the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony,  he 
ascended  the  Minnesota  River,  and  many  have  been 
as  far  as  the  Blue  Earth  Eiver.  He  mentioned  that 
the  sources  of  the  Minnesota  are  only  a  mile  distant 
from  the  sources  of  a  river  whose  waters  flow  into  Hud- 
son's Bay.  After  remaining  during  the  winter  among 
the  Sioux,  he  returned  to  the  cave,1  which  was  in  the 
eastern  suburbs  of  Saint  Paul,  where  a  party  of  Sioux 
had  brought  their  dead  for  burial,  and  gives  the  follow- 
ing as  the  address  delivered  over  the  remains  of  a 
deceased  warrior,  and  although  Carver  is  largely  indebted 
to  his  imagination,  it  is  a  happy  imitation. 

''You  still  sit  among  us.  brother:  your  person  retains  its  usual 
resemblance,  and  continues  similar  to  ours,  without  any  visible 
deficiency,  except  it  Las  lost  the  power  of  action!  But  whither  is 
that  breath  rlown.  which  a  few  hours  ago  sent  up  smoke  to  the 
Great  Spirit?  Why  are  those  lips  silent  that  lately  delivered  to  us 
expressions  and  pleasing  language?  Why  are  those  feet  motionless 
that  a  short  time  ago  were  rleeter  than  the  deer  on  yonder  nioun- 

1  This  cave  has  almost  disappeared,  owin;r  to  excavations  of  th  •  ~  sand- 

rock  to  give  space  for  railway  tracks.    In  W7.  Major  Long.  0.  S.  Army, 
it,  bat  the  month  was  so  covered  up  that  he  was  oblisad.  to  lseacol 
"to  cre-p  on  all  four-"  to  enter.    In  1  •«".?'.  it  was  passed  by  Schoolcraft,  v. 
took  another  cave,  about   two  miles  at*  ve.  known  as  Fonm 
described  by  Carver.    T!  -  _■••■  '..-■.-      therstoi         e  thesan      a . .-'  ike. 

In  1^:7.   Nicollet   the  astn  ..•  uaer, 1  .nts.  after  r^x    •..:._- 

from  the  mouth,  entered  the  cave.     More  than  thirty  ye     -     -  " 

German  cartographer.  Dr.  John G   Kohl,  the  writer   visit*  Lthe      ~- .    ndatt     * 

time  some  Indian  hieroglyphics  wi  re  vi.-ibie.  andon  the  roof  of  the 

the  smoke  of  a  torch  or  charci  rei    e  initials.  J.  N.  N.  and  J.  C  F. 

period  John  <  .  Frt  mont   '  is  ■■--■  i  iated  with  J.  N.  Nicollet.     On  I 

are  numerou-   mounds.    Ln-;-  r         supervision  of  rriter.  .  feet 

high  and  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet  in  cir    imferei        it  the  base,  was  opened 

to  the  depth  of  three  nr  f.>ur   :'-et.     Fraan        -      I 

exposure,  and  perfect  shells  of  human  teeth,  tiie  interior  entirely  decaj  ed,  were 

found 


u 


HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 


tains?  Why  useless  hang  those  arms  that  could  climb  the  tallest 
tree,  or  draw  the  toughest  bow?  Alas!  every  part  of  that  frame 
which  we  lately  behold  with  admiration  and  wonder,  is  now  become 
as  inanimate  as  it  was  three  hundred  years  ago!  We  will  not, 
however,  bemoan  thee  as  if  thou  wast  forever  lost  to  us,  or  that  thy 
name  would  be  buried  in  oblivion:  -thy  soul  yet  lives  in  the  great 
country  of  spirits,  with  those  of  thy  nation  that  have  gone  before 
thee,  aud,  though  we  are  left  behind,  to  perpetuate  thy  fame,  we 
shall  one  day  join  thee. 

"  Actuated  by  the  respect  we  bore  thee  whilst  living,  we  now 
come  to  tender  thee  the  last  act  of  kindness  in  our  power;  that  thy 
body  might  not  lie  neglected  on  the  plain,  and  become  a  prey  to 
the  beasts  of  the  field  or  the  fowls  of  the  air,  we  will  take  care  to 
lay  it  with  those  of  thy  predecessors  who  have  goue  before  thee; 
hoping  at  the  same  time  that  thy  spirit  will  feed  with  their  spirits, 
and  be  ready  to  feed  ours,  when  we  shall  also  arrive  at  the  great 
country  of  souls." 

After  Carver's  book  was  published,  Schiller  read  this 
speech,  and  wrote  a  poem  called  "Song  of  a  Nadowessee 
Chief"  which  Goethe  considered  one  of  his  best.  Trans- 
lations of  Schiller  have  been  made  byBulwer  andHers- 
chell. 


SIKE.L  BULWER'S. 

See  on  his  mat— as  if  of  yore. 

All  life-like  sit?  he  here! 
With  that  tame  aspect  which  he  wore 

When  life  to  him  was  dear. 

Bat  where  the  right   hand's  strength? 
and  where 

The  breath  that  loved  to  breath, 
To  the  Great  Spirit  aloft  in  air, 

The  peace-pipe's  lusty  wreath? 

And  where  the  hawk-like  eye,  alas! 

That  wont  the  deerpursue, 
Along  the  waves  of  rippling  grass. 

Or  fields  that  s.  one  with  dew? 

Are  these  tin1  limber,  bounding  feet 
That  swept  the  winter's  snows? 

What  stateliest  stag  so  fast  and  fleet? 
Their  speed  outstripped  the  roe's! 


SIR  JOHN  HERSCH ELL'S. 

See,  whereupon  the  mat,  he  sits 

Erect,  before  his  door, 
With  just  the  same  majestic  air 

That  once  in  life  he  wore. 

But  where  is  fled  his  strength  of  limb. 
The  whirlwind  of  his  bn  ath. 

To  the  (treat  Spirit,  when  lie  sent 

The  peace-pipe's  mounting  wreath? 

Where   are  those  falcon  eyes,  which 
late 

Along  the  plain  could  trace. 
Along  the  grass's  dewy  wave. 

The  reindeer's  printed  pace? 

Those  legs,  which  once  with  match- 
less speed, 
Elew  through  the  drifted  snow, 


17£7559 


SCHILLER  S    POEM. 


35 


These  arms  that  then  the  steady  bow 
Could  supple  from  its  pride, 

How  stark  and  helpless  hang  they 
now 
Adown  the  stiffened  side! 

"Yet  weal  to  him— at  peace  he  stays 
where  never  fall  the  snows; 

Where  o'er  the  meadows  springs  the 
maize 
That  mortal  never  sows. 

"Where  Lirds  are  blithe  on  every  brake 
Where  forests  teem  with  deer, 

Where  glides  the  tish  through  every 
lake 
One  chase  from  year  to  year! 

With  spirits  now  lie  feasts  above; 

All  left  us— to  revere 
The  deeds  we  honour  with  our  love, 

The  dust  we  bury  here. 

Here  bring  the   last    gift!    loud   and 
shrill 
Wail,  death  dirge  for  the  brave! 
What  pleased  him  most  in    life    may 
still 
Give  pleasure  in  the  grave. 

We  lay  the  axe  beneath  his  head 

He    swung    when     strength     was 
strong, 

The  bear  on  which  his  banquets  fed, 
The  way  from  earth  is  long! 

And    here,    new    sharped,    place    the 
knife 
That  severed  from  the  clay, 
From   which   the  ax  has  spoiled  the 
life, 
The  conqnred  scalp  away! 

The  paints  that  deck  the  dead  bestow. 
Yes,  place  them  in  las  hand, 

That  red  the  kingly  shade  may  glow 
Amid  the  Spirit-land. 


Surpassed  the  stag's  unwearied  course 
Outran  the  mountain  roe? 

Those  arms,  once  used  with  might  and 
main. 

The  slubborn  bow  to  twang? 
See,  see,  their  nerves  are  slack  at  last. 

All  motionless  they  hang. 

'Tis  well  with  him,  for  he  is  gone 
Where  snow  no  more  is  found. 

Where   the     gay     thorn's     perpetual 
bloom 
Decks  all  the  field  around. 

Where  wild    birds    sing    from    every 
spray, 

Where  deer  come  sweeping  by. 
Where  fish  from  every  brook,  afford 

A  plentiful  supply. 

With  spirits  now  he  feasts  above, 
And  leaves  us  here  alone, 

To  celebrate  his  valiant  deeds, 
And  round  his  grave  to  moan. 

Sound  the  death-song,  bring  forth  the 
gifts, 

The  last  gifts  of  the  dead,— 
Let  all  which  yet  may  yield  him  joy 

Within  his  grave  be  laid. 

The  hatchet  place  beneath  his  head. 
Still  red  with  hostile  blood: 

And  add,  because  the  way  is  long, 
The  bear's  fat  limbs  for  food. 

The  scalping-kmfe  beside  him  lay, 
With  paints  of  gorgeous  dye. 

That  in  the  land  of  souls  his  form 
Hay  shine  triumphantly. 


Carver's  Book  of:  Travels  was  published  in  177S,  and 
contains  the  first  engraving  of  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony. 
By  authority  of  the  King  of  England  an  order  had  been 


36  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

issued  in  October,  1703,  positively  forbidding  private 
persons  purchasing  land  from  the  Indians,  yet  Carver 
had  the  audacity  to  claim,  by  virtue  of  an  alleged  pur- 
chase made  of  the  Sioux  at  the  cave,  in  the  blutfs  of 
Saint  Paul,  a  tract  of  land  from  the  Falls  of  Saint  An- 
thony to  the  Chippewa  River,  and  in  width  one  hundred 
miles,  which  alleged  grant,  without  any  law  in  its  favor, 
was  sold  by  his  heirs. 

Another  daring  and  adventurous  trader  named  Peter 
Pond,  a  native  of  Xew  Milford,  Connecticut,  in  1774 
established  a  post  at  Traverse  des  Sioux,  in  the  valley  of 
the  Minnesota  River,  upon  the  upper  bank,'  near  the 
present  town  of  St.  Peter.  In  1778  he  traded  north  of 
the  Saskatchewan,  and  then  at  Athabasca  Lake,  and  in 
17S5  made  a  rough  sketch  of  the  country  north  and  west 
of  Lake  Superior,  which  is  still  in  possession  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  at  London,  and  a  copy  of  the 
original  in  the  State  Department  at  Washington.  Upon 
this  map  the  post  on  the  Minnesota  River  is  called  Fort 
Pond.  Through  information  given  by  him,  to  the  com- 
missioners to  negotiate  a  treaty,  it  is  said,  the  United 
States  obtained,  in  1792,  the  present  boundary  line 
through  the  Lakes,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Lake 
of  the  Woods. 

During  the  war  for  Independence,  Wapashah,  the 
leading  Sioux  chief,  adhered  to  the  British,  and  annu- 
ally visited  Mackinaw,  where  De  Peyster  was  in  com- 
mand. On  the  6th  of  -luly,  1770,  a  number  of  Choctaws, 
Chickasaws  and  Ojibways  were  on  a  visit  to  the  post 
then  on  the  main  shore,  and  not  on  the  island  of  that 
name,  when  Wapashah  arrived,  and  was  received  with 
a  salute  from  the  cannons  of  the  fort.  De  Peyster  wrote 
a  sons  suggested  bv  the  scene: 


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WAPASHAH,  SIOUX    CHIEF.  37 

"Hail  to  the  chief!  who  his  buffalo's  back  straddles, 
When  in  his  own  country,  far,  far  from  this  fort; 
Whose  brave  young  cauoe-men,  here  hold  up  their  paddles. 
In  hopes  that  the  whizzing  balls  may  give  them  sport. 
Hail  to  great  Wapashaw! 
He  comes,  beat  drums,  the  Scioux  chief  comes. 

'•They  now  strain  their  nerves  till  the  canoe  runs  bounding. 
As  swift  as  the  Soleu  goose  skims  o'er  the  wave. 
While  on  the  Lake's  border,  a  guard  is  surrounding 
A  space,  where  to  laud  the  Scioux  so  brave. 
Hail!  to  great  Wapashaw! 
Soldiers!  your  triggers  draw! 
Guard!  wave  the  colors,  and  give  him  the  drum. 
Choctaw  and  Chicakasaw, 
Whoop  for  great  Wapashaw; 
Raise  the  portcullis,  the  King's  friend  is  come." 

At  a  feast  given  by  the  Fox  Indians,  in  1780.  \Yapashah 
said :  "It  is  true,  my  children,  our  great  Father  has  sent  me 
thisway  to  take  the  skins  and  furs  that  are  in  the  Dog's 
Field  [Prairie  du  ChienJ,  under  Captain  Langlade's 
charge,  lest  the  Great  Knives  [Americans]  should  plun- 
der them.  I  am  come  with  the  white  men  to  give  you 
wherewithal  to  cover  you,  and  ammunition  to  hunt."  At 
this  period  the  Sioux  of  the  "Mille  Lacs"  region  had 
come  down  to  reside  around  Penneshon's  post,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Minnesota,  a  few  miles  above  its  mouth. 

During  the  winter  of  1783-4,  there  was  a  partnership 
formed  by  a  number  of  traders,  which  was  called  the 
North-west  Company.  There  were  at  first  but  sixteen 
shares,  and  the  management  of  the  whole  was  entrusted 
to  the  brothers  Frobisher,  and  MeTavish,  at  Montreal. 

A  few  that  were  dissatisfied  formed  an  opposition 
company,  one  of  the  members  of  which  was  the  explorer 
and  author  Alexander  Mackenzie.     After  a  keen  rivalry 


38  HIST0EY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

this  company  was  merged  with  the  North-west,  in  1787, 
and  the  number  of  shares  was  increased  to  twenty. 

From  that  time  the  fur  trade  of  the  northwest  u-as 
systematized.  The  agents  at  Montreal  received  the 
goods  from  England,  and  two  of  them  went  every  year 
to  the  Grand  Portage  of  Lake  Superior,  to  receive  packs 
and  ship  the  furs  for  Europe.  In  1798  the  company 
was  re-organized,  new  partners  admitted,  and  the  shares 
increased  to  forty -six. 

The  subordinate  traders  fn  m  the  interior  annually 
went  to  Grand  Portage,  near  the  mouth  of  Pigeon  Paver, 
Minnesota,  to  deliver  their  furs  to  the  company  and  re- 
ceive fresh  supplies  of  goods.  The  trader  at  a  lonely 
outpost  during  the  winter  was  buoyed  up,  by  the  thought 
of  the  happy  days  of  spring,  when  he  would  meet,  and 
dance,  and  frolic  with  his  fellow  traders,  on  the  shores  of 
Lake  Superior. 

The  love  of  adventure  has  often  led  educated  voun^ 
men  "into  the  woods,"  as  well  as  ''before  the  mast.*' 
Sailor  life,  and  Indian  trade,  in  a  majority  of  instances, 
render  individuals  "earthly,  sensual  and  devilish."  There 
have  been  scenes  enacted  in  Minnesota  which  will  never 
be  known  to  its  citizens,  for  which  ignorance,  there  is 
reason  for  gratitude.  The  history  of  one  trader  at  an 
outpost  is  generally  the  history  of  all  his  associates. 

On  the  first  day  of  November,  in  the  year  1784,  Alex- 
ander Kay,  arrived  at  La  Poiute.  with  an  outfit,  fortiacl- 
ing  in  the  Mille  Lacs  region.  His  clerk  was  J.  B.  Per- 
rault,  a  Canadian.  Entering  the  St.  Louis  Liver  of 
Minnesota,  at  a  little  lake  not  far  from  its  mouth,  they 
found  a  trader  named  Default,  who  had  come  down  from 
the  Grand  Portage.  At  the  portage  of  the  Saint  Louis, 
he  also  met  a  partner  in   the  trade,  Harris,  a  native  of 


A   RECKLESS   TRADER.  39 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  who  had  no  food  but  salt  meat.  The 
voyageurs  remonstrated  about  proceeding  without  proper 
provisions  for  the  winter,  but  Kay,  intoxicated  and  obsti- 
nate, drew  his  pistol  and  threatened  to  shoot  those  that 
did  not  follow.  Taking  Mr.  Harris,  an  Indian  named 
Big  Marten,  and  seven  men,  he  pushed  on  in  advance, 
and  the  next  day  sent  back  word  that  he  had  gone  on  to 
Pine  River,  and  desiring  his  clerk  to  winter  at  the  Sa- 
vanne  portage  if  possible. 

After  eleven  days'  hard  toil  amid  ice  and  snow,  sub- 
sisting on  the  pods  of  the  wild  rose,  and  the  sap  of  trees, 
Perrault  and  the  men  reached  the  point  designated.  For 
a  time  they  lived  there  on  a  few  roots,  and  fish,  but  about 
Christmas,  hunger  compelled  them  to  seek  their  employ- 
er at  Pine  River.  Weak  in  body,  they  passed  through 
Sandy  Lake,  descended  the  river,  and  at  last  arrived  at 
Kay's  post  at  Pine  Paver.  After  he  was  recruited,  Per- 
rault was  dispatched  to  the  Savanne  portage,  where,  with 
his  men,  he  built  a  log  hut. 

Toward  the  close  of  February,  Brochet,  Big  Martin, 
and  other  Ojibway  Indians,  brought  in  meat.  Kay 
shortly  after  visited  his  clerk,  and  told  the  troubles  he 
had  with  the  Indians,  who  exceedingly  hated  him.  In 
April,  Kay  and  Perrault  visited  Sandy  Lake  where  Bras 
Casse,  or  Broken  Arm,  or  Bo-koon-ik,  was  the  Ojibway 
chief.  On  the  second  of  May,  Kay  went  out  to  meet  his 
partner  Harris  coming  from  Pine  River. 

During  his  absence,  Katawabada,  who  in  1S2S  died  at 
Sandy  Lake,  Mongozid,  and  other  Indians,  came  and 
demanded  rum.  After  much  entreaty,  Perrault  gave 
them  a  little.  Soon  Harris,  Kay,  and  Pinot  arrived,  all 
intoxicated.  The  Indians  were  ripe  for  mischief.  An 
Indian  named  Le  Cousin  by  the  French,  came  to  Kay's 


40  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA.       • 

tent,  and  asked  for  ram,  Kay  told  him  "Xo,"  and  pushed 
him  out;  the  Indian  then  drew  a  concealed  knife,  and 
stabbed  him  in  the  neck.  Kay,  picking  up  a  carving 
knife,  chased  him,  but  before  he  could  reach  his  lodge, 
the  passage  was  blocked  up  by  Indians.  The  assailant's 
mother,  approaching  Kay,  said,  "Englishman!  do  you 
come  to  kill  me?"  and  while  imploring  for  her  son,  with 
savage  cruelty,  stabbed  him  in  the  side. 

Le  Petit  Mort,  a  friend  of  the  wounded  trader,  took 
up  his  quarrel,  and  sallying  forth,  seized  Cul  Blanc,  an 
Ojibway,  by  the  scalp  lock,  and  drawing  his  head  back, 
he  plunged  a  knife  into  his  breast,  exclaiming  "Die; 
thou  dog!''  The  Indian  women,  becoming  alarmed  at 
this  bacchanal,  went  into  the  lodges  and  emptied  out  all 
the  rum  they  could  find. 

Oil  the  fifth  of  May,  Kay's  wound  was  better,  and 
sending  for  Harris  and  Perrault  to  come  to  his  tent,  he 
said:  "Gentlemen,  you  see  my  situation:  I  have  deter- 
mined to  leave  you  at  all  hazards,  to  set  out  for  Macki- 
naw, with  seven  men,  accompanied  by  the  Bras  Casse 
and  wife.  Assort  the  remainder  of  the  goods,  ascend  to 
Leech  Lake  and  wait  there  for  the  return  of  the  Pilla- 
gers, who  are  out  on  the  prairies.  Complete  the  inland 
trade." 

Kay,  then  taking  hold  of  Perrault's  hand,  Harris  hav- 
ing retired,  said:  "My  dear  friend!  you  understand 
the  language  of  the  Ojibways.  Mr.  Harris  would  go  out 
with  me,  but  he  must  accompany  you.  He  is  a  good 
trader,  but  he  has  like  myself,  and  others,  a  strong  pas- 
sion for  drinking,  which  takes  away  his  judgment."  In 
the  afternoon,  Kay,  on  a  litter,  left  for  Mackinaw,  and 
Harris  proceeded  to  Leech  Lake,  where  they  had  a  suc- 
cessful trade  with  the  Pillagers.     Returning  to  the   Sa- 


DEATH   OF   KAY.  41 

vanne  River,  they  found  Eeaume  from  Turtle  Portage, 
and  Picquet  or  Paquett.  The  former  had  wintered  at 
the  outlet  of  Eed  Lake.  By  way  of  Fond  du  Lae,  they 
also  went  to  Mackinaw,  and  found  Kay  there  in  much 
pain,  who  soon  left  for  Montreal,  but  on  the  twenty- 
eighth  of  August,  1785,  died  on  his  way,  at  the  lake  of 
the  two  Mountains.  Another  trader  of  prominence  in 
the  valley  of  the  Minnesota  River,  when  Anderson  was 
there,  was  a  shrewd  and  daring  Scotchman,  Murdoch 
Cameron.  He  died  in  that  country,  and  for  years,  the 
voyageurs  on  the  Minnesota,  pointed  out  the  spot  known 
as  Cameron's  grave. 


42  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER  THIRD. 

BRITISH  INTERLOPERS. 

British  traders,  daring  the  latter  part  of  the  last 
century,  roamed  over  the  Spanish  and  United  States  ter- 
ritory, and  the  valley  of  the  upper  Mississippi, without  any 
remonstrance  from  the  authorities.  The  North  \Vest 
Company,  of  Montreal,  even  sent  their  geographer  and 
astronomer,  David  Thompson,  to  survey  the  country,  and 
the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.  On  the  fourteenth 
of  March,  1798,  he  reached  the  Company's  post,  near 
the  junction  of  the  Pembina,  and  Red  River  of  the 
North,  then  in  charge  of  Charles  Chabouillier,  and  dis- 
covered that  it  was  just  below  the  49th  degree  of  North 
latitude,  and  within  the  territory  of  the  United  States. 
From  there,  he  proceeded  southward,  ascending  the  Red 
River  of  the  North,  and  in  four  days,  came  to  the  post 
of  J.  Baptiste  Cadotte,  which  he  ascertained  to  be  in 
latitude  47  degrees,  54  minutes,  21  seconds.  On  the 
ninth  of  April  he  proceeded  toward  the  northernmost 
source  of  the  Mississippi.  Afraid  of  finding  ice  he  did 
not,  at  first,  ascend  Red  Lake  River,  but  went  up  the 
Clear  Water,  and  then  after  a  four  mile  portage,  entered 
the  Red  Lake  River  and  ascended  it  for  thirty- two  miles 
to  Red  Lake.  On  the  twenty-third  of  April,  he  reached 
Turtle  Lake,  the  most  northern  source  of  the  Missis- 
sippi river.  He  then  proceeded  southward  to  Red 
Cedar   Lake,    where    there  was   a  trading  house  of  the 


david  Thompson's  survey.  43 

North  "West  Company,  in  charge  of  John  Saver,  who, 
with  his  men,  had  been  obliged  to  live  all  the  winter 
before,  on  wild  rice  and  maple  sugar .  He  came  to  Sandy 
Lake,  on  the.sixth  of  May,  where  Charles  Brooskey  was 
in  charge  of  the  company's  post.  From  this  point,  he 
followed  the  usual  eastward-route,  to  the  St.  Louis  river, 
and  descended  to  near  its  entrance  into  Lake  Superior, 
where  he  found  the  post  of  which  M.  Lemoine  was  at 
the  head.  Count  Andreani  of  Milan,  Italy,  who,  in  1791, 
was  at  the  Grand  Portage,  severely  criticised  the  North 
West  Company.  He  wrote:  "All  the  men  employed  in 
this  trade,  are  paid  in  merchandise,  which  the  company 
sells  at  an  enormous  profit.  They  purchase  of  the  com- 
pany every  article  they  need.  These  menial  servants 
are  generally  extravagant,  given  to  drinking  to  excess, 
and  those  are  exactly  the  people  the  company  wants. 
The  speculation  in  the  excesses  of  these  people  is  car- 
ried so  far,  that  if  one  of  them  happens  to  lead  a  sober, 
regular  life,  he  is  burdened  with  the  most  laborious  work 
until,  by  continued  ill-treatment,  he  is  driven  to  drunk- 
enness, and  debauchery,  which  causes  the  rum,  blankets 
and  trinkets  to  be  sold  to  greater  advantage." 

Alexander  Henry,  a  nephew  of  the  trader  of  the  same 
name,  who  was  at  La  Pointe,  of  Lake  Superior,  a  quarter 
of  a  century  before,  was  one  of  the  partners  of  the  North 
"West  Company,  and  in  1800,  was  at  the  junction  of  the 
Assineboiue  and  Pied  River  of  the  North,  where  the 
ruins  of  the  old  French  post  was  visible.  The  habits  of 
the  traders  can  be  learned  from  an  inspection  of  his 
journal,  in  the  Parliament  library,  Ottawa,  Canada. 
Under  date  of  the  twenty-second  of  August,  he  wrote: 
"This  afternoon,  the  Indians  brought  me  a  horse,  which 
I  purchased  for  liquor,  and  about  sunset,  the  Indians  all 


44  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

arrived,  and  camped  with  us.  Old  Buffalo,  still  half 
drunk,  brought  me  his  eldest  daughter,  a  girl  about  nine 
years  of  age,  and  would  insist  on  my  taking  her  for  a 
wife,  in  hopes  I  would  give  him  a  keg  of  liquor,  but  I 
declined  the  offer." 

He  visited,  on  September  the  fifth,  Pembina  River, 
and  saw  on  the  east  side  of  the  Red  River  the  ruins  of 
the  first  post,  established  by  Peter  Grant  several  years 
before.  Two  days  later,  while  ascending  the  Red  River, 
he  saw  a  large  herd  of  buffalo  crossing  the  stream  from 
the  east  side.  On  the  eighth  of  September  he  came  to 
Park  River,  and  selected  a  place  for  a  post,  on  a  beauti- 
ful level  near  a  small  stream.  Here  he  remained  during 
the  winter  of  1800-1,  and  made  some  salt  from  the  water 
of  the  Little  Saline  stream.  On  the  second  of  January, 
1801,  there  arrived  one  Beardash,  the  eccentric  son  of 
Le  Sucre,  or  Old  Sweet,  an  Ojibway  chief  of  Red  Lake. 
Although  swift-footed  and  well  formed,  he  had  adopted 
the  peculiar  walk  and  occupations  of  a  woman.  A  few 
years  before,  his  courage  and  rleetness  had  been  tested 
on  the  banks  of  the  Cheyenne  River,  where  a  party  of 
Sioux  and  Ojibways  had  a  conflict.  One  of  the  latter, 
had  captured  a  bow.  but  had  few  arrows,  and  perceiving 
that  the  Sioux  were  gaining  on  them,  Beardash  took  the 
bows  and  arrows  of  his  comrades  and  told  tliem  to  run  and 
not  be  anxious  f<  >r  him.  Facing  the  foe  he  shot  his  arrows, 
and  checked  their  pursuit.  The  Sioux  then  attempted 
to  surround  him,  but  at  intervals  be  would  stop,  dis- 
charge some  of  his  arrows,  and  keep  them  at  bay. 
At  length  he  reached  the  woodland,  when  the  Sioux 
gave  up  the  chase. 

During  the  month  of  January,  Henry  daily  saw  herds 
of    buffalo     grazing    on    the     plains,    while     piercing 


FIRST    EED    RIVER    CART.  45 

winds  were  blowing.  By  the  first  of  April,  the  Red 
River  was  free  from  ice,  and  for  two  days  and  two  nights 
dead  buffalo  floated  down  the  stream.  In  May,  the  an- 
nual visit  was  made  to  the  Grand  Portage,  but  on  the 
fifteenth  of  September  he  was  again  at  Pembina,  where 
the  Indians  were  very  anxious  to  taste  his  "new  miik*' 
as  rum  was  called.  Here  was  constructed,  at  this  time, 
the  first  Red  River  cart,  without  any  iron  fastenings,  to 
take  the  place  of  horses  in  transportation.  Carts  of 
this  style  were  used  in  carrying  furs  over  the  prairies 
to  the  city  of  Saint  Paul.  About  this  time  one  of  his 
young  men  offered  to  work  for  the  company  for  life,  if 
he  could  be  allowed  dressed  leather  for  clothing,  some 
tobacco,  and  the  privilege  of  having  an  Indian  woman, 
with  whom  he  had  fallen  in  love. 

Henry  had  taken  the  daughter  of  an  Indian  for  a  wife, 
but  the  father  was  anxious  to  give  him  a  second  daugh- 
ter, saying  that  all  great  men  should  have  more  than 
one  wife,  ami  that  he  had  throe,  who  were  sisters.  On 
the  twenty-fourth  of  December,  1803,  with  a  horse  and 
carriole,  he  set  out  to  visit  a  sub-trader,  named  Cotton, 
on  Red  Lake  River,  and  made  arrangements  with  two 
men  to  build  a  post  and  pass  the  summer  at  Red  Lake, 
and  by  the  last  day  of  the  year  had  returned  to  Riviere 
aux  Marais,  where  Cadotte  was  left  in  charge  of  a  post, 
and  on  the  second  of  January,  1804,  arrived  at  his  fort 
at  Park  River.  On  the  tenth,  there  arrived  at  the  fort 
the  body  of  trader  Cameron,  of  Red  Lake  River,  who 
had  suddenly  died  a  week  before.  It  was  brought  by  a 
dog  train,  wrapped  in  a  tent  and  skins.  In  February 
Hesse,  a  sub-trader,  and  his  wife,  were  sent  to  Red  Lake 
to  bring  down  maple  sugar.  Early  in  August.  1S05, 
Henry  returned  to  Pembina  from  his   annual   visit  to 


46  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

Grand  Portage,  and  learned  that  on  the  third  of  July 
there  had  been  a  tight  between  a  party  of  Sioux  and 
Ojibways  at  Tongue  River,  not  far  from  the  post. 

Among  the  first  of  the  Ojibways  killed,  was  the  father 
of  the  Indian  woman,  who  lived  as  a  wife,  with  Henry. 
About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  had  climbed  a  tree, 
to  see  if  buffaloes  were  near,  and  as  soon  as  he  reached 
the  top,  two  lurking  Sioux  shot  him,  and  before  he  died, 
he  had  only  time  to  call  out  to  his  family,  in  a  tent  near 
the  tree,  to  save  themselves. 

The  discharge  of  the  guns  brought  the  Ojibways  from 
their  tents,  who  ran  over  the  prairie,  and  reached  a 
wooded  island  in  Tongue  River.  An  Ojibway  who 
stayed  behind  to  protect  the  women  and  children,  acted 
bravely.  As  he  saw  the  Sioux  rushing  toward  him,  he 
calmly  stood  and  knocked  one  from  his  horse.  Three 
young  girls  and  a  boy  were  taken  prisoners,  and  the  rest 
were  killed  and  horribly  mutilated.  A  mother  with  two 
children  took  one  upon  her  back,  and  prevailed  upon  a 
young  woman  to  carry  the  other,  but  the  yelling  Sioux 
drawing  near,  the  young  Avonian  was  so  frightened  that 
she  threw  down  the  child  and  ran  to  its  mother,  who, 
hearing  the  screams  of  the  abandoned  child,  kissed  the 
daughter  she  had  been  carrying,  and  said,  "Run  fast;  take 
courage;  I  will  return  for  your  younger  sister,  or  die  in 
the  attempt.''  She  succeeded  in  reaching  the  child,  but 
just  as  she  was  about  to  carry  it  off,  a  Sioux  struck  her 
with  a  war  club,  but  as  she  fell  to  the  ground  she  drew 
a  knife  and  plunged  it  into  the  neck  of  her  murderer. 
The  scene  after  the  fight  was  revolting.  He  who 
remained  to  protect  the  women  and  children  had  his 
skull  partly  removed  and  the  muscles  of  his  breast  rip- 
ped up  and  thrown  over  his  face.  The  mother  of  Henry's 


TRADERS  HENRY  AND  ANDERSON.  47 

concubine  was  cut  up  in  a  shocking  manner;  and  the 
bodies  were  pierced  with  arrows,  which  remained  in  the 
flesh. 

In  January,  1S0G,  Henry  was  visited  by  an  Ojibway, 
who  told  him  that  a  party  of  American  soldiers  had 
reached  Leech  Lake,  and  on  the  thirteenth  of  March, 
messengers  arrived  from  the  chief  trader,  Hugh  McGil- 
lis,  informing  him  that  Lt.  Pike  of  the  United  States 
Army  had  been  to  the  post,  and  that  hereafter  they 
would  be  obliged  to  pay  duties  to  the  United  States. 

While  British  traders  were  gathering  peltries  toward 
the  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  others,  with  the  same 
sympathies,  were  trading  in  the  valley  of  the  Minnesota 
River.  In  the  autumn  of  1806,  a  Canadian,  Thomas  G. 
Anderson,  one  of  the  most  respectable  of  his  class,  had 
a  post  on  its  banks,  about  fifty  miles  above  its  junction 
with  the  Mississippi,  and  during  the  winter  found  abun- 
dance of  game;  while  the  Indians,  when  spring  arrived, 
bi  ought  in  plenty  of  furs.  The  next  year,  however,  was 
a  mild  one.  and  during  the  winter  of  1S0G-7,  there  was 
a  scarcity  of  deer,  and  he  and  his  voyageurs  were  obliged 
to  live  on  muskrats  and  even  wolves.  The  Indians  were 
in  a  famishing  condition,  and  lived  upon  roots. 

Iri  the  autumn  of  180S,  he  established  himself  at  Lac 
qui  Parle,  and  went  with  a  party  of  Sioux,  to  Big  Stone 
Lake,  to  hunt  for  buffalo.  There,  for  the  first  time,  he 
heard  the  distant  rumble,  then,  the  terrible  bellowing  of 
thousands  of  buffaloes.  A  large  number  were  killed, 
and  when  the  Indians  returned  to  the  camp  fire,  the 
bones  were  roasted,  and  then,  the  marrow  taken  out,  and 
eaten,  and  Anderson  thought  it  very  delicious.  The 
next  year  he  was  in  the  same  region,  and  the  Yankton, 
old  Wack-liaw-a-du-tah  or  Red  Thunder  was  the  head 


48  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA, 

chief,  highly  esteemed  by  the  traders,  and  the  Sioux. 
He  gained  his  reputation  for  bravery  some  years  before, 
while  hunting,  near  the  Omaha  Indians,  on  the  Mis- 
souri. AVith  lied  Thunders'  party,  there  happened  to  be 
an  Ottawa  of  Michigan,  whose  people  were  hostile  to 
the  Omahas,  and  the  latter  determined  to  capture  him. 
As  they  approached  seeing  he  could  not  save  his  guest, 
he  raised  his  gun  and  shot  him,  and  the  ball  which 
passed  through  the  Ottawa,  then  killed  one  of  the  Oma- 
has. The  next  morning,  Red  Thunder  mounted  his 
horse  and  rode  alone  to  the  Omaha  camp,  singing  his 
death  dirge,  and  with  his  knife  cutting  rlesh  from  his 
thighs,  and  said:  "My  friends  !  I  fed  my  dogs  with  your 
flesh,  yesterday,  and  now  am  come  to  feast  your  dogs,  on 
my  poor  flesh  that  we  may  continue  as  brethren."  The 
foe  was  astonished  and  impressed  by  his  course,  and 
taking  him  from  his  horse,  dressed  his  thighs,  gave  him 
presents,  and  sent  him  home,  as  a  brave  man,  and  from 
that  time  he  was  recognized  as  a  leader  among  the  Sioux. 

Ked  Thunder  passed  the  winter  of  1809-10,  at  the  tra- 
ding post,  but  he  and  the  traders  were  obliged  to  live  on 
bitter-sweet,  and  other  roots,  and  at  one  time  upon  the 
flesh  of  an  old  horse.  In  March.  1810,  the  Indian  hunt- 
ers arrived,  and  Anderson  had  a  good  trade.  In  his 
narrative,  he  writes:  "I  made  a  splendid  trade,  gave 
them  two  kegs,  each,  containing  three  gallons  of  high 
wines  and  six  of  water.  True,  they  might  have  gotten 
the  water  at  their  camp,  but  carrying  it  on  their  backs 
twenty  rive  miles  would  mix  it  better."'  It  was  perhaps 
w-ell  for  Anderson  that  soon  after  this  sharp  practice  he 
left  the  Lac  qui  Parle  region. 

In  the  autumn  of  1810,  under  the  guidance  of  Robert 
Dickson,  several  traders,  among  others,  Anderson,  James, 


DRUNKEN    INDIANS.  49 

and  George  Aird,  Allen  Wilniot,  and  Joseph  Eolette, 
under  the  cover  of  a  dark  night,  sneaked  around  the 
American  fort,  at  Mackinaw,  and  smuggled  into  the 
Indian  country,  goods  valued  at 'about  ten  thousand 
pounds.  Dickson,  and  the  brothers  Aird  went  above 
the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  to  trade;  and  Wilmot,  Rolette 
and  Anderson  chose  the  island  at  the  mouth  of  the  Min- 
nesota river,  as  a  wintering  place.  Wilmot  and  Eolette 
had  never  before  been  in  the  Sioux  country.  About 
three  hundred  lodges  of  Sioux  came  from  their  hunts 
in  the  spring,  to  the  island,  and  after  trading  was  fin- 
ished, high  wines  were  issued.  That  day,  Anderson 
was  left  at  the  post  with  only  a  negro  and  two  white 
men,  and  in  a  few  hours  the  Indians  had  become  drunk, 
and  began  singing,  dancing,,  hair  pulling,  and  stabbing 
each  other.  By  midnight  all  the  liquor  was  exhausted 
and  one  thirsty  fellow  leaped  over  the  pickets  of  the 
post,  then  fired  his  gun,  sending  a  bullet  through  the 
door.  Eolette  Avas  greatly  frightened,  and  broke  his 
ram -rod  in  loading  his  gun. 

During  the  summer  of  1811,  Anderson  visited  the 
upper  Mississippi,  above  Crow  Wing  river,  in  a  Mack- 
inaw boat,  with  a  one-pound  swivel,  which  was  dragged 
around  the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony.  About  the  year 
1810,  he  took  a  young  Sioux  half-breed  woman,  for  a 
wife,  and  had  by  her  a  son  and  a  daughter,  but  when 
he  left  Minnesota  in  March,  1814,  he  sent  them  to 
their  band,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  tra- 
ders. The  girl  grew  up  to  be  a  decent  woman,  and  in 
1850,  was  the  wife  of  a  Scotchman,  who  was  farmer,  at 
the  village  of  Kaposia,  just  below  the  city  of  Saint  Paul 


50  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


- 

CHAPTER  FOURTH. 

EVENTS   FEOM   A.  D.     1800   TO  A.  D.    1819. 

■  On  the  seventh  of  May,  1800,  the  Northwest  territory, 
which  included  all  of  the  country  north  of  the  Ohio  and 
east  of  the  Mississippi  River,  was  divided.  The  portion, 
not  designated  as  Ohio,  was  organized  as  the  Territory 
of  Indiana. 

On  the  twentieth  of  December,  1803,  the  province  of 
Louisiana,  of  which  that  portion  of  Minnesota  west  of 
the  Mississippi  was  a  part,  was  officially  delivered  up 
by  the  French,  who  had  just  obtained  it  from  the 
Spaniards,  according  to  treaty  stipulations. 

To  the  transfer  of  Louisiana  by  France,  after  twenty 
days'  possession,  Spain  at  first  objected,  but  in  1804 
withdrew  all  opposition. 

President  Jefferson  now  deemed  it  an  object  of  para- 
mount importance  for  the  United  States  to  explore  the 
country  so  recently  acquired,  and  make  the  acquaint- 
ance of  the  tribes  residing  therein;  and  steps  were 
taken  for  an  expedition  to  the  upper  Mississippi. 

Early  in  March,  1804,  Captain  Stoddard,  of  the 
United  States  army,  arrived  at  St.  Louis,  the  agent  of 
the  French  Republic,  to  receive  from  the  Spanish 
authorities  the  possession  of  the  country;  which  he 
immediately  transferred  to  the  United  States. 

On  the  twentieth  of  the  same  month  the  territory  of 
upper   Louisiana  was  constituted,  comprising  the  pres- 


EXPLORATION   OF    LT.    Z.    M.    PIKE.  51 

ent  States  of  Arkansas,  Missouri,  Iowa,  and  a  large 
portion  of  Minnesota,  and  on  the  eleventh  of  January, 
1805,  the  territory  of  Michigan  was  organized. 

The  first  American  officer  who  visited  Minnesota,  on 
business  of  a  public  nature,  was  one  who  was  an  orna- 
ment to  his  profession,  and  in  energy  and  endurance  a 
true  representative  of  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  the  gallant  Zebulon  Montgomery  Pike,  who 
afterwards  fell  in  battle  at  York,  Upper  Canada,  and 
whose  loss  was  justly  mourned  by  the  whole  nation. 

When  a  young  lieutenant,  he  was  ordered  by  General 
Wilkinson  to  visit  the  region  now  known  as  Minnesota, 
and  expel  the  British  traders  who  were  found  violating 
the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  form  alliances  with 
the  Indians.  With  only  a  few  common  soldiers,  he  was 
obliged  to  do  the  work  of  several  men.  At  times  he 
would  precede  his  party  for  miles,  to  reconnoitre,  and 
then  would  do  the  duty  of  hunter.  During  the  day  he 
would  perform  the  part  of  surveyor,  geologist,  and  as- 
tronomer, and  at  night,  though  hungry  and  fatigued,  his 
lofty  euthusiasm  kept  him  awake  until  he  copied  his 
notes  and  plotted  the  courses. 

He  reached  on  the  twenty-first  of  September,  1S05,  at 
breakfast  time,  the  village  of  the  Kaposia  band  of  Sioux, 
which  was  then  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  just 
below  Saint  Paul,  at  the  marsh  known  by  frontiersmen, 
as  Pig's  Eye.  The  same  day  he  passed  the  encampment 
of  J.  13.  Faribault,  then  a  subordinate  trader,  three  miles 
below  Mendota.  Arriving  at  the  island  at  the  contin- 
ence of  the  Minnesota  and  Mississippi  Rivers,  he  set  up 
his  tents,  and  on  Monday,  the  twenty-second,  held  a 
council  with  the  Sioux,  under  a  covering  made  by  sus- 
pending sails,  in  the    presence  of  traders    Fraser  and 


52  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

Murdoch  Cameron,  assisted  by  interpreters  Pierre 
Roseau  and  Joseph  Iteuville.  At  the  conference,  an 
agreement  was  made,  by  which  the  Sioux  agreed  to  cede 
land  from  below  the  confluence  of  the  Minnesota  and 
Mississippi,  up  the  latter  stream,  to  include  the  Falls  of 
Saint  Anthony,  and  extending  nine  miles  on  each  side 
of  the  river. 

The  morning  after  the  council,  Lt.  Pike  was  indignant 
at  finding  that  his  flag  which  had  been  flying,  was  not  to 
be  found,  and  supposing  that  it  was  negligence,  had  the 
soldier  that  had  been  on  duty,  arrested  and  flogged. 
The  trader,  Anderson,  mentions  in  his  "Narrative,"'  that 
while  the  soldier  was  under  disgrace,  the  Chief  of  the 
Kaposia  band  came  up  from  his  village  and  said  that 
during  the  storm  in  the  night,  the  flag  had  been  blown 
into  the  river,  and  that  some  of  his  young  men  had  found 
it,  and  they  would  return  it,  and  then  spoke  as  follows: 

"Young  man!  my  name  is  Onk-e-tah-en-du-tah.  It 
was  your  fault,  and  not  the  soldier's,  that  your  flag 
floated  down  the  river.  Now,  I  warn  you.  if  you  hurt 
this  man  during  the  winter,  I  will  make  a  hole  in  your 
coat  when  you  come  back  in  the  spring.  Go,  now;  you 
may  tell  all  the  Sioux  you  meet  that  I  desire  them  to  be 
kind  to  you  and  your  soldiers,  but,  as  I  have  warned 
you,  beware  of  hurting  that  man's  back."  The  story  is 
probably  exaggerated,  but  Pike  records  in  his  journal 
that  he  did  whip  a  soldier  for  the  loss  of  the  flag,  and 
on  the  twenty-seventh  of  the  month  makes  an  entry  that 
"two  young  Indians  brought  my  flag  across  by  land, 
just  as  we  came  in  sight"  of  the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony. 
On  the  last  of  the  month,  he  was  encamped  upon  Hen- 
nepin Island,  above  the  Falls.  By  the  tenth  of  October. 
he  had  ascended   the  Mississippi,  as  far    as  an  island 


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PIKE   VISITS   LEECH   LAKE.  53 

where,  in  1797,  the  traders  Porlier  and  Joseph  Renville 
had  wintered,  and  by  the  last  of  the  month,  had  erected 
winter  quarters,  enclosed  with  pickets,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Swan  River,  and  here  was  visited  by  the  noted  British 
trader,  Robert  Dickson,  who  was  then  trading  at  a  point 
about  sixty  miles  below.  With  sleds,  on  the  third  of 
January,  1806,  he  reached  the  trading  post  of  the  North- 
west Company,  at  Bed  Cedar,  now  Cass  Lake,  and  was 
disturbed  by  seeing  the  British  flag  flying.  From  thence 
he  went  to  Sandy  Lake,  and  found  a  trader  by  the  name 
of  Grant  in  charge.  Afterwards  he  proceeded  to 
Leech  Lake,  where  he  arrived  on  the  first  of  February, 
and  was  hospitably  received  by  Hugh  McGillis,  the 
head  of  the  Northwest  Company  in  this  district,  and 
hoisting  the  United  States  Hag,  allowed  the  Indians 
and  soldiers  to  shoot  at  the  British  flag  until  it  fell. 
McGillis  made  fair  promises  to  obey  the  laws  of  the 
United  States,  and  by  the  eleventh  of  April,  Pike  had 
returned  to  the  mouth  of  the  Minnesota  River,  and  the 
next  day  began  his  voyage  to  Saint  Louis. 

Notwithstanding  the  professions  of  friendship  made 
to  Pike,  in  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain,  Dickson 
and  others  were  found  bearing  arms  against  the  Republic. 

A  year  after  Pike  left  Prairie  du  Chien  it  was  evident 
that,  under  some  secret  influence,  the  Indian  tribes  were 
combining  against  the  United  States.  In  the  year  1809, 
Nicholas  Jarrot  declared  that  the  British  traders  were 
furnishing  the  savages  with  guns  for  hostile  purposes. 
On  the  first  of  May,  1812,  two  Indians  were  appre- 
hended at  Chicago,  who  were  on  their  way  to  meet  Dick- 
sou  at  Green  Bay.  They  had  taken  the  precaution  to 
hide  letters  in  their  moccasins,  and  bury  them  in  the 
ground,  and  were  allowed  to  proceed  after  a  brief  deten- 


54  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

tion.  Fraser,  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  who  had  been  with 
Pike  at  the  council  at  the  mouth  of  the  Minnesota  River, 
was  at  the  portage  of  the  Wisconsin  when  the  Indians 
delivered  these  letters,  which  stated  that  the  British 
flag  would  soon  be  flying  again  at  Mackinaw.  At  Green 
Bay,  the  celebrated  warrior,  Black  Hawk,  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  Indians  who  were  to  aid  the  British.  The 
American  troops  at  Mackinaw  were  obliged,  on  the  sev- 
enteenth of  July,  1S12,  to  capitulate  without  tiring  a 
single  gun.  One  who  was  made  prisoner  writes  from 
Detroit  to  the  Secretary  of  War: 

"  The  persons  who  commanded  the  Indians  are  Rob- 
ert Dickson,  Indian  trader,  and  John  Askin,  Jr.,  Indian 
agent,  and  his  sou.  The  latter  two  were  painted  and 
dressed  after  the  manner  of  the  Indians.  Those  who 
commanded  the  Canadians  are  John  Johnson,  Crawford, 
Pothier,  Armitinger,  La  Croix,  Rolette,  Franks,  Living- 
ston, and  other  traders,  some  of  whom  were  lately  con- 
cerned in  smuggling  British  goods  into  the  Indian 
country,  and  in  conjunction  with  others,  have  been  using 
their  utmost  efforts,  several  months  before  the  declara- 
tion of  war,  to  excite  the  Indians  to  take  up  arms.  The 
least  resistance  from  the  fort  would  have  been  attended 
with  the  destruction  of  all  the  persons  who  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  British,  as  I  have  been  assured  by  some  of 
the  British  traders." 

On  the  first  day  of  May,  1814,  Governor  Clark,  with 
two  hundred  men,  left  St.  Louis,  to  build  a  fort  at  the 
junction  of  the  Wisconsin  and  Mississippi.  Twenty 
days  before  he  arrived  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  Dickson  had 
started  for  Mackinaw  with  a  band  of  Dakotahs  and 
Wiunebagoes.  The  place  was  left  in  command  of  Cap- 
tain Deace  and  the   Mackinaw  Fencibles.     The  Dako- 


SURRENDER  OF  FORT  SHELBY.  55 

talis  refusing  to  co-operate,  when  the  Americans  made 
their  appearance,  they  lied.  The  Americans  took  pos- 
session of  the  old  Mackinaw  house,  in  which  they  found 
nine  or  ten  trunks  of  papers  belonging  to  Dickson;  in 
one  of  the  papers  was  the  following:  "Arrived,  from 
below,  a  few  Winnebagoes  with  scalps.  Gave  them 
tobacco,  six  pounds  powder  and  six  pounds  ball.*' 

A  fort  was  immediately  commenced  on  the  site  of  the 
old  residence  of  the  late  H.  L.  Dousman,  which  was 
composed  of  two  block-houses  in  the  angles,  and  another 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  with  a  subterranean  communi- 
cation. In  honor  of  the  Governor  of  Kentucky  it  was 
named  "Shelby." 

The  fort  was  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  Perkins  and  sixty 
rank  and  file;  and  two  gunboats,  each  of  which  carried  a 
six-pounder  and  several  howitzers,  were  commanded  by 
Captains  Yeiser,  Sullivan  and  Aid-de-camp  Kennedy. 

Anderson,  the  former  Minnesota  trader,  was  at  Mack- 
inaw, when  the  news  came  of  the  American  occupation 
of  Prairie  du  Chien.  He  was  active  in  raising  a  com- 
pany of  volunteers1  to  attack  them,  in  which  Joseph 
Renville,  Pike's  interpreter,  was  a  lieutenaut.  About 
the  twentieth  of  July,  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
Wisconsin  river,  and  sending  a  flag  of  truce  to  the 
American  fort,  demanded  its  surrender,  which  was 
refused.  The  next  day,  the  British  attacked,  and  were 
successful,  taking  sixty-five  prisoners,  which,  on  parole, 
were  sent  to  St.  Louis,  in  a  boat,  under  the  escort  of 
Lt.  Brisbois. 

A  few  of  the  Sioux  remained  true  to  the  American 
flag,    among  others  Red  Wing,  whose    band   generally 

1.    Among  the  volunteers,  were  Joseph  Rolette,   Louis  and  P.  Provencule,  J 
R.  Faribault,  J.  B.  r;ir;inl,  John  and  Colin  Campbell,  ami  J.  J.  Porlier. 


56  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

went  with  the  British.  On  the  twenty-fourth  of  August, 
1814,  Anderson,  then  in  command  of  Fort  McKay, 
ordered  Joseph  Renville  to  visit  the  band  of  Sioux 
friendly  to  Great  Britain,  and  to  ask  Little  Crow,  and 
other  chiefs,  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  at  Prairie 
La  Crosse.  Three  days  later  fifty  Sioux  of  the  Feuille 
(Fuhyay)  baud,  joined  the  British  at  Prairie  du 
Chien.  Duncan  Graham,  Feuille  (Fuhyay )  and  a 
number  of  Sioux  participated  in  an  attack,  on  the 
seventh  of  September,  upon  the  Americans  at  Rock  Isl- 
and. On  the  twenty-eighth  Feuille  (Fuhyay)  and  Little 
Crow,  with  one  hundred  warriors  and  their  families  came 
to  Fort  McKay,  and  remained,  in  the  vicinity,  for  several 
weeks. 

Among  those  who  came  to  St.  Louis,  after  the  surren- 
der of  Fort  Shelby,  was  a  one-eyed  Sioux,  called  by  the 
French,  Orignal  Leve,  ( Fusing  Moose  i  and  by  his  own 
people  Tah-ma-hah.  In  the  fall  of  1814,  with  another 
Sioux,  he  ascended  the  Missouri  river  as  far  as  the  Au 
Jacques  or  James  Piiver,  and  from  thence  struck  across 
the  country,  enlisting  the  Sioux  in  favour  of  the  United 
States,  and  at  length  arrived  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  On 
his  arrival,  Dickson  accosted  him,  and  inquired  from 
whence  he  came,  and  what  was  his  business;  at  the  same 
time  rudely  snatching  his  bundle  from  his  shoulder,  and 
searching  for  letters.  The  "one-eyed  warrior"  told  him 
that  he  was  from  St.  Louis,  and  that  he  had  promised 
the  white  chiefs  there,  that  he  would  go  to  Prairie  du 
Chien,  and  that  he  had  kept  his  promise. 

Dickson  then  placed  him  in  confinement  in  Fort  Mc 
Kay,  as  the  garrison  was  called  by  the  British,  and 
ordered  him  to  divulge  what  information  he  possessed. 
or  he  would  put  him  to  death.     But  the  faithful  fellow 


TAHMAHAH,    THE   ONE-EYED    SIOUX.  57 

said  be  would  impart  nothing,  and  that  he  was  ready 
for  death  if  he  wished  to  kill  him.  Finding  that  con- 
finement had  no  effect,  Dickson  at  last  liberated  him. 
He  then  left,  and  visited  the  bands  of  Sioux  on  the  Up- 
per Mississippi,  with  which  he  passed  the  winter.  When 
he  returned  in  the  spring,  Dickson  had  gone  to  Macki- 
naw, and  Capt.  A.  Bulger,  of  the  Royal  New  Foundland 
Begiment,  was  in  command  of  the  fort. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  May,  1815,  Capt.  Bulger,  wrote 
from  Fort  McKay  to  Gov.  Clark  at  St.  Louis:  ''Official 
intelligence  of  peace  reached  me  yesterday.  I  propose 
evacuating  the  fort,  taking  with  me  the  guns  captured 
in  the  fort.  *  *  *  *  I  have  not  the  smallest  hesi- 
tation in  declaring  my  decided  opinion,  that  the  pres- 
ence of  a  detachment  of  British  and  United  States 
troops  at  the  same  time,  would  be  the  means  of  embroil- 
ing one  party  or  the  other  in  a  fresh  rupture  with  the 
Indians,  which  I  presume  it  is  the  wish  of  both  govern- 
ments to  avoid." 

The  next  month  the  "One-Eyed  Sioux,"  with  three 
other  Indians  and  a  squaw,  visited  St.  Louis,  and  he  in- 
formed Gov.  Clark  that  the  British  commander  left  the 
cannons  in  the  fort  when  he  evacuated,  but  iu  a  day  or 
two  came  back,  took  the  cannons,  and  tired  the  fort  with 
the  American  tlag  dying,  but  that  he  had  rushed  in  and 
saved  it  from  being  burned.  As  Superintendent  of  In- 
dian affairs  of  Missouri  Territory,  Governor  Clark  gave 
him  the  following  certificate:  "In  consideration  of  the 
fidelity,  zeal  and  attachment  testified  by  Tar-mah-hah, 
of  the  lied  Wing's  band  of  Sioux,  to  the  government  of 
the  United  States,  and  by  virtue  of  the  power  and  author- 
ity in  me  vested,  do  hereby  confirm  the  said  Tar-mah- 
hah  as  chief  in  the  said  band  of  Sioux  aforesaid,  having 


58  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

bestowed  on  him  the  small  sized  medal,  wishing  all  and 
singular,  the  Indians,  inhabitants  thereof,  to  obey  him 
as  a  chief,  and  the  officers  and  others  in  the  service  of 
the  United  States  to  treat  him  accordingly."  Tah-ma-hah 
did  not  die  until  1SG3,  and  was  more  than  eighty  years 
of  age. 

In  the  year  1811,  Thomas  Douglas,  Earl  of  Selkirk, 
a  kind  but  visionary  Scotch  nobleman,  conceived  the 
project  of  establishing  fin  agricultural  colony  near  Lake 
Winnipeg,  and  obtained  a  grant  of  land  from  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Company,  which  he  called  Ossiniboia.1  In  the 
autumn  of  181*2  a  few  Scotchmen  sent  out  by  Selkirk 
arrived  at  Pembina  within  United  States  territory,  and 
there  passed  the  winter,  and  called  the  post  Fort  Daer. 
In  the  fall  of  1815  Selkirk  arrived  in  New  York  city  on 
his  way  to  visit  the  dispirited  settlers  in  the  lied  River 
valley.  Proceeding  to  Montreal  he  found  a  messenger 
who  had  traveled  on  foot,  in  mid-winter,  from  the  Bed 
River,  by  way  of  Red  Lake,  and  Fond  du  Lac,  of  Lake 
Superior.  He  sent  back  by  this  man  kind  messages  to 
the  colonists,  but  he  was  way-laid  near  Fond  du  Lac  and 
robbed  of  his  canoe  and  dispatches.  An  Ojibway  chief 
at  Sandy  Lake  afterwards  testified  that  a  trader  named 
Grant  offered  him  rum  and  tobacco  to  send  persons  to 
intercept  a  bearer  of  dispatches  to  Red  River,  and  soon 
this  messenger  was  brought  in  by  a  negro  and  some  In- 
dians. 

Failing  to  obtain  military  aid  from  the  British  author- 
ities in  Canada,  Selkirk  made  an  engagement  with  four 
officers  and  eighty  privates  of  the  discharged  Meuron 

1.  Lt.  Edward  Chappell.  of  th«  British  Navy,  in  "Narrative  of  a  Voyage  to 
Hudson'*  Bay,"  published  in  1H17  in  London,  asserts  th.it  Ossiniboia  i>  a  Gaelic 
compound  word,  Osna-Boiti  (O&sian'w  Town),  and  chosen  to  please  the  immi- 
grants, aad  also  because  of  its  resemblance  to  the  name  of  the  Assineboine 
Indians,  pronounced  by  the  half-breeds,  Osnaboyne. 


LORD  SELKIRK'S  COLONY.  59 

regiment,  twenty  of  the  De  Watteville,  and  a  few  of  the 
Glengary  Fencibles,  which  had  served  in  the  late  war 
with  the  United  States,  to  accompanj  him  to  Red  River. 
They  were  to  receive  monthly  wages  for  navigating  the 
boats  to  Bed  River,  to  have  lauds  assigned  them,  and  a 
free  passage  if  they  wished  to  return. 

When  he  reached  Sault  St.  Marie  he  received  the  in- 
telligence that  the  colony  had  agaiu  been  destroyed,  by 
the  influence  of  traders  upon  suspicious  half-breeds, 
and  that  Semple,  a  mild,  amiable,  but  not  altogether  ju- 
dicious man,  the  chief  governor  of  the  factories  and 
territories  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  residing  at 
Red  River,  had  been  killed. 

Before  he  heard  of  the  death  of  Semple,  the  Earl  of 
Selkirk  had  made  arrangements  to  visit  his  colony  by 
way  of  Fond  du  Lac,  the  St.  Louis  River,  and  Red 
Lake  of  Minnesota,  but  he  now  changed  his  mind  and 
proceeded  with  his  force  to  Fort  William,  the  chief 
trading  post  of  the  Northwest  Company  on  Lake  Supe- 
rior; and  apprehending  the  principal  partners,  warrants 
of  commitment  were  issued,  and  they  were  forwarded  to 
the  Attorney-General  of  Upper  Canada. 

While  Selkirk  was  engaged  at  Fort  William,  a  party 
of  immigrants  in  charge  of  Miles  McDonnel,  Governor, 
and  Captain  D'Orsomen,  went  forward  to  reinforce  the 
coloin*.  At  Rainy  Lake  they  obtained  the  guidance  of  a 
man  who  had  all  the  characteristics  of  an  Indian,  and 
yet  had  a  bearing  which  suggested  a  different  origin. 
By  his  efficiency,  and  temperate  habits,  he  had  secured 
the  respect  of  his  employers,  and  on  the  Earl  of  Sel- 
kirk's arrival  at  Pied  River,  his  attention  was  called  to 
him,  and  in  his  welfare  he  became  deeply  interested. 
By  repeated  conversations  with  him,  memories  of  a  dif- 


60  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

ferent  kind  of  existence  were  aroused,  and  the  light  of 
other  days  began  to  brighten.  Though  he  had  forgotten 
his  fathers  name,  he  furnished  sufficient  data  for  Sel- 
kirk to  proceed  with  a  search  for  his  relatives.  Visiting 
the  United  States,  in  1817,  he  published  a  circular  in  the 
papers  of  the  Western  States,  which  led  to  the  identifi- 
cation of  the  man. 

It  appeared  from  his  own  statement,  and  those  of  his 
friends,  that  his  name  was  John  Tanner,  the  sou  of  a 
minister  of  the  gospel,  who,  about  the  year  1700,  lived 
on  the  Ohio  River,  near  the  Miami.  Shortly  after  his 
location  there,  a  band  of  roving  Indians  passed  near  the 
bouse  and  found  John  Tanner,  then  a  little  boy,  filling 
his  hat  with  walnuts  from  under  a  tree.  They  seized 
him  and  fled.  The  party  was  led  by  an  Ottawa  whose 
wife  had  lost  a  son,  and  to  compensate  for  his  death,  the 
mother  begged  that  a  boy  of  the  same  age  might  be 
captured. 

Adopted  by  the  band,  Tanner  grew  up  an  Indian  in 
his  tastes  and  habits,  and  was  noted  for  bravery.  Sel- 
kirk was  successful  in  finding  his  relatives.  After  twen- 
ty-eight years  of  separation,  John  Tanner,  in  1818,  met 
his  brother  Edward,  near  Detroit,  and  went  with  him  to 
his  home  in  Missouri.  He  soon  left  his  brother  and 
went  back  to  the  Indians.  For  a  time  he  was  interpreter 
for  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  but  became  lazy  and  ill-nat- 
ured, and  in  1836,  skulking  behind  some  bushes,  shot 
and  killed  Schoolcraft's  brother,  ami  tied  to  the  wilder- 
ness, where,  in  1847,  he  died.  His  son,  James,  was 
kindly  treated  by  the  missionaries  to  the  Ojibways  of 
Minnesota;  but  he  walked  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father. 
In  the  year  18.51,  he  attempted  to  impose  upon  the  Pres- 
byterian minister  in  Saint  Paul,    and  when   detected. 


Selkirk's  treaty  at  grand  forks.  61 

called  upon  the  Baptist  minister,  who,  believing  him  a 
penitent,  cut  a  hole  in  the  ice,  and  received  him  into  the 
church  by  immersion.  In  time,  the  Baptists  found  him 
out,  when  he  became  an  Unitarian  missionary,  and,  at 
last,  it  is  said,  met  death,  by  violence. 

Lord  Selkirk  was  in  the  Red  River  Valley  during  the 
summer  of  1S17,  and  on  the  eighteenth  of  July  con- 
cluded a  treaty  at  the  Grand  Forks  of  Bed  River, 
in  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  with  the 
Crees  and  Saulteaux,  for  a  tract  of  land  beginning 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Bed  River,  and  extending  along  the 
same  as  far  as  the  Great  Forks  (now  Grand  Forks)  at 
the  mouth  of  Red  Lake  River,  and  along  the  Assinni- 
boine  River  as  far  as  Musk  Bat  River,  and  extending  to 
the  distance  of  six  miles  from  Fort  Douglas  on  every 
side,  and  likewise  from  Fort  Daer  (Pembina)  and  also 
from  the  Great  Forks,  and  in  other  parts  extending  to 
the  distance  of  two  miles  from  the  banks  of  the  said 
rivers. 

Having  restored  order  and  confidence,  attended  by 
three  or  four  persons,  he  crossed  the  plains  to  the  Min- 
nesota River,  and  from  thence  proceeded  to  St.  Louis. 
The  Indian  agent  at  Prairie  du  Chien  was  not  pleased 
with  Selkirk's  trip  through  Minnesota;  and  on  the  sixth 
of  February,  ISIS,  wrote  the  Governor  of  Illinois  under 
excitement,  some  groundless  suspicions: 

"What  do  you  suppose,  sir,  has  been  the  result  of  the 
passage  through  my  agency  of  this  British  nobleman? 
Two  entire  bands,  and  part  of  a  third,  all  Sioux,  have 
deserted  us  and  joined  Dickson,  who  has  distributed  to 
them  large  quantities  of  Indian  presents,  together  with 
flags,  medals,  etc.  Knowing  this,  what  must  have  been 
my  feelings  on  hearing  that  his  lordship  had  met  with  a 


62  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

favourable  reception  at  St.  Louis.  The  newspapers  an- 
nouncing his  arrival,  and  general  Scottish  appearance, 
all  tend  to  discompose  me;  believing  as  I  do,  that  he  is 
plotting  with  his  friend  Dickson  our  destruction — sharp- 
ening the  savage  scalping  knife,  and  colonizing  a  tract 
of  country  so  remote  as  that  of  the  Red  River,  for  the 
purpose,  no  doubt,  of  monopolizing  the  fur  and  peltry 
trade  of  this  river,  the  Missouri  and  their  waters;  a  trade 
of  the  first  importance  to  our  Western  States  and  Terri- 
tories. A  courier  who  had  arrived  a  few  days  since, 
confirms  the  belief  that  Dickson  is  endeavouring  to  un- 
do what  I  have  done,  and  secure  to  the  British  govern- 
ment the  affections  of  the  Sioux,  and  subject  the  North- 
west Company  to  his  lordship.  *  *  *  Dickson,  as  I 
have  betore  observed,  is  situated  near  the  head  of  the 
St.  Peter's,  to  which  place  he  transports  his  goods  from 
Selkirk's  Red  River  establishment,  in  carts  made  for  the 
purpose.  The  trip  is  performed  in  five  days,  sometimes 
less.  He  is  directed  to  build  a  fort  on  the  highest  land 
between  Lac  du  Traverse  and  Red  River,  which  he  sup- 
poses will  be  the  established  lines.  This  fort  will  be 
defended  by  twenty  men,  with  two  small  pieces  of  artil- 
lery." 

In  the  year  1820,  at  Berne,  Switzerland,  a  circular  was 
issued,  signed  R.  May  D'Uzistorf,  Captain,  in  his  Brit- 
anic  Majesty's  service,  and  agent  plenipotentiary  to 
Lord  Selkirk.  Like  many  documents  to  induce  immi- 
gration, it  was  so  highly  colored  as  to  prove  a  delusion 
and  a  snare. 

Under  the  influence  of  these  statements,  a  number 
were  induced  to  embark.  In  the  spring  of  1821,  about 
two  hundred  persons  assembled  on  the  banks  of  the 
Rhine  to  proceed  to  the  region  west  of  Lake  Superior. 


SWISS   IMMIGRANTS.  63 

Having  descended  the  Rhine  to  the  vicinity  of  Rotter- 
dam, they  went  aboard  the  ship  "Lord  Wellington,"  and 
after  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  and  amid  the  ice-floes 
of  Hudson  Bay,  they  reached  York  Fort.  Here  they 
debarked,  and  entering  batteaux,  ascended  Nelson  Riv- 
er for  twenty  days,  when  they  came  to  Lake  Winnipeg, 
and  coasting  along  the  left  shore  they  reached  the  Red 
River  of  the  North,  to  feel  that  they  had  been  deluded, 
and  to  long  for  a  milder  clime.  If  they  did  not  sing  the 
Switzers  "Song  of  Home,''  they  appreciated  its  senti- 
ments, and  gradually  many  of  these  immigrants  removed 
to  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Some  settled  in 
Minnesota,  and  were  the  first  to  raise  cattle  and  till  the 
soil  in  this  State. 

Major  Stephen  H.  Long  of  the  Engineer  Corps  of  the 
United  States  Army,  in  1817,  ascended  in  a  six-oared 
skiff  to  the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony.  His  party  con- 
sisted of  a  Mr.  Hempstead,  a  native  of  New  London, 
Connecticut,  who  had  been  living  at  Prairie  du  Chien, 
several  soldiers,  and  a  half-breed  interpreter  named 
Rocque.  A  bark  canoe  accompanied  him.  containing 
two  grandsons  of  Captain  Jonathan  Carver.  On  the 
twelfth  of  July,  Long  arrived  at  Trenipe  a  Team  or  Kettle 
Hill.  Crossing  the  river,  he  visited  the  Sioux  village  of 
which  Wapashah,  called  by  the  French,  La  Feuille 
(Fuhyay),was  chief,  but  who  was  then  absent.  On  the  six- 
teenth he  approached  the  vicinity  of  where  is  now  the 
city  of  Saint  Paul,  and  in  his  journal  wrote:  ""Passed 
a  Sioux  village  on  our  right  containing  fourteen  cabins. 
The  name  of  the  chief  is  the  Petit  Corbeau,  or  Little 
Raven.  The  Indians  were  all  absent,  on  a  hunting  party, 
up  the  River  St.  Croix,  which  is  but  a  little  distance 
across  the  country,  from  the    village.     Of  this  we  were 


64  HISTOIiY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

very  glad,  as  this  band  are  said  to  be  the  most  notorious 
beggars  of  all  the  Sioux  on  the  Mississippi.  One  of  their 
cabins  is  furnished  with  loop  holes,  and  is  situated  so 
near  the  water  that  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  is 
within  musket-shot  range  from  the  building.  By  this 
means,  the  Petit  Corbeau  is  enabled  to  exercise  a  com- 
mand over  the  passage  of  the  river,  and  has  in  some 
instances  compelled  traders  to  land  with  their  goods, 
and  induced  them,  probably  through  fear  of  offending 
him,  to  bestow  presents  to  a  considerable  amount,  before 
he  would  suffer  them  to  pass.  The  cabins  are  a  kind  of 
stockade  buildings,  and  of  a  better  appearance  than  any 
Indian  dwellings  I  have  before  met  with. 

"  Two  miles  above  the  village,  on  the  same  side  of  the 
river,  is  Carver's  Cave,  at  which  we  stopped  to  break- 
fast. However  interesting  it  may  have  been,  it  does 
not  possess  that  character  in  a  very  high  degree  at  pres- 
ent. We  descended  with  lighted  candles  to  its  lower 
extremity.  The  entrance  is  very  low  and  about  eight- 
feet  broad,  so  that  a  man  in  order  to  enter  it  must  be 
completely  prostrate.  The  angle  of  descent  witliin  the 
cave  is  about  twenty-five  degrees.  The  flooring  is  an 
inclined  plane  of  quicksand,  formed  of  the  rock  in  which 
the  cavern  is  formed.  The  distance  from  its  entrance  to 
its  inner  extremity  is  twenty-four  paces,  and  the  -width 
in  the  broadest  part  about  nine,  and  its  greatest  height 
about  seven  feet.  In  shape  it  resembles  a  baker's  oven. 
The  cavern  was  once  probably  much  more  extensive.  My 
interpreter  informed  me,  that,  since  his  remembrance, 
the  entrance  was  not  less  than  ten  feet  high  and  its  length 
far  greater  than  at  present.  The  rock  in  which  it  is 
formed  is  a  very  white  sandstone,  so  friable  that  the 
fragments  of  it  will  almost  crumble  to  sand  when  taken 


CAVES   AT   ST.    PAUL.  65 

into  the  hand.  A  few  yards  below  the  mouth  of  the 
cavern  is  a  very  copious  spring  of  fine  water  issuing 
from  the  bottom  of  the  cliff. 

"Five  miles  above  this,  is  the  Fountain  Cave,  on  the 
same  side  of  the  river,  formed  in  the  same  kind  of  sand- 
stone but  of  a  more  pure  and  fine  quality.  It  is  far 
more  curious  and  interesting  than  the  former.  The  en- 
trance of  the  cave  is  a  large  winding  hall  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  fifteen  feet  in  width, 
and  from  eight  to  sixteen  feet  in  height,  finely  arched 
overhead,  and  nearly  perpendicular.  Next  succeeds  a 
narrow  passage  and  difficult  of  entrance,  which  opens 
into  a  most  beautiful  circular  room,  finely  arched  above, 
and  about  forty  feet  in  diameter.  The  cavern  then  con- 
tinues a  meandering  course,  expanding  occasionally  into 
small  rooms  of  a  circular  form.  We  penetrated  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  till  our  candles  began  to 
fail  us,  when  we  returned.  To  beautify  and  embellish 
the  scene,  a  fine  crystal  stream  flows  through  the  cavern 
and  cheers  the  lonesome,  dark  retreat  with  its  enliven- 
ing murmurs.  The  temperature  of  the  water  in  the  cave 
was  46  deg.,  and  that  of  the  air  60  deg.  Entering  this 
cold  retreat  from  an  atmosphere  of  SO  deg.  I  thought  it 
not  prudent  to  remain  in  it  lung  enough,  to  take  its  sev- 
eral dimensions,  and  meander  its  courses,  particularly  as 
we  had  to  wade  in  water  to  our  knees,  in  many  places, 
in  order  to  penetrate  as  far  as  Ave  went.  The  fountain 
supplies  an  abundance  of  water  as  fine  as  I  ever  drank. 
This  cavern,  I  was  informed  by  my  interpreter,  has  been 
discovered  but  a  few  years,  and  that  theludians  former- 
ly living  in  its  neighborhood  knew  nothing  of  it  till 
within  six  years  past.  That  it  is  not  the  same  as  that 
discovered  by  Carver  is  evident,  not  only  from  this  cir- 


66  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

cunistance,  but  also  from  the  circumstance  that  instead 
of  a  stagnant  pool,  and  only  one  accessible  room  of  a 
very  different  form,  this  cavern  has  a  brook  running 
through  it,  and  at  least  four  rooms  in  succession,  one 
after  the  other.  Carver's  Cave  is  fast  filling  up  with 
Sand,  so  that  no  water  is  now  found  in  it,  whereas  this, 
from  the  very  nature  of  the  place,  must  be  enlarging,  as 
the  fountain  will  carry  along  with  its  current  all  the 
sand  that  falls  into  it  from  the  roof  and  sides  of  the 
cavern." 

On  the  night  of  the  sixteenth,  he  arrived  at  the  Falls 
of  Saint  Anthony  aud  encamped  on  the  east  shore  just 
below  the  cataract.     He  writes: 

"The  place  where  we  encamped  last  night  needed  no 
embellishment  to  render  it  romantic  in  the  highest  de- 
gree. The  banks  on  both  sides  of  the  river  are  about 
one  hundred  feet  high,  decorated  with  trees  and  shrub- 
bery of  various  kinds.  A  few  yards  below  us  was  a 
beautiful  cascade  of  fine  spring  water,  pouring  down 
from  a  projecting  precipice  about  one  hundred  feet 
high.  On  our  left  was  the  Mississippi  hurrying  through 
its  channel  with  great  velocity,  and  about  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  above  us,  in  plain  view,  was  the  majestic  cata- 
ract of  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony.  The  murmuring  of  the 
cascade,  the  roaring  of  the  river,  and  the  thunder  of  the 
cataract,  all  contributed  to  render  the  scene  the  most 
interesting  and  magnificent  of  any  I  ever  before  wit- 
nessed." 

"The  perpendicular  fall  of  the  water  at  the  cataract, 
was  stated  by  Pike  in  his  journal,  as  sixteen  aud  a  half 
feet,  which  I  found  to  be  true,  by  actual  measurement. 
To  this  height,  however,  four  or  five  feet  may  be  added 
for  the  rapid  descent  which  immediately  succeeds  to  the 


FALLS   OF   ST.    ANTHONY,    A.  D.  1S17.  67 

perpendicular  fall  within  a  few  yards  below.  Imme- 
diately at  the  cataract,  the  river  is  divided  into  two 
parts,  by  an  island  which  extends  considerably  above 
and  below  the  cataract,  and  is  about  five  hundred  yards 
long.  The  channel  on  the  right  side  of  the  Island  is 
about  three  times  the  width  of  that  on  the  left.  The 
quantity  of  water  passing  through  them  is  not,  however, 
in  the  same  proportion,  as  about  one-third  part  of  the 
whole  passes  through  the  left  channel.  In  the  broadest 
channel,  just  below  the  cataract,  is  a  small  island  also, 
about  fifty  yards  in  length  ami  thirty  in  breadth.  Both 
of  these  islands  contaiu  the  same  kind  of  rocky  forma- 
tion as  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  are  nearly  as  high. 
Besides  these,  there  are  immediately  at  the  foot  of  the 
cataract,  two  islands  of  very  inconsiderable  size,  situa- 
ted in  the  right  channel  also.  The  rapids  commence 
several  hundred  yards  above  the  cataract,  and  continue 
about  eight  miles  below.  The  fall  of  the  water, 
beginning  at  the  head  of  the  rapids,  and  extend- 
ing two  hundred  and  sixty  rods  down  the  river  to  where 
the  portage  road  commences,  below  the  cataract  is, 
according  to  Pike,  fifty-eight  feet.  If  this  estimate  be 
correct  the  whole  fall  from  the  head  to  the  foot  of  the 
rapids,  is  not  probably  much  less  than  one  hundred  feet. 
But  as  I  had  no  instrument  sufficiently  accurate  to  level, 
where  the  view  must  necessarily  be  pretty  extensive,  I 
took  no  pains  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  the  fall.  The 
mode  I  adopted  to  ascertain  the  height  of  a  cataract,  was 
to  suspend  a  line  and  plummet  from  the  table  rock  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river,  which  at  the  same  time  had 
very  little  water  passing  over  it  as  the  river  was  unusu- 
ally low." 


6S  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER  FIFTH. 

Occurrences  During  the  Military  Occupation. 

On  tlie  tenth  of  February,  1S19,  General  Jacob  Brown, 

the  General-in-Chief  of  the  United  States  Army,  issued 
an  order,  that  a  portion  of  the  Fifth  Regiment  should 
proceed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Minnesota  River,  and  estab- 
lish the  first  military  post,  in  the  valley  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, above  the  Wisconsin  River. 

On  Wednesday,  the  last  day  of  June,  Colonel  Leaven- 
worth, and  a  portion  of  his  regiment,  arrived  at  Prairie 
du  Chien.  At  this  point  Charlotte  Seymour,  a  native  of 
Hartford,  Conn.,  the  wife  of  Lieutenant,  afterwards 
Captain  Nathan  Clark,  gave  birth  to  a  daughter,  whose 
first  baptismal  name  became  Charlotte,  and  middle 
name  Ouisconsin,  the  French  form  of  spelling,  given  by 
her  father's  fellow  officers,  because  she  was  born  at  the 
junction  of  the  Wisconsin  River  with  the  Mississippi1 
River. 

In  June,  under  instructions  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment, Major  Thomas  Forsyth,  connected  with  the  office 
of  Indian  Affairs,  left  St.  Louis  with  two  thousand  dol- 
lars worth  of  goods,  to  be  distributed  among  the  Sioux 


ui^    in*'  11    ..■»    »n_n»i\     »u     -tun    oi'uu^,    iY»  u'WL"t\v*.       iif-    \><i>   iuit.n>anj'  i  >  [  i_L4.'  ii"r 

General.     Both  were  livinsi  in  January,  1887,  in   Minneapolis,  honored  mul  lie- 
loved  by  the  citizens  of  Minnesota. 


ARRIVAL  OF  UNITED  STATES  TROOPS  AT  MENDOTA.  GO 

Indians,  in    accordance  with  the    agreement  of    1S05, 
already  referred  to,  by  the  late  General  Pike. 

About  nine  o'clock  o£  the  morning  of  the  fifth  of  July, 
he  joined  Leavenworth  and  his  command  at  Prairie  du 
Chien.  Some  time  was  occupied  by  Leavenworth  await- 
ing the  arrival  of  ordnance,  provisions,  and  recruits,  but 
on  Sunday  morning,  the  eighth  of  August,  about  eight 
o'clock,  the  expedition  set  out  for  the  point  now  known 
as  Mendota.  The  Hotilla  was  cpiite  imposing;  there 
were  the  Colonel's  barge,  fourteen  batteaux  with  ninty- 
eight  soldiers  and  officers,  two  large  canal  or  Mackinaw 
boats,  filled  with  various  stores,  and  Forsyth's  keel  boat, 
containing  goods  and  presents  for  the  Indians.  On  the 
twenty-third  of  August,  Forsyth  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  Minnesota  with  his  boat,  and  the  next  morning  Col. 
Leavenworth  arrived,  and  selecting  a  place  at  Mendota, 
near  the  present  railroad  bridge,  he  ordered  the  soldiers 
to  cut  down  trees  and  make  a  clearing.  On  the  next 
Saturday,  Col.  Leavenworth,  Major  Tose,  Surgeon  Pur- 
cell,  Lieutenant  Clark,  and  the  wife  of  Captain  Gooding, 
visited  the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony,  with  Forsyth,  in  his 
keel  boat.  Early  in  September,  two  more  boats  and  a 
bateau,  with  officers,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty 
recruits  arrived. 

The  officers  with  their  wives  lived  in  the  boats  until 
rude  huts  and  pickets  were  erected.  Before  the  cpiar- 
ters  were  completed  the  rigor  of  winter  was  felt,  and  the 
removal  from  the  open  boats  to  the  log  cabins,  plastered 
with  clay,  was  considered  a  privilege.  Though  the  first 
winter  was  extremely  cold,  the  garrison  remained  cheer- 
ful, and  the  officers  maintained  pleasant  social  inter- 
course 

During  the  winter  of  IS'20,    Laidlow  and  others,  in 


70 


HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


behalf  of  Lord  Selkirk's  Scotch  settlers  at  Pembina, 
whose  crops  had  been  destroyed  by  grasshoppers,  passed 
the  cantonment  on  their  way  to  Prairie  du  Chien  to  pur- 
chase wheat.  Upon  the  fifteenth  of  April  they  began 
their  return,  with  their  Mackinaw  boats,  each"  loaded 
with  two  hundred  bushels  of  wheat,  one  hundred  of  oats 
and  thirty  of  peas,  and  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Minne- 
sota early  in  May.  Ascending  this  stream  to  Big  Stone 
Lake,  the  boats  were  drawn  on  rollers  a  mile  and  a  half 
to  Lake  Traverse,  and  on  the  third  of  June  arrived  at 
Pembina,  and  cheered  the  desponding  and  needy  set- 
tlers of  the  Selkirk  colony. 

The  first  sutler  of  the  post  was  a  Mr.  Devotion.  He 
brought  with  him  a  young  man  named  Philander  Pres- 
cott,  who  was  born  in  1801,  at  Phelpstown,  Ontario 
county,  New  York.  At  first  they  stopped  at  Mud  Hen 
Island,  in  the  Mississippi,  below  the  mouth  of  St.  Croix 
River.  Coming  up  late  in  the  year  1819,  at  the  site  of 
the  present  town  of  Hastings,  they  found  a  keel-boat 
loaded  with  supplies  for  the  cantonment,  in  charge  of 
Lieut.  Oliver,  detained  by  the  ice. 

Amid  all  the  changes  of  the  troops,  Mr.  Prescott 
remained  nearly  all  his  life  in  the  vicinity  of  the  post, 
to  which  he  came  when  a  mere  lad,  and  was  at  length 
killed  in  the  Sioux  massacre. 

In  the  spring  of  1820,  Jean  Baptiste  Faribault 
brought  up  Leavenworth's  horses  from  Prairie  du  Chien. 
The  first  Indian  Agent  at  the  post  was  a  former  army 
officer,  Lawrence  Taliaferro,  pronounced  Toliver.  As 
he  had  the  confidence  of  the  Government  for  twentv-one 
successive  years,  he  is  deserving  of  notice. 

His  family  was  of  Italian  origin,  and  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Virginia.      He  was  born  in   1794,  in  Kin" 


TALIAFERRO    FIRST    INDIAN    AGENT.  71 

William  county  in  that  State,  and  when,  in  1812, war  was 
declared  against  Great  Britain,  with  four  brothers,  he 
entered  the  army,  and  was  commissioned  as  Lieutenant 
of  the  Thirty-fifth  Infantry.  He  behaved  gallantly  at 
Fort  Erie  and  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  after  peace  was  de- 
clared, was  retained  as  a  First  Lieutenant  of  the 
Third  Infantry.  In  181G,  he  was  stationed  at  Fort  Dear- 
born, now  the  site  of  Chicago.  "While  on  a  furlough,  he 
called  one  day  upon  President  Monroe,  who  told  him 
that  a  fort  would  be  built  near  the  Falls  of  Saint  An- 
thony, and  an  Indian  Agency  established,  to  which  he  of- 
fered to  appoint  him.  His  commission  was  dated  March 
27th,  1819,  and  he  proceeded  in  due  time  to  his  post. 

On  the  5th  day  of  May,  1S20,  Leavenworth  left  his  win- 
ter quarters  at  Mendota,  crossed  the  stream,  and  made  a 
summer  camp  near  the  present  military  graveyard,  which 
in  consequence  of  a  fine  spring  had  been  called  Camp 
Cold  Water.  The  first  distinguished  visitors  at  the  new- 
encampment  were  Gov.  Lewis  Cass,  of  Michigan,  and 
Henry  II.  Schoolcraft,  who  arrived  in  July,  having  by 
way  of  the  St.  Louis  River  visited  Pied  Cedar  Lake,  after 
this  period,  known  as  Cass  Lake. 

The  Indian  Agent,  on  the  third  of  August,  wrote  to 
Colonel  Leavenworth:  "His  Excellency,  Governor  Cass, 
during  his  visit  to  this  post,  remarked  to  me  that  the 
Indians  were  spoiled,  and  said  they  should  not  be  per- 
mitted to  enter  the  camp.  An  unpleasant  affair  has 
lately  taken  place;  I  mean  the  stabbing  of  the  old  chief 
Mahgossan,  by  his  comrade.  This  was  caused,  doubt- 
less, by  an  anxiety  to  obtain  the  chief's  whiskey.  I  beg, 
therefore,  that  no  whiskey  whatever  be  given  to  any  In- 
dians, unless  it  be  through  their  proper  agent.  While 
an  overplus  of  whiskey  thwarts  the  beneficent  and  hu- 


72  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

mane  policy  of  the  government,  it  entails  misery  upon 
the  Indians,  and  endangers  their  lives." 

A  few  days 'later,  Col.  Josiah  Snelling  recently  pro- 
moted, came,  with  his  family,  relieved  Leavenworth,  in- 
fused energy,  and  on  the  tenth  of  September  laid  the 
corner  stone  of  the  Fort  in  the  presence  of  the  troops. 
About  the  same  time  the  daughter  of  Captain  Gooding 
was  married  to  Lieutenant  P.  R  Green,  the  Adjutant  of 
the  regiment,  the  first  marriage  of  white  persons  in 
Minnesota.  The  wife  of  the  Colonel,  during  the  sum- 
mer, gave  birth  to  a  daughter,  the  first  child  of  white 
parents,  born  in  Minnesota.  The  infant  lived  thirteen 
months,  was  buried  in  the  military  grave  yard,  and  a 
stone  placed  over  the  remains. 

Soon  after  Col.  Snelling  assumed  command,  a  party 
of  the  Sisseton  Sioux  killed,  on  the  Missouri,  Isadore 
Poupon,  a  half  breed,  and  Joseph  Andrews,  a  Canadian, 
engaged  in  the  fur  trade.  The  Indian  Agent,  through 
his  interpreter,  Colin  Campbell,  notified  the  band  that 
trade  would  cease,  until  the  murderers  were  delivered. 
At  a  council  held  at  Big  Stone  Lake,  one  of  the  murder- 
ers, and  the  aged  father  of  another,  agreed  to  surrender 
themselves.  On  the  twelfth  of  November,  1820,  accom- 
panied by  their  friends,  they  approached  the  encamp- 
ment, and  solemnly  marched  to  the  center  of  the  parade. 
A  Sisseton,  bearing  a  flag,  was  at  the  head;  then  the 
murderer,  and  the  father  who  had  offered  himself  as  a 
substitute  for  his  son,  their  arms  pinioned,  and  large 
wooden  splinters  thrust  the  flesh  above  the  elbows  indi- 
cating their  contempt  for  pain  and  death;  in  the  rear 
followed  friends  and  relatives  with  them,  chanting  the 
death  dirge.  Having  arrived  in  front  of  the  guard,  fire 
was  kindled,  and  the  British  flag  burned;  then  the  mux- 


FIRST   OCCUPATION   OF   FORT.  73 

derer  delivered  up  his  medal,  and  both  prisoners  were 
surrounded.  Col.  Snelling  detained  the  old  chief,  while 
the  murderer  was  sent  to  St.  Louis  for  trial. 

The  fort  was  lozenge  shaped,  in  view  of  the  tongue  of 
land,  between  the  two  rivers,  on  which,  it  was  built.  The 
first  row  of  barracks  was  of  hewn  logs,  obtained  from  the 
pine  forests  of  Hum  River,  but  the  other  buildings 
were  of  stone.  Mrs.  Van  Cleve,  writes:  "In  1821  the 
fort,  although  not  complete,  was  fit  for  Occupancy.  My 
father  had  assigned  to  him,  the  quarters  next  beyond  the 
steps,  leading  to  the  Commissary's  stores,  and  during 
the  year,  my  little  sister  Juliet  was  born  there.  At  a 
later  period,  my  father  and  Major  Garland  obtained  per- 
misison  to  build  more  commodious  quarters  outside  the 
walls,  and  the  result  was  the  two  stone  houses,  after- 
wards occupied  by  the  Indian  Agent,  and  interpreter, 
lately  destroyed. " 

Early  in  August,  a  young  and  intelligent  mixed  blood, 
Alexis  Bailly,  in  after  years  a  member  of  the  legislature 
of  Minnesota,  left  the  cantonment,  with  the  first  drove 
of  cattle  for  the  Selkirk  Settlement,  and  the  next  winter, 
returned  witli  Col.  Robert  Dickson,  and  Messrs.  Laidlow 
and  Mackenzie. 

The  next  month  a  party  of  Sissetons  visited  the  Indian 
Agent,  and  told  him  that  they  had  started  with  another 
of  the  murderers,  to  which  reference  has  been  made, 
but  that  on  the  way,  he  had,  through  fear  of  being  hung, 
killed  himself. 

This  fall,  a  mill  was  constructed  for  the  use  of  the 
garrison,  on  the  west  side  of  St.  Anthony  Falls,  under 
the  supervision  of  Lieutenant  MeCabe.  During  the 
fall,  George  Gooding,  Captain  by  brevet,  resigned,  and 
became  sutler  at  Prairie  du  Chien.     He  was  a  native  of 


74  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

Massachusetts,  and  in  1808  entered  the  army  as  ensign. 
In  1810,  he  became  a  Second  Lieutenant,  and  the  next 
year,  was  wounded  at  Tippecanoe. 

Early  in  January,  1822,  there  came  to  the  Fort,  from 
the  Red  River  of  the  North,  Col.  Robert  Dickson,  Laid- 
low,  a  Scotch  farmer,  the  superintendent  of  Lord  Sel- 
kirk's experimental  farm,  and  one  Mackenzie,  on  their 
way  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  Dickson  returned  with  a 
drove  of  cattle,  but  owing  to  the  hostility  of  the  Sioux, 
his  cattle  were  scattered,  and  never  reached  Pembina. 

During  the  winter  of  1823,  Agent  Taliaferro  was  in 
"Washington.  "While  returning,  in  March,  he  was  at  a 
hotel  in  Pittsburgh,  when  he  received  a  note  signed  G. 
C.  Beltrami,  who  was  an  Italian  exile,  asking  permiss- 
ion to  accompany  him  to  the  Indian  territory.  He 
was  tall,  and  commanding  in  appearance,  and  gentle- 
manly in  bearing,  and  Taliaferro  was  so  forcibly  im- 
pressed as  to  accede  to  the  request.  After  reaching  St. 
Louis,  they  embarked  on  the  first  steamboat,  for  the 
Upper  Mississippi. 

It  was  named  the  Virginia,  and  was  built  in  Pitts- 
burg, twenty-two  feet  in  width,  and  one  hundred  and 
eighteen  feet  in  leugth,  in  charge  of  a  Captain  Craw- 
ford. It  reached  the  Fort,  on  the  tenth  of  May,  and  was 
saluted  by  the  discharge  of  cannon.  Among  the  pass- 
engers, beside  the  Agent,  and  Italian,  were  Major  Bid- 
die.  Lieut.  Russell,  and  others. 

The  arrival  of  the  Virginia  is  an  era  in  the  history  of 
the  Dakotah  nation,  and  will  probably  be  transmitted 
to  their  posterity  as  long  as  they  exist  as  people.  They 
say  their  sacred  men,  the  night  before,  dreamed  of  seeing 
some  monster  of  the  waters,  which  frightened  them  very 
much.      As  the  boat  neared  the  shore,  men,  women,  and 


ARRIVAL   OF   FIRST    STEAMBOAT.  75 

children  beheld  with  silent  astonishment,  supposing  that 
it  was  some  enormous  water-spirit,  coughing,  puffing  out 
hot  breath,  and  splashing  water  in  every  direction. 
When  it  touched  the  landing,  their  fears  prevailed,  and 
they  retreated  some  distance;  but  when  the  blowing  off 
of  steam  commenced  they  were  completely  unnerved; 
mothers  forgetting  their  children,  with  streaming  hair, 
sought  hiding  places;  chiefs,  renouncing  their  stoicism 
ran  away,  like  affrighted  sheep. 

On  the  third  of  July,  1823,  Major  Long,  of  the  U.  S. 
Engineers,  arrived  at  the  Fort,  in  charge  of  an  expedi- 
tion to  explore  the  Minnesota  River,  ami  the  region 
along  the  northern  boundary  line  of  the  United  States. 
Beltrami,  at  the  request  of  Colonel  Snelling,  was  per- 
mitted to  join  the  party,  but  his  relations  with  Long 
were  not  pleasant,  and  at  Pembina  he  retired,  and  with 
a  half-breed  and  two  Ojibway  Indians  proceeded  to  the 
northern  source  of  the  Mississippi,  which  Thompson, 
the  geographer,  had  visited  and  surveyed  twenty-live 
years  before. 

He  reached  Cass  (Red  Cedar)  Lake  on  the  fourth  of 
September,  and  in  his  book  written  in  French,  publish- 
ed in  1824,  at  New  Orleans,  he  refers  to  a  lake  which  he 
did  not  visit,  called  "La  Biche,*'  Elk  Lake,  and  uses 
these  words:  "  It  is  here,  in  my  opinion,  that  we  shall 
fix  the  western  sources  of  the  Mississippi."  At  a  later 
period  his  opinion  was  confirmed  by  Schoolcraft,  and 
Nicollet. 


7G 


HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


In  1828,  at  London,  an  edition  of  his  travels,  in  En«- 
lish,  was  published,  and  with  it  a  map  of  the  Mississ- 
ippi. From  the  fae-simile  of  a  portion  of  it  it  will  be 
seen  that  Doe  (Elk)  Lake  is  designated  as  the  western 
source  of  the  Mississippi.  The  trappers  of  the  North- 
west Company  were  well  acquainted  with  the  region. 

Tlie  mill  constructed  in  1821,  for  sawing  lumber,  at 
the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony,  was  upon  the  site  of 
the  Holmes  and  Sidle  flour  mill  in  Minneapolis, 
and  in  1823  was  fitted  up  for  grinding  flour.  Under 
date  of  August  5th,  1823,  General  Gibson  writes  to  Lt. 
Clark,  Commisary  at  Fort  Snelling:  "From  a  letter  ad- 
dressed to  the  Quartermaster  General,  dated  the  "2d  of 
April,  I  learn  that  a  large  quantity  of  wheat  would  be 


FIRST   FLOUR   MILL.  77 

raised  this  summer.  The  Assistant  Commisary'at  St. 
Louis  has  been  instructed  to  forward  sickles  and  a  pair 
of  mill  stones.  If  any  flour  is  manufactured,  from  the 
wheat  raised,  be  pleased  to  let  me  know  as  early  as  prac- 
ticable, that  I  may  deduct  the  quantity  manufactured  at 
the  post  from  the  quantity  advertised  to  be  contracted 
for."  In  another  letter  General  Gibson  writes:  "Below 
you  will  find  the  amount  charged  on  the  books  against 
the  garrison  at  Fort  St.  Anthony  for  certain  articles.and 
forwarded  for  the  use  of  the  troops  at  that  post,  which 
you  will  deduct  from  the  payments  to  be  made  for  flour 
raised  and  turned  over  to  you  for  issue: 

One  pair  buhr  millstones 8250.11 

337  pounds  plaster  of  Paris 20.22 

Two  dozen  sickles 18.00 

Total £288.33 

Upon  the  nineteenth  of  January,  1821,  the  General 
writes:  "The  mode  suggested  by  Col.  Snelling,  of  fix- 
ing the  price  to  be  paid  to  the  troops  for  the  flour  fur- 
nished by  them  is  deemed  equitable  and  just.  You  will 
accordingly  pay  for  the  flour  83.33  per  barrel." 

Charlotte  Oaisconsin  Van  Cleve,  in  1887,  the  oldest 
person  living  who  was  connected  with  the  cantonment  in 
1819,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Department  of  Ameri- 
can History  of  the  Minnesota  Historical  Society,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1S80,  wrote: 

"In  1S23  Mrs.  Snelling  and  my  mother  established  the 
first  Sunday  School  in  the  Northwest.  It  was  held  in 
the  basement  of  the  commanding  officer's  quarters,  and 
was  productive  of  much  good.  Many  of  the  soldiers, 
with  their  families,  attended.  Joe.  Brown,  since  so  well 
known  in  this  country,  then  a  drummer  boy,  was  one  of 


78  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

the  pupils.  A  bible  class,  for  the  officers  and  their  wives, 
was  formed,  and  all  became  so  interested  in  the  history 
of  the  patriarchs,  that  it  furnished  topics  of  conversation 
for  the  week.  One  day  after  the  Sunday  School  lesson 
on  the  death  of  Moses,  a  member  of  the  class,  meeting 
my  mother  on  the  parade,  after  exchanging  the  usual 
greetings,  said,  in  saddened  tones,  'But  don't  you  feel 
sorry  that  Moses  is  dead'?' 

"Early  in  the  spring  of  1821,  the  Tally  boys  were  res- 
cued from  the  Sioux  and  brought  to  the  Fort.  They 
were  children  of  one  of  the  settlers  of  Lord  Selkirk's 
colony,  and  with  their  parents,  and  others,  were  on  their 
way  from  Red  River  Valley  to  settle  near  Fort  Snelling. 

"The  party  was  attacked  by  Indians,  and  the  parents 
of  these  children  murdered  and  the  boys  captured. 
Through  the  inllunce  of  Col.  Snelling  the  children  were 
ransomed  and  brought  to  the  fort.  Col.  Snelling  took 
John,  and  my  father,  Andrew,  the  younger.  Every- 
one became  interested  in  the  orphans,  and  we  loved 
Andrew  as  if  he  had  been  our  own  little  brother. 
John  died  some  two  years  after  his  arrival  at  the  fort, 
and  Mrs.  Snelling  asked  me,  when  I  last  saw  her,  if  a 
tomb  stone  had  been  placed  at  his  grave,  as  she  re- 
quested, during  a  visit  some  years  ago.  She  said 
she  received  a  promise  .that  it  should  be  done, 
and  seemed  quite  disappointed  when  I  told  her  it  had 
not  been  attended  to."  Andrew  Tully.  after  being  edu- 
cated at  an  Orphan  Asylum  in  New  York  City,  became  a 
carriage  maker,  and  died  a  few  years  ago  in  that  vicinity. 

In  the  year  1824,  the  Fort  was  visited  by  Gen.  Scott, 
on  a  tour  of  inspection,  and  at  his  suggestion,  its  name 
was  changed  from  Fort  St.  Anthony,  to  Fort  Snelling. 


spelling's  name  given  to  the  fort.  70 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  his  report  to  the  War 
Department: 

"This  work,  of  which  the  War  Department  is  in  pos- 
session of  a  plan,  reflects  the  highest  credit  on  Col. 
Snelling,  his  officers  and  men.  The  defenses,  and  for 
the  most  part,  the  public  storehouses,  shops  and  quart- 
ers being  constructed  of  stone,  the  whole  is  likely  to  en- 
dure as  long  as  the  post  shall  remain  a  frontier  one. 
The  cost  of  erection  to  the  government  has  been  the 
amount  paid  for  tools  and  iron,  and  the  per  diem,  paid  to 
soldiers  employed  as  mechanics.  I  wish  to  suggest  to 
the  General-in-Chief,  and  through  him  to  the  War  De- 
partment, the  propriety  of  calling  this  work  Fort  Snell- 
ing, as  a  just  compliment  to  the  meritorious  officer  un- 
der whom  it  has  been  erected.  The  present  name,  (Fort 
St.  Anthony),  is  foreign  to  all  our  associations,  and  is, 
besides,  geographically  incorrect,  as  the  work  stands  at 
the  junction  of  the  Mississippi  and  St.  Peter's  [Minne- 
sota] Rivers,  eight  miles  below  the  great  falls  of  the 
Mississippi,  called  after  St.  Anthony." 

•Minnehaha,  to  distinguish  it  from  the  Falls  of  Saint 
Anthony,  was  first  known  as  Little  Falls,  then  called 
Brown's  Falls  in  compliment  to  Major  General  Brown, 
General-in-Chief  of  the  army.  Lake  Calhoun  was  des- 
ignated in  honor  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  Lakes  Har- 
riet, Eliza,  Lucy,  and  Abigail,  were  designated  after  the 
wives  of  officers  at  the  Fort. 

In  1S24,  Major  Taliaferro  proceeded  to  Washington 
with  a  delegation  of  Chippeways  and  Dakotahs,  headed 
by  Little  Crow,  the  grandfather  of  the  chief  of  the  same 
name  who  was  engaged  in  the  late  horrible  massacre  of 
defenceless  women  and  children.  The  object  of  the 
visit,  was  to  secure  a  convocation  of  all  the  tribes  of  the 


80  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

Upper  Mississippi,  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  to  define  their 
boundary  lines  and  establish  friendly  relations.  When 
they  reached  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wahnatah,  a  Yankton 
chief,  and  also  Wapashah,  by  the  whisperings  of  mean 
traders,  became  disaffected,  and  wished  to  turn  back. 
Little  Crow  perceiving  this,  stopped  all  hesitancy  by 
the  following  speech:  "My  friends!  you  can  do  as  "you 
please.  I  am  no  coward,  nor  can  my  ears  be  pulled 
about,  by  evil  counsels.  You  are  here,  and  should  go  on, 
and  do  some  good  for  our  nation.  I  have  taken  our  Fath- 
er ["Taliaferro]  by  the  coat  tail,  and  will  follow  him  until 
I  take,  by  the  hand,  our  great  American  Father." 

Marcpee  or  Cloud,  one  of  the  party,  subsequently,  in 
consequence  of  a  bad  dream,  jumped  from  the  steam 
boat  and  was  supposed  to  be  drowned,  but  swam  ashore, 
and  managed  to  reach  St.  Charles,  Mo  ,  there  to  be  killed 
by  some  of  the  Sauk  tribe.  The  remainder  safely 
arrived  in  Washington,  and  accomplished  the  object  of 
their  visit.  The  Dakotas  returned,  by  way  of  New  York 
City,  and  then  were  anxious  to  pay  a  visit  with  William 
Dickson,  the  half-breed  son  of  Robert  Dickson,  the  trad- 
er, to  certain  parties  interested  in  the  alleged  Carver 
grant. 

After  the  visit.  Little  Crow  carried  a  new  gun,  and 
said  that  a  medicine  man  named  Peters  had  given  it  to 
him,  for  signing  a  certain  paper,  and  that  he  also  prom- 
ised to  send  to  his  band,  a  bi>at  full  of  goods.  The 
medicine  man  referred  to,  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Peters, 
a  Protestant  Episcopal  clergyman,  wiio  had  marie  him- 
self obnoxious,  during  the  War  for  Independence,  by 
his  tory  sentiments,  and  was  subsequently  nominated 
as  Bishop,  for  Vermont.  Peters  alleged,  that  he  had 
purchased  of  the  heirs  of  Jonathan  Carver,  the  right  to  a 


DEATH  OF  SURGEON  PUBCELL.  81 

tract  of  land,  embracing  the  site  to  the  city  of  St.  Paul. 
The  next  year,  there  arrived  in  one  of  the  keel-boats 
from  Prairie  du  Chien,  at  Fort  Snelling,  a  box  marked 
Col.  Robert  Dickson,  which  was  found  to  contain  a  few 
presents  from  Peters,  to  Dickson's  Indian  wife,  a  long 
letter,  and  a  copy  of  Carver's  pretended  grant,  written  on 
parchment. 

The  first  army  officer  who  died  at  the  Fort  was  Sur- 
geon Edward  Purcell,  of  Virginia,  who  on  the  eleventh 
of  January,  1S25,  passed  away.  This  year  was  noted 
for  the  great  Indian  convention  at  Prairie  du  Chien. 
After  the  conference  was  over,  Agent  Taliaferro,  and 
the  Sioux  delegation,  left  in  keel-boats,  guided  by  eight- 
een voyageurs.  Great  sickness  prevailed,  and  before 
Lake  Pepin  was  reached,  a  chief  of  the  Sisseton  band 
died.  At  Little  Crow's  village,  then  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  the  sickness  had  become  so  great,  that  it  was 
necessary  to  leave  one  of  the  boats,  and  on  the  thirtieth 
cf  August,  the  rest  arrived  at  Fort  Snelling.  Under  the 
direction  of  Laidlow,  of  the  Selkirk  settlement,  the  In- 
dians of  the  upper  Minnesota  were,  from  thence,  con- 
ducted to  their  homes,  but  on  the  way,  twelve  died. 

Sixty  years  ago,  the  means  of  communication  between 
Fort  Snelling,  and  the  civilized  world,  were  very  limited. 
Soldiers,  in  winter,  carried  the  mail  down  to  Prairie  du 
Chien.  There  was  rejoicing  at  the  fort,  on  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  January,  18*26,  caused  by  the  return  from  fur- 
lough of  Lieut.  Baxley,  and  Lieut.  Russell,  who  brought 
the  first  mail  which  had  been  received  in  five  months. 
About  this  period  there  was  also  another  excitement, 
caused  by  the  seizure  of  liquors  in  the  trading  house  of 
AlexisB.ully,  at  Xew  Hope,  now  Mendota. 

During  the  months  of  February  and  March,  in  this 


82  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

'  year,  snow  fell  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  feet,  and 
there  was  a  great  suffering  among  the  Indians.  On  one 
occasion,  thirty  lodges  of  Sisseton  and  other  Sioux  were 
overtaken  by  a  snow  storm,  on  a  large  prairie.  The 
storm  continued  for  three  days,  and  provisions  grew 
scarce,  for  the  party  were  seventy  in  number.  At  last, 
the  stronger  men,  with  the  few  pairs  of  snow-shoes  in 
their  possession,  started  for  the  trading  post  one  hun- 
dred miles  distant.  They  reached  their  destination 
half  alive,  and  the  traders  sympathizing  sent  four  Can- 
adians with  supplies  for  those  left  behind.  After  great 
toil  they  reached  the  scene  of  distress,  and  found  many 
dead,  and,  what  was  more  horrible,  the  living  feeding  on 
the  corpses  of  their  relatives.  A  mother  had  eaten  her 
dead  child  and  a  portion  of  her  own  father's  arms.  The 
shock  to  her  nervous  system  was  so  great  that  she  lost 
her  reason.  Her  name  was  Pash-uno-ta,  and  she  was 
both  young  and  good  looking.  Some  time  afterward, 
while  at  Fort  Snelling,  she  asked  Captain  Jouett  if  he 
knew  which  was  the  best  portion  of  a  man  to  eat,  at  the 
same  time  taking  him  by  the  collar  of  his  coat.  He  re- 
plied with  great  astonishment,  "No!"  and  she  then  said, 
"The  arms."  She  then  asked  for  a  piece  of  his  servant 
to  eat,  as  she  was  nice  and  fat.  A  few  days  after  this 
she  dashed  herself  from  the  bluffs  near  Fort  Snelling, 
into  the  river.  Her  body  was  found  just  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Minnesota,  and  decently  interred  by  the 
agent. 

The  spring  of  1826  was  very  backward.  On  the 
twentieth  of  March  snow  fell  to  the  depth  of  one  or  one 
and  a  half  feet  on  a  level,  and  drifted  in  heaps  from  six 
to  fifteen  feet  in  height.  On  the  fifth  of  April,  early  in 
the  day,  there  was  a  violent  storm,   and  the  ice  was  still 


NEGRO   SLATES   AT    FORT   SPELLING.  S3 

thick  iu  the  river.  During  the  storm  flashes  of  light- 
ning were  seen  and  thunder  heard.  On  the  tenth  the 
thermometer  was  four  degrees  above  zero.  On  the  four- 
teenth there  was  rain,  and  on  the  next  day  the  St.  Peter 
River  broke  up,  but  the  ice  on  the  Mississippi  remained 
firm.  On  the  twenty-first,  at  noon,  the  ice  began  to 
move,  and  carried  away  Mr.  Faribault's  houses  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river.  For  several  days  the  river  was 
twenty  feet  above  low-water  mark,  and  all  the  houses  on 
the  low  lands  were  swept  off.  On  the  second  of  May 
the  steamboat  Lawrence,  Captain  Reeder,  arrived,  and 
invited  the  officers  and  their  families  to  an  excursion 
toward  the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony.  The  boat  proceeded 
as  far  as  the  rapids  would  permit,  and  then  returned. 

Major  Taliaferro  had  inherited  several  slaves,  which 
he  used  to  hire  to  officers  of  the  garrison.  On  the  last 
of  March  his  negro  boy  William  was  employed  by  Col. 
Snelling,  the  latter  agreeing  to  clothe  him.  About  this 
time  William  attempted  to  shoot  a  hawk,  but,  instead, 
shot  a  small  boy  named  Henry  Cullum,  and  nearly 
killed  him.  The  Sioux,  at  first,  had  no  prejudices 
against  negroes.  They  called  them  "black  Frenchmen," 
and  placing  their  hands  on  their  woolly  heads  would 
laugh    heartily. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  steamboats  that  had 
arrived  at  Fort  Snelling,  up  to  May  20,  1826:  1,  Virginia, 
May  10,  1823;  2,  Neville;  3,  Putnam;  April  2,  1825;  1, 
Mandan;  5,  Indiana;  G,  Lawrence,  May  2,  1826;  7,  Sciota; 
8,  Eclipse;  9,  Josephine;  10,  Fulton;  11,  Red  Rover;  12, 
Black  Rover;  13,  Warrior;  11,  Enterprise;  15,  Volga. 

Life  within  the  walls  of  a  fort  is  sometimes  the  exact 
contrast  of  a  paradise.  In  the  year  1826  a  Pandora  box 
was  opened,  among  the  officers,  and  dissensions  began  to 


.84  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

prevail ;  one  young  officer,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  whose 
father  had  been  a  professor  in  Princeton  College,  fought 
a  duel  with  and  slightly  wounded,  William  Joseph,1 
the  talented  son  of  Colonel  Snelling,  who  was  then 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  had  been  three  years  at 
"West  Point.  At  a  court-martial  convened  to  try  the 
officer  for  violating  the  xVrtieles  of  War,  the  accused 
objected  to  the  testimony  of  Lieut.  William  Alexander, 
a  Tennesseean,  not  a. graduate  of  the  military  academy, 
on  the  ground  that  he  was  an  infidel.  Alexander,  hurt 
by  this  allusion,  challenged  the  objector,  and  another 
duel  was  fought,  resulting  only  in  slight  injuries  to  the 
clothing  of  the  combatants.  General  E.  T.  Gaines, 
after  this  visited  the  fort,  and  in  his  report  of  the  inspec- 
tion wrote:  "  A  defect  in  the  discipline  of:  this  regiment 
has  appeared  in  the  character  of  certain  personal  contro- 
versies, between  the  Colonel  and  several  of  his  young 

1  The  Colonel's .son,  William  Joseph,  after  this  pr.ssed  several  years  among 
traders  and  Indians,  and  became  distinguished  as  a  poet  and  brilliant  writer. 
His  "Tales  of  the  Northwest,"  prtblished  in  Boston  l*Ju,  by  Hilliard,  Gray, 
Little  and  YYilkms,  is  a  work  of  great  literary  ability,  and  Catliu  thought  the 
book  was  the  most  faithful  picture  of  Indian  life  he  had  read.  Some  of  his 
poems  were  also  of  a  high  order.  One  of  his  pieces,  deficient  in  dignity  was  z. 
caustic  satire  upon  modern  American  poets,  and  was  published  under  the  title 
of  "  Truth,  a  Gift  for  Scribblers."  N.P.  Willis  had  lampooned  him  in  some 
verses  beginning— 

"  Oh  Smi-lling  Joseph!  thou  art  like  a  cur: 
I'm  told  thou  once  did  live  by  selling  fur." 

To  which  Snelling  replied— 

"  I  live  by  hunting  fur.  thou  sayest;  so  let  it  be, 
But  tell  me.  Natty,  had  I  hunted  thee. 
Had  not  my  time  been  thrown  away,  young  sir, 
And  eke  my  powder/     Puppies  have  no  fur. 

Our  tails?    Thou  ownest  thee  to  a  tail! 
I've  Scanned  thee  o'er  and  o'er. 
But,  though  I  guessed  the  species  right, 
I  was  not  sure  before. 

Our  savages,  authentic  travelers  say. 

To  natural  fools  religious  homage  pay. 

Hadst  thou  been  born  in  wigwam's  smoke,  and  died  in, 

Nat!  thine  apotheosis  had  been  certain." 

Snelling  died  at  Chelsea,  Mass.,  December  sixteenth,  1S4S,  a  victim  to  the 
appetite  that  enslaved  Hubert  Burns. 


DUELS   AT   FORT   SNELLING.  85 

officers,  the  particulars  of  which  I  forbear  to  enter  into, 
assured  as  I  am  that  they  will  be  developed  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  a  general  court-martial,  ordered  for  the  trial 
of  Lieutenant  Hunter  and  other  officers  at  Jefferson 
Barracks. 

"  From  a  conversation  with  the  Colonel  I  can  have  no 
doubt  that  he  has  erred  in  the  course  pursued  by" him  in 
reference  to  some  of  the  controversies,  inasmuch  as  he 
has  intimated  to  his  officers  his  willingness  to  sanction, 
in  certain  cases,  and  even  to  participate  in  personal  con- 
flicts, contrary  to  the  twenty-fifth  Article  of  War." 

In  the  year  182G,  a  small  party  of  Ojibways  ( Chippe- 
ways)  came  to  see  the  Indian  Agent,  and  three  of  them 
ventured  to  visit  the  Columbia  Fur  Company's  trading 
house,  two  miles  from  the  Fort.  While  there,  they  be- 
came aware  of  their  danger,  and  desired  two  of  the 
white  men  attached  to  the  establishment  to  accompany 
them  back,  thinking  that  their  presence  might  be  some 
protection.  They  were  in  error.  As  they  passed  a  little 
copse,  three  Dakotahs  sprang  from  behind  a  log, 
filed  their  pieces  into  the  face  of  the  foremost, 
and  then  fled.  The  guns  must  have  been  dou- 
ble loaded,  for  the  man's  head  was  literally  blown  from 
his  shoulders,  and  his  white  companions  were  spattered 
with  brains  and  blood.  The  survivors  gained  the  F<  >rt 
without  further  molestation.  Their  comrade  was  bur- 
ied on  the  spot  where  he  fell.  A  staff  was  set  up  on 
his  grave,  which  became  a  landmark,  and  received  the 
name  of  The  Murder  Pole.  The  murderers  boasted  of 
their  achievement  and  with  impunity.  They  and  their 
tribe  thought  that  they  had  struck  a  fair  blow  on  their 
ancient  enemies,  in  a  becoming  manner.  It  was  only 
said,  that  Toopunkah  Zeze,  of  the  village  of  the  Baiture 


86  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

aux  Fievres,  and  two  others,  had  each  acquired  a  right 
towear  skunk  skins  on  their  heels  and  war-eagles'  feath- 
ers on  their  heads. 

On  the  twenty-eighth  of  May,  1S27,  the  Ojibway  chief 
at  Sandy  Lake,  Kee-wee-zais-hish,  called  by  the  English 
Flat  Mouth,  with  seven  warriors  and  some  women  and 
children,  in  all  amounting  to  twenty-four,  arrived  about 
sunrise  at  Fort  Snelling.  AValking  to  the  gates  of  the 
garrison,  they  asked  the  protection  of  Colonel  Snelling 
and  Taliaferro,  the  Indian  agent.  They  were  told,  that 
as  long  as  they  remained  under  the  United  States  tiag, 
they  were  secure,  and  were  ordered  to  encamp  within 
musket  shot  of  the  high  stone  walls  of  the  fort 

During  the  afternoon,  a  Dakotah,  Toopunkah  Zeze,  and 
others  from  a  village  near  the  first  rapids  of  the  Minnesota, 
visited  the  Ojibway  camp.  They  were  cordially  received, 
and  a  feast  of  meat  and  corn  and  sugar,  was  soon  made 
ready.  The  wooden  plates  emptied  of  their  contents, 
they  engaged  in  conversation,  and  whiffed  the  peace 
pipe. 

That  night,  some  officers  and  their  friends  were  spend- 
ing a  pleasant  evening  at  the  head-quarters  of  Captain 
Clark,  which  was  in  one  of  the  stone  houses  which  used 
to  stand  outside  of  the  walls  of  the  fort.  As  Captain 
Cruger  was  walking  on  the  porch,  a  bullet  whizzed  by, 
and  rapid  firing  was  heard. 

As  the  Dakotahs,  or  Sioux,  left  the  Ojibway  camp, 
notwithstanding' their  friendly  talk,  they  turned  and  dis- 
charged their  guns  with  deadly  aim  upon  their  enter- 
tainers, and  ran  off  with  a  shout  of  satisfaction.  The 
report  was  heard  by  the  sentinel  of  the  fort,  and  he 
cried,  repeatedly,  "Corporal  of  the  guard!"  and  soon  at 
the  gates  were  the  Ojibways,  with  their  women  and  the 


SIOUX   ATTACK    FLAT    MOUTH'S   PARTY.  87 

wounded,  telling  their  tale  of  woe  in  wild  and  incoherent 
language.  Two  had  been  killed  and  six  wounded. 
Among  others,  was  a  little  girl  about  seven  years  old, 
who  was  pierced  through  both  thighs  with  a  bullet. 
Surgeon  McMahon  made  every  effort  to  save  her  life, 
but  without  avail. 

Flat  Mouth,  the  chief,  reminded  Colonel  Snelling  that 
he  had  been  attacked  while  under  the  protection  of  the 
United  States  flag,  and  early  the  next  morning.  Captain 
Clark,  with  one  hundred  soldiers,  proceeded  towards 
Land's  End,  a  trading-post  of  the  Columbia  Fur  Com- 
pany, on  the  Minnesota,  a  mile  above  the  former  resi- 
dence of  the  late  Franklin  Steele,  where  the  Dakotahs 
were  supposed  to  be.  The  soldiers  had  just  left  the 
large  gate  of  the  fort,  when  a  party  of  Dakotahs,  in 
battle  array,  appeared  on  one  of  the  praire  hills.  After 
some  parleying  they  turned  their  backs,  and  being  pur- 
sued, thirty-two  were  captured  near  the  trading-post. 

Colonel  Snelling  ordered  the  prisoners  to  be  brought 
before  the  Ojibways,  and  two  being  pointed  out  as  parti- 
cipants in  the  slaughter  of  the  preceding  night,  they 
were  delivered  to  the  aggrieved  party  to  deal  with  in  ac- 
cordance with  clieir  customs.  They  were  led  out  to  the 
plain  in  front  of  the  gate  of  the  fort,  and  when  placed 
nearly  without  the  range  of  the  Ojibway  guns,  they  were 
told  to  run  for  their  lives.  With  the  rapidity  of  deer 
they  bounded  away,  but  the  Ojibway  bullet  riew  faster, 
and  after  a  few  steps,  they  fell  gasping  on  the  ground, 
and  were  soon  lifeless.  Then  the  savage  nature  dis- 
played itself  in  all  its  hideousness.  Women  and  child- 
ren danced  for  joy,  and  placing  their  lingers  in  the  bul- 
let holes,  from  which  the  blood  oozed,  they  licked  tliem 
with  delight.     The  men  tore  the  scalps   from   the  dead, 


SS  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

and  seemed  to  luxuriate  in  the  privilege  of  plunging 
their  knives  through  the  corpses.  After  the  execution, 
the  Ojibways  returned  to  the  fort,  and  were  met  by  the 
Colonel.  He  had  prevented  all  over  whom  his  authority 
extended  from  witnessing  the  scene,  and  had  done  his 
best  to  confine  the  excitement  to  the  Indians.  The  same 
day  a  deputation  of  Dahkotah  warriors  received  audi- 
ence, regretting  the  violence  that  had  been  done  by 
their  young  men,  and  agreeing  to  deliver  up  the  ring- 
leaders. 

At  the  time  appointed,  a  son  of  Flat  Mouth,  with 
those  of  the  Ojibway  party  that  were  not  wounded,  escort- 
ed by  United  States  troops,  marched  forth  to  meet  the 
Dakotah  deputation,  on  the  prairie  just  beyond  the  old 
residence  of  the  Indian  agent.  With  much  solemnity 
two  more  of  the  guilty  were  handed  over  to  the  assault- 
ed. One  was  fearless,  and  with  firmness  stripped  him- 
self of  his  clothing  and  ornaments  and  distributed  them. 
The  other  could  not  face  death  with  composure.  He 
was  noted  for  a  hideous  hare-lip,  and  had  a  bad  reputa- 
tion among  his  fellows.  In  the  spirit  of  a  coward  he 
prayed  for  life,  to  the  mortification  of  his  tribe.  The 
same  opportunity  was  presented  to  them  as  to  the  first. 
of  running  for  their  lives.  At  the  first  fire  the  coward 
fell  a  corpse;  but  his  brave  companion,  though  wound- 
ed, ran  on,  and  had  nearly  reached  the  goal  of  safety, 
Avhen  a  second  bullet  killed  him.  The  body  of  the  cow- 
ard now  became  a  common  object  of  loathing  for  both 
Dakotahs  and  Ojibways. 

Colonel  Snelling  told  the  Ojibways  that  the  bodies 
must  be  removed,  and  then  they  took  the  scalped  Da- 
kotahs, and  dragging  them  by  the  heels,  threw  them  off 
the  bluff  into  the  river,  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  beneath. 


INDIAN   RETALIATION.  89 

The  dreadful  scene  was  now  over;  and  a  detachment 
of  troops  was  sent  with  the  old  chief  Flat  Mouth  to 
escort  him  out  of  the  reach  of  Dakotah  vengeance. 

An  eye  witness  wrote:  "After  this  catastrophe,  all  the 
Dakotahs  quitted  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Snelling,  and  did 
not  return  to  it  for  some  months.  It  was  said  they 
formed  a  conspiracy  to  demand  a  council,  and  kill  the 
Indian  agent  and  the  commanding  officer.  If  this  was  a 
fact,  they  had  no  opportunity,  or  wanted  the  spirit,  to 
execute  their  purpose. 

"The  Flat  Month's  band  lingered  in  the  foi  t  till  their 
wounded  comrade  died.  He  was  sensible  of  his  condi- 
tion, and  bore  his  pains  with  great  fortitude.  When 
he  felt  his  end  approach,  he  desired  that  his  horse  might 
be  gaily  caparisoned,  and  brought  to  the  hospital  win- 
dow, so  that  he  might  touch  the  animal.  He  then  took 
from  his  medicine  bag  a  large  cake  of  maple  sugar,  and 
held  it  forth.  It  may  seem  strange,  but  it  is  true,  that 
the  beast  ate  it  from  his  hand.  His  features  were  radi- 
ant with  delight  as  he  fell  back  on  the  pillow  exhausted. 
His  horse  had  eaten  the  sugar,  he  said,  and  he  was  sure 
of  a  favorable  reception  and  comfortable  quarters  in  the 
other  world.  Half  an  hour  after,  he  breathed  his  last. 
We  tried  to  discover  the  details  of  his  superstition,  but 
could  not  succeed.  It  is  a  subject  on  which  Indians  un- 
willingly discourse. 

On  the  twelfth  of  June,  1827,  the  keel-boats  "General 
Ashley/'  and  "O.  H.  Perry"  left  Prairie  du  Chien,  with 
supplies  for  Fort  Snelling.  Allen  F.  Lindsey  was  in 
charge  of  the  former,  and  W.  Joseph  Snelling  ^vas  a 
passenger,  and  Benjamin  F.  Ward  was  in  command  of 
the  latter.  While  near  Prairie  du  Chien,  a  party  of 
Winnebagoes,  in  canoes,  approached  the  "General  Ash- 


90  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

ley,"  and  were  kindly  treated,  but  when  the  boat  came  to 
Wapashah's  village,  where  the  city  of  Winona  now  is, 
the  Indians  demanded  that  those  on  board  should  come 
ashore.  "When  the  ''Perry"  arrived,  about  fifty  with 
their  faces  painted  black,  and  streaks  on  their  blankets, 
jumped  on  deck,  and  refused  to  shake  hands.  It  was 
reported  that  an  old  Indian,  named  the  Pine-Shooter, 
had  gone  from  lodge  to  lodge  and  urged  the  young  war- 
riors to  attack.  The  boats,  however,  were  at  length  suf- 
fered to  pass.  "When  they  started  on  their  return  from 
Fort  Snelling,  the  men  on  board,  amounting  to  thirty- 
two,  were  all  provided  with  muskets  and  a  barrel  of  ball 
cartridges. 

"When  the  descending  keel-boats  passed  "Wapashaw, 
•the  Dakotahs  were  engaged  in  the  war  dance,  and  men- 
aced them,  but  iuade  no  attack.  Below  this  point  the 
"Perry"  moved  in  advance  of  the  other,  and  when  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Bad  Axe,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  thir- 
teenth of  June,  the  half-breeds  on  board  descried  hostile. 
Indians  on  the  banks.  As  the  channel  neared  the  shore, 
the  sixteen  men  on  the  "Perry"  were  greeted  with  the 
war  whoop  and  a  volley  of  rifle  balls  from  the  excited 
"Winnebagoes,  killing  two  of  the  crew.  Rushing  into 
their  canoes,  the  Indians  made  the  attempt  to  board  the 
boat,  and  two  were  successful.  One  of  these  stationed 
himself  at  the  bow  of  the  boat,  and  tired  with  killing 
effect  on  the  men  below  deck.  An  old  soldier  of  the  last 
war  with  Great  Britain,  called  Saucy  Jack,  at  last  des- 
patched him,  and  began  to  rally  the  fainting  spirits  on 
board.  During  the  fight  the  b.-at  had  stuck  on  a  sand- 
bar. "With  four  companions,  amid  a  shower  of  balls 
from  the  savages,  he  plunged  into  the  water  and  pushed 
off  the  boat,   and    thus  moved  out  of  the  reach  of  the 


KEEL   BOATS   ATTACKED.  91 

galling  shots  of  the  Winnebagoes.  As  they  floated 
down  the  river,  during  the  night,  they  heard  a  wail  in  a 
canoe  behind  them,  the  voice  of  a  father  mourning  the 
death  of  the  sou,  who  had  scaled  the  deck,  and  was  now 
a  corpse  in  the  possession  of  the  white  men.  The  rear 
boat  passed  the  Bad  Axe  River  late  in  the  night  and 
escaped  an  attack. 

The  first  keel-boat  arrived  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  with 
two  of  their  crew  dead,  four  wounded,  and  the  Indian 
that  had  been  killed  on  the  boat.  The  two  dead  men 
had  been  residents  of  the  Prairie  and  now  the  panic 
was  increased.  Soon  the  second  keel-boat  appeared  and 
among  her  passengers  was  W.  Joseph  Snelling,  the  tal- 
ented son  of  the  colonel,  who  wrote  a  story  of  deep  in- 
terest, based  on  the  facts  narrated. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  it  was  resolved  to  repair 
old  Fort  Crawford,  and  Thomas  McNair  was  appointed 
captain.  Dirt  was  thrown  around  the  bottom  logs  of 
the  fortification  to  prevent  its  being  fired,  and  young 
Snelling  was  put  in  charge  of  one  of  the  block-houses. 
On  the  next  day  a  voyageur  named  Loyer,  and  a  well- 
known  trader,  Duncan  Graham,  started  through  the  in- 
terior, west  of  the  Mississippi,  witli  intelligence  of  the 
murders,  to  Fort  Snelling,  which  was  received 
at  the  Fort  on  the  evening  of  the  ninth  of 
July,  and  Col.  Snelling  started  in  keel  boats  with  four 
companies  to  Fort  Crawford,  and  on  the  seventeenth 
four  more  companies  left  under  Major  Fowle.  After  an 
absence  of  six  weeks,  the  soldiers,  without  firing  a  gun 
at  the  enemy,  returned. 

A  few  weeks  after  the  attacks  upon  the  keel  boats 
General  Gaines  inspected  the  Fort,  and,  subsequently  in 


92  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

a  communication  to  the  War  Department  wrote  as  fol- 
lows : 

"The  work  may  be  made  very  strong  and  adapted  to 
a  garrison  of  two  hundred  men  by  removing  one-half 
the  buildings,  and  with  the  materials  of  which  they  are 
constructed  building  a  tower  suihciently  high  to  com- 
mand the  hill  between  the  Mississippi  and  St.  Peter's 
[Minnesota],  and  by  a  block  house  on  the  extreme  point, 
or  brow  of  the  cliff,  near  the  commander's  quarters,  to 
securemost  effectually  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  the 
boats  at  the  landing. 

"Much  credit  is  due  to  Colonel  Snelling,  his  officers 
and  men,  for  their  immense  labors  and  excellent  work- 
manship exhibited  in  the  construction  of  these  barracks 
and  store  houses,  but  this  has  been  effected  too  much  at 
the  expense  of  the  discipline  of  the  regiment.'' 

In  accordance  with  the  suggestion,  a  stone  tower  was 
erected  near  the  commandant's  quarter,  but  within  a 
few  years  it  has  been  removed. 

During  the  fall  of  LS27  the  Fifth  Eegiment  was  reliev- 
ed by  a  part  of  the  First,  and  the  next  year  Colonel 
Snelling  proceeded  to  Washington  on  business,  where 
he  died  with  inflammation  of  the  brain.  Major  General 
Macomb  announcing  his  death  in  an  order,  wrote: 

"Colonel  Snelling  joined  the  army  in  early  youth. 
In  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe  he  was  distinguished  fin- 
gallantry  and  good  conduct.  Subsequently  and  during 
the  whole  great  war  with  Great  Britain,  from  the  battle 
of  Brownstown  to  the  termination  of  the  contest,  he  was 
actively  employed  in  the  field,  with  credit  to  himself, 
and  honor  to  his  country." 


AN   OLD   SPANISH   COMMISSION'.  93 


CHAPTER  SIXTH. 

EVENTS     IN    AND  AROUND   FORT    SXELLING,    A.  D.  1828,    TO 
A.    D.    18-10. 

During  the  month  of  June,  1828,  Samuel  Gibson,  a 
drover  from  Missouri,  lost  his  way,  in  bringing  cattle 
to.  Fort  Snelling,  and  abandoned  them,  near  Lac  qui 
Parle.  Joseph  Renville,  the  trader,  then  collected  them 
and  sixty-four  were  sold  and  the  money  obtained  there- 
for, forwarded  to  the  drover. 

An  old  Sioux,  this  month  visited  the  Fort,  and  pro- 
duced a  Spanish  commission  issued  in  1781,  and  signed 
by  Colonel  Francis  Cruzat,  military  governor  of  Louisi- 
ana, under  whose  jurisdiction  was  the  valley  of  the  Min- 
nesota river. 

The  winter,  spring  and  summer  of  1829  were  very  dry, 
and  for  ten  months,  the  average  monthly  fall  of  rain 
and  snow  was  one  inch. 

In  May,  forty  Sioux  of  Red  Wing's  band  called  upon 
the  Indian  agent,  and  said  that  since  the  death  of  their 
old  chief,  Red  Wing,  they  had  not  been  able  to  choose 
another,  but  after  the  conference  they  selected  \Yakou- 
ta,  a  step-son  of  the  deceased  chief.  On  the  twentieth 
of  May,  there  was  a  peace  dance,  by  about  one  hundred 
relatives  of  the  four  Sioux,  who,  in  1827.  had  been  deliv- 
ered up,  and  shot  by  the  Ojibways.  The  dance  was  to 
throw  off  their  mourning,  and  each  dancer  walking  up 
to  an  uncooked  dog,  hung  to  a  stake,  bit  off  a  portion. 


94  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

A  week  later  a  party  of  Ojibways  arrived,  with  B.  F. 
Baker,  who  had  been  trading  at  Gull  Lake,  and  on  Sun- 
day, the  last  day  of  May,  the  Indians  of  both  tribes 
drew  together,  before  the  Indian  agent's  house,  and 
agreed  that  they  would  hunt  in  peace  upon  the  prairies 
above  Sauk  River. 

Early  in  September,  1829,  Surgeon  B.  C.  Wood  left 
the  Fort,  on  a  visit  to  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  by  the  last 
of  the  month,  returned  in  an  open  boat,  with  a  bride, 
the  daughter  of  General  Zachary  Taylor,  then  in  com- 
mand at  Fort  Crawford  and  subsequently  President  of 
the  United  States.  Another  daughter  married  Lt.  Jef- 
ferson Davis,  who  became  the  President  of  the  so-called 
Confederate  States,  while  John,  the  son  of  Surgeon 
Wood,  obtained  notoriety,  as  commander  of  the  Talla- 
hassee, a  rebel  privateer. 

In  18o2,  under  instructions  from  the  Secretary  of 
War,  Henry  B.  Schoolcraft  visited  the  Ojibways  toward 
the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.  At  two  o'clock  of  the 
afternoon  of  the  twelfth  of  July  his  party  reached  Elk 
Lake.  Lieutenant  Allen,  the  commander  of  the  military 
detachment,  who  made  the  first  map  of  this  lake,  thus 
wrote  in  his  Report: 

"From  these  hills,  which  were  seldom  more  than  two 
or  three  hundred  feet  high,  we  came  suddenly  down  to 
the  lake,  and  passed  nearly  through  it  to  an  island  near 
its  west  end,  where  we  remained  one  or  two  hours.  We 
were  sure  that  we  had  reached  the  true  source  of  the 
great  river,  and  a  feeling  of  great  satisfaction  was  mani- 
fested by  all  the  party.  Mr.  Schoolcraft  hoisted  a  flag 
on  a  high  start'  on  the  island  and  left  it  flying.  The  lake 
is  about  seven  miles  long,  and  from  one  to  three  broad, 
but  is  of  an  irregular  shape,  conforming  to  the  bases  of 


LAKE   ITASCA.  95 

pine  hills  which,  for  a  great  part  of  its  circumference, 
rise  abruptly  from  its  shore.  It  is  deep,  cold,  and  very 
clear,  and  seemed  to  be  well  stocked  with  fish.  Its 
shores  show  some  boulders  of  primitive  rock,  but  no 
rock  in  place.  The  island,  the  only  one  of  the  lake, 
and  which  I  have  called  Schoolcraft  Island,  is  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  long,  fifty  yards  broad  in  the 
highest  part,  elevated  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  overgrown 
with  elm,  pine,  spruce,  and  wild  cherry." 

The  chaplain  of  the  expedition  was  the  Rev.  W.  T. 
Boutwell,  still  living,  in  January,  1887,  near  Stillwater, 
Washington  County.  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  who  was  not  a 
Latin  scholar,  asked  the  chaplain  for  a  Latin  word  which 
signified  truth,  and  was  told  Veritas,  and  the  word  for 
source,  and  caput  was  mentioned.  Schoolcraft  was 
fond  of  coining  words,  and  by  striking  out  the  first  syl- 
lable of  Veritas,  and  the  last  of  caput,  he  made  the 
word  Itasca.  In  a  reprint  of  his  Narrative,  published 
in  1855,  appears  the  following:  "I  inquired  of  Ozari- 
dib,  the  Indian  name  of  this  lake;  he  replied  Oniush- 
kos,  which  is  the  Chippewa  name  of  the  elk.  Having 
previously  got  an  inkling  of  some  of  their  mythological 
and  necromantic  notions  of  the  origin  and  mutations  of 
the  country,  which  permitted  the  use  of  a  female  name 
for  it,  I  denominated  it  Itasca."  Schoolcraft  remained 
one  day  at  Itasca,  and  the  next  morning  descended  the 
Mississippi,  and  on  the  twenty-first  of  July,  reached 
Fort  Snelling.  Featherstonhaugh,  in  company  with 
Prof.  W.  W.  Mather,  under  direction  of  the  U.  S.  gov- 
ernment, stopped  at  Fort  Snelling,  while  on  his  way 
to  explore  the  Minnesota  valley.  After  returning  to 
England,  his  native  country,  he  published  a  work  en- 
titled   "Canoe  voyage  up  the  Minnaysotor,"   which  is 


9G  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

chiefly  remarkable  for  its  ill-natured  remarks,  about 
gentlemen,  who  did  not  show  him  the  attention,  which 
he  craved. 

On  the  second  of  July,  1830,  the  steamboat  Saint  Peter 
landed  supplies,  and  among  its  passengers  was  the  dis- 
tinguished French  astronomer,  Jean  N.  Nicollet  (Nico- 
lay).     Major  Taliaferro  on  the  twelfth   of  July,   wrote: 
'  "Mr.  Nicollet,  on  a  visit  to  the  post  for  scientific  re- 
search, and  at  present  in  my  family,  has  shown  me  the 
late  work  of  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft  on  the  discovery  of 
the  source  of  the  Mississippi;  which  claim  is  ridiculous 
in  the  extreme."'     On  the  twenty-seventh,  Nicollet  left 
the  fort  with  a  French  trader,  named  Fronchet,   to  ex- 
plore the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.     While  at  the  Falls 
of  St.  Anthony,  the  Dahkotahs  pilfered  some  of  his  pro- 
visions, but  writing  back  to  the  fort  for  another  supply, 
he  ascended  the  Mississippi,  telescope  in  hand,  and  with 
a  trustful,  child-like  spirit,  hoped  with  Sir  Isaac  New- 
ton, to  gather  a  few   pebbles  from  the  great  ocean  of 
truth.     After   reaching  Crow  Wing  River,  he  entered 
its  mouth,  and  by  way  of  Gull  River  and  lake,  he  reach- 
ed Leech  Lake,  the  abode  of  the  Pillagers      When  the 
savages  found  that  he  was  nothing  but  a  poor  scholar, 
with  neither  .medals  nor  beef,  nor  flags  to  present,  and 
constantly  peeping  through  a  tube  into  the  heavens,  they 
became  very  unruly. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Boutwell,  whose  mission  house  was  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  lake,  hearing  the  shouts  and 
drumming  of  the  Indians,  came  over  as  soon  as  the  wind 
which  had  been  blowing  for  several  days,  would  allow 
the  passage  of  his  canoe.  His  arrival  was  very  grateful 
to  Nicollet,  who  says:  "On  the  fourth  day,  however,  he 
arrived,  and  although  totally  unknown  to  each  other  pre- 


nicollet's  explorations.  97 

viously,  a  sympathy  of  feeling  arose,  growing  out  of  the 
precarious  circumstances  under  which  we  were  both 
placed,  and  to  which  he  had  been  much  longer  exposed 
than  myself.  This  feeling,  from  the  kind  attentions  he 
paid  me,  soon  ripened  into  affectionate  gratitude." 

Leaving  Leech  Lake  with  an  Indian,  Fronchet  and 
Francis  Brunet,  a  Canadian  trader  of  that  post,  "a  man 
six  feet  three  inches  in  height,  a  giant  of  great  strength, 
and  at  the  same  time  full  of  the  milk  of  human  kind- 
ness," he  proceeded  towards  Itasca  Lake.  With  the 
sextant  on  his  back,  thrown  over  like  a  knapsack,  a  ba- 
rometer and  cloak  on  his  left  shoulder,  a  portfolio  under 
his  arm,  and  a  basket  in  hand  holding  thermometer, 
chronometer,  and  compass,  he  followed  his  guides  over 
the  necessary  portage.  After  the  usual  trials  of  an  inex- 
perienced traveller,  he  pitched  his  tent  on  Schoolcraft's 
Island,  in  Lake  Itasca,  and  proceeded  to  use  his  telescope 
and  instruments. 

Continuing  his  explorations  beyond  those  of  Lieut. 
Allen  and  Schoolcraft,  he  entered  on  the  twenty-ninth 
of  xlugust,  a  tributary  of  the  west  bay  of  the  lake,  two  or 
three  feet  in  depth,  and  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in 
width.  While  the  previous  explorers  had  passed  but 
one  or  tiro  hours  at  Itasca  Lake,  he  stayed  three  days 
with  complete  scientific  apparatus,  and  sought  the  sources 
of  the  rivulets  and  lakelets  that  feed  the  lake.  In  his 
report  lie  wrote:  "Of  the  five  creeks  that  empty  into 
Itasca  Lake,  one  empties  into  the  east  bay  of  the  Lake, 
the  four  others  into  the  west  bay.  I  visited  the  whole 
of  them ;  and  among  the  latter  there  is  one  remarkable 
above  the  others,  inasmuch  as  its  course  is  longer,  and 
waters  more  abundant;  so  in  obedience  to  the  geograph- 
ical rule  that  the  sources  of  a  river  are  those  that  are 


98 


HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 


most  distant  from  its  mouth,  this  creek  is  truly  the  in- 
fant Mississippi;  all  others  below,  its  feeders  and  tribu- 
taries. The  day  on  which  I  explored  this  principal 
creek  [August  29,  1S3G]  I  judged  that  at  its  entrance 
into  Itasoa  Lake,  its  bed  was  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet 
wide,  and  the  depth  of  water  from  two  to  three  feet.  With 
great  appropriateness  has  his  claim  been  recognized  by 
the  State  of  Minnesota,  as  the  individual  who  completed 
the  exploration  of  the  Mississippi,  by  giving  his  name  to 
a  county. 


!  -'   T  \)V±nibiQ06hL-i7i 


M    flttJ^       I      poo.' 

*.        ill9  *t      / 


i   \ltinibt£ 


LAKE  ITASCA 

AND  VICINITY. 
Fbom  Ni<'"Li.Ft'i  Map,  slow  deposit* 
Gbmsbai  Land  Offus,  W  isniNGTOX,  D.  C 

Scale:  20  miles  to  an  inch. 

i 


LAKE    ITASCA 

AND  VICINITY. 

Engraved  from  a  facsimile  tracing  of  Nicollet's 
Map  (lSofJ-37)  now  deposited  in  the  Office  of  the 
Chief  of  Engineers,  V.  S.  A.,  "Washington,  D.  C. 

Scale:  same  as  original  map. 


Chipcway  Lake, 


■ 


kidu-Kanijo  /..  ■--.  . . ->  \,.,..Vi.,!i     y.,-        /       ^ —  ?  ( 


htytarre  "  J?  >  V_     1  f>>~"*NJ       ^</  95°       V-J 


100  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

The  first  engraving  is  a  section  of  Nicollet's  Map, 
now  deposited  in  the  office  of  the  Commissioner  of  the 
United  States  General  Land  Office,  at  Washington. 
The  other  engraving  is  a  section  of  Nicollet's  Map  of 
Lake  Itasca,  drawn  in  1S36-7,  and  now  deposited  in  the 
office  of  Chief  of  Engineers  United  States  Army  in 
"Washington.  An  inspection  of  these  maps  show  how 
carefully  the  Lake  Itasca  region  was  examined  a  half 
century  ago. 

Within  the  last  thirty  years,  the  vicinity  of  Itasca  has 
been  repeatedly  visited  by  trappers,  immigrants,  tourists, 
scientific  explorers,  and  government  surveyors,  and  yet, 
a  person  named  Willard  Glazier  has  imposed  upon  the 
London  Geographical  Society,  and  other  respectable 
bodies,  and  led  them  to  believe  that  he  had  discovered 
in  July,  1881,  some  new  lake  in  that  vicinity.1 

Nicollet  in  September  returned  from  his  trip,  and  on 
the  twenty-seventh  wrote  the  following  to  Major  Taliafer- 
ro the  Indian  Agent  at  the  fort,  which  is  supposed  to  be 
one  of  the  earliest  letters  written  from  the  site  of  Minne- 
apolis. As  a  large  hotel  and  one  of  the  finest  avenues  of 
that  city  bears  his  name  it  is  worthy  of  preservation. 
He  spelled  his  name  sometimes  Nicoley,  the  same  as  if 
written  Nicollet  in  French.  The  letter  shows  that  he 
had  not  mastered  the  English  language;  it  was  dated 
the  twenty-ninth  of  September,  1836,  at  St.  Anthony's 
Falls: 

"Dear  Friend: — I  arrived  last  evening  about  dark;  all 

1.  In  June,  1372.  Julius  Chambers  of  the  New  York  Herald  visited  the  small 
lake  near  Itasca,  called  Elk  Lake  ou  the  .Map  of  the  U.  S.  Surveyors  in  1-7"..  and 
iii  ISHLthe  Rev.  J.  B.  ffilfillan,  a  1'rot  'stant  Episcopal  missionary,  at  the  White 
Earth  Reservation,  visited  Klk  Lake,  and  found  there  wawon  tracks  and  eviden- 
ces of  an  encampment.  .Mr.  II.  A.  Harrower  deserves  the  thanks  of  every  lover 
of  truth  for  hi-  pamphlet,  exposing  the  plagiarisms  and  persistent  assumptions 
of  Glazier,  published  by  Ivison  Blakeman,  Taylor  it  Co.,  of  New  York  city. 
To  the  courtesy  of  these  publishers,  lam  indebted  for  the  engraving  of  a  sec- 
tion of  Nicollet's  Map. 


LETTER   OF   J.  N.  NICOLLET.  101 

well,  nothing  lost  nothing  broken,  happy  and  a  very  suc- 
cessful journey.  Cut  I  clone  exhausted,  and  nothing 
can  relieve  me,  but  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  again 
under  your  hospitable  roof,  and  to  see  all  the  friends  of 
the  garrison  who  have  been  so  kind  to  me. 

"This  letter  is  more  particularly  to  give  you  a  very  ex- 
traordinary tide.  Flat  Mouth,  the  chief  of  Leech  Lake 
and  suite,  ten  in  number  are  with  me.  The  day  before 
yesterday  I  met  them  again  at  Swan  river  where  they 
detained  me  one  day.  I  had  to  bear  a  new  harangue 
and  gave  answer.  All  terminated  by  their  own  resolu- 
tion that  they  ought  to  give  you  the  hand,  as  well  as  to 
theGuinas  of  the  Fort  (Colonel  Davenport.)  I  thought 
it  my  duty  to  acquaint  you  with  it  beforehand.  Peace 
or  war  are  at  stake  of  the  visit  they  pay  you.  Please 
give  them  a  good  welcome  until  I  have  reported  to  you 
and  Colonel  Davenport  all  that  has  taken  place  during 
my  stay  among  the  Pillagers.  Hut  be  assured  1  have 
not  trespassed  and  that  I  have  behaved  as  would  have 
done  a  good  citizen  of  the  U.  S.  As  to  Schoolcraft's 
statement  alluding  to  you,  you  will  have  full  and  com- 
plete satisfaction  from  Flat  Mouth  himself.  In  haste, 
your  friend,  J.  N.  Nicoley." 

In  April,  1838,  a  party  of  Sioux  with  their  families, 
accompanied  by  the  Presbyterian  missionary,  G.  H. 
Pond,  left  Lac-qui-Parle  to  hunt  on  the  Chippewa  Pviver 
near  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Benson,  in  Swift 
County.  The  number  of  lodges  was  six,  but  three  were 
separated  by  a  short  distance.  One  day  at  the  advanced 
lodges,  arrived  the  noted  Ojibway  Chief,  the  elder  Hole- 
in-the-Day,  his  son,  and  nine  of  his  band.  They  said 
that  they  had  come  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace,  and  were 
cordially  received.  Two  dogs  were  killed,  and  they  were 


102  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

feasted.  At  length  night  came  and  all  lay  down,  but  not 
to  sleep;  about  midnight  Hole-in-the-Day  and  his 
friends  arose,  killed  thirteen  Sioux,  captured  a  girl,  but 
a  wounded  woman  and  a  boy  escaped  to  the  other  lodges. 
The  next  day  the  missionary  Pond  went  out  aud  buried 
the  mutilated  and  scalped  Sioux. 

In  June  the  Indian  Agent  at  Fort  Snelling  sent  a 
deputy  and  interpreter,  and  held  a  council  with  Hole- 
in-the-Day,  and  other  Ojibways,  and  demanded  that  the 
Sioux  woman  should  be  surrendered.  After  much  ex- 
cited discussion  the  woman  was  given  over  to  the  Indian 
Agent.  On  the  second  of  August  Hole-in-the-Day  and 
a  number  of  his  band  came  down  to  Fort  Snelling,  Ma- 
jor Plympton  then  in  command.  They  stopped  first  at 
the  cabin  of  a  Peter  Quinn,  whose  wife  was  a  half-breed 
Ojibway.  The  next  day  the  Presbyterian  missionary, 
Samuel  W.  Pond,  met  the  Indian  Agent  at  Lake  Harri- 
ett, and  told  him  that  a  number  of  armed  Sioux,  from 
Mud  Lake  had  gone  to  Baker's  trading  house,  between 
the  Fort  and  Minnehaha,  to  attack  their  ancient  foes. 
The  agent  hastened  in  that  direction,  and  reached  the 
spot  just  as  the  first  gun  was  fired,  which  killed  an  Ojib- 
way. An  Ojibway  of  Red  Lake  in  turn  shot  the  Sioux 
just  as  he  was  scalping  his  victim.  The  Ojibway  was 
removed  to  Fort  Snelling  and  at  nine  o'clock  at  night  a 
Sioux  was  confined  as  a  hostage.  The  next  day,the  fourth 
of  August,  the  commanding  officer,  Plympton.  and  the 
Indian  Agent,  Taliaferro,  held  a  council  with  the  Sioux 
Major  Plympton  said:  "It  is  not  necessary  to  talk  much. 
I  have  demanded  the  guilty.  They  must  be  brought." 
After  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  Sioux  brought  to 
the  Indian  Agent  two  sons  of  Tokali.  Their  mother  in 
surrendering   them  said:     "Of  seven   sons,  three   only 


INDIAN   FIGHT    NEAR    FORT    SNELLING.  103 

survive,  one  had  been  wounded  and  soon  would  die,  and 
if  the  two  now  delivered  were  shot,  all  were  gone.  Sing- 
ing their  death  song  I  have  delivered  them  at  the  gate 
of  the  fort.  Have  mercy  upon  them  for  their  youth 
and  folly."  Notwithstanding  the  murdered  Ojibway  had 
been  buried  in  the  grave  yard  of  the  fort,  an  attempt 
was  made  by  the  Sioux  on  the  night  of  the  council  day 
to  dig  him  up.  On  the  morning  of  the  sixth  of  August 
Major  Plympton  sent  the  Ojibways  to  the  east  side  of 
the  Mississippi  and  ordered  them  to  return  home,  and 
told  the  Sioux  that  the  insult  to  the  tlag  must  be  notic- 
ed, and  that  if  they  would  punish  the  prisoners,  he  would 
release  them.  On  the  eighth  the  Sioux  council  reas- 
sembled and  the  chief  of  the  Lake  Pepin  band  said:  "'If 
you  will  bring  out  the  prisoners  I  will  carry  your  views 
fully  into  effect." 

Lieutenant  Whitehorn,  the  officer  of  the  day,  brought 
the  prisoners,  when  the  chief  continued:  "We  will  not 
disgrace  the  house  of  my  Father;  let  the  prisoners  be 
taken  into  the  enclosure." 

As  soon  as  this  was  done,  the  braves  were  called,  and 
amid  the  crying  of  women  the  prisoners  were  disgraced 
by  cutting  into  small  pieces  their  blankets,  leggings  and 
breech  cloths;  then  their  hair  was  cut  off.  and  finally 
they  were  humiliated  by  being  flogged  with  long  sticks. 

In  about  a  year,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  June.  1839, 
the  old  chief  Hole-in-the-day  again  visited  the  fort  with 
hundreds  of  Ojibways,  and  on  the  first  of  July  they 
met  the  Dakotahs  at  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  and 
after  smoking  the  pipe  of  peace,  the  majority  of  the 
Ojibways  proceeded  homeward;  but  some  of  the  Pillager 
band  passing  over  to  Lake  Harriet,  secreted  themselves 
uutil  after  sunrise  on  the   second  of  July,  when  they 


104  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

surprised  Meekah,  a  Dakotali,  on   his  way  to  hunt,  and 
scalped  him. 

Rev.  J.  D.  Stevens,  a  Sioux  missionary,  hurried  to  the 
Fort  with  the  intelligence.  Immediately  one  hundred 
and  fifty  Dakotahs  were  on  the  war  path,  panting 
for  vengeance  and  hurrying  after  the  Ojibways,  who 
had  ascended  the  Mississippi,  and  the  next  day  there 
was  a  fight  at  Ruin  River,  and  ninety  of  the  latter  were 
killed.  Another  party  also  went  across  the  country  to 
St.  Croix  River,  and  overtook  a  band  of  Ojibways  in  the 
ravine  where  the  Penitentiary  at  Stillwater  now  stands, 
and  killed  twenty-one  and  wounded  twenty-nine.  After 
this  the  Dakotahs  were  afraid  to  live  at  Lake  Harriet, 
and  soon  abandoned  the  place  and  encamped  on  the 
Minnesota  River  near  Fort  Snelliug.  The  missionaries 
also  removed  to  Baker's  trading  post,  between  the  Fort 
and  Minnehaha. 

Whisky,  during  the  year  1839,  was  freely  introduced 
in  the  face  of  the  law  prohibiting  it.  The  first  boat  of 
the  season,  the  Ariel,  came  to  the  Fort  on  the  fourteenth 
of  April,  and  brought  twenty  barrels  of  whisky  for  Jo- 
seph R.  Brown,  and  on  the  twenty-first  of  May,  the 
Glaucus  brought  six  bairels  of  licpior  for  David  Fari- 
bault. On  the  thirtieth  of  June,  some  soldiers  went  to 
Joseph  R.  Brown's  groggery,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  that  night  forty-seven  were  in  the 
guard-house  for  drunkenness.  The  demoralization  then 
existing,  led  to  a  letter  by  Surgeon  Emerson,  on  duty  at 
the  Fort,  to  the  Surgeon  General  of  the  United  States 
army,  in  which  he  writes: 

"The  whisky  is  brought  here  by  citizens  who  are 
pouring  in  upon  us,  and  settling  themselves  on  the 
opposite  shore  of  the  Mississippi  River,  in  defiance  of 


WHISKY   SELLERS.  105 

our  worthy  commanding  officer,  Major  J.  Plympton, 
whose  authority  they  set  at  naught.  At  this  moment 
there  is  a  citizen  named  Brown,  once  a  soldier  in  the 
Fifth  Infantry,  who  was  discharged  at  this  post,  while 
Colonel  Snelling  commanded,  and  who  has  since  been 
employed  by  the  American  Fur  Company,  actually 
building  on  the  land  marked  out  by  the  land  officers  as 
the  reserve,  and  within  gunshot  distance  of  the  Fort,  a 
very  expensive  whisky  shop." 


100  HISTOILY   OF    MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER  SEVENTH. 

EARLIEST  MISSIONS  AMONG  THE    OJIBWAYS    AND   DAKOTAHS 
OF  MINNESOTA. 

Shea,  a  devoted  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  in  his  History  of  American  Catholic  Missions, 
writes:  "In  16S0,  Father  Engalran  was  apparently  alone 
at  Green  Bay  and  Pierson  at  Mackinaw.  Of  the  other 
missions  neither  Le  Clerq  nor  Hennepin,  the  Recollect 
writers  of  the  West  at  this  time,  make  any  mention,  or 
in  any  way  allude  to  their  existence."  He  also  says 
that  "Father  Menard  had  projected  a  Sioux  mission; 
Marquette,  Allouez,  Druilletes,  all  entertained  hopes  of 
realizing  it,  and  had  some  intercourse  with  that  nation, 
but  none  of  them  ever  succeeded  in  establishing  a 
mission." 

Father  Hennepin  wrote:  "Can  it  be  possible  that  that 
pretended  prodigious  amount  of  savage  converts  could 
escape  the  sight  of  a  multitude  of  French  Canadians 
who  travel  every  year?  *  *  *  How  comes  it  to  pass 
that  these  churches,  so  devout  and  so  numerous,  should 
be  invisible'  when  I  passed  through  so  many  countries 
and  nations?" 

After  the  American  Fur  Company  was  formed,  the 
island  of  Mackinaw  became  the  residence  of  the  prin- 
cipal agent  for  the  Northwest,  Robert  Stuart,  a  Scutch- 
man,  and  devoted  Presbyterian. 


MISSIONARIES   COE    AND   STEVENS.  107 

In  the  month  of  June,  1820,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Morse, 
father  of  the  distinguished  inventor  of  the  telegraph,' 
visited  and  preached  at  Mackinaw,  and  in  consequence 
of  statements  published  by  him  upon  his  return,  a  Pres- 
byterian Missionary  Society  in  the  State  of  New  York 
sent  a  graduate  of  Union  College,  the  Rev.  W.  M.  Ferry, 
father  of  the  late  United  States  Senator  from  Michigan, 
to  explore  the  field.  In  1823,  he  had  established  a  large 
boarding  school,  composed  of  children  of  various  tribes, 
and  here  some  were  educated  who  became  wives  of  men 
of  intelligence  and  influence  at  the  capital  of  Minnesota. 
After  a  few  years,  it  was  determined  by  the  Mission 
Board  to  modify  its  plans,  and  in  the  place  of  a  great 
central  station,  to  send  missionaries  among  the  several 
tribes,  to  teach  and  to  preach. 

In  pursuance  of  this  policy,  the  Rev.  Alvan  Coe,  and 
J.  1).  Stevens,  a  licentiate,  who  had  been  engaged  in  the 
Mackinaw  Mission,  made  a  tour  of  exploration,  and 
arrived  on  September  first,  1829,  at  Fort  Snelling.  In 
the  journal  of  Major  Lawrence  Taliaferro,  which  is  in 
possession  of  the  Minnesota  Historical  Society,  is  the 
following  entry:  "The  Rev.  Mr.  Coe  and  Stevens, 
reported  to  be  on  their  way  to  this  post,  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  looking  out  for  suitable  places  to 
make  missionary  establishments  for  the  Sioux  and  Chip- 
peways,  found  schools,  and  instruct  in  the  arts  and  agri- 
culture." 

The  agent,  although  not  at  that  time  a  communicant 
of  the  Church,  welcomed  these  visitors,  and  afforded 
them  every  facility  in  visiting  the  Indians.  On  Sunday 
the  sixth  of  September,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Coe  preached  twice 
in  the  Fort,  and  the  next  night  held  a  prayer-meeting  at 
the   quarters   of   the  commanding  officer.     On  the  next 


10S  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

Sunday  he  preached  again,  and  on  the  fourteenth,  with 
Mr.  Stevens  and  a  hired  guide,  returned  to  Mackinaw 
by  way  of  the  St.  Croix  Paver.  During  this  visit  the 
agent  offered  for  a  Presbyterian  mission  the  mill  which 
then  stood  on  the  site  of  Minneapolis,  and  had  been 
erected  by  the  government,  as  well  as  the  farm  at  Lake 
Calhoun,  which  was  begun  to  teach  the  Sioux  agri- 
culture. 

In  1S30,  Frederick  Ayer,  one  of  the  teachers  at  Mack- 
inaw, made  an  exploration  as  far  as  La  Pointe,  and  re- 
turned. Upon  the  thirtieth  dayof  August,  1831,  a  Mack- 
inaw boat  about  forty  feet  long  arrived  at  LaPointe,  bring- 
ing from  Mackinaw  the  principal  trader,  Mr.  Warren, 
Piev.  Sherman  Hall  and  wife,  and  Mr.  Frederick  Ayer,  a 
catechist  and  teacher.  Mr.  Hall  wrote  in  his  journal: 
"After  sailing  thirty  leagues,  in  a  day  and  a  half,  we  ar- 
rived at  La  Pointe,  the  place  of  our  destination,  about 
noon  to-day,  all  heartily  glad  to  find  a  resting-place. 
We  were  agreeably  disappointed  on  finding  the  place  so 
much  more  pleasant  than  we  anticipated.  As  we  ap- 
proached, it  appeared  like  a  small  village.  There  are 
several  houses,  stores,  barns,  and  out-buildings  about 
the  establishment,  and  forty  or  fifty  acres  of  land  under 
cultivation." 

Mrs.  Hall  attracted  great  attention,  as  she  was  the 
first  white  woman  who  had  come  to  reside  in  that  region. 
Sherman  Hall  was  born  on  April  o<>,  1801,  at  Wethers- 
field,  Vermont,  and  in  182S  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
College,  and  completed  his  theological  studies  at  Ando- 
ver,  Massachusetts,  a  few  weeks  before  he  journeyed  to 
the  Indian  country.  His  classmate  at  Dartmouth  and 
Andover,  the  Rev.  W.  T.  Boutwell,  still  living  (  January, 
1SS7,)  near  Stillwater,  became  his  yoke-fellow,   but  re- 


FIRST    MISSION   IN    MINNESOTA.  109 

mained  for  a  time  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  In  June,  1832, 
Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  the  head  of  an  exploring  expedi- 
tion, invited  Mr.  Boutwell  to  accompany  him  to  the 
sources  of  the  Mississippi.  Upon  Mr.  Boutwell's  return 
from  this  expedition  he  was  at  first  associated  with  Mr. 
Hall  in  the  mission  at  La  Pointe. 

In  1833  the  mission  band  which  had  centered  at  La 
Pointe  diffused  their  influence.  In  October  Piev.  Mr. 
Boutwell  went  to  Leech  Lake,  and  established  the  first 
mission  in  Minnesota  west  of  Lake  Superior,  Mr.  Ayer 
opened  a  school  at  Yellow  Lake,  Wisconsin,  and  Mr.  E. 
P.  Ely  became  a  teacher  at  Aitkin's  trading  post  at 
Sandy  Lake.  A  letter  from  Leech  Lake,  written  by  Mr. 
Boutwell,  soon  after  his  arrival,  contains  the  following 
■wise  suggestions: 

"If  the  Indians  can  be  induced  by  example  and  other 
help  (such  as  seed  and  preparing  the  ground ),  to  culti- 
vate more  largely,  they  would,  I  have  no  doubt,  furnish 
provisions  for  their  children  in  part.  If  a  mission  here 
should  furnish  the  means  of  feeding,  clothing,  and  in- 
structing the  children,  as  at  Mackinaw,  I  venture  to  say 
there  would  be  no  lack  of  children.  But  such  an  esta- 
blishment is  not  only  impracticable  here;  it  is  such  as 
would  ill  meet  the  exigencies  of  this  people.  "While  a 
mission  proffers  them  aid,  they  should  be  made  to  feel 
that  they  must  try  at  least  to  help  themselves.  It 
should  be  placed  on  a  footing  that  will  instruct  them  in 
the  principles  <>f  political  economy.  At  present  there  is 
among  them  nothing  like  personal  rights,  or  individual 
property,  any  further  than  traps,  guns,  and  kettles  are 
concerned.  They  possess  all  things  in  common.  If  an 
Indian  has  anything  to  eat,  his  neighbours  are  all  allowed 
to  share  it  with  him.      While,  therefore,  a   mission   c.r- 


110  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

tends  the  hand  of  charity  in  the  means  of  instruction, 
and  occasionally  an  article  of  clothing,  and  perhaps 
some  aid  in  procuring  the  means  of  subsistence,  it 
should  he  only  to  such  individuals  as  will  themselves 
use  the  means  so  far  as  they  possess  them.  This 
might  operate  as  a  stimulus  with  them  to  cultivate  and 
fix  a  value  upon  corn,  rice,  etc.,  at  least  with  such  as 
care  to  have  their  children  instructed,  rather  than 
squander  it  in  feasts  and  feeding  such  as  are  too  indo- 
lent to  make  a  garden  themselves.  It  will  require  much 
patience,  if  not  a  long  time,  to  break  up  and  eradicate 
habits  so  inveterate.  An  Indian  cannot  eat  alone.  If 
he  kills  a  pheasant,  his  neighbours  must  come  in  for  a 
portion,  small  indeed,  but  so  it  is." 

In  the  year  1834,  Mr.  Boutwell  was  married  at  Fond 
du  Lac,  of  St.  Louis  River,  to  an  interesting  person,  the 
daughter  of  a  director  of  the  fur  trade,  and  au  Indian 
mother.  He  has  written  the  following  account  of  the 
first  days  of  married  life  at  Leech  Lake:  "The  clerk 
very  kindly  invited  me  to  occupy  a  part  of  his  quarters, 
until  1  could  prepare  a  place  to  put  myself.  I  thought 
best  to  decline  his  offer;  and  on  the  thirteenth  instant, 
removed  my  effects,  and  commenced  housekeeping  in  a 
bark  lodge.  Then,  here  I  was,  without  a  quart  of  corn 
or  Indian  rice  to  eat  myself,  or  give  my  man,  as  I  was 
too  late  to  purchase  any  of  the  mere  pittance  which  was 
to  be  bought  or  sold.  My  nets,  under  God,  were  my 
sole  dependence  to  feed  myself  ami  hired  man.  Iliad  a 
barrel  and  a  half  of  flour,  and  ninety  pounds  of  pork 
only  before  me  for  the  winter.  But  on  the  seventeenth 
of  the  same  month,  I  sent  my  fisherman  ten  miles  dis- 
tant to  gather  our  winter's  stock  of  provisions  out  of  the 
deep.     In  the  mean  time,  I  must  build  a  house,  or  win- 


ARRIVAL    OF    THE    BROTHERS    POND.  Ill 

ter  in  an  Indian  lodge.  Rather  than  do  worse,  I  shoul- 
dered my  axe  and  led  the  way,  having  procured  a  man 
of  the  trader  to  help  me;  and  in  about  ten  days  had 
my  timbers  cut  and  on  the  ground  ready  to  put  up. 

"On  the  second  of  December,  I  quit  my  bark  lodge 
for  a  mud-walled  house,  the  timbers  of  which,  I  not  only 
assisted  in  cutting,  but  also  carrying  on  my  back,  until 
the  rheumatism,  to  say  the  least,  threatened  to  double 
and  twist  me,  and  I  was  obliged  to  desist.  My  house, 
when  I  began  to  occupy  it,  had  a  door,  three  windows, 
and  a  mud  chimney;  but  neither  chair,  stool,  nor  bed- 
stead. A  box  served  for  the  former,  and  an  Indian  mat 
for  the  two  latter.  A  rude  figure,  indeed,  my  house 
would  make  in  a  New  England  city,  with  its  deer-skin 
windows,  a  floor  that  had  never  seen  a  plane,  or  a  saw, 
and  a  mud-chimney,  but  it  is  nevertheless,  comfortable." 

Mr.  Boutwell,  on  the  Gth  of  May,  1834,  was  on  a  visit 
at  Fort  Snelling,  when  a  steamboat  arrived  bringing 
two  young  men,  brothers,  natives  of  Washington,  Con- 
necticut, Samuel  W.  and  Gideon  H.  Pond,  who  had  come 
constrained  by  the  love  of  Christ,  and  without  conferring 
with  flesh  and  blood,  to  try  to  improve  the  Sioux,  or 
Dakotahs.  Samuel,  the  older  brother,  the  year  before, 
had  talked  with  a  liquor  seller  in  Galena,  Illinois,  who 
had  come  from  the  Red  River  country,  and  the  desire 
was  created  to  help  the  Sioux,  and  he  wrote  to  his  brother 
to  go  with  him.  He  still  lives(  January,lS87  )  at  Shakopee, 
in  the  old  mission  house,  the  first  building  of  sawed 
lumber  erected  in  the  valley  of  the  Minnesota,  above 
Fort  Snelling, 

About  this  period  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  a  grad- 
uate of  Jefferson  College,  Pennsylvania,  the  Rev.  T.  S. 
Williamson,  M.    D.,  who  previous  to  his  ordination  had 


112  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

been  a  respectable  physician  in  Ohio,  was  appointed  by 
the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  to  visit  the 
Dakotahs  with  the  view  of  ascertaining  what  could  be 
done  to  introduce  Christian  instruction.  Having  made 
inquiries  at  Prairie  du  Chien  and  Fort  Snelling,  he 
reported  the  field  was  favorable. 

The  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  Churches 
through  their  joint  Missionary  Society,  appointed  the 
following  persons  to  labor  in  Minnesota:  Rev.  Thomas 
S.  Williamson,  M.  D.,  missionary  and  physician;  Rev. 
J.  D.  Stevens,  missionary;  Alexander  Huggins,  farmer; 
and  their  wives;  Miss  Sarah  Poage,  and  Luc}-  Stevens, 
teachers;  who  were  prevented  during  the  year  1S3-4,  by 
the  state  of  navigation,  from  entering  upon  their  work. 

During  the  winter  of  1834-35,  a  religious  officer  of 
the  army  exercised  a  good  intiuence  on  his  fellow  officers 
and  soldiers  under  his  command.  In  the  absence  of  a 
chaplain,1  like  Gen.  Havelock,  of  the  British  army  in 
India,  he  was  accustomed  not  only  to  drill  the  soldiers, 
but  to  meet  them  in  his  own  quarters,  and  reason  with 
them  "of  righteousness,  temperance  and  judgment  to 
come." 

In  the  month  of  May,  1835,  Dr.  Williamson  and  mis- 
sion band  arrived  at  Fort  Snelling,  and  were  hospitably 
received  by  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  the  Indian  agent, 
and  Mr.  Sibley,  Agent  of  the  Company  at  Mendota,  who 
came  to  the  country  a  few  months  after  the  brothers 
Pond. 

On  the  twenty-seventh  of  this  month  the  Piev.  Dr. 
Williamson  united  in  marriage,  at  the  Fort,  Lieutenant 
Edward  A.  Ogden  to  Eliza  Edna,  the  (laughter  of  Capt. 

1.  It  was  not  until  1838,  that  Rev.  E.  G.  (rear  was  appointed  chaplain. 


FIRST     CHC'RCH    IN    MINNESOTA.  113 

G.  A.  Looinis,  the  first  marriage  service  in  which  a  cler- 
gyman officiated  in  the  present  State  of  Minnesota. 

On  the  eleventh  of  June  a  meeting  was  held  at  the 
Fort  to  organize  a  Presbyterian  Church,  sixteen  persons 
who  had  been  communicants,  and  six  who  made  a  pro- 
fession of  faith,  one  of  whom  was  Lieutenant  Ogden, 
were  enrolled  as  members.  Four  elders  were  elected, 
among  whom  were  Capt.  GustavusLoomis,  of  the  army, 
and  Samuel  W.  Pond.  The  next  day  a  lecture  prepara- 
tory to  administering  the  communion,  was  delivered, 
and  on  Sunday,  the  fourteenth,  the  first  organized  church 
in  the  Valley  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  assembled  for  the 
first  time  in  one  of  the  Company  rooms  of  the  Fort. 
The  services  in  the  morning  were  conducted  by  Dr. 
Williamson.  The  afternoon  service  commenced  at  2 
o'clock.  The  sermon  of  Mr.  Stevens  was  upon  a  most 
appropriate  text,  1st  Peter,  ii:25;  "For  ye  were  as  sheep 
going  astray,  but  are  now  returned  unto  the  Shepherd 
and  Bishop  of  your  souls."  After  the  discourse,  the 
sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper  was  administered. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Session  on  the  thirty-first  of  July, 
Rev.  J.  D.  Stevens,  missionary,  was  invited  to  preach  to 
the  church,  "so  long  as  the  duties  of  his  mission  will 
permit,  and  also  to  preside  at  all  the  meetings  of  the 
Session."  Captain  Gustavus  Loomis  was  elected  Stated 
Clerk  of  the  Session,  and  they  resolued  to  observe  the 
monthly  concert  of  prayer  on  the  first  Monday  of  each 
month,  for  the  conversion  of  the  world. 

Two  points  were  selected  by  the  missionaries  as  proper 
spheres  of  labor.  Mr.  Stevens  and  family  proceeded  to 
Lake  Harriet,  ami  Dr.  Williamson  ami  family,  in  June, 
proceeded  to  Lac  qui  Parle.  As  there  had  never  been  a 
chaplain  at  Fort  Snelling,  the   Pu?v.  J.   D.  Stevens,    the 


114  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

missionary  at  Lake  Harriet,  preached  on  Sundays  to  the 
Presbyterian  church,  there,  recently  organized.  Writ- 
ing on  January  twenty-seventh,  183(3,  lie  says,  in  relation 
to  his  field  of  labor: 

"Yesterday  a  portion  of  this  band  of  Indians,  who  had 
been  sometime  absent  from  this  village,  returned.  One 
of  the  number  (a  woman)  was  informed  that  a  brother 
of  hers  had  died  during  her  absence.  He  was  not  at 
this  village,  but  with  another  band,  and  the  information 
had  just  reached  here.  In  the  evening  they  set  up  a 
most  piteous  crying,  or  rather  wailing,  which  continued 
with  some  little  cessations,  during  the  night.  The  sister 
of  the  deceased  brother  would  repeat,  times  without 
number,  words  which  may  be  thus  translated  into  Eng- 
lish: 'Come,  my  brother,  I  shall  see  you  no  more  for 
ever.'  The  night  was  extremely  cold,  the  thermometer 
standing  from  ten  to  twenty  degrees  below  zero.  About 
sunrise,  next  morning,  preparation  was  made  for  per- 
forming the  ceremony  of  cutting  their  flesh,  in  order  to 
give  relief  to  their  grief  of  mind.  The  snow  was 
removed  from  the  frozen  ground  over  about  as  large  a 
space  as  would  be  required  to  place  a  small  Indian  lodge 
or  wigwam.  In  the  centre  a  very  small  fire  was  kindled 
up,  not  to  give  warmth,  apparently,  but  to  cause  a  smoke. 
The  sister  of  the  deceased,  who  was  the  chief  mourner, 
came  out  of  her  lodge  followed  by  three  other  women, 
who  repaired  to  the  place  prepared.  They  were  all 
barefooted  and  nearly  naked.  Here  they  set  up  a  most 
bitter  lamentation  and  crying,  mingling  their  wailing 
with  the  words  before  mentioned.  The  principal 
mourner  commenced  gashing  or  cutting  her  ankles  and 
legs  up  to  her  knees  with  a  sharp  stone,  until  her  legs 
were  covered  with  gore  and  flowing  blood;  then  in   like 


INDIAN   SCHOOL   AT    LAKE    HARRIET.  115 

manner  her  arms,  shoulders,  and  breast.  The  others 
cut  themselves  in  the  same  way,  but  not  so  severely.  On 
this  poor  infatuated  woman  I  presume  there  were  more 
than  a  hundred  long  deep  gashes  in  the  iiesh.  I  saw 
the  operation,  and  the  blood  instantly  followed  the 
instrument,  and  flowed  down  upon  the  flesh.  She  ap- 
peared frantic  with  grief.  Through  the  pain  of  her 
wounds,  the  loss  of  blood,  exhaustion  of  strength  by 
lasting,  loud  and  long-continued  and  bitter  groans,  or 
the  extreme  cold  upon  her  almost  naked  and  lacerated 
body,  she  soon  sunk  upon  the  frozen  ground,  shaking  as 
with  a  violent  tit  of  the  ague,  and  writhing  in  apparent 
agony.  'Surely,'  I  exclaimed,  as  I  beheld  the  bloody 
scene,  'the  tender  mercies  of  the  heathen  are  cruelty!' 

"The  little  church  at  the  fort  begins  to  manifest  some- 
thing of  a  missionary  spirit.  Their  contributions  are 
considerable  for  so  small  a  number.  I  hope  they  will 
not  only  be  willing  to  contribute  liberally  of  their  sub- 
stance, but  will  give  themselves,  at  least  some  of  them, 
to  the  missionary  work. 

"The  surgeon  of  the  military  post,  Dr.  Jarvis,  has 
been  very  assiduous  in  his  attentions  to  us  in  our  sick- 
ness, and  has  very  generously  made  a  donation  to  our 
board  of  twenty-live  dollars,  being  the  amount  of  his 
medical  services  in  our  family. 

"On  the  nineteenth  instant  we  commenced  a  school 
with  six  full  Indian  children,  at  least  so  in  all  their  hab- 
its, dress,  etc. ;  not  one  could  speak  a  word  of  any  lan- 
guage but  Sioux.  The  school  has  since  increased  to  the 
number  of  twenty-five.  1  am  now  collecting  and  arrang- 
ing words  for  a  dictionary.  Mr.  Pond  is  assiduously 
employed  in  preparing  a  spelling-book  which  we  may 
forward  next  mail  for  printing," 


11C  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  September,  1836,  a  Presbyterian 
church  was  organized  at  Lac-qui-Parle,  a  branch  of  that 
in  and  near  Fort  Snelling,  and  Joseph  Renville,  a  mixed 
blood  of  great  influence,  became  a  communicant  Mr. 
Renville's  wife  was  the  first  pure  Dakotah  of  whom  we 
have  any  record  that  ever  joined  the  Church  of  Christ. 
This  church  has  never  become  extinct,  although  its 
members  have  been  necessarily  nomadic.  After  the 
treaty  of  Traverse  des  Sioux,  it  was  removed  to  Hazle- 
wood.  Driven  from  thence  by  the  outbreak  of  1862.  it 
has  become  the  parent  of  other  churches,  in  the  valley 
of  the  upper  Missouri,  over  one  of  which  John  Renville, 
a  descendant  of  the  elder  at  Lac-qui-Parle,  is  the  pastor. 
Father  Ravoux,  recently  from  France,  a  sincere  and 
earnest  priest  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  came  to  Mendota 
in  the  autumn  of  1S41,  and  after  a  brief  sojourn  with 
the  Rev.  L.  Galtier,  who  had  erected  St.  Paul's  chapel 
which  has  given  the  name  of  St.  Paul  to  the  capital  of 
Minnesota,  he  ascended  the  Minnesota  River  and  visited 
Lac-qui-Parle. 

Bishop  Loras,  of  Dubuque,  wrote  the  next  year  of  his 
visit  as  follows:  "'Our  young  missionary,  M.  Ravoux, 
passed  the  winter  on  the  banks  of  Lac-qui-Parle,  with- 
out any  other  support  than  Providence,  without  any 
other  means  of  conversion  than  a  burning  zeal,  he  has 
wrought  in  the  space  of  six  months,  a  happy  revolution 
among  the  Sioux.  From  the  time  of  his  arrival  he  has 
been  occupied  night  and  day  in  the  study  of  their  lan- 
guage. *  *  *  "When  he  instructs  the  sav- 
ages, he  speaks  to  them  with  so  much  tire  whilst  show- 
ing them  a  large  copper  crucifix  which  he  carries  on  his 
breast,  that  he  makes  the  strongest  impression  upon 
them." 


MISSION   AT    POKEGUMA.  117 

The  impression,  however,  was  evanescent,  and  he  soon 
retired  from  the  field  and  preached  to  the  half-breeds  at 
Mendota  and  Saint  Paul.  The  young  Mr.  Ravoux  is 
now  the  venerable  vicar  of  the  Roman  Catholic  diocese 
of  Minnesota,  and  justly  esteemed  for  his  simplicity 
and  unobtrusiveness. 

During  the  summer  of  1835,  Mr.  E.  F.  Ely,  the  teach- 
er, removed  from  Sandy  Lake  and  established  a  school 
at  Fond  du  Lac  of  the  St.  Louis  River.  The  Indians 
haviDg  left  the  vicinity  he  and  his  wife  were  sent  to 
Pokeguma  mission  station,  as  assistants. 

Pokeguma  is  one  of  the  "Mille  Lacs,"  or  thousand 
beautiful  lakes  for  which  Minnesota  is  remarkable.  It 
is  about  four  or  five  miles  in  extent,  and  a  mile  or  more 
in  width,  and  is  situated  on  Snake  River  about  twenty 
miles  above  the  junction  of  that  stream  with  the  St. 
Croix. 

In  the  year  1836  Presbyterian  and  Congregational 
missionaries  came  to  reside  among  the  O  jib  ways  at 
Pokeguma,  to  promote  their  temporal  and  spiritual  wel- 
fare. Their  mission  house  was  built  on  the  east  side  of 
the  lake,  but  the  Indian  village  was  on  an  island  not  far 
from  the  shore.  In  a  letter  written  in  1837,  we  find  the 
following:  "The  young  women  and  girls  now  make,  mend 
wash  and  iron  after  our  manner.  The  men  have  learned 
to  build  log  houses,  drive  team,  plough,  hoe,  and  handle 
an  American  axe  with  some  skill  in  cutting  large  trees, 
the  size  of.  which,  two  years  ago,  would  have  afforded 
them  a  sufficient  reason  why  they  should  not  meddle 
with  them." 

In  May,  1811,  Jeremiah  Russell,  who  was  an  Indian 
farmer,  sent  two  Chippeways,  accompanied  by  Elam 
Greeley,  of  Stillwater,  to  the  Falls  of  Saint  Croix  for 


IIS  HISTORY    OF.  MINNESOTA. 

supplies.  On  Saturday,  the  fifteenth  of  the  month,  they 
arrived  there,  and  the  next  day  a  steamboat  came  up 
with  the  goods.  The  captain  said  a  war  party  of  Sioux, 
headed  by  Little  Crow,  were  advancing,  and  the  two 
Chippeways  prepared  to  go  back. 

They  had  hardly  left  the  Falls,  on  their  return,  before 
they  saw  a  party  of  Dakotahs.  The  sentinel  of  the  ene- 
my had  not  noticed  the  approach  of  the  young  men.  In 
the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  these  two  young  Ojibways  rais- 
ed their  guns,  fired,  and  killed  two  of  Little  Crow's 
sons.  The  discharge  of  the  guns  revealed  to  a  sentinel 
that  an  enemy  was  near,  and  as  the  Ojibways  were  re- 
treating, he  fired,  and  mortally  wounded  one  of  the  two. 

According  to  custom,  the  corpses  of  the  chief's  sons 
were  dressed,  and  then  set  up  with  their  faces  towards 
the  country  of  their  ancient  enemies.  The  wounded 
Ojibway  was  horribly  mangled  by  the  infuriated  party, 
and  his  limbs  strewn  in  every  direction.  His  scalped 
head  was  placed  in  a  kettle,  and  suspended  in  front  of 
the  two  Dakotah  corpses.  Little  Crow,  disheartened  by 
the  loss  of  his  two  boys,  returned  with  his  party  to 
Kaposia.  But  other  parties  were  in  the  field.  It  was 
not  till  Friday,  the  twenty-first  of  May,  that  the  death 
of  one  of  the  young  Ojibways  sent  by  Mr.  Russell,  to 
the  Falls  of  Saint  Croix,  was  known  at  Pokeguma. 

Mr.  Russell  on  the  next  Sunday,  accompanied  by  Cap- 
tain William  Holcomb  and  a  half-breed,  went  to  the 
mission  station  to  attend  a  religious  service,  and  while 
crossing  the  lake  in  returning,  the  half-breed  said  that  it 
was  rumored  that  the  Sioux  were  approaching.  On 
Monday,  the  twenty-fourth,  three  young  men  left  in  a 
canoe  to  go  to  the  west  shore  of  the  lake,  and  from 
thence  to  Mille  Lacs,  to  give  intelligence   to  the  Ojib- 


SIOUX  ATTACK    POKEGUiTA.  119 

ways  there,  of  the  skirmish  that  had  already  occurred. 
They  took  with  them  with  two  Indian  girls,  about 
twelve  years  of  age,  who  were  pupils  of  the  mission 
school,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  canoe  back  to 
the  island.  Just  as  the  three  were  landing,  twenty  or 
thirty  Dakotah  warriors,  with  a  war-whoop  emerged 
from  their  concealment  behind  the  trees,  and  fired  into 
the  canoe.  The  young  men  instantly  sprang  into  the 
water,  which  was  shallow,  returned  the  fire,  and  ran  into 
the  woods,  escaping  without  material  injury. 

The  little  girls  in  their  fright,  waded  into  the  ]ake; 
but  were  pursued.  Their  parents  upon  the  island,  heard 
the  death  cries  of  their  children.  Some  of  the  Indians 
around  the  mission-house  jumped  into  their  canoes  and 
gained  the  island.  Others  went  into  some  fortified  log 
huts.  The  attack  upon  the  canoe,  it  was  afterwards 
learnecl,  was  premature.  The  party  upon  that  side  of 
the  lake  were  ordered  not  to  fire,  until  the  party  sta- 
tioned in  the  woods  near  the  mission  began. 

There  were  in  all  one  hundred  and  eleven  Dakotah 
warriors,  and  all  the  fight  was  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mis- 
sion-house, and  the  Ojibways  mostly  engaged  in  it  were 
those  who  had  been  under  religious  instruction.  The 
rest  were  upon  the  island. 

The  fathers  of  the  murdered  girls,  burning  for  revenge, 
left  the  island  in  a  canoe,  and  drawing  it  up  on  the 
shore,  hid  behind  it,  and  fired  upon  the  Dakotahs  and 
killed  one.  The  Dakotahs  advancing  upon  them,  they 
were  obliged  to  escape.  The  canoe  was  now  launched. 
One  lay  on  his  back  in  the  bottom;  the  other  plunged 
into  the  water,  and,  holding  the  canoe  with  one  hand, 
and  swimming  with  the  other,  he  towed  his  friend  out 
of  danger.     The   Dakotahs  infuriated  at   their  escape, 


120  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

fired  volley  after  volley  at  the  swimmer,  but  he  escaped 
the  balls  by  putting  his  head  under  water  whenever  he 
saw  them  take  aim,  and  waiting  till  he  heard  the  dis- 
charge, he  would  then  look  up  and  breathe. 

After  a  fight  of  two  hours,  the  Dakotahs  retreated, 
with  a  loss  of  two  men.  At  the  request  of  the  parents, 
Mr.  E.  F.  Ely,  from  whose  notes  the  writer  has  obtained 
these  facts,  being  at  that  time  a  teacher  at  the  mission, 
went  across  the  lake,  with  two  of  his  friends,  to  gather 
the  remains  of  his  murdered  pupils.  He  found  the 
corpses  on  the  shore.  The  heads  cut  off  and  scalped, 
with  a  tomahawk  buried  in  the  brains  of  each,  were  set 
up  in  the  sand  near  the  bodies.  The  bodies  were  pierced 
in  the  breast,  and  the  right  arm  of  one  was  taken  away. 
Removing  the  tomahawks,  the  bodies  were  brought  back 
to  the  island,  and  in  the  afternoon  were  buried  in  accord- 
ance with  the  simple  but  solemn  rites  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  by  members  of  the  mission. 

The  secpiel  to  this  story  is  soon  told.  The  Indians  of 
Pokeguma,  after  the  fight,  deserted  their  village,  and 
went  to  reside  with  their  countrymen  near  Lake  Supe- 
rior. 

In  July  of  the  following  yea]1,  18-42,  a  war  party  was 
formed  at  Fond  du  Lac,  about  forty  in  number,  and  pro- 
ceeded towards  the  Dakotah  country.  Sneaking,  as 
none  but  Indians  can,  they  arrived  unnoticed  at  the 
little  settlement  below  Saint  Paul,  commonly  called 
"  Pig's  Eye,"  which  is  opposite  to  what  was  Kaposia,  or 
Little  Crow's  village.  Finding  an  Indian  woman  at 
work  in  the  garden  of  her  husband,  a  Canadian,  by  the 
name  of  Gamelle,  they  killed  her,  also  another  woman 
with  her  infant,  whose  head  was  cut  off.  The  Dako- 
tahs on  the   opposite  side  were   mostly  intoxicated,  and, 


METHODIST    MISSIONARIES.  121 

flying  across  in  their  canoes,  bat  half  prepared,  they 
were  worsted  in  the  encounter.  They  lost  thirteen  war- 
riors, and  one  of  their  number,  known  as  the  Dancer,  the 
Ojibways  are  said  to  have  skinned. 

Soon  after  this  the  Chippeway  missions  of  the  St. 
Croix  Valley  were  abandoned.  In  a  little  while  Rev. 
Mr.  Boutwell,  who  in  1838  had  come  down  to  Pokeguma, 
removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Stillwater,  and  the  mission- 
aries Ayer  and  Spencer,  went  to  Red  Lake  and  other 
points  in  Minnesota. 

In  1837,  the  Rev.  A.  Brutison  commenced  a  Methodist 
mission  at  Kaposia,  about  four  miles  below  and  oppo- 
site Saint  Paul.  It  was  afterwards  moved  across  the 
river  to  Red  Rock;  he  was  assisted  by  the  Rev.  Thomas 
TV.  Pope,  and  the  latter  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  J. 
Holton.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Spates  and  others  also  labored 
for  a  brief  period  among  the  Ojibways  at  Elk  River, 
Sandy  Lake,  and  Fond  du  Lac. 

At  the  Presbyterian  stations  the  Dakotah  language 
was  diligently  studied.  Rev.  S.  TV.  Pond  had  prepared  a 
dictionary  of  three  thousand  words,  and  also  a  small 
grammar.  The  Rev.  S.  R.  Riggs,  who  joined  the  mis- 
sion in  1837,  in  a  letter  dated  February  21,  1841,  writes: 
"  Last  summer,  after  returning  from  Fort  Snelling,  I 
spent  five  weeks  in  copying  again  the  Sioux  vocabulary 
which  we  had  collected  and  arranged  at  this  station.  It 
contained  then  about  fifty-rive  hundred  words,  not  includ- 
ding  the  various  forms  of  the  verbs.  Since  that  time  the 
words  collected  by  Dr.  Williamson  and  myself,  have,  I 
presume,  increased  the  number  to  six  thousand.  *  *  * 
In  this  connection  I  may  mention  that  during  the  winter 
of  1839-lo,  Mrs.  Riggs.  with  some  assistance,  wrote  an 
English  and  Sioux   vocabulary  containing  about  three 


122  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

•  thousand  words.  One  of  Mr.  Renville's  sons  and  three 
of  his  daughters  are  engaged  in  copying.  In  commit- 
ting the  grammatical  principles  of  the  language  to  writ- 
ing, we  have  done  something  at  this  station,  but  more 
has  been  done  by  Mr.  S.  W.  Pond." 

Among  other  books  prepared  by  the  Ponds,  William- 
son and  Eiggs,  was  a  "  Grammar  and  Dictionary  of  the 
Dakota  Language,  collected  by  members  of  the  Dakota 
Mission;  by  Piev.  S.  R.  Eiggs,  A.  M.  Under  the  patron- 
age of  the  Historical  Society  of  Minnesota";  a  quarto 
volume  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  pages,  and  pub- 
lished by  the  Smithsonian  Institution;  also  the  Bible 
translated  into  Dakota,  and  published  by  the  American 
Bible  Society. 

Steadily  the  number  of  Sioux  missionaries  increased* 
and  in  1851,  before  the  lands  of  the  Dakotahs  west  of 
the  Mississippi  were  ceded  to  the  whites,  they  were  dis- 
posed as  follows  by  the  Dakotah  Presbytery. 

Lac-qui-parle,  Rev.  S.  E.  Eiggs,  Rev.  M.  X.  Adams, 
Missionaries,  Jonas  Pettijohn,  Mrs.  Fanny  Pettijohn, 
Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Eiggs,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  31.  Adams,  Miss 
Sarah  Eankin,  Assistants. 

Traverse  des  Sioux,  Eev.  Eobert  Hopkins,  Mission- 
ary; Mrs.  Agnes  Hopkins,  Alexander  G.  Huggins,  Mrs- 
Lydia  P.  Huggins,  Assistants. 

Shalqmy  or  ShoJqmy,  Eev.  Samuel  W.  Pond,  Mis- 
sionary; Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Pond,  Assistant. 

Oak  Grove.  Eev.  Gideon  H.  Pond  and  wife. 

Kaposia,  Eev.  Thomas  Williamson,  M.  D.,  Mission, 
any  and  Physician;  Mrs.  Margaret  P.  Williamson,  Miss 
Jane  S.  Williamson,  Assistants. 

lied  Winy,  Eev.  John  F.  Aiton,  Eev.  Joseph  W.  Han- 


TERRY   KILLED    BY   THE   SIOUX.  123 

cock,  Missionaries;  Mrs.  Nancy  H.  Alton,  Mrs.  Hancock, 
Assistants. 

The  Rev.  Daniel  Gavin,  the  Swiss  Presbyterian  Mis- 
sionary, spent  the  winter  of  1839  in  Lac-qni-Parle  and 
was  afterward  married  to  a  niece  of  the  Piev.  J.  D.  Ste- 
vens, of  the  Lake  Harriet  Mission.  Mr.  Stevens  became 
the  farmer  and  teacher  of  the  Wapashah  band,  and  the 
first  white  man  who  lived  where  the  city  of  Winona  has 
been  built.  Another  missionary  from  Switzerland,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Denton,  married  a  Miss  Skinner,  formerly  of 
the  Mackinaw  mission.  During  a  poition  of  the  year 
1839  these  Swiss  missionaries  lived  with  the  American 
missionaries  at  camp  Cold  Water  near  Fort  Snelling, 
but  their  chief  field  of  labor  was  at  Red  Wing. 

The  zeal  of  Frederick  Ayer  for  the  mental  and  moral 
improvement  of  the  Ojibways  did  not  abate  after  the 
Pokeguma  mission  was  abandoned,  and  during  the  winter 
of  1812-3  he  visited  Red  Lake,  and  established  a  mis- 
sion. The  next  spring  Mr.  Spencer  and  E.  F.  Ely  came 
and  assisted  the  Indians  in  ploughing.  In  18-15,  Mr. 
Rardwell  arrived,  and  labored  at  Leech  Lake,  where  for 
a  time  he  acted  as  Indian  Agent,  and  died  there. 

The  first  missionary  to  labor  among  the  Ojibways  and 
half-breeds,  near  Pembina,  was  the  Rev.  G.  A.  Belcourt 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  He  was  a  man  of  ener- 
gy, erected  a  saw-mill  and  established  a  school',  but 
about  the  year  1859,  he  was  withdrawn  from  the  field. 

In  1S52,  Elijah  Terry  an  estimable  member  of  the 
Baptist  church  in  Saint  Paul,  devoted  himself  to  mis- 
sionary work  at  Pembina,  and  while  in  the  woods  cut- 
ting logs  for  a  school  house,  was  killed  by  some  roving 
Sioux. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Spencer,  of  the  Red  Lake  mission,  was 


124  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

at  this  time  living  at  Pembina.  After  lie  and  his  wife 
had  retired  for  the  night,  a  bullet  was  sent  through  the 
window,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  his  wife.  In  a 
letter  to  a  friend  Mr.  Spencer  wrote:  "What  a  scene  for 
a  husband  and  a  father!  Oh,  the  agony  of  that  hour!  I 
hardly  know  how  I  lived  through  the  remainder  of  that 
night.  Mrs.  Spencer  lived  for  nearly  three  hours,  after 
she  was  shot,  half  the  time  in  a  state  of  anxious  suffer- 
ing. She  frequently  called  for  water  which  I  gave  her 
from  a  sponge,  and  it  was  very  gratifying.  At  times 
she.  would  remark,  'I  feel  so  strangely.'  At  length 
comprehending  that  she  had  not  long  to  live,  she 
engaged  in  ejaculatory  prayer  to  her  Savior.  At  one 
time  she  said,  speaking  of  her  child,  'Tell  Anna  to  love 
her  Savior'.  Toward  the  close,  she  said  T  cannot  die.' 
At  first  I  did  not  know  but  it  was  unwillingness,  but  my 
mind  was  relieved  by  the  prayer,  'O  Jesus!  if  it  is  thy 
will,  let  me  die,  but  grant  me  patience'.  Towards  her 
murderers  I  have  had  no  feelings  but  those  of  pity  and 
compassion." 

In  the  year  1849,  the  Government  opened  a  farm  for 
the  Ojibways  at  Gull  Lake,  and  in  1852,  the  Rev.  J. 
Lloyd  Breck  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  branch  of  the 
church,  established  a  mission  there,  and  was  succeeded 
by  the  Rev.  E.  S.  Peake,  but  in  a  few  years  was  it  aban- 
doned. At  White  Earth  Reservation  the  Protestant 
Episcopalians  and  Pioman  Catholics  have  missions. 


TREATY   OF    1837.  125 


CHAPTER  EIGHTH. 

THE    TREAD    OF    PIONEERS. 

The  year  1837  is  an  important  one  in  the  history  of 
Minnesota,  as  steps  were  then  taken  for  the  permanent 
occupation  by  white  men.  Before  this  period  there  was 
no  land  except  the  military  reservation,  that  was  not 
claimed  by  the  Indians.  A  few  immigrants  from  Selkirk's 
settlement,  and  some  discharged  soldiers  had  ventured 
to  build  cabins  and  till  the  soil,  near  Fort  Snelling,  with- 
out authority. 

Governor  Dodge,  of  Wisconsin  Territory,  as  United 
States  commissioner,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  July,  con- 
cluded a  treaty  with  the  O  jib  ways,  by  which  they  agreed 
to  cede  all  the  lands  north  of  a  line  running  from  the 
junction  of  the  Crow  Wing  and  Mississippi  rivers,  to 
the  north  point  of  Lake  St.  Croix.  The  same  year  a  dep- 
utation of  Dakotahs  proceeded  to  Washington,  and  in 
the  month  of  September  ceded  all  their  lands  east  of  the 
Mississippi.  Before  the  treaties  were  duly  ratified,  the 
wilderness  was  visited  by  white  men  seeking  for  fertile 
lands  or  valuable  pine  forests.  Early  in  August  Frank- 
lin Steele,  Dr.  Fitch,  Jeremiah  Puissell  and  a  Mr.  Ma- 
ginnis  reached  the  Falls  of  St.  Croix  in  a  birch  bark 
canoe,  and  began  to  erect  a  claim  cabin. 

Steele  and  Maginnis  remained  here,  while  the  others 
divided  into  two  parties,  one  under  Fitch  and  the  other 
under    Russell,    searched    for    pine    land.     The    first 


12G  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

stopped  at  Sun  Rise,  while  Hussell  went  on  to  Snake 
River.  About  the  same  time  Robbinet  and  Jesse  B.- 
Taylor came  to  the  Falls  in  the  interest  of  B.  F.  Baker, 
who  had  a  stone  trading  house  near  Fort  Snelling,  since 
destroyed  by  tire.  On  the  fifteenth  of.  July,  1S3S,  the 
Palmyra,  Captain  Holland,  arrived  at  the  Fort,  with  the 
official  notice  of  the  ratification  of  the  treaties  ceding 
the  lands  between  the  Saint  Croix  and  Mississippi. 

She  had  on  board  C.  A.  Tuttle,  L.  W.  Stratton  and 
others,  with  the  machinery  for  the  projected  mills  of 
the  Northwest  Lumber  Company  at  the  Falls  of  Saint 
Croix,  and  reached  that  point  on  the  seventeenth,  the 
first  steamboat  to  disturb  the  waters  above  Lake  Saint 
Croix.  The  steamer  Gypsy  came  to  the  Fort  on  the 
twenty-first  of  October,  with  goods  for  the  Chippeways, 
and  was  chartered  for  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  to 
carry  them  up  to  the  Falls  of  Saint  Croix.  In  passing 
through  the  lake,  the  boat  grounded  near  a  projected 
town  called  Stambaughville,  after  S.  C.  Stambaugh,  the 
sutler  of  the  Fort.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  twenty- 
sixth  the  goods  were  landed,  as  stipulated. 

The  agent  of  the  Inprovement  Company  at  the  Falls 
was  Washington  Libby,  who  left  in  the  fall  of  1838,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Jeremiah  Russell,  Stratton  acting  as 
millwright  in  place  of  Calvin  Tuttle.  On  the  twelfth  of 
December,  Russell  and  Stratton  walked  down  the  river, 
cut  the  first  tree,  and  built  a  cabin  at  Marine,  and  sold 
their  claim. 

The  first  women  at  the  Falls  of  Saint  Croix  were  a 
Mrs.  Orr,  Mrs.  Sackett,  and  the  daughter  of  a  Mr. 
Young.  During  the  winter  of  ]So8-9,  Jeremiah  Rus- 
sel  married  a  daughter  of  a  respectable  and  gentlemanly 
trader,  Charles  H.  Oakes. 


PIONEERS   OF   ST.  CROIX   VALLEY.  127 

Among  the  first  preachers  were  the  Rev.  W.  T.  Bout- 
well  and  Mr.  Seymour,  of  the  Chippeway  Mission  at 
Pokeguma.  The  Rev.  A.  Brunson,  of  Prairie  du  Cliien, 
who  visited  this  region  in  1338,  wrote  that  at  the  mouth 
of  Snake  River  he  found  Franklin  Steele,  with  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  men,  cutting  timber  for  a  mill,  and  when 
he  offered  to  preach,  Mr.  Steele  gave  a  cordial  assent. 
On  the  sixteenth  of  August,  Mr.  Steele,  Livingston,  and 
others,  left  the  Falls  of  St.  Croix  in  a  barge,  and  went 
around  to  Fort  Snelling. 

The  steamboat  Fayette  about  the  middle  of  May,  1S39, 
landed  sutlers'  stores  at  Fort  Snelling  and  then  proceed- 
ed with  several  persons  of  intelligence  to  the  Saint 
Croix  River,  who  settled  at  Marine.  The  place  was 
called  after  Marine  in  Madison  County,  Illinois,  where 
the  company,  consisting  of  Burkleo,  Walker,  Judd, 
Hone  and  others,  was  formed  to  build  a  saw-mill  in  the 
St.  Croix  Yalley.  The  mill  at  Marine  commenced  to 
saw  lumber,  on  August  21,  1S39,  the  first  in  Minnesota, 
beyond  the  military  reservation. 

Joseph  R.  Brown,  who  since  1838,  had  lived  at  Chan 
Wakan,  on  the  west  side  of  Grey  Cloud  Island,  this  year 
made  a  claim  near  the  upper  end  of  the  city  of  Still- 
water, which  he  called  Dakotah,  and  was  the  first  to 
raft  lumber  down  the  Saint  Croix,  as  well  as  the  first  to 
represent  the  citizens  of  the  valley  in  the  legislature  of 
Wisconsin. 

In  1839,  Joseph  Haskell  and  James  S.  Norris,  who 
had  assisted  in  the  construction  of  a  saw-mill  at  the  Falls 
of  St.  Croix,  not  far  from  the  site  of  the  town  of  Afton, 
made  claims,  opened  the  first  farms,  and  became  useful 
and  intelligent  citizens. 

Intruders   upon    the    military   reservation,    after  the 


12S  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

treaty,  increased.  An  officer  wrote  in  April:  "Since  the 
middle  of  winter  we  have  been  completely  inundated 
with  ardent  spirits,  and  consequently  the  most  beastly 
scenes  of  intoxication  among  the  soldiers  of  this  garrison 
and  the  Indians  in  its  vicinity.  The  whisky  is  brought 
here  by  citizens  who  are  pouring  in  upon  us,  and  settling 
themselves  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  Mississippi" 

In  October,  the  Secretary  of  War  required  all  persons 
living  on  the  reservation,  without  authority,  to  be  re- 
moved, and  the  next  year  the  order  was  enforced. 

Until  the  year  1811,  the  jurisdiction  of  Crawford 
county,  "Wisconsin,  extended  over  the  delta  of  country 
between  the  St.  Croix  and  Mississippi.  Joseph  E. 
Brown  having  been  elected  as  representative  of  the 
county  in  the  territorial  legislature  of  Wisconsin,  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  the  passage  of  an  act  on  November 
twentieth,  1841,  organizing  the  county  of  Saint  Croix, 
with  Dakotah  designated  as  the  county  seat. 

At  the  time  prescribed  for  holding  a  court  in  the  new 
county,  it  is  said  that  the  judge  of  the  district  arrived, 
and,  to  his  surprise,  found  a  claim  cabin  occupied  by  a 
Frenchman.  Speedily  retreating,  he  never  came  again, 
and  judicial  proceedings  for  St.  Croix  county  ended  for 
several  years.  Phineas  Lawrence  was  the  first  sheriff 
of  this  county. 

On  the  tenth  of  October,  1843,  was  commenced  a  set- 
tlement which  has  become  the  town  of  Stillwater.  The 
names  of  the  proprietors  were  John  McKusick  from 
Maine,  Calvin  Leach  from  Vermont,  Elam  Greeley  from 
Maine,  and  Elias  McKean  from  Pennsylvania.  They 
immediately  commenced  the  erection  of  a  saw-mill. 

The  year  that  the  Dakotalis  ceded  their  lands  east  of 
the  Mississippi,  a   Canadian  Frenchman  by  the  name  of 


EARLY    SAINT    PAUL   SETTLERS.  129 

Parrant,  the  ideal  of  an  Indian  whisky  seller,  erected  a 
shanty  in  what  is  now  the  city  of  Saint  Paul.  Ignorant 
and  overbearing,  he  loved  money  more  than  his  own 
soul.  Destitute  of  one  eye,  and  the  other  resembling 
that  of  a  pig,  he  was  a  good  representative  of  Caliban, 
Some  one  writing  from  his  groggery,  designated  it  as 
"  Pig's  Eye."  The  reply  to  the  letter  was  directed  in 
good  faith  to  "  Pig's  Eye." 

In  1812,  the  late  Henry  Jackson,  of  Mahkato  (now 
written  Mankato,  and  mispronounced  Mankayto),  settled 
the  same  spot,  and  erected  the  first  store  on  the  height 
just  above  the  lower  landing.  Roberts  and  Simpson 
followed,  and  opened  small  Indian  trading  shops.  In 
1S16,  the  site  of  Saint  Paul  was  chiefly  occupied  by  a 
few  shanties  owned  by  "certain  lewd  fellows  of  the  baser 
sort,"  who  sold  rum  to  the  soldier  and  Indian.  It  was 
despised  by  all  decent  white  men.  and  known  to  the 
Dakotahs  by  an  expression  in  their  tongue  which  means 
the  place  where  they  sell  minne-wakan  (supernatural 
water). 

Franklin  Steele,  Norman  W.  Kittson  and  others, 
claimed  lands  at  the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony,  and  in  the 
fall  of  18-17,  a  saw-mill  was  commenced. 


130  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER  NINTH. 

STEPS   TO   SECURE    ORGANIZATION   AS   A   TERRITORY. 

The  first  movement  for  an  organized  government  in 
the  valley  of  the  upper  Mississippi  was  in  1828,  when  a 
number  of  citizens  in  the  vicinity  of  the  lead  mines  of 
Illinois,  memorialized  Congress  to  form  Huron  Terri- 
tory, with  Galena  as  its  capital.  The  limits  indicated 
were  the  British  possessions  for  a  northern  boundary; 
the  Eed  River  of  the  North,  Lac  Traverse,  Big  Stone 
Lake,  and  a  line  to  the  Mississippi  river,  for  a  western 
boundary;  a  line  from  the  Missouri  easterly  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  from  thence  to  the  southern  extremity  of 
Lake  Michigan,  for  the  southern  boundary:  and  a  line 
through  the  center  of  Lake  Michigan,  across  Michigan 
Territory,  to  Lake  Superior.  After  due  consideration  it 
was  deemed  inexpedient  to  grant  the  request. 

On  the  sixth  of  August,  1816,  an  act  was  passed  by 
Congress  authorizing  the  citizens  of  Wisconsin  Terri- 
tory to  frame  a  constitution  and  form  a  state  government. 
The  act  fixed  the  Saint  Louis  river  to  the  rapids,  from 
thence  down  that  river  to  its  junction  with  the  Missis- 
sippi, as  the  western  boundary. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  December,  18-10,  the  delegate 
from  Wisconsin,  Morgan  L.  Martin,  introduced  a  bill  in 
Congress  for  the  organization  of  a  territory  of  Minne- 
sota. This  bill  made  its  western  boundary  the  Sioux 
and  Red  River  of  the  North.     On   the  third  of  March, 


TERBITOBIAL   BOUNDARIES.  131 

1847,  permission  was  granted  to  Wisconsin  to  change 
her  boundary,  so  that  the  western  limit  would  proceed 
due  south  from  the  first  rapids  of  the  Saint  Louis  river, 
and  fifteen  miles  east  of  the  most  easterly  point  of  Lake 
Saint  Croix,  thence  to  the  Mississippi. 

A  number  in  the  constitutional  convention  of  Wiscon- 
sin, were  anxious  that  Bum  River  should  be  a  part  of 
her  western  boundary,  while  citizens  of  the  valley  of  the 
Saint  Croix  were  desirous  that  the  Chippeway  river 
should  be  the  limit  of  Wisconsin.  The  citizens  of  AVis- 
consin  Territory,  in  the  valley  of  the  Saint  Croix,  and 
about  Fort  Snelling,  wished  to  be  included  in  the  pro- 
jected new  territory,  and  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  March, 

1848,  a  memorial  signed  by  H.  H.  Sibley,  Henry  M. 
Rice,  Franklin  Steele,  William  R.  Marshall,  and  others, 
was  presented  to  Congress,  remonstrating  against  the 
proposition  before  the  convention  to  make  Rum  River 
a  part  of  the  boundary  line  of  the  contemplated  state  of 
Wisconsin. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  May,  184S,  the  act  to  admit 
Wisconsin,  changed  the  boundary  line  to  the  present, 
and  as  first  defined  in  the  enabling  act  of  1846.  After 
the  bill  of  Mr.  Martin  was  introduced  into  the  House  of 
Representatives  in  1846  it  was  referred  to  the  Commit- 
tee on  Territories,  of  which  Mr.  Douglas  was  chairman. 
On  the  twentieth  of  January,  1847,  he  reported  in  favor 
of  the  proposed  territory  with  the  name  of  Itasca.  On 
the  seventeenth  of  February,  before  the  bill  passed 
the  house,  a  discussion  arose  in  relation  to  the  proposed 
name.  Mr.  Winthrop  of  Massachusetts  proposed  Chip- 
pewa as  a  substitute,  alleging  that  this  tribe  was  the 
principal  in  the  proposed  territory.  Mr.  J.  Thompson 
of  Mississippi  disliked  all  Indian  names,  and  hoped  the 


132  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

territory  would  be  called  Jackson.  Mr.  Houston  of 
Delaware  thought  that  there  ought  to  be  one  territory 
named  after  the  "Father  of  his  country,"  and  proposed 
Washington.  All  of  the  names  proposed  were  rejected, 
and  the  name  in  the  original  bill  inserted.  On  the  last 
clay  of  the  session,  March  third,  the  bill  was  called  up 
in  the  Senate  and  laid  on  the  table. 

When  Wisconsin  became  a  state  the  query  arose 
whether  the  old  territorial  government  did  not  continue 
in  force  west  of  the  St.  Croix  river.  The  first  meeting 
on  the  subject  of  claiming  territorial  privileges  was 
held  in  the  building  at  Saint  Paul,  known  as  Jackson's 
store,  near  the  corner  of  Bench  and  Jackson  streets  on 
the  bluff.  This  meeting  was  held  in  July,  and  a  con- 
vention was  proposed  to  consider  their  position.  The 
first  public  meeting  was  held  at  Stillwater  on  the  fourth  of 
August,  and  Messrs.  Steele  and  Sibley  were  the  only  per- 
sons present  from  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi. 
This  meeting  issued  a  call  for  a  general  convention  to 
take  steps  to  secure  an  early  territorial  organization,  to 
assemble  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  the  month  at  the  same 
place.  Sixty-two  delegates  answered  the  call,  and  among 
those  present,  were  J.  W.  Bass,  A.  Larpenteur,  and  oth- 
ers from  Saint  Paul.  To  the  convention  a  letter  was 
presented  from  Mr.  Catlin,  who  claimed  to  be  acting 
governor,  giving  his  opinion  that  the  Wisconsin  territo- 
rial organization  was  still  in  force.  The  meeting  also 
appointed  Mr.  Sibley  to  visit  Washington  and  represent 
their  views;  but  the  Hon.  JohnH.  Tweedy  having  resign- 
ed his  office  of  delegate  to  Congress  on  the  eighteenth  of 
September,  1848,  Mr.  Catlin,  who  had  made  Stillwater  a 
temporary  residence,  on  the  ninth  of  October  issued  a  pro- 
clamation ordering  a  special  election  at  Stillwater  on 


TERRITORIAL   DELEGATE    IN   WASHINGTON.  133 

the  thirtieth,  to  fill  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  resignation. 
At  this  election  Henry  H.  Sibley  was  elected  as  dele- 
gate of  the  citizens  of  the  remaining  portion  of  Wiscon- 
sin Territory.  His  credentials  were  presented  to  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and  the  committee  to  whom 
the  matter  was  referred  presented  a  majority  and  minor- 
ity report;  but  the  resolution  introduced  by  the  major- 
ity passed  and  Mr.  Sibley  took  his  seat  as  a  delegate 
from  Wisconsin  Territory  on  the  fifteenth  of  January, 
1849. 

Mr.  H.  M.  Rice,  and  other  gentlemen,  visited  Wash- 
ington during  the  winter,  and,  uniting  with  Mr.  Sibley, 
used  all  their  energies  to  obtain  the  organization  of  a 
new  territory. 

Mr.  Sibley,  in  an  interesting  communication  to  the 
Minnesota  Historical  Society,  writes:  ;'When  my  cre- 
dentials as  delegate  were  presented  by  Hon.  James 
Wilson,  of  New  Hampshire,  to  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives, there  was  some  curiosity  manifested  among  the 
members,  to  see  what  kind  of  a  person  had  been  elected 
to  represent  the  distant  and  wild  territory  claiming  rep- 
resentation in  Congress.  I  was  told  by  a  New  England 
member  with  whom  I  became  subsequently  quite  inti- 
mate, that  there  was  some  disappointment  when  I  made 
my  appearance,  for  it  was  expected  that  the  delegate 
from  this  remote  region  would  make  his  debut,  if  not  in 
full  Indian  costume,  at  least,  with  some  peculiarities  of 
dress  and  manners,  characteristic  of  the  rude  and  semi- 
civilized  people  who  had  sent  him  to  the  Capitol." 

The  territory  of  Minnesota  was  named  after  the  larg- 
est tributary  of  the  Mississippi  within  its  limits.  The 
Sioux  call  the  Missouri,  Minneshoshay,  muddy  water. 
but  the  stream  after  which  this  region  is  named,  Minne- 


134  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

» 

sota.  Some  say  that  Sota  means  clear;  others,  turbid; 
Schoolcraft,  bluish  green.  Nicollet  wrote,  "  The  adject- 
ive Sotah  is  of  difficult  translation.  The  Canadians 
translated  it  by  a  pretty  equivalent  word,  brouille,  per- 
haps more  properly  rendered  into  English  by  blear. 
1  have  entered  upon  this  explanation  because  the  word 
really  means  neither  clear  nor  turbid,  as  some  authors 
have  asserted,  its  true  meaning  being  found  in  the  Sioux 
expression  Ishtah-sotah,  blear-eyed."  From  the  fact 
that  the  word  signifies  neither  blue  nor  white,  but  the 
peculiar  appearance  of  the  sky  at  certain  times,  by 
some,  Minnesota  has  been  defined  to  mean  the  sky-tinted 
water,  which  is  certainly  poetic,  and  the  late  Eev.  Gid- 
eon H.  Pond  thought  quite  correct. 


TERRITORY  OF  MINNESOTA.  135 


CHAPTER   TENTH. 

UNDER  A  TERRITORIAL  GOVERNMENT. 

On  the  third  of  March,  1819,  the  bill  was  passed  by 
Congress  for  organizing  the  Territory  of  Minnesota, 
whose  boundary  on  the  west  extended  to  the  Missouri 
River.  At  this  time  the  region  was  little  moie  than  a 
wilderness.  The  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  from  the 
Iowa  line  to  Lake  Itasca,  was  unceded  by  the  Indians. 

At  Wapashah  was  a  trading  post  in  charge  of  Alexis 
Bailly,  and  here  also  resided  the  ancient  yoyageur,  of 
fourscore  years,  A.  Rocque. 

At  the  foot  of  Lake  Pepin  was  a  store  house  kept  by 
Mr.  E.  S.  Richards.  On  the  west  shore  of  the  lake  lived 
the  eccentric  Wells,  whose  wife  was  a  bois  brule,  a 
daughter  of  the  deceased  trader,  Duncan  Graham. 

The  two  unfinished  buildings  of  stone,  on  the  beauti- 
ful bank  opposite  the  renowned  Maiden's  Rock,  and  the 
surrounding  skin  lodges  of  his  wife's  relatives  and 
friends,  presented  a  rude  but  picturesque  scene.  Above 
the  lake  was  a  cluster  of  bark  wigwams,  the  Dakotah 
village  of  Raymneecha,  now  Red  Wing,  at  which  was  a 
Presbyterian  mission  house. 

The  next  settlement  was  Kaposia,  also  an  Indian 
village,  and  the  residence  of  a  Presbyterian  missionary, 
the  Rev.  T.  S.  Williamson,  M.  D.  On  the  east  side  of 
the  Mississippi,  the  first  settlement  at  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Croix,  was  Point  Douglas,  then,  as  now,  a  small 
hamlet. 


13G  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

At  Red  Pock,  the  site  of  a  former  Methodist  mission 
station,  there  were  a  few  farmers.  Saint  Paul  was  just 
emerging  from  a  collection  of  Indian  whisky  shops' and 
birch-roofed  cabins  of  half-breed  voyageurs.  Here  and 
there  a  frame  tenement  was  erected,  and  under  the  aus- 
pices of  Hon.  H.  M.  Pvice,  who  had  obtained  an  interest 
in  the  town,  some  warehouses  were  constructed,  and  the 
foundations  of  the  American  House,  a  frame  hotel  which 
stood  at  Third  and  Exchange  street,  were  laid.  In  1819, 
the  population  had  increased  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  or 
three  hundred  inhabitants,  for  rumors  had  gone  abroad 
that  it  might  be  mentioned,  in  the  act  creating  the  ter- 
ritory, as  the  capital  of  Minnesota.  More  than  a  month 
after  the  adjournment  of  Congress,  just  at  eve,  on  the 
ninth  of  April,  amid  terrific  peals  of  thunder  and  tor- 
rents of  rain,  the  weekly  steam  packet,  the  first  to  force 
its  way  through  the  icy  barrier  of  Lake  Pepin,  rounded 
the  rocky  point  whistling  loud  and  long,  as  if  the  bearer 
of  glad  tidings.  Before  she  was  safely  moored  to  the 
landing  the  shouts  of  the  excited  villagers  were  heard 
announcing  that  there  was  a  Territory  of  Minnesota,  and 
that  Saint  Paul  was  the  seat  of  government. 

Every  successive  steamboat  arrival  poured  out,  on  the 
landing,  men  big  with  hope,  and  anxious  to  do  something 
to  mould  the  future  of  the  new  state. 

Nine  days  after  the  news  of  the  existence  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  Minnesota  was  received,  there  arrived  James 
M.  Goodhue  with  press,  type,  and  printing  apparatus. 
A  graduate  of  Amherst  College,  ami  a  lawyer  by  pro- 
fession, he  wielded  a  sharp  pen,  and  wrote  editorials, 
which,  more  than  anything  else,  perhaps,  induced  immi- 
gration.    One  of  the  counties  properly  bears  his  name. 


ARRIVAL   OF    GOV.    RAMSEY.  137 

On  the  twenty-eighth  of  April,  he  issued  from  his  press 
the  first  number  of  the  Pioneer.  , 

On  the  twenty-seventh  of  May,  Alexander  Ramsey, 
the  Governor,  and  family,  arrived  at  Saint  Paul,  but 
owing  to  the  crowded  state  of  public  houses,  immediately 
proceeded  in  the  steamer  to  the  establishment  of  the 
Pur  Company,  known  as  Mendota,  at  the  junction  of  the 
Minnesota  and  Mississippi,  and  became  the  guest  of  the 
Hon.  H.  H.  Sibley. 

On  the  first  of  June,  Governor  Ramsey,  by  proclama- 
tion, declared  the  territory  duly  organized  with  the  fol- 
lowing officers:  Alexander  Piamsey,  of  Pennsylvania, 
Governor;  C.  K.  Smith,  of  Ohio,  Secretary;  A.  Good- 
rich, of  Tennessee,  Chief  Justice;  D.  Cooper,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  B.  B.  Meeker,  of  Kentuckey,  Associate 
Judges;  Joshua  L.  Taylor,  Marshal;  H.  L.  Moss,  attor- 
ney of  the  United  States. 

On  the  eleventh  of  June,  a  second  proclamation  was 
issued,  dividing  the  territory  into  three  temporary  judic- 
ial districts.  The  first  comprised  the  county  of  St. 
Croix;  the  county  of  La  Pointe  and  the  region  north  and 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  north  of  the  Minnesota  and 
of  a  line  running  due  west  from  the  head  waters  of  the 
Minnesota  to  the  Missouri  river,  constituted  the  second; 
and  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  and  south  of  the 
Minnesota,  formed  the  third  district.  Judge  Goodrich 
was  assigned  to  the  first,  Meeker  to  the  second,  and 
Cooper  to  the  third.  A  court  was  ordered  to  be  held  at 
Stillwater  on  the  second  Monday,  at  the  Falls  of  St.  An- 
thony on  the  third,  and  at  Mendota  on  the  fourth  Mon- 
day of  August. 

Until  the  twenty-sixth  of  June,  Governor  Piamsey  and 
family  had  been  guests  of  Hon.  H.  H.   Sibley,  at  Men- 


138  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

dota.  On  the  afternoon  of  that  day  they  arrived  at  St. 
Paul,  in  a  birch-bark  canoe,  and  became  permanent  resi- 
dents at  the  capital.  The  house  first  occupied  as  a  guber- 
natorial mansion,  was  a  small  frame  building  that 
stood  on  Third,  between  Robert  and  Jackson  streets,  for- 
merly known  as  the  New  England  House. 

A  few  days  after,  the  Hon.  H.  M.  Piice  and  family 
moved  from  Mendota  to  St.  Paul,  and  occupied  the 
house  he  had  erected  on  St.  Anthony  street,  near  the 
corner  of  Market. 

On  the  first  of  July,  a  land  office  was  established  at 
Stillwater,  and  A.  Van  Yorhes,  after  a  few  wee  s,  be- 
came the  register. 

The  anniversary  of  our  National  Independence  was 
celebrated  in  a  becoming  manner  at  the  capital.  The 
place  selected  for  the  address,  was  a  grove  that  stood  on 
the  sites  of  the  City  Hall  and  the  Baldwin  School  build- 
ing, and  the  late  Franklin  Steele  was  the  marshal  of 
the  day. 

On  the  seventh  of  July,  a  proclamation  was  issued, 
dividing  the  territory  into  seven  council  districts,  and 
ordering  an  election  to  be  held  on  the  first  day  of  Au- 
gust,for  one  delegate  to  represent  the  people  in  the  House 
of  Representatives  of  the  United  States,  for  nine  coun- 
cillors and  eighteen  representatives,  to  constitute  the 
Legislative  Assembly  of  Minnesota. 

In  this  month,  the  Hon.  H.  M.  Pace  dispatched  a  boat 
laden  with  Indian  goods  from  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony 
to  Crow  Wing,  which  was  towed  by  horses  after  the 
manner  of  a  canal  boat. 

Daring  this  summer,  the  first  Presbyterian  clergyman 
of  Saint  Paul  erected  a  two  story  edifice  of  brick,  for 
his  residence,   the   first  of  that  material  in    Minnesota. 


EARLY   NEWSPAPERS.  139 

It  stood  on  Fourth  street,  opposite  the  Metropolitan, 
and  in  18S6,  was  pulled  down  to  make  room  for  other 
improvements. 

The  election  on  the  first  of  August,  passed  off  with 
little  excitement,  Hon.  H.  H.  Sibley  being  elected  dele- 
gate to  Congress  without  opposition.  David  Lambert, 
a  candidate  for  the  Legislature,  on  what  might  be  termed 
the  old  settler's  ticket,  was  defeated  in  St.  Paul,  by- 
James  M.  Boal.  The  latter,  on  the  night  of  the  elec- 
tion, was  honored  with  a  ride  through  town  on  an  axle 
and  fore-wheels  of  an  old  wagon,  which  was  drawn  by 
his  admiring  but  somewhat  undisciplined  friends. 

J.  L.  Taylor  having  declined  the  office  of  United 
States  marshal,  A.  M.  Mitchell,  of  Ohio,  a  graduate  of 
"West  Point,  and  Colonel  of  a  regiment  of  Ohio  volun- 
teers in  the  Mexican  war,  was  appointed  and  arrived  at 
the  capital  early  in  August. 

There  were  three  papers  published  in  the  territory 
soon  after  its  organization.  The  first  was  the  Pioneer, 
issued  on  April  twenty-eighth,  1849,  under  most  dis- 
couraging circumstances.  It  was  at  first  the  intention 
of  the  witty  and  talented  editor  to  have  called  his  paper 
"The  Epistle  of  St.  Paul."  About  the  same  time  there 
was  issued  in  Cincinnati,  under  the  auspices  of  the  late 
Dr.  A.  Randall,  of  California,  the  first  number  of  the 
Register.  The  second  number  of  the  paper  was  printed 
at  St.  Paul,  in  July,  and  the  office  was  on  St.  Anthony, 
between  Washington  and  Market  Streets.  About  the 
first  of  June,  James  Hughes,  afterward  of  Hudson, 
Wisconsin,  arrived  with  a  press  and  materials,  and  es- 
tablished the  Minnesota  Chronicle.  After  an  existence 
of  a  few  weeks  two  papers  were   discontinued,    and,   in 


140  HISTORY    OF   .MINNESOTA. 

their  place  was   issued   the   "Chronicle   and  Register," 
edited  by  Nathaiel  McLean  and  John  P.  Owens. 

The  first  courts,  pursuant  to  proclamation  of  the  Gov- 
ernor, were  held  in  the  month  of  August.    At  Stillwater, 
the  court  was  organized  on  the  thirteenth  of  the  month, 
Judge  Goodrich  presiding  and  Judge  Cooper,  by  court- 
esy, sitting  on  the  bench.     On  the  twentieth,  the  second 
judicial  district  held  a  court.     The  room  used  was  the 
old  government   mill   at   Minneapolis.     The  presiding 
judge  was  B.  B.  Meeker;  the  foreman  of  the  grand  jury, 
Franklin  Steele.     On  the  last  Monday  of  the  month,  the 
court  for  the  third  judicial  district  was  organized  in  the 
large  stone  warehouse  of  the  fur  company  at  Mendota. 
The  presiding  judge   was    David    Cooper.      Governor 
Ramsey  sat  on  the  right  and  Judge  Goodrich  on  the  left. 
Hon.  H.  H.  Sibley  was  the  foreman  of  the  grand  jury. 
As  some  of  the  jurors  could  not  speak  the  English  lan- 
guage, ^Y.  H.  Forbes  acted   as  interpreter.     The  charge 
of  Judge  Cooper  was  lucid,  scholarly  and  dignified.     At 
the  request  of  the  grand  jury  it  was  afterwards  published. 
On  Monday,  the  third  of  September,  the  first  Legisla- 
tive  Assembly  convened   in   the    "  Central  House,"    in 
Saint  Paul,   a  building  at  the  corner  of  Minnesota  and 
Bench  streets,  facing  the  Mississippi  river,  which  an- 
swered  the   double  purpose  of   capitol  and    hotel.     On 
the  first  floor  of  the  main  building  was  the  Secretary's 
office  and  Representative  chamber,   and  in  the  second 
story  was  the  library  and  Council  chamber.    As  the  fla<» 
was  run  up  the  staff  in  front  of  the  house,  a  number  of 
Indians  sat  on  a  rocky  bluff  in  the  vicinity,  and  gazed 
at  what  to  them  was   a   novel  and   perhaps  saddening 
scene.     The    Legislature    elected    the    following    per- 
manent officers:    David  Olmsted,    President    of  Coun- 


FIRST   TERRITORIAL   LEGISLATURE.  Ill 

cil;  Joseph  R.  Brown,  Secretary;  H.  A.  Lambert, 
Assistant.  In  the  House  of  Representatives,  Joseph  AY. 
Furber  was  elected  Speaker,  W.  D.  Phillips,  Clerk;  L. 
B.  Wait,  Assistant. 

On  Tuesday  afternoon,  both  houses  assembled  in  the 
dining  hall  of  the  hotel,  and  after  prayer  was  offered  by 
Rev.  E.  D.  Neill,  Governor  Ramsey  delivered  his  mess- 
age. The  message  was  ably  written,  and  its  perusal 
afforded  satisfaction  at  home  and  abroad. 

The  first  session  of  the  Legislature  adjourned  on  the 
first  of  November.  Among  other  proceedings  of  inter- 
est was  the  creation  of  the  following  counties:  Itasca, 
AYapashaw,  Dahkotah,  AVahnahtah,  Mahkahto.  Pembina, 
Washington,  Ramsey  and  Benton.  The  three  latter 
counties  comprised  the  country  that  up  to  that  time  had 
been  ceded  by  the  Indians  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. Stillwater  was  declared  the  county  seat  of 
Washington,  Saint  Paul  of  Ramsey,  and  "the  seat  of 
justice  of  the  county  of  Benton  was  to  be  within  one- 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  a  point  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, directly  opposite  the  mouth  of  Sauk  River." 

By  the  active  exertions  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Terri- 
tory, C.  K.  Smith,  Esq.,  the  Historical  Society  of  Min- 
nesota was  incorporated  at  the  first  session  of  the  Legis- 
lature. The  opening  annual  address  was  delivered  on 
the  first  of  January,  1850,  in  the  then  Methodist  Church, 
by  the  Rev.  Edward  D.  Neill. 

At  this  early  period  the  Minnesota  Pioneer  issued  a 
Carrier's  New  Years  Address,  which  was  an  amusing  dog- 
gerel. The  reference  to  the  future  greatness  and  igno- 
ble origin  of  the  capital  of  Minnesota  was  as  follows: 


14:2  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

The  cities  on  this  river  must  be  three, 

Two  that  are  built  and  one  that  is  to  be. 

One  is  the  mart  of  all  the  tropics  yield, 

The  cane,  the  orange,  and  the  cotton-field, 

And  sends  her  ships  abroad  and  boasts 

Her  trade  extended  to  a  thousand  coasts; 

The  other,  central  for  the  temperate  zone, 

Garners  the  stores  that  on  the  plains  are  grown, 

A  placo  where  steamboats  from  all  quarters  range, 

To  meet  and  speculate,  as  'twere  on  change. 

The  third  will  be,  where  rivers  confluent  flow, 

From  the  wide  spreading  north  through  plains  of  snow; 

The  mart  of  all  that  boundless  forests  give, 

To  make  mankind  more  comfortably  live, 

The  land  of  manufacturing  industry, 

The  worship  of  the  nation  it  shall  be. 

Propelled  by  this  wide  stream,  you'll  see 

A  thousand  factories  at  Saint  Anthony: 

And  the  Saint  Croix  a  hundred  mills  shall  drive, 

And  all  its  smiling  villages  shall  thrive; 

But  then  my  town — remember  that  high  bench, 

With  cabins  scattered  over  it,  of  French? 

A  man  named  Henry  Jackson's  living  there, 

Also  a  man — why  every  one  knows  L.  Robair, 

Below  Fort  Snelling,  seven  miles  or  so, 

And  three  above  the  village  of  Old  Crow? 

Pig's  Eye?    Yes,  Pig's  Eye!    That's  the  spot! 

A  very  funny  name,  is't  not? 

Pig's  Eye's  the  spot  to  plant  my  city  on, 

To  be  remembered  by  when  I  am  gone. 

Pig's  Eye,  converted  thou  shalt  be,  like  Saul: 

Thy  name  henceforth  shall  be  Saint  Paul. 

Governor  Ramsey,  and  Hon.  H.  H.  Sibley,  the  delegate 
to  Congress,  devised  at  Washington  this  winter,  the  ter- 
ritorial seal.  The  design  was  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  in  the 
distance.  An  immigrant  ploughing  the  land  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  Indian  country,  full  of  hope,  and  looking 
forward  to  the  possession  of  the  hunting  grounds  be- 


FIRST   SEAL   OF    MINNESOTA.  143 

yond.  An  Indian,  amazed  at  the  sight  of  the  white  man 
ploughing  and  fleeing  on  horseback  toward  the  setting 
sun. 

The  motto  of  the  Earl  of  Dunraven,  "Quae  sursum 
volo  videre,"  (I  wish  to  see  what  is  above )  was  most  ap- 
propriately selected  by  Mr.  Sibley,  but  by  the  blunder 
of  an  engraver  it  appeared  on  the  territorial  seal,  "Quo 
sursum  velo  videre,"  which  no  scholar  could  translate. 
At  length  was  substituted,  "L'  Etoile  du  Nord,"  "Star  of 
the  North,"  while  the  device  of  the  setting  sun  remain- 
ed, and  this  is  objectionable,  as  the  State  of  Maine  had 
already  placed  the  North  Star  on  her  escutcheon,  with 
the  motto  "Dirigo,"  "I  guide."  Perhaps  some  future 
legislature  may  direct  the  first  motto  to  be  restored  and 
correctly  engraved. 

In  the  month  of  April  there  was  a  renewal  of  hostili- 
ties between  the  Dakotahs  and  Ojibways,  on  lands  that 
had  been  ceded  to  the  United  States.  A  war  prophet  at 
Red  Wing  dreamed  that  he  ought  to  raise  a  war  party. 
Announcing  the  fact,  a  number  expressed  their  willing- 
ness to  go  on  such  an  expedition.  Several  from  the  Ka- 
posia  village  also  joined  the  party,  under  the  leadership 
of  a  worthless  Indian,  who  had  been  confined  in  the 
guard-house  at  Fort  Snelling  tiie  year  previous,  for 
scalping  his  wife. 

Passing  up  the  valley  of  the  St.  Croix,  a  few  miles 
above  Stillwater  the  party  discovered  on  the  snow  the 
marks  of  a  keg  and  footprints.  These  told  them  that  a 
man  and  woman  of  the  Ojibways  had  been  to  some  whis- 
ky dealer's,  and  were  returning.  Following  their  trail, 
they  found  on  Apple  river,  about  twenty  miles  from 
Stillwater,  a  band  of  Ojibways  encamped  in  one  lodge. 
Waiting  until  daybreak  of  Wednesday,  April  the  second, 


144  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

the  Dakotalis  commenced  firing  on  the  unsuspecting  in- 
mates, some  of  whom  were  drinking  from  the  contents 
of  the  keg.  The  camp  was  composed  of  fifteen,  and  all 
were  murdered  and  scalped,  with  the  exception  of  a  lad, 
who  was  made  a  captive. 

On  Thursday,  the  victors  came  to  Stillwater,  and 
danced  the  scalp  dance  around  the  captive  boy,  in  the 
heat  of  excitement,  striking  him  in  the  face  with  the 
scarcely  cold  and  bloody  scalps  of  his  relatives.  The 
child  was  then  taken  to  Kaposia,  and  adopted  by  the 
chief.  Governor  Ramsey  immediately  took  measures  to 
send  the  boy  to  his  friends.  At  a  conference  held  at 
the  Governor's  mansion,  the  boy  was  delivered  up,  and, 
on  being  led  out  to  the  kitchen  by  a  little  son  of  the 
Governor,  since  deceased,  to  receive  refreshments,  he 
cried  bitterly,  seemingly  more  alarmed  at  being  left 
with  the  whites  than  he  had  been  while  a  captive  at 
Kaposia. 

From  the  first  of  April,  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi 
began  to  rise,  and  on  the  thirteenth,  the  lower  floor  of 
the  warehouse,  then  occupied  by  William  Constans,  at 
the  foot  of  Jackson  street,  St.  Paul,  was  submerged. 
Taking  advantage  of  the  freshet,  the  steamboat  Anthony 
Wayne,  for  a  purse  of  two  hundred  dollars,  ventured 
through  the  swift  current  above  Fort  Snelling,  and 
reached  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  The  boat  left  the 
fort  after  dinner,  with  Governor  Ramsey  and  other 
guests,  also  the  band  of  the  Sixth  Regiment  on  board, 
and  reached  the  falls  between  three  and  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon.  The  whole  town,  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren lined  the  shore  as  the  boat  approached,  and  wel- 
comed this  first  arrival,  with  shouts  and  waving  hand- 
kerchiefs. 


A.N   INDIAN    FIGHT.  145 

On  the  afternoon  of  May  fifteenth,  there  might  have 
been  seen,  hurrying  through  the  streets  of  Saint  Paul,  a 
number  of  naked  and  painted  braves  of  the  Kaposia 
band  of  Dakotahs,  ornamented  with  all  the  attire  of  war, 
and  panting  for  the  scalps  of  their  enemies.  A  few 
hours  before,  the  warlike  head  chief  of  the  Ojibways, 
young  Hole-in-the-Day,  having  secreted  his  canoe  in 
the  retired  gorge  which  leads  to  the  cave  in  the  upper 
suburbs,  with  two  or  three  associates  had  crossed  the 
river,  and,  almost  in  sight  of  the  citizens  of  the  town, 
had  attacked  a  small  party  of  Dakotahs,  and  murdered 
and  scalped  one  man.  On  receipt  of  the  news,  Governor 
Ramsey  granted  a  parole  to  the  thirteen  Dakotahs  con- 
fined in  Fort  Snelling,  for  the  Apple  River  massacre. 

On  the  morning  of  the  sixteenth  of  May,  the  first 
Protestant  church  edifice  completed  in  the  white  settle- 
ments, a  small  frame  building,  built  for  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Saint  Paul,  was  destroyed  by  fire,  it  being  the 
first  conflagration  that  had  occurred  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  territory. 

The  summer  of  1850  was  the  commencement  of  the 
navigation  of  the  Minnesota  river  by  steamboats.  With 
the  exception  of  a  steamer  that  made  a  pleasure  excur- 
sion as  far  as  Shokpay,  in  1841,  no  large  vessels  had 
ever  disturbed  the  waters  of  this  stream.  In  June,  the 
"Anthony  "Wayne,"  which  a  few  weeks  before  had  as- 
cended to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  made  a  trip.  On 
the  eighteenth  of  July  she  made  a  second  trip,  going 
almost  to  Mahkahto.  The  "Nominee"  also  navigated  the 
stream  for  some  distance. 

On  the  twenty-second  of  July  the  officers  of  the 
"Yankee,"  taking  advantage  of  the  high  water,  deter- 


146 


HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 


mined  to  navigate  the  stream  as  far  as  possible.     The 
boat  ascended  to  near  the  Cottonwood  river. 

As  the  time  for  the  general  election  in  September  ap- 
proached, considerable  excitement  was  manifested.  As 
there  were  no  political  issues  before  the  people,  parties 
were  formed  based  on  personal  preferences.  Among 
those  nominated  for  delegate  to  Congress,  by  various 
meetings,  were  H.  H.  Sibley,  the  former  delegate  to 
Congress,  David  Olmsted,  at  that  time  engaged  in  the 
Indian  trade,  and  A.  M.  Mitchell,  the  United  States 
marshal.  Mr.  Olmsted  withdrew  his  name  before  elec- 
tion day,  and  the  contest  was  between  those  interested 
in  Sibley  and  Mitchell.  The  friends  of  each  betrayed 
the  greatest  zeal,  and  neither  pains  nor  money  were 
spared  to  insure  success.  Mr.  Sibley  was  elected  by  a 
small  majority.  For  the  first  time  in  the  territory,  sol- 
diers at  the  garrison  voted  at  this  election,  and  there 
was  considerable  discussion  as  to  the  propriety  of  such 
a  course. 

Miss  Fredrika  Bremer,  the  well  known  Swedish  novel- 
ist, visited  Minnesota  in  the  month  of  October,  and  was 
the  guest  of  Governor  Ptamsey.  Her  description  of 
Saint  Paul,  as  it  was  in  1850,  in  her  published  letters,  is 
in  these  words: 

"Scarcely  had  we  touched  the  shore  when  the  gover- 
nor of  Minnesota  and  his  pretty  young  wife  came  on 
board  and  invited  me  to  take  up  my  quarters  at  their 
house.  And  there  I  am  now,  happy  with  these  kind 
people,  ami  with  them  I  make  excursions  into  the  neigh- 
borhood. The  town  is  one  of  the  youngest  infants  of  the 
great  West,  scarcely  eighteen  months  old;  and  yet  it  has 
in  a  short  time  increased  to  a  population  of  two  thous- 
and persons,  and  in  a  very  few  years  it  will  certainly  be 


FREDRIKA   BREMER   DESCRIBES   ST.  PAUL.  147 

possessed  of  twenty-two  thousand,  for  its  situation  is  as 
remarkable  for  its  beauty  and  healthiness,  as  it  is  ad- 
vantageous for  trade. 

"As  yet,  however,  the  town  is  but  in  its  infancy,  and 
people  manage  with  such  dwellings  as  they  can  get  The 
drawing-room  at  Governor  Ramsey's  house  is  also  his 
office,  and  Indians  and  workpeople,  and  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen, are  all  alike  admitted.  In  the  mean  time,  &Mr. 
Ramsey  is  building  a  handsome,  spacious  house  upon 
a  hill,  a  little  out  of  the  city  [Exchange  and  Walnut 
streets]  with  beautiful  trees  around  it.  If  I  were  to  live 
on  the  Mississippi,  I  would  live  here.  It  is  a  hilly  re- 
gion, and  on  all  sides  extend  beautiful  and  varying  land- 
scapes. 

"The  city  is  thronged  with  Indians.  The  men,  for  the 
most  part,  go  about  grandly  ornamented,  with  naked 
hatchets,  the  shafts  of  which  serve  them  as  pipes.  They 
paint  themselves  so  utterly  without  any  taste  that  itis 
incredible.  Here  comes  an  Indian  who  has  painted  a 
great  red  spot  in  the  middle  of  his  nose;  here  another 
who  has  painted  the  whole  of  his  forehead  in  lines  of 
black  and  yellow;  there  a  third  with  coal  black  rings 
round  his  eyes.  *  *  *  The  women  are  less  painted, 
with  better  taste  than  the  men,  generally  with  merely 
one  deep  red  little  spot  in  the  middle  of  the  cheek,  and 
the  parting  of  the  hair  on  the  forehead  is  dyed  purple. 
There  goes  an  Indian  with  his  proud  step,  bearing  aloft 
his  plumed  head.  He  carries  only  his  pipe,  and  when 
he  is  on  a  journey,  perhaps_  a  long  staff  in  his  hand. 
After  him,  with  bowed  head  and  stooping  shoulders,  fol- 
lows his  wife,  bending  under  the  burden  which  she 
bears.  Above  the  burden  peeps  forth  a  little  round- 
faced  child,  with  beautiful  dark  eyes." 


148  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

During  November,  theDakotah  Tawaxitku  Kin,  or  the 
Dakotah  Friend,  a  monthly  paper,  was  commenced,  one- 
half  in  the  Dakotah  and  one-half  in  the  English  lan- 
guage. Its  editor  was  the  Rev.  Gideon  H.  Pond,  a 
Presbyterian  missionary,  audits  place  of  publication  at 
St.  Paul.  It  was  published  for  nearly  two  years,  and, 
though  it  failed  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  Indian 
mind,  it  conveyed  to  the  English  reader  much  correct 
information  in  relation  to  the  habits,  the  belief,  and  su- 
perstitions, of  the  Dakotahs 

On  the  tenth  of  December,  a  new  paper,  owned  and 
edited  by  Daniel  A.  Robertson,  late  United  States  mar- 
shal, of  Ohio,  and  called  the  Minnesota  Democrat,  made 
its  appearance.  — 

During  the  summer  there  had  been  changes  in  the 
editorial  supervision  of  the  "Chronicle  and  Register." 
For  a  brief  period  it  was  edited  by  L.  A.  Babcock,  Esq., 
who  was  succeeded  by  W.  G.  Le  Due. 

About  the  time  of  the  issuing  of  the  Democrat,  C.  J. 
Henniss,  formerly  reporter  for  the  United  States  Ga- 
zette, Philadelphia,  became  the  editor  of  the   Chronicle. 

The  first  proclamation  for  a  thanksgiving  day  was 
issued  in  1850  by  the  governor,  and  the  twenty-sixth  of 
December  was  the  time  appointed  which  was  generally 
observed. 

On  "Wednesday,  January  first,  1851,  the  second  Legis- 
lative Assembly  assembled  in  a  three-story  brick  build- 
ing, since  destroyed  by  fire,  that  stood  on  Third 
street,  between  Washington  and  Franklin.  1).  13. 
Loomis  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  Council,  and  M.  E. 
Ames,  Speaker  of  the  Bouse.  This  assembly  was  char- 
acterized by  more  bitterness  of  feeling  than  any  that 
has  since  convened.      The  preceding   delegate  election 


TREATIES   OF    1851.  110 

had  been  based  ou  personal  preferences,  and  cliques  and 
factions  manifested  themselves  at  an  early  period  of  the 
session. 

The  locating  of  the-  penitentiary  at  Stillwater,  and  the 
capitol  building  at  St.  Paul  gave  some  dissatisfaction. 
By  the  efforts  of  J.  W.  North,  Esq.,  a  bill  creating  the 
University  of  Minnesota  at  or  near  the  Falls  of  St.  An- 
thony, was  passed  and  signed  by  the  Governor.  This 
institution,  by  the  State  Constitution,  is  now  the  State 
University. 

During  the  session  of  this  Legislature,  the  publication 
of  the  "Chronicle  and  Register"  ceased. 

The  first  paper  published  in  Minnesota,  beyond  the 
capital,  was  the  St.  Anthony  Express,  which  made 
its  appearance  during  the  last  week  of  April  or  May. 

The  most  important  event  of  the  year  1S51  was  the 
treaty  with  the  Dakotahs,  by  which  the  west  side  of  the 
Mississippi  and  the  valley  of  the  Minnesota  River  were 
opened  to  the  hardy  immigrant.  The  commissioners  on 
the  part  of  the  United  States  were  Luke  Lea,  Commis- 
sioner of  Indian  Affairs,  and  Governor  Ramsey.  The 
place  of  meeting  for  the  upper  bands  was  Traverse  des 
Sioux.  The  commission  arrived  there  on  the  last  of 
June,  but  were  obliged  to  wait  many  days  for  the  assem- 
bling of  the  various  bands  of  Dakotahs. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  July,  all  those  expected  having 
arrived,  the  Sissetoans  and  "VYakpaytoan  Dakotahs  assem- 
bled in  grand  council  with  the  United  States  commis- 
sioners. After  the  usual  feastings  and  speeches,  a  treaty 
was  concluded  on  Wednesday,  July  twenty-third.  The 
pipe  having  been  smoked  by  the  commissioners  Lea 
and  Ramsey,  it  was  passed  to  the  chiefs.  The  paper 
containing  the  treaty  was  then  read  in  English  and  trans- 


150  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

lated  into  the  Dakotali  by  the  Rev.  S.  E.  Iiiggs,  Presby- 
terian Missionary  among  this  people.  This  finished,  the 
chiefs  came  up  to  the  secretary's  table  and  touched  the 
pen;  the  white  men  present  then  witnessed  the  docu- 
ment, and  nothing  remained  but  the  ratification  of  the 
United  States  Senate  to  open  that  vast  country  for  the 
residence  of  the  hardy  immigrant. 

During  the  first  week  in  August,  a  treaty  was  also 
concluded  beneath  an  oak  bower,  on  Pilot  Knob,  ATen- 
dota,  with  the  M'dewakantonwan  and  Wahpaykootay 
bands  of  Dakotahs.  About  sixty  of  the  chiefs  and  prin- 
cipal men  touched  the  pen,  and  Little  Crow,  who  had 
been  in  the  mission  school  at  Lac  qui  Parle,  signed  his 
own  name.  Before  they  separated,  Col.  Lea  and  Gover- 
nor Ramsey  gave  them  a  few  words  of  advice  on  the 
various  subjects  connected  with  their  future  well-being, 
but  particularly  on  the  subject  of  education  and  temper- 
ance. The  treaty  was  interpreted  to  them  by  Rev.  G. 
H.  Pond,  a  gentleman  who  was  conceded  to  be  a  most 
correct  speaker  of  the  Dakotali  tongue. 

The  day  after  the  treaty  these  lower  bands  received 
thirty  thousand  dollars,  which,  by  the  treaty  of  1837, 
was  set  apart  for  education;  but,  by  the  misrepresen- 
tation of  interested  half-breeds,  the  Indians  were  made 
to  believe  that  it  ought  to  be  given  to  them  to  be  em- 
ployed as  they  pleased. 

The  next  week,  with  their  sacks  filled  with  monev, 
they  thronged  the  streets  of  St.  Paul,  purchasing  what- 
ever pleased  their  fancy. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  September,  a  new  paper  was 
commenced  in  St.  Paul,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
"W  higs,"  and  John  P.  Owens  became  editor,  which  re- 
lation-he sustained  until  the  fall  of  1857. 


DEMOCRATIC   ORGANIZATION.  151 

The  election  for  members  of  the  legislature  and  coun- 
ty officers  occured  on  the  fourteenth  of  October;  and,  for 
the  first  time,  a  regular  Democratic  ticket  was  placed 
before  the  people.  The  parties  called  themselves  Dem- 
ocratic and  Anti-organization,  or  Coalition. 

In  the  month  of  November  Jerome  Fuller  arrived, 
and  took  the  place  of  Judge  Goodrich  as  Chief  Justice 
of  Minnesota,  who  was  removed;  and  about  the  same  time 
Alexander  Wilkin  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  terri- 
tory in  place  of  C.  K.  Smith. 

The  eighteenth  of  December,  pursuant  to  proclama- 
tion, was  observed  as  a  day  of  Thanksgiving. 

The  third  Legislative  Assembly  commenced  its  ses- 
sions in  one  of  the  edifices  on  Third  below  Jackson 
street,  which  became  a  portion  of  the  Merchants'  Hotel, 
on  the  seventh  of  January,  1852. 

This  session,  compared  with  the  previous,  formed  a 
contrast  as  great  as  that  between  a  boisterous  day  in 
March  and  a  calm  June  morning.  The  minds  of  the 
population  were  more  deeply  interested  in  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  treaties  made  with  the  Dakotahs,  than  in 
political  discussions.  Among  other  legislation  of  inter- 
est was  the  creation  of  Hennepin  county. 

On  Saturday,  the  fourteenth  of  February,  a  dog-train 
arrived  at  St.  Paul  from  the  north,  with  the  distingui.-h- 
ed  Arctic  explorer,  Dr.  Rae.  He  had  been  in  search  of 
the  long-missing  Sir  John  Franklin,  byway  of  the  [Mac- 
kenzie river,  and  was  now  on  his  way  to  Europe. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  May,  an  interesting  lusus  natu- 
rae occurred  at  Stillwater.  On  the  prairies,  beyond  the 
elevated  bluffs  which  encircle  the  business  portion  of 
the  town,  there  is  a  lake  which  discharges  its  waters 
through  a  ravine,  and  supplied  McKusick's  mill.  Owing 


152  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

to  heavy  rains,  the  hills  became  saturated  with  water, 
and  the  lake  very  full.  Before  daylight  the  citizens 
heard  the  "voice  of  many  waters,"  and  looking  out,  saw- 
rushing  down  through  the  ravine,  trees,  gravel  and  dilu- 
vium. Nothing  impeded  its  course,  and  as  it  issued 
from  the  ravine  it  spread  over  the  town  site,  covering  up 
barns  and  small  tenements,  and,  continuing  to  the  lake 
shore,  it  materially  improved  the  landing,  by  a  deposit 
of  many  tons  of  earth.  One  of  the  editors  of  the  day, 
alluding  to  the  fact,  quaintly  remarked,  that  "it  was  a 
very  extraordinary  movement  of  real  estate." 

About  the  last  of  August,  the  pioneer  editor  of  Min- 
nesota, James  M.  Goodhue,  died. 

At  the  November  Term  of  the  United  States  District 
Court,  of  Ramsey  county,  a  Dakotah,  named  Yu-ha-zee. 
was  tried  for  the  murder  of  a  German  woman.  With 
others  she  was  traveling  above  Shokpay,  when  a  party  ol 
Indians,  of  whom  the  prisoner  was  one,  met  them;  and, 
gathering  about  the  wagon,  were  much  excited.  The 
prisoner  punched  the  woman  first  with  his  gun,  and, 
being  threatened  by  one  of  the  party,  loaded  and  fired, 
killing  the  woman  and  wounding  one  of  the  men. 

On  the  day  of  his  trial  he  was  escorted  from  Fort 
Snelling  by  a  company  of  mounted  dragoons  in  full 
dress."  It  was  an  impressive  scene  to  witness  the  poor 
Indian  half  hid  in  his  blanket,  in  a  buggy  with  the  civil 
officer,  surrounded  with  all  Hie  pomp  and  circumstance 
of  war.  The  jury  found  him  guilty.  On  being  asked 
if  he  had  anything  to  say  why  sentence  of  death  should 
not  be  passed,  he  replied  through  the  interpreter,  that 
the  band  to  which  he  belonged  would  remit  their  annu- 
ities if  he  could  be  released.  To  this  Judge  Hayner,  the 
successor  of  Judge  Fuller,  replied  that  he  had  no  author- 


INDIAN   FIGHT    IN   SAINT    PAUL.  153 

ity  to  release  him;  and,  ordering  him  to  rise,  after  some 
appropriate  and  impressive  remarks,  he  pronounced  the 
first  sentence  of  death  ever  pronounced  by  a  judicial 
officer  in  Minnesota.  The  prisoner  trembled  while  the 
judge  spoke,  and  was  a  piteous  spectacle.  By  the  stat- 
ute of  Minnesota,  then,  one  convicted  of  murder  could 
not  be  executed  until  twelve  months  had  elapsed,  and  he 
was  confined  until  the  governor  of  the  territory  should 
by  warrant  order  his  execution. 

The  fourth  Legislative  Assembly  convened  on  the 
fifth  of  January,  1853,  in  the  two  story  brick  edifice  at 
the  corner  of  Third  and  Minnesota  streets.  The  Council 
chose  Martin  McLeod  as  presiding  officer,  and  the  House 
Dr.  David  Day,  Speaker.  Governor  Ramsey's  message 
was  an  interesting  document. 

The  Baldwin  school,  now  known  as  Macalester  College, 
was  incorporated  at  this  session  of  the  legislature,  and 
was  opened  the  following  June. 

On  the' ninth  of  April,  a  party  of  Ojibways  killed  a 
Dakotah,  at  the  village  of  Shokpay.  A  war  party,  from 
Kaposia,  then  proceeded  up  the  valley  of  the  St.  Croix, 
and  killed  an  Ojibway.  On  the  morning  of  the  twenty- 
seventh,  a  band  of  Ojibway  warriors,  naked,  decked,  and 
fiercely  gesticulating,  might  have  been  seen  in  the  busi- 
est street  of  the  capital,  in  search  of  their  enemies.  Just 
at  that  time  a  small  party  of  women,  and  one  man,  who 
had  lost  a  leg  in  the  battle  of  Stillwater,  arrived  in  a 
canoe  from  Kaposia,  at  the  Jackson  street  landing.  Per- 
ceiving the  Ojibways,  they  retreated  to  the  building  then 
known  as  the  "Pioneer"'  office,  and  the  Ojibways  dis- 
charging a  volley  through  the  windows,  wounded  a  Da- 
kotah woman  who  soon  died.  For  a  short  time,  the 
infant  capital  piesented  a  sight  similar  to  that  witnessed 


154  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

in  ancient  days  in  Hadley  or  Deerfield,  the  then  frontier 
towns  of  Massachusetts.  Messengers  were  despatched 
to  Fort  Snelling  for  the  dragoons,  and  a  party  of  citizens 
mounted  on  horseback,  were  quickly  in  pursuit  of  those 
who  with  so  much  boldness  had  sought  the  streets  of  St. 
Paul,  as  a  place  to  avenge  their  wrongs.  The  dragoons 
soon  followed,  with  Indian  guides  scenting  the  track  of 
the  Ojibways  like  bloodhounds.  The  next  day  they  dis- 
covered the  transgressors,  near  the  Falls  of  St.  Croix. 
The  Ojibways  manifesting  what  was  supposed  to  be  an 
insolent  spirit,  the  order  was  given  by  the  lieutenant  in 
command,  to  fire,  and  he  whose  scalp  was  afterwards 
daguerreotyped,  and  which  was  engraved  for  Graham's 
Magazine,  wallowed  in  gore. 

During  the  summer,  the  passenger,  as  he  stood  on  the 
hurricane  deck  of  any  of  the  steamboats,  might  have 
seen,  on  a  scaffold  on  the  bluffs  in  the  rear  of  Ivaposia, 
a  square  box  covered  with  a  coarsely  fringed  red  cloth. 
Above  it  was  suspended  a  piece  of  the  Ojibway's  scalp, 
whose  death  had  caused  the  affray  in  the  streets  of  St. 
Paul.  Within,  was  the  body  of  the  woman  who  had 
been  shot  in  the  "Pioneer"  building,  while  seeking 
refuge.  A  scalp  suspended  over  the  corpse  is  supposed 
to  be  a  consolation  to  the  soul,  and  a  great  protection  in 
the  journey  to  the  spirit  land. 

On  the  accession  of  Pierce  to  the  Presidency  of  the 
United  States,  the  officers  appointed  under  the  Taylor 
and  Fillmore  administrations  were  removed,  and  the 
following  gentlemen  substituted.  Governor,  W.  A.  Gor- 
man of  Indiana;  Secretary,  J.  T.  Ilosser,  of  Virginia; 
Chief  Justice,  W.  II.  Welch,  of  Minnesota:  Associates, 
Moses  Sherburne,  of  Maine,  and  A.  G.  Chatfield,  of 
Wisconsin.     One  of  the  first  official  acts  of  the  second 


H.    M.    RICE    DELEGATE   TO    CONGRESS.  155 

Governor,  was  the  making  of  a  treaty  with  theAVinnebago 
Indians  at  Watab,  Benton  county,  for  an  exchange  of 
country. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  June,  D.  A.  Robertson,  who 
by  his  enthusiasm  and  earnest  advocacy  of  its  princi- 
ples had  done  much  to  organize  the  Democratic  party  of 
Minnesota,  retired  from  the  editorial  chair  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  David  Olmsted. 

At  the  election  held  in  October,  Henry  M.  Rice  and 
Alexander  Wilkin  were  candidates  for  delegate  to  Con- 
gress.    The  former  was  elected  by  a  decisive  majority. 

The  fifth  session  of  the  legislature  was  commenced 
in  the  building  just  completed  as  the  Capitol,  on  Janua- 
ry fourth,  1854.  The  President  of  the  Council  was  S. 
B.  Olmstead,  and  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives was  N.  C.  D.  Taylor. 

Governor  Gorman  delivered  his  first  annual  message 
on  the  tenth,  and  as  his  predecessor,  urged  the  import- 
ance of  railway  communications,  and  dwelt  upon  the 
necessity  of  fostering  the  interests  of  education,  and  of 
the  lumbermen. 

The  exciting  bill  of  the  session  was  the  act  incorpora- 
ting the  Minnesota  and  Northwestern  Railroad.  Compa- 
ny, introduced  by  Joseph  R.  Brown.  It  was  passed 
after  the  hour  of  midnight  on  the  last  day  of  the  session. 
Contrary  to  the  expectation  of  his  friends,  the  Governor 
signed  the  bill. 

On  the  afternoon  of  December  twenty-seventh,  the 
first  public  execution  in  Minnesota,  in  accordance  with 
the  forms  of  law,  took  place.  Yu-ha-zee,  the  Dakotah 
who  had  been  convicted  in  November,  1S52,  for  the 
murder  of  a  German  woman,  above  Shokpay,  was  the 
individual.     The  scaffold  'was  erected  on    the  prairie, 


156  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

near  the  corner  of  Western  and  Dayton  Avenues,  St. 
Paul.  About  two  o'clock,  the  prisoner,  dressed  in  a 
white  shroud,  left  the  old  log  prison,  near  the  court 
house,  and  entered  a  carriage  with  the  officers  of  the 
law.  Being  assisted  up  the  steps  that  led  to  the  scaf- 
fold, he  made  a  lew  remarks  in  his  own  language,  and 
was  then  executed.  Numerous  ladies  sent  in  a  petition 
to  the  governor,  asking  the  pardon  of  the  Indian,  to 
which  that  officer  in  declining  made  an  appropriate 
reply. 

The  sixth  session  of  the  legislature  convened  on  the 
third  of  January,  1855.  W.  P.  Murray  was  elected 
President  of  the  Council,  and  James  S.  Norris  Speaker 
of  the  House. 

About  the  last  of  January,  the  two  houses  adjourned 
one  day,  to  attend  the  exercises  occasioned  by  the  open- 
ing of  the  first  bridge  of  any  kind,  over  the  mighty 
Mississippi,  from  Lake  Itasca  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
It  was  at  the  Palls  of  Saint  Anthony,  and  made  of  wire, 
and  at  the  time  of  its  opening,  the  patent  for  the  land 
on  which  the  west  piers  were  built,  had  not  been  issued 
from  the  Land  Office,  a  striking  evidence  of  the  rapidity 
with  which  the  city  of  Minneapolis,  which  now  sur- 
rounds the  Falls,  has  developed. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  March,  a  convention  was  held 
at  Saint  Anthony,  which  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Re- 
publican party  of  Minnesota.  This  body  took  measures 
for  the  holding  of  a  territorial  convention  at  St.  Paul, 
which  convened  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  July,  and  William 
Pi.  Marshall  was  nominated  as  delegate  to  Congress. 
Shortly  after  the  friends  of  Mr.  Sibley  nominated  Da- 
vid   Olmsted  and  Henry  M.  Pice,   the  former  delegate 


RELICS   OF   SIR    J.    FRANKLIN.  157 

was  also  a  candidate.  The  contest  was  animated,  and 
resulted  in  the  election  of  Mr.  Rice. 

About  noon  of  December  twelfth,  1855,  a  four-horse 
vehicle  was  seen  rapidly  driving  through  St.  Paul,  and 
deep  was  the  interest  when  it  was  announced  that  one 
of  the  Arctic  exploring  party,  Mr.  James  Stewart,  was 
on  his  way  to  Canada  with  relics  of  the  world-renowned 
and  world-mourned  Sir  John  Franklin.  Gathering  to- 
gether the  precious  fragments  found  on  Montreal  Is- 
land and  vicinity,  the  party  had  left  the  region  of  ice- 
bergs on  the  ninth  of  August,  and  after  a  continued 
land  journey  from  that  time,  had  reached  the  city. 

The  seventh  sesion  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  was 
begun  on  the  second  of  January,  185(3,  and  John  B. 
Brisbin  was  elected  President  of  the  Council,  and  Charles 
Gardner,  Speaker  of  the  House. 

This  year  was  comparatively  devoid  of  interest.  The 
citizens  of  the  territory  were  busily  engaged  in  making 
claims  in  newly  organized  counties,  and  in  enlarging 
the  area  of  civilization. 

On  the  twelfth  of  June,  several  Ojibways  entered  the 
farm  house  of  Mr.  Whallon,  who  resided  in  Hennepin 
county,  on  the  banks  of  the  Minnesota,  a  mile  below 
the  Bloomington  ferry.  The  wife  of  the  farmer,  a 
friend,  and  three  children,  besides  a  little  Dakota  girl, 
who  had  been  brought  up  in  the  mission-house  at  Kapo- 
sia,  and  so  changed  in  maimers  that  her  origin  was 
scarcely  perceptible,  were  sitting  in  the  room  when  the 
Indians  came  in.  Instantly  seizing  the  little  Indian 
maiden,  they  threw  her  out  of  the  door,  killed  and  scalped 
her,  and  fled  before  the  men  who  were  near  by,  in  the 
field,  could  reach  the  house. 

During  the  spring  and  early  summer  of  1857,  the  pub- 


158 


HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


lie  mind  was  indignant  at  an  atrocity  perpetrated  in  the 
extreme  south-western  frontier  of  Minnesota,  the  recital 
of  which  caused  the  blood  to  curdle,  and  the  mind  to 
revert  to  the  border  scenes  of  the  past  century.  In  the 
north-western  corner  of  Iowa,  a  few  miles  from  the  Min- 
nesota boundary,  there  is  a  lake  known  as  Spirit  Lake. 
In  the  spring  of  1856,  persons  from  lied  Wing  had  vis- 
ited this  place  and  determined  to  lay  off  a  town.  In  the 
winter  of  1857,  there  were  six  or  seven  log  cabins  on  the 
border  of  the  lake.  About  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  north, 
in  Minnesota,  there  was  also  a  small  place  called  Spring- 
field. 

For  several  years,  Inkpadootah,  a  Wahpaykootay 
Dakotah,  had  been  roving  witli  a  few  outlaws,  being 
driven  away  from  their  own  people  by  internal  difncul- 
ties.  These  Indians  were  hunting  in  north-western  Iowa, 
when  one  was  bitten  by  a  white  man's  dog,  which  he 
killed.  The  whites  then  proceeded  to  the  Indian  camp 
and  disarmed  them,  but  they  soon  supplied  themselves 
again.  After  this,  they  arrived  on  Sunday,  the  eighth 
of  March,  at  Spirit  Lake.  They  proceeded  to  a  cabin, 
where  only  men  dwelt,  and  asked  for  beef.  Understand- 
ing, as  they  assert,  that  they  had  permission  to  kill  one 
of  the  cattle,  they  did  so,  and  commenced  cutting  it  up, 
when  one  of  the  white  men  came  out  and  knocked  down 
the  Dakotah.  For  this  act  the  settler  was  shot,  and 
another  one  coming  out  of  the  cabin,  he  was  also  killed. 
Surrounding  the  house,  the  Indians  now  tired  the 
thatched  roof,  and  as  the  men  ran  out  all  were  killed, 
making  the  whole  number  eleven. 

About  the  same  time,  the  Indians  went  to  the  house 
of  a  frontiersman,  by  the  name  of  Gardner,  and  demand- 
ed food,  and  all  the  food  in  the  house  was  given  to  them. 


INKPADOOTAH  MASSACRE.  159 

The  son-in-law  and  another  man  left  to  go  and  see  if  all 
was  right  at  the  neighboring  cabin,  but  they  never  came 
back.  Toward  night,  excited  by  the  blood  they  had 
been  spilling  through  the  day,  they  came  back  again  to 
Mr  Gardner's  house,  and  soon  killed  him,  and  despatch- 
ing his  wife,  and  two  daughters,  and  grandchildren,  car- 
ried off  Abby,  the  surviving  daughter.  The  next  day 
they  continued  their  fiendish  work,  and  brought  into 
camj)  Mrs.  Thatcher  and  Mrs.  Xoble.  That  day  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Markham  visited  the  house  of  Gardner 
and  saw  the  dead  bodies.  Secreting  himself  till  night, 
he  came  to  the  Springfield  settlement  in  Minnesota, 
and  reported  what  he  had  seen.  Three  miles  above  the 
Thatcher  family  on  the  lake,  there  lived  a  Mr.  Marble. 

On  Thursday,  the  twelfth  of  March,  an  Indian,  who 
had  been  on  friendly  terms  with  Marble's  family,  called 
at  his  house,  and  (as  near  as  Mrs.  Marble,  with  her  im- 
perfect knowledge  of  the  language,  could  make  out) 
told  them  that  the  white  people  below  them  on  the  Lake 
had  been  nippoed  (killed)  a  day  or  two  previously.  This 
aroused  the  suspicion  of  the  Marbles,  and  none  the  less 
that  the  great  depth  of  the  snow  made  it  almost  impos- 
sible to  get  out  and  ascertain  the  truth  of  the  story. 
The  next  day  ( the  thirteenth  h  quite  early  in  the  fore- 
noon, four  Indians  came  to  Marble's  house  and  were  ad- 
mitted. Their  demeanor  was  so  friendly  as  to  disarm 
all  suspicion.  They  proposed  to  swap  rifies  with  Mar- 
ble and  the  terms  were  soon  agreed  upon. 

After  the  swap,  the  chief  suggested  that  they  should 
go  out  on  the  lake  and  shoot  at  a  mark.  Marble  assent- 
ed. After  a  few  discharges  fcliey  turned  to  come  in  the 
direction  of  the  house,  when  the  savages  allowed  Mar- 
ble  to  go  a  few  paces  ahead,  and  immediately  shot  him 


1G0  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

down.  Mrs.  Marble,  who  was  looking  out  of  the  cabin, 
saw  her  husband  fall,  and  immediately  ran  to  him.  The 
Indians  seized  her  and  told  her  that  they  would  not  kill 
her,  but  would  take  her  with  them. 

They  carried  her  in  triumph  to  the  camp,  whither 
they  had  previously  taken  three  other  white  women,  Mrs. 
Noble,  Mrs.  Thatcher,  and  Miss  Gardner. 

Inkpadootah  and  party  now  proceeded  to  Springfield, 
where  they  slaughtered  the  whole  settlement,  about  the 
twenty-seventh  of  March.  When  the  United  States 
troops,  arrived  from  Fort  Ridgely,  they  buried  two 
bodies,  and  the  volunteers  from  Iowa  buried  twenty- 
nine  others.  Besides  these,  others  were  missing.  The 
outlaws,  perceiving  that  the  soldiers  were  in  pursuit, 
made  their  escape.  The  four  captive  women  were  forced 
by  day  to  carry  heavy  burdens  through  deep  snow,  and 
at  night-fall  they  were  made  to  cut  wood  and  set  up  the 
tent,  and,  after  dark,  to  be  subject  to  the  indignities  that 
suggested  themselves  to  the  savages.  When  food 
began  to  fail,  the  white  women  subsisted  on  bones  and 
feathers. 

Mrs.  Thatcher  was  in  poor  health  in  consecpuence  of 
the  recent  birth  of  a  child,  ami  she  became  burdensome. 
Arriving  at  the  Big  Sioux  river,  the  Indians  made  a 
bridge  by  felling  a  tree  on  each  side  of  the  river  bank. 
Mrs.  Thatcher  attempted  to  cross,  but  failed,  and,  in 
despair,  refused  to  try  again.  One  of  the  men  took  her 
by  the  hand,  as  if  to  help  her,  and,  when  about  midway, 
pushed  her  into  the  stream.  She  swam  to  the  shore, 
and  they  pushed  her  off,  and  then  fired  at  her  as  if  she 
was  a  target,  until  life  was  extinct.  Dr.  Williamson  wrote: 

"In  the  early  spring,  it  was  next  to  impossible  to 
make  any  considerable  efforts  for  their  rescue;   and   it 


CAPTIVE    WOMAN    RESCUED.  1G1 

was  not  known  what  direction  the  captors  had  taken. 
Time  passed  on.  Two  military  expeditions  reached  the 
place  where  the  massacre  took  place,  but  did  nothing 
except  bury  the  slain.  Early  in  the  month  of  May,  two 
young  men  from  Lac  qui  Parle,  who  had  been  taught  by 
the  mission  to  read  and  write,  whose  mother  is  a  mem- 
ber of  our  church,  1  while  on  their  spring  hunt,  found 
themselves  in  the  neighborhood  of  Inkpadootah  and  his 
party.  Having  heard  that  they  held  some  American 
women  in  captivity,  the  two  brothers  visited  the  camp 
— though  this  was  at  some  risk  of  their  lives,  since 
Inkpdaootah's  hand  was  now  against  every  man, — and 
found  the  outlaws,  and  succeeded  in  bargaining  for  Mrs. 
Marble,  whom  they  first  took  to  their  mother's  tent/'  and 
then  brought  her  to  a  trading-house  at  Lac  qui  Parle, 
when  she  was  visited  by  those  connected  with  the  mis- 
sion at  Hazelwood,  and  clothed  once  more  in  civilized 
costume.  On  her  arrival  at  the  hotel  at  St.  Paul,  the 
citizens  welcomed  her,  and  presented  her  with  a  thous- 
and dollars.  The  desire  to  rescue  the  two  surviving, 
white  women  now  became  intense. 

One  night  a  good  Indian,  named  Paul  by  the  whites, 
an  elder  of  the  mission  church,  came  into  the  mission- 
house  and  said: — 

"If  the  white  chief  tells  me  to  go,  I  will  go."  "I  tell 
you  to  go,"  replied  Mr.  Flandrau,  then  Dakotah  Agent. 
With  two  companies  he  started  next  day,  with  a  wagon 
and  two  horses,  and  valuable  presents.  After  a  diligent 
search  the  outlaws  were  found  on  the  James  river  with 
a  band  of  Yauktons." 

A  few  days  before  Mrs.  Noble  had  been  murdered,  a 
Yankton,  who  had  lost  his  legs  by  disease,  had  purchased 

1  Letter  of  Dr.  Williamson. 


1G2  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

the  two  women.  One  night  Mrs.  Noble  was  ordered  to 
go  out,  and  be  subject  to  the  wishes  of  the  party.  She 
refusing  to  go,  a  son  of  Inkpaclootah  dragged  her  out  by 
the  hair  and  killed  her.  The  next  morning  a  Dakotah 
woman  took  Miss  Gardner,  the  sole  surviving  captive 
to  see  the  corpse,  which  had  been  horribly  treated  after 
death. 

Paul,  by  his  perseverance  and  large  presents,  at  length 
redeemed  the  captive,  and  she  was  brought  to  the  mis- 
sion-house, and  from  thence  she  visited  St.  Paul,  and 
was  restored  to  her  sister  in  Iowa. 

For  some  days  previous  to  the  first  of  July  it  had  been 
reported  that  one  of  Inkpadootah's  sons  was  in  a  camp 
on  the  Yellow  Medicine  river.  A  message  was  sent  to 
the  agent,  Flandrau,  who,  with  a  detachment  of  soldiers 
from  Port  Ridgely,  and  some  Indian  guides,  soon  ar- 
rived and  surrounded  the  lodges.  The  alarm  being  giv- 
en, Inkpadoo tali's  son,  said  to  have  been  the  murderer 
of  Mrs.  Noble,  ran  from  his  lodge  followed  by  his  wife- 
He  concealed  himself  for  a  short  period  in  the  brush  by 
the  water,  but  was  soon  ferreted  out  and  shot  by  United 
States  soldiers. 

The  eighth  Legislative  Assembly  convened  at  the  cap- 
itol  on  the  seventh  of  January,  1857,  and  J.  B.  Brisbin 
was  elected  President  of  the  Council,  and  J.  \Y.  Furber, 
Speaker  of  the  house. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  February,  1857,  and  act  passed 
the  United  States  Senate,  to  authorize  the  people  of 
Minnesota  to  form  a  constitution,  preparatory  to  their 
admission  into  the  Union  on  an  equal  footing  with  the 
original  states. 

Governor  Gorman  called  a  special  session  of  the  leg- 
islature, to  take  into  consideration  measures  that  would 


CONSTITUTIONAL   CONVENTION.  103 

give  efficiency  to  the  act.  The  extra  session  convened 
on  the  twenty-seventh,  and  a  message  was  transmitted 
by  Samuel  Medary,  who  had  been  appointed  governor 
in  place  of  W.  A.  Gorman,  whose  term  of  office  had  ex- 
pired. The  extra  session  adjourned  on  the  twenty-third 
of  May;  and  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the 
enabling  act  of  Congress,  an  election  was  held  on  the 
first  Monday  of  June,  for  delegates  to  a  convention  which 
was  to  assemble  at  the  capitol  on  the  second  Monday  in 
July.  The  election  resulted,  as  was  thought,  in  giving 
a  majority  of  delegates  to  the  Republican  party. 

At  midnight  previous  to  the  day  fixed  for  the  meeting 
of  the  convention,  the  Republicans  proceeded  to  the 
capitol,  because  the  enabling  act  had  not  fixed  at  what 
hour  on  the  second  Monday  the  convention  should  as- 
semble, and  fearing  that  the  Democratic  delegates  might 
anticipate  them,  and  elect  the  officers  of  the  body.  A 
little  before  12  a.  m.,  on  Monday,  the  secretary  of  the 
territory  entered  the  speaker's  rostrum,  and  began  to 
call  the  body  to  order,  and  at  the  same  time  a  delegate, 
J.  W.  North,  who  had  in  his  possession  a  written  request 
from  the  majority  of  the  delegates  present,  proceeded  to 
do  the  same  thing.  The  secretary  of  the  territory  put  a 
motion  to  adjourn,  and  the  Democratic  members  present 
voting  in  the  affirmative,  they  left  the  hall.  The  Repub- 
licans, feeling  that  they  were  in  the  majority,  remained, 
and  in  due  time  organized,  ami  proceeded  with  the  busi- 
ness specified  in  the  enabling  act,  to  form  a  constitution 
and  take  all  necessary  steps  for  the  establishment  of  a 
state  government,  in  conformity  with  the  Federal  Con- 
stitution, subject  to  the  approval  and  ratification  of  the 
people  of  the  proposed  state. 

After  several  days  the  Democratic  wing  also  organized 


164  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

in  the  Senate  chamber  at  the  capital,  and,  claiming  to 
be  the  true  body,  also  proceeded  to  form  a  constitution. 
Both  parties  were  remarkably  orderly  and  intelligent, 
and  everything  was  marked  by  perfect  decorum.  After 
they  had  been  in  session  some  weeks,  moderate  counsels 
prevailed,  and  a  committee  of  conference  was  appointed 
from  each  body,  which  resulted  in  both  adopting  the 
constitution  framed  by  the  Democratic  wing,  on  the 
twenty-ninth  of  August.  According  to  the  provision  of 
the  constitution  an  election  was  held  for  state  officers 
and  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  on  the  second 
Tuesday,  the  thirteenth  of  October.  The  constitution 
was  adopted  by  almost  a  unanimous  vote.  It  provided 
that  the  territorial  officers  should  retain  their  offices 
until  the  state  was  admitted  into  the  Union,  not  antici- 
pating the  long  delay  which  was  experienced. 

The  first  session  of  the  state  legislature  commenced 
on  the  first  Wednesday  of  December,  at  the  capitol,  in 
the  city  of  Saint  Paul;  and  during  the  month  elected 
Henry  M.  Rice  and  James  Shields  as  their  Representa- 
tives in  the  United  States  Senate. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  January,  185S,  Mr.  Douglas 
submitted  a  bill  to  the  United  States  Senate,  for  the  ad- 
mission of  Minnesota  into  the  Union.  On  the  first  of 
February,  a  discussion  arose  on  the  bill,  in  which  Sena- 
tors Douglas, Wilson,  Gwin,  Hale,  Mason,  Green,  Brown, 
and  Crittenden  participated.  Brown,  of  Mississippi, 
was  opposed  to  the  admission  of  Minnesota,  until  the 
Kansas  question  was  settled.  Mr.  Crittenden,  as  a 
Southern  man,  could  not  endorse  all  that  was  said  by 
the  Senator  from  Mississippi;  anil  his  words  of  wisdom 
and  moderation  during  this  day's  discussion,  were  wor- 
thy  of  remembrance.     On  April  the  seventh,  the  bill 


MINNESOTA  BECOMES  A  STATE.  1G5 

passed  the  Senate  with  only  three  dissenting  votes;  and 
in  a  short  time  the  House  of  Representatives  concurred, 
and  on  May  the  eleventh,  the  President  approved,  and 
Minnesota  was  fully  recognized  as  one  of  the  United 
States  of  America. 


166  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER  ELEVENTH. 

THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  STATE  GOYEPvNMENT. 

The  transition  of  Minnesota,  from  Territorial  depend- 
ency, to  the  position  of  an  organized  and  self-support- 
ing Commonwealth,  equal  in  dignity  and  privilege  with 
the  then  thirty-one  United  States  of  America,  occurred 
under  adverse  circumstances. 

The  great  commercial  cities  of  the  Atlantic  coast  were 
suffering  from  financial  embarrassment,  and  the  strin- 
gency of  the  money  market  seriously  cramped  those 
who  had  hoped  to  develop  the  resources  of  a  fertile  and 
healthful  State,  by  the  aid  of  borrowed  capital. 

The  exigencies  of  the  pioneer  settlers  were  such,  that 
they  were  ready  to  lend  a  willing  ear  to  any  one  who 
would  present  plans,  ostensibly  for  the  relief  of  a  com- 
munity that  was  literally  without  money. 

By  an  act  of  Congress  approved  March  fifth,  1857, 
lands  had  been  granted  to  the  territory  amounting  to 
4,500,000  acres,  for  the  construction  of  a  system  of  rail- 
ways. 

Immediately  a  number  of  shrewd  and  energetic  men 
combined  to  procure  the  control  of  the  land  grant,  and 
during  an  extra  session  of  the  Legislature  an  act  was 
passed  on  May  twenty-second,  1857,  giving  the  entire 
Congressional  grant  to  certain  chartered  railroad  com- 
panies. 


STATE  RAIL  ROAD  BONDS.  1G7 

A  few  months  only  elapsed,  before  the  citizens  dis- 
covered that  those  who  obtained  the  lands  had  neither 
the  money  nor  the  credit  to  carry  on  these  great  internal 
improvements.  In  the  winter  of  1858  the  Legislature 
again  listened  to  the  siren  voices  of  the  railway  corpora- 
tions, until  their  words  to  some  members  seemed  like 
"apples  of  gold  in  pictures  of  silver,"  and  another  act 
was  passed,  submitting  to  the  people  an  amendment  to 
the  Constitution,  which  provided  for  the  loan  of  the 
public  credit  to  the  land-grant  railroad  companies  to  the 
amount  of  85,000,000,  upon  condition  that  a  certain 
amount  of  labor  on  the  projected  roads  was  performed. 
The  time  specified  in  the  act  for  the  voting  of  the  peo- 
ple upon  the  amendment  was  April  fifteenth. 

Some  of  the  more  prudent  of  the  citizens  saw  in  this 
measure  a  "a  cloud  no  larger  than  a  man's  hand'"  which 
would  lead  to  a  terrific  storm,  and  a  large  public  meet- 
ing was  convened  at  the  Capitol  and  addressed  by  Ex- 
Governor  Gorman,  D.  A.  Robertson,  William  R.  Mar- 
shall, and  others,  deprecating  the  engrafting  of  such  a 
peculiar  amendment  upon  the  Constitution;  but  the 
people  would  not  listen,  their  hopes  and  happiness 
seemed  to  be  bound  up  in  railway  corporations,  and  on 
the  appointed  day  of  election  25,023  votes  were  cast  in 
favor  of,  while  only  6,733  were  deposited  against,  the 
amendment. 

The  good  sense  of  the  people  soon  led  them  to  amend 
this  article,  and  on  November  sixth,  I860,  the  section 
was  made  to  read  as  follows: 

"The  credit  of  the  State  shall  never  be  given  or  loaned 
in  aid  of  any  individual,  association  or  corporation:  nor 
shall  there  be  any  further  issue  of  bonds  denominated 
Minnesota  State  Railroad  Bonds,  under  what  purport  to 


168  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

bo  an  amendment  to  section  ten  (10)  of  article  nine  (9) 
of  the  Constitution,  adopted  April  fifteenth,  eighteen 
hundred  and  fifty-eight,  which  is  hereby  expunged  from 
the  Constitution,  saving,  excepting  and  reserving  to  the 
State,  nevertheless,  all  rights,  remedies,  and  forfeitures 
accruing  under  said  amendment." 

The  first  State  Legislature  had  assembled  on  Decem- 
ber second,  1S57,  before  the  formal  admission  of  Minne- 
sota into  the  Union,  and  on  March  twenty-fifth,  1858, 
adjourned  until  June  second,  when  it  again  met. 

Hon.  H.  H.  Sibley,  who  had  been  declared  Governor 
after  the  election  of  the  previous  October,  on  the  next 
day  delivered  his  inaugural  address. 

His  term  of  office  was  arduous,  growing  out  of  the 
peculiar  position  of  the  State  in  consequence  of  her  loan 
of  credit  to  the  railway  corporations.  On  August  fourth 
185S,  he  expressed  his  determination  not  to  deliver  any 
State  bonds  to  the  railway  companies,  unless  they  would 
give  first  mortgage  bonds  with  priority  of  lien  upon 
their  lands,  roads,  and  franchise  in  favor  of  the  State. 
One  of  the  companies  applied  for  a  mandamus 
from  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  to  compel 
the  issue  of  the  bonds  without  the  restriction  of  the 
Governor. 

In  November  the  court,  Judge  Flandrau  dissenting, 
ordered  the  Governor  to  issue  State  bonds  as  soon  as  the 
company  delivered  their  first  mortgage  bonds,  as  pro- 
vided by  the  Constitution. 

But  as  was  to  be  expected,  bonds  pat  forth  under 
such  peculiar  circumstances  were  not  sought  after  by 
capitalists.  After  over  S'2,000,000  of  bonds  had  been  is- 
sued, not  an  iroD  rail  had  been  laid,  and  only  about  250 
miles  of  grading  were  completed.     In  his  annual  mes- 


STATE    NORMAL   SCHOOLS.  1G9 

sage  to  the  second  Legislature  in  December,  1859,  Gov- 
ernor Sibley  said  of  the  loan  of  State  credit: 

"I  regret  to  be  obliged  to  state  that  the  measure  has 
proved  a  failure,  and  has  by  no  means  accomplished 
what  was  hoped  from  it,  either  in  providing  means  for 
the  issue  of  a  safe  currency,  or  aiding  the  companies  in 
the  completion  of  the  work  upon  the  roads." 

Notwithstanding  the  pecuniary  complications  of  the 
State  during  Governor  Sibley's  administration,  the  Leg- 
islature did  not  entirely  forget  that  there  were  some 
interests  of  more  importance  than  railway  construction, 
and  on  August  second,  1858,  largely  through  the  influ- 
ence of  the  late  John  D.  Ford,  M.  1).,  a  public-spirited 
citizen  of  \Vinona,  an  act  was  passed  for  the  establish- 
ment of  three  normal  schools  for  the  training  of  public 
school  teachers. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1859,  an  important  route  of 
travel  was  opened  between  the  Mississippi  and  Red 
River  of  the  north. 

The  enterprising  firm  of  J.  C.  Burbank  &  Co.  having 
secured  from  Sir  George  Simpson,  the  Governor  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  the  transportation  of  their  sup- 
plies by  way  of  St.  Paul,  which  had  hitherto  been  car- 
ried by  tedious  and  tortuous  routes  from  York  River  or 
Lake  Superior,  purchased  a  little  steamer  that  had  been 
built  by  Anson  North  up  ami  was  on  the  Red  River  of 
the  North,  and  commenced  the  carrying  of  goods  and 
passengers  by  land  to  Breckinridge,  and  from  thence  by 
water  to  Pembina. 

At  an  election  held  in  1859,  Alexander  Ramsey  was 
elected  Governor,  and  in  his  inaugural  message  to  the 
second  Legislature,  on  January  second,  I860,  he  devotes 
a  large  space  to  the  complications  arising  from  the  loan 


170  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

of  the  State  credit  to  railroad  companies.  He  urged 
that  something  should  be  done,  relative  to  the  outstand- 
ing 82,300,000  of  State  railroad  bonds,  and  suggested 
several  methods  which  might  be  adopted  for  withdraw- 
ing them.  In  the  course  of  his  argument  he  remarked: 
"It  is  extremely  desirable  to  remove  as  speedily  as  pos- 
sible so  vexing  a  question  from  our  State  politics,  and 
not  allow  it  to  remain  for  years  to  disturb  our  elections, 
perhaps  to  divide  our  people  into  bond  and  anti-bond 
parties,  and  introduce  annually  into  our  legislative 
halls  an  element  of  discord  and  possibly  of  corruption, 
all  to  end  just  as  similar  complications  in  other  States 
have  ended;  the  men  who  will  have  gradually  engrossed 
the  possession  of  all  the  bonds,  at  the  cost  of  a  few  cents 
on  the  dollar,  will  knock  year  after  year  at  the  door  of 
the  Legislature  for  their  payment  in  full;  the  press  will 
be  subsidized;  the  cry  of  repudiation  will  be  raised;  all 
the  ordinary  and  extraordinary  means  of  procuring  leg- 
islation in  doubtful  cases  will  be  freely  resorted  to;  until 
finally  the  bondholders  will  pile  up  almost  fabulous  for- 
tunes. *  *  *  It  is  assuredly  true  that  the  present 
time  is,  of  all  others,  alike  for  the  present  bondholders 
and  the  people  of  the  state,  the  very  time  to  arrange, 
adjust,  and  settle  these  unfortunate  and  deplorable  rail- 
road and  loan  complications." 

On  March  twenty-third,  1SG0,  the  first  white  person1 
executed  under  the  laws  of  the  State  was  hung,and,  from 
the  fact  that  the  one  who  suffered  the  penalty  was  a 
woman,  excited  considerable  attention. 

Michael  Bilansky  died  on  March  eleventh,  1859,  and 
upon  examination  was  found  to  have  been  poisoned. 
Anna,  his  fourth  wife,  was  tried  for  the  offence,  found 

1.    An  Indian  was  hung  in  December.  1851. 


A   WHITE    WOMAN   LEGALLY    EXECUTED.  171 

gailh',  and  on  December  third,  1859,  sentenced  to  be 
hung.  The  opponents  of  capital  punishment  secured 
the  passage  of  an  act  by  the  Legislature  to  meet  her  case, 
which  was  vetoed  by  the  Governor  as  unconstitutional. 
Two  days  before  the  execution  the  unhappy  woman  re- 
quested her  spiritual  adviser  to  write  to  her  father  and 
mother  in  North  Carolina,  but  not  to  state  the  cause  of 
her  death.  The  scaffold  was  erected  in  St.  Paul  near 
the  count}-  jail. 

The  third  State  Legislature  assembled  on  January 
eighth,  and  adjourned  on  March  eighth,  1861.  As  Min- 
nesota was  the  first  state  which  received  twelve  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  land  in  each  township  for  school 
purposes,  the  Governor  in  his  annual  message,  occupied 
several  pages  in  an  able  and  elaborate  argument  as  to 
the  best  methods  of  guarding  and  selling  the  school  lands 
and  protecting  the  school  fund.  The  comprehensive 
views  set  forth  made  a  deep  impression,  and  were  em- 
bodied in  appropriate  legislation,  and  the  school  land 
policy  of  the  state  has  called  forth  the  highest  com- 
mendation from  educators  in  other  states. 


172  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER  TWELFTH. 

RELIGIOUS    AND   EDUCATIONAL   REGINNINGS  IN  THE  WHITE 
SETTLEMENTS. 

The  chief  of  the  Kaposia  band  in  1S46,  was  shot  by 
his  own  brother  in  a  drunken  revel,  but  surviving  the 
wound,  and  apparently  alarmed  at  the  deterioration 
under  the  influence  of  the  modern  harpies  at  St.  Paul, 
went  to  Mr.  Bruce,  Indian  agent,  at  Fort  Snelling,  and 
requested  a  missionary.  The  Indian  agent  in  his  report 
to  government,  wrote:  "The  chief  of  the  Little  Crow's 
band,  who  reside  below  this  place  (Fort  Snelling)  about 
nine  miles,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  whisky 
dealers,  has  requested  to  have  a  school  established  at  his 
village.  He  says  they  are  determined  to  reform,  and 
for  the  future  will  try  to  do  better.  I  wrote  to  Doctor 
Williamson  soon  after  the  request  was  made,  desiring 
him  to  take  charge  of  the  school.  He  has  had  charge 
of  the  mission  school  at  Lac  qui  Parle  for  some  years, 
is  well  qualified,  and  is  an  excellent  physician." 

In  November,  1846,  Dr.  Williamson  came  from  Lac 
qui  Parle,  as  requested,  and  became  a  resident  of  Ka- 
posia. While  disapproving  of  their  practices,  he  felt  a 
kindly  interest  in  the  whites  of  Tig's  Eye,  which  place 
was  now  beginning  to  be  called,  after  a  little  log  chapel 
which  had  been  erected  by  the  voyageurs,  St.  Paul.* 
Though  a  missionary  among  the  Dakotahs,  he  was  the 
first  to  take  steps  to  promote  the  education  of  the  whites 


WILLIAMSON,    IN    1847,    DESCRIBES    ST.  PAUL.         173 

and  half-breeds  of  Minnesota.  In  the  year  1847  he 
wrote  to  Ex-Governor  Slade,  President  of  the  National 
Popular  Education  Society,  in  relation  to  the  condition 
of  what  lias  subsequently  become  the  capital  of  the 
state,  in  these  words:  "My  present  residence  is  on  the 
utmost  verge  of  civilization,  in  the  north-west  part  of 
the  United  States,  within  a  few  miles  of  the  principal 
village  of  white  men  in  the  territory  that  we  suppose 
will  bear  the  name  of  Minnesota,  which  some  would  ren- 
der 'clear  water',  though  strictly  it  signifies  slightly  tur- 
bid or  whitish  water. 

"The  village  referred  to  has  grown  up  within  a  few 
years  in  a  romantic  situation  on  a  high  bluff  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, and  has  been  baptized  by  the  Roman  Catholics, 
by  the  name  of  St.  Paul.  They  have  erected  in  it  a  small 
chapel,  and  constitute  much  the  larger  portion  of  the 
inhabitants.  The  Dakotahs  call  it  Im-ni-ja-ska  (  White 
Rock),  from  the  color  of  the  sandstone  which  forms  the 
bluff  on  which  the  village  stands.  This  village  has  five 
stores,  as  they  call  them,  at  all  of  which  intoxicating 
drinks  form  a  part,  and  I  suppose  the  principal  part,  of 
what  they  sell.  I  would  suppose  the  village  contains  a 
dozen  or  twenty  families  living  near  enough  to  send  to 
school.  Since  I  came  to  this  neighborhood  I  have  had 
frequent  occasion  to  visit  the  village,  and  have  been 
grieved  to  see  so  many  children  growing  up  entirely  ig- 
norant of  God.  and  unable  to  read  His  word,  with  no  one 
to  teach  them.  Unless  your  society  can  send  them  a 
teacher,  there  seems  to  be  little  prospect  of  their  having 
one  for  several  years.  A  few  days  since,  I  went  to  the 
place  for  the  purpose  of  making  inquiries  in  reference 
to  the  prospect  of  a  school.  I  visited  seven  families  in 
which  there  were  twenty-three  children  of  proper  age  to 


174  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

attend  school,  and  was  told  of  five  more  in  which  were 
thirteen  more  that  it  is  supposed  might  attend,  making 
thirty-six  in  twelve  families.  I  suppose  more  than  half 
of  the  parents  of  these  children  are  unable  to  read  them- 
selves, and  care  but  little  about  having  their  children 
taught. 

"I  suppose  a  good  female  teacher  can  do  more  to  pro- 
mote the  cause  of  education  and  true  religion  than  a 
man.  The  natural  politeness  of  the  French  ( who  con- 
stitute more  than  half  the  population)  would  cause  them 
to  be  kind  and  courteous  to  a  female.  I  suppose  she 
might  have  twelve  or  fifteen  scholars  to  begin  with,  and 
if  she  should  have  a  good  talent  of  winning  the  affec- 
tions of  children  (and  one  who  has  not  should  not  come), 
after  a  few  months  she  would  have  as  many  as  she  could 
attend  to. 

"One  woman  told  me  she  had  four  children  she  wished 
to  send  to  school,  and  that  she  would  give  boarding  and 
a  room  in  her  house  to  a  good  female  teacher,  for  the 
tuition  of  her  children. 

''A  teacher  for  this  place  should  love  the  Savior,  and 
for  his  sake  should  be  willing  to  forgo,  not  only  many  of 
the  religious  privileges  and  elegancies  of  Xew  England 
towns,  but  some  of  the  neatness  also.  She  should  be 
entirely  free  from  prejudice  on  account  of  color,  for 
among  her  scholars  she  might  find  not  only  English, 
French  and  Swiss,  but  Sioux  and  Chippewas,  with  some 
claiming  kindred  with  the  African  stock. 

"A  teacher  coming  should  bring  books  with  her  suffi- 
cient to  begin  a  school,  as  there  is  no  book-store  within 
three  hundred  miles." 

In  answer  to  his  wish,  Miss  Harriet  E.  Bishop  was 
sent,  and  after  a  visit  to  the   mission  house  at  Kaposia, 


FIRST    ST.  PAUL   SCHOOL-ROOM.  ^  175 

was  introduced  by  him  to  the  citizens  of  St.  Paul  as 
their  first  school  teacher.  The  wife  of  the  late  John  R. 
Irvine,  still  living  (January,  1887)  received  her  into  her 
family,  and  was  a  friend  until  her  death. 

The  teacher  thus  described  her  school-room:  "'The 
school  was  commenced  in  a  little  log  hovel,  covered  with 
bark,  and  chinked  with  mud,  previously  used  as  a  black- 
smith shop.  It  was  a  room  about  ten  by  twelve  feet. 
On  the  sides  of  the  interior  of  this  humble  log  cabin, 
pegs  were  driven  into  the  logs,  upon  which  boards  were 
laid  for  seats.  Another  seat  was  made  by  placing  one 
end  of  a  plank  between  the  cracks  of  the  logs,  and  the 
other  upon  a  chair.  This  was  for  visitors.  A  rickety, 
cross-legged  table  in  the  centre  completed  the  furniture." 

Iu  Stillwater  there  had  been  schools  for  a  brief  period, 
in  private  houses,  until  1848,  when  Amanda  M.  Hosford 
arrived  under  the  auspices  of  the  same  Educational 
Society  as  the  teacher  in  Saint  Paul,  and  in  1849,  a  Miss 
Backus,  also  under  this  Society,  opened  a  school  at  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  In  1849,  Miss  Bishop,  of  Saint 
Paul,  was  assisted  by  Miss  Scofield  of  the  National 
Educational  Society. 

The  first  resident  ordained  clergyman  in  Saint  Paul, 
after  Piev.  Mr.  Ravoux  of  the  Roman  Catholic  branch 
of  the  Church,  was  a  Presbyterian,  who  in  April,  1849, 
preached  his  first  sermon  in  a  small  school  room,  near 
Third  and  St.  Peter  street,  which  had  been  erected  for 
the  use  of  Miss  Bishop's  school.  Before  the  close  of 
the  summer,  the  Rev.  J.  P.  Parsons,  a  Baptist,  and  the 
Rev.  Chauncy  Hobart,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
branch  of  the  Church,  arrived.  At  Stillwater,  the  first 
resident  minister  came  in  the  autumn  of  1849,  the  Piev. 
J.  C.   Whitney,  a  Presbyterian,  and  a  few  weeks  later, 


176  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

arrived  the  Rev.  AY.  C.  Brown,  a  Baptist.  Until  the 
summer  of  1850,  there  were  occasional  services  in  the 
school  house  at  Saint  Anthony  conducted  by  the  Pres- 
byterian and  Baptist  Ministers  of  St.  Paul,  and  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  chaplain  of  Fort  Snelling. 

The  first  church  organizations  in  St.  Paul  after  the 
Roman  Catholic  were  the  Methodist  Episcopal  in  1848, 
the  Presbyterian,  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  November,  1819 
with  nine  members,  the  Baptist  on  the  twenty-sixth  of 
December  of  the  same  year  with  twelve  members. 

In  December,  a  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  at 
Stillwater.  At  Saint  Anthony,  a  Baptist  church  was 
organized  in  July,  1S50,  by  the  Rev.  AY.  C.  Brown,  and 
the  same  season  a  Presbyterian  church  by  the  Rev.  W. 
"Wheeler,  who  had  been  a  missionarv  in  Africa.  Durine 
this  season,  the  Rev.  J.  Lloyd  Breck,  T.  \Vilcoxson,  and 
J.  Merrick  came  to  St.  Paul  as  representatives  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  branch  of  the  church,  and  preached 
at  several  settlements  in  the  Territory.  In  the  autumn 
of  1850,  there  arrived  two  Congregational  ministers,  the 
Rev.  Richard  Hall,  and  Rev.  Charles  Seeombe.  The- 
former  organized  the  first  Congregational  church  in 
Minnesota  at  Point  Douglas,  and  the  latter  succeeded 
Mr.  Wheeler,  as  preacher  to  the  Presbyterian  church 
at  Saint  Anthony,  and  afterwards  organized  a  Congrega- 
tional church. 

The  legislature  of  1S19,  passed  laws  in  relation  to 
common  schools.  The  first  meetings  for  the  establish- 
ment of  schools  under  this  law,  were  held  in  December, 
1819,  at  Saint  Paul.  Three  district  schools  were  estab- 
lished, one  at  the  Methodist  church  on  Market  street 
to  be  taught  by  the  Rev.  Chauncy  Hobart,  one  in  the 
school  building  on  Thiid  street  near  St.  Peter,  in  care  of 


burt's  educational  history.  177 

Miss  Bishop,  and  Miss  Scofield  to  teach  in  a  building  to 
be  erected  on  Jackson  street  north  of  Fourth.  Soon 
the  other  settlements  adopted  the  common  school  sys- 
tem. 

D.  Burt,  State  Superintendent  of  Instruction,  in  a  re- 
port transmitted  to  the  Legislation  of  1881,  gave  the 
following  educational  history: 

"Facts  gathered  by  protracted  and  perplexing  study, 
are  in  possession  of  the  superintendent,  which  no  suc- 
cessor in  the  office  may  have  time  or  patience  to  gather 
from  the  meagre  original  sources.  It  may,  therefore,  be 
proper  to  chronicle  the  following  facts  from  these  ma- 
terials respecting  the  Superintendency  of  the  State  Edu- 
cational Department. 

"In  the  second  message  of  Gov.  Ramsey  to  the  legisla- 
tive assembly,  in  1851,  he  said:  'To  insure  method 
and  uniformity,  I  would  suggest  the  creation  of  the  of- 
fice of  superintendent  of  schools.' 

"At  the  same  session  a  bill  was  passed  creating  the  office 
and  requiring  the  Governor  to  appoint  a  superintendent, 
with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  council,  for  a  term  of 
two  years,  the  salary  being  fixed  at  £100.  The  first  ter- 
ritorial superintendent  was  E.  D.  Xeill. 

"The  first  annual  report  was  made  by  him  on  the  19th 
of  January,  1852,  of  which  only  a  few  copies  are  now  in 
existence.  Only  Ramsey,  Washington  and  Benton 
counties  reported.  There  were  eight  schools  and  five 
school  houses.  Mr.  Xeill  was  appointed  in  March,  1851, 
and  resigned  in  the  summer  of  1853. 

"E.  \Y.  Merrill  was  appointed  by  Governor  Gorman, 
August  13th.  1853,  to  fill  the  unexpired  part  of  Mr. 
NeilFs  second  term,  which  was  to  end  March  11th,  1854. 
Mr.  Merrill  made  the  third  territorial  report,   January 


178  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

21st,  1854.  He  was  succeeded  by  M.  C.  Baker,  who  was 
appointed  March  11th,  1854,  and  made  the  fourth  an- 
nual report,  January  1st,  1855. 

"In  the  annual  message  of  the  Governor,  for  1S57,  he 
says:  "The  superintendent  of  common  schools  has  taken 
great  pains  to  infuse  new  life  and  excite  a  new  interest 
in  every  branch  of  education,  as  far  as  it  came  under  his 
jurisdiction  and  control.  His  able  and  interesting  re- 
report  will  be  laid  before  you.' 

"Xo  educational  reports  can  be  found  from  1856  to  1859 
inclusive.  It  is  possible  however  that  such  reports  were 
printed.  The  person  to  whom  Governor  Gorman  re- 
ferred in  the  message  of  1857,  was  W.  S.  Hall.  This 
gentleman  was  appointed  territorial  superintendent  of 
schools,  perhaps  in  the  summer  of  1855;  possibly  not 
until  March.  1850.  Of  this  appointment  there  is  no 
record  in  the  Executive  Department.  He  collected 
and  printed  in  pamphlet  form  the  school  laws   of    1857. 

"It  appears  that  the  salary  in  1856  was  made  8500,  but 
the  records  of  the  Auditor's  office  show  that  no  salary 
was  paid  in  1858-59.  It  is  possible  that  Mr.  Hall  held 
the  office  nominally  and  without  pay  until  the  expiration 
of  the  territorial  government. 

"The  educational  reports  of  those  times  contain  almost 
no  statistical  or  definite  data  of  any  kind,  while  they  are 
big  with  hope  and  abundant  in  prophecy.  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  superintendents,  especially  of  the  last 
three  or  four  years  of  the  territorial  period,  did  not 
issue  blanks  for  teachers'  and  clerks'  reports.  Facts  of 
great  future  interest  might  have  been  thus  secured  and 
a  habit  of  reporting  established.  13ut  nothing  of  the 
kind   was   done,    and  we   really  know    almost   nothing 


STATE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS.       179 

of  the  schools  and  teachers  of  Minnesota  from   1856  to 
1860. 

STATE  SUPERINTENDENCE 

"The  territorial  law  of  1851  requiring  the  Governor  to 
appoint  a  'superintendent  of  schools,  remained  in  the 
statutes  until  1860.  In  that  year  it  was  enacted 
that  the  chancellor  of  the  university,  an  officer  then  re- 
required  to  be  appointed  by  the  regents,  should  be  ex- 
oflicio  superintendent.  This  act  made  E.  D.  Xeill  the 
first  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  His 
term  of  office  commenced  on  the  first  of  April,  1S60, 
and  in  justice  to  Mr.  Xeill  it  should  be  said,  he  was  not 
the  author  of  the  bungling  legislation  of  that  year  re- 
specting a  township  superintendency.  In  the  first 
state  report  he  recommended  the  genuine  township  sys- 
tem and  the  appointment  of  county  superintendents; 
and  also  that  the  apportionment  of  school  funds  should 
be  made,  'upon  the  number  of  scholars  attending  the 
district  schools.'  Two  of  these  early  recommendations 
have  been  realized  and  the  third  is  yet  to  come. 

"The  first  annual  state  report  could  contain  but  few  sta- 
tistics, since  territorial  superintendents  had  adopted  no 
plan  for  gathering  such  data.  Mr.  Xeill  was  the  auth- 
or of  the  first  teachers''  register  ever  issued  in  the  State, 
and  of  the  first  forms  used  for  reports  on  the  condition 
of  the  schools.  The  Executive  Documents  of  1860  con- 
tain his  first  report. 

"On  the  8th  of  March,  1861,  a  law  was  passed  requiring 
a  joint  convention  of  the  senate  and  house  to  elect  a 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  for  a  term  of  two 
years.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  motives  dictating 
this  legislation,  it  could  not  have  resulted  from  any  gen- 
eral hostility  to  Mr.  Neill;  for  on  the  same  day  in   which 


ISO  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

the  act  became  a  law,  he  was  elected  in  joint  convention 
by  an  almost  unanimous  vote  as  superintendent  of  pub- 
lic instruction  for  two  years.  But  on  the  29th  of  April, 
1861,  he  was  appointed  chaplain  of  the  First  Minnesota, 
causing  a  vacancy  in  the  superintendency,  which  the 
Governor  filled  by  requirement  of  the  school  law. 

"13.  F.  Crary  was  appointed  Mr.  Neill's  successor  and 
made  the  second  annual  report  in  December,  1861,  not 
forseeing  that  .a  radical  change  was  coming  with  the 
next  legislature. 

"In  March,  1862,  a  revised  school  code  was  passed, 
which  provided  that  the  secretary  of  state  should  be  ex 
officio  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  The  duties 
assigned  to  the  office  were  intended  only  to  keep  its 
machinery  in  motion.  School  registers  were  to  be  pre- 
pared and  distributed,  with  blank  forms  for  reports  of 
clerks  and  county  auditors.  The  current  school  fund 
was  to  be  apportioned  and  an  annual  report  submitted 
to  the  legislature,  containing  statistics  of  the  schools 
and  a  statement  of  their  condition.  This  plan  seems  to 
have  been  adopted  to  meet  a  demand  for  economy,  and 
perhaps  as  a  reaction  from  legislation  that  dropped  the 
office  into  a  political  arena;  for  it  could  not  have  been 
supposed  that  the  office  of  secretary  of  state  is  especial- 
ly germane  to  that  of  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion. This  legislation  made  D.  Blakely,  then  secretary 
of  state,  the  successor  of  Mr.  Crary.  In  his  report  for 
1863  Mr.  Blakely  said:  'While  it  was  evidently  not  the 
intention  of  the  legislature  in  merging  the  office  of 
public  instruction  in  that  of  secretary  of  state,  to  confer 
any  large  power  upon  the  new  officer,  or  to  expect  of 
him  an  active  supervision  of  the  working  machinery  of 
the  common  school  system   of  the  state,  I  have,  never- 


PUBLIC   SCHOOL    SYSTEM.  181 

theless,  been  at  no  small  pains  to  observe  its  practical 
operation,  to  trace  its  results  with  regard  to  the  great 
end  sought,  the  thorough  education  of  the  youth  of  the 
state  in  the  common  school  branches,  to  note  wherein 
it  conduces  to  that  end,  and  wherein  it  fails.' 

"It  was  fortunate  for  our  schools  that  their  first  ex 
officio  superintendent  was  willing  to  assume  work  of  this 
kind,  although  not  required  by  law,  but  more  fortunate 
still  that  he  had  the  ability  to  render  such  voluntary 
service  in  a  manner  creditable  to  any  professional  super- 
intendent. 

"The  school  fund  first  became  productive  under  his 
administration,  and  his  prudent  suggestions  and  care 
concerning  its  apportionment,  furnished  a  precedent 
which  future  superintendents  could  safely  follow. 

"H.  C.  Rogers  became  the  successor  of  Mr.  Blakely  as 
secretary  of  state,  and  made  his  first,  and  the  last  edu- 
cational report  under  this  ex  officio  arrangement,  Dec. 
31st,  1866.  This  report  is  mainly  statistical,  and  the 
facts  that  there  were  1,998  school  districts  and  100,000 
persons  of  school  age,  were  urged  as  reasons  for  making 
the  office  of  superintendent  of  public  instruction  dis- 
tinct from  that  of  secretary  of  state.  This  measure, 
previously  urged  by  Mr.  Blakely,  was  adopted  by  the 
legislature  of  1S67,  and  on  the  ninth  of  March  an  act 
was  passed  requiring  the  Governor,  by  and  with  the 
advice  of  the  Senate,  to  appoint  a  superintendent  of 
public  instruction;  the  first  term  of  office  to  commence 
on  the  first  Tuesday  of  April,  1867,  and  to  continue  two 
years.  This  act  enlarged  the  duties  and  powers  of  the 
office  and  exalted  education  into  a  distinct  department 
of  State,  requiring  annual  reports  to  the  legislature 
through  the  Governor. 


182 


HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


"M.  H.  Dunnell  was  the  first  superintendent  under 

this  law,  eutering  upon  duty  the  second  day  of  April, 
1867.  The  first  work  undertaken  by  him  was  a  revision 
of  the  school  registers  and  the  preparation  of  suitable 
blanks  for  the  reports  of  teachers,  clerks,  and  county 
superintendents.  He  also  secured  a  new  series  of  blanks 
and  blank  books  for  the  transaction  of  business  in  school 
districts.  Holding  meetings  for  conference  with  county 
superintendents,  he  was  successful  in  gaining  their 
co-operation  and  in  creating  a  new  interest  in  popular 
education.  A  result  of  this  was  more  full  and  accurate 
reports  to  the  educational  department  than  ever  before, 
and  the  securing  of  systematized  data,  which  was  impos- 
sible while  the  office  was  merely  a  subordinate  attach- 
ment of  another  department  of  State.  New  statistical 
tables  were  devised,  and  features  of  popular  interest 
were  introduced  into  the  annual  reports,  of  which  Mr. 
Dunnell  made  three. 

"The  schooL  legislation  of  18(37-9  was  of  great  advan- 
tage to  our  educational  system.  Provision  was  made  for 
teachers'  institutes,  and  there  was  a  gratifying  progress 
in  all  branches  of  our  school  work. 

"On  the  first  of  August,  1S70,  Mr.  Dunnell  resigned 
and  became  a  candidate  for  congress  and  was  successful. 
This  probably  seemed  going  up  higher,  and  perhaps  the 
seeming  was  real.  13e  this  as  it  may,  there  was  a  sub- 
stantial value  in  the  educational  measures  carried 
through  the  legislature  by  that  gentleman,  and  if  his 
official  position  in  the  educational  department  helped 
him  to  his  seat  in  congress,  it  was  an  incident  not  neces- 
sarily to  his  discredit  or  to  that  of  the  office  which  he 
left. 

"H.  B.  AVilson  was  appointed  August  1st,  1870,  to  serve 


teachers'  institutes  established.  183 

the  remainder  of  Mr.  Bunnell's  second  term,  which  was 
to  expire  April  1st,  1871.  Making  no  radical  changes 
in  the  arrangements  of  his  predecessor,  it  was  his  aim 
to  complete  the  system  of  reports  found  in  the  office, 
and  especially  to  render  the  statistical  tables  more  full 
and  accurate.  The  legislation  of  several  years  preceding 
1870,  had  enlarged  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  office, 
and  established  some  new  features  in  our  school  system, 
among  which  were  teachers'  institutes,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  But 
the  methods  of  conducting  these  had  not  been  fully 
determined,  and  time  alone  could  reveal  the  best  plans, 
and  the  good  judgment  of  a  practical  educator  was 
needed  to  suggest  improvements  and  secure  har- 
mony and  efficiency.  This  work  was  undertaken  by 
the  administration.  Through  lectures  and  person- 
al efforts,  the  office  steadily  rose  in  the  public  esti- 
mation, and  much  was  wisely  done  to  exalt  its  char- 
acter, extend  its  influence,  and  insure  its  stability.  Mr. 
Wilson  made  five  annual  reports,  covering  as  many 
years.  In  these  reports  are  able  discussions-on  school 
management  and  the  principles  of  educational  progress. 
He  was  twice  re-appointed  to  the  office,  and  closed  his 
last  term  on  the  fifth  of  April,  1875." 

The  constitution  of  Minnesota,  adopted  by  the  people 
in  October,  1857,  provides  "that  the  location  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Minnesota,  as  established  by  existing  laws,  is 
hereby  confirmed,  and  said  institution  is  hereby  declar- 
ed to  be  the  University  of  the  State  of  Minnesota."  The 
university  referred  to  as  already  established,  was  created 
in  1851  by  a  law  of  the  Territorial  legislature.  The  same 
year  Franklin  Steele  gave  a  site  for  the  preparatory 
school  at  St.  Anthony,  and  five  hundred  dollars,  which 


184  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

with  other  property  contributed  by  citizens,  was  used  to 
erect  a  frame  building.  The  edifice  stood  between  the 
Exposition  building,  in  the  East  division  of  Minneapo- 
lis, and  the  Winthrop  public  school.  The  school  was 
opened  in  October,  1851,  by  Prof.  E.  W.  Merrill,  a  com- 
petent instructor,  and  for  several  years  was  well  patron- 
ized. The  regents  of  the  university,  in  territorial  days, 
were  all  energetic  men,  cumbered  with  many  cares,  and 
while  they  had  not  a  dollar  in  their  treasury,  or  a  clear 
title  to  an  acre  of  land,  purchased  the  site  where 
the  university  is,  and  erected  a  costly  building. 
When  the  financial  crisis  in  1857  came  the  institution 
groaned  with  debt. 

The  new  regents,  after  the  state  was  organized,  at  the 
suggestion  of  Hon.  H.  M.  Rice,  in  1S58  elected  a  chan- 
cellor, in  the  hope  that  by  corresponding  with  experi- 
enced educators,  some  way  might  be  devised  to  rescue  the 
institution  from  death.  The  person  elected  believing  that 
by  strict  watchfulness  the  debt  might  be  liquidated,  and 
the  university  at  the  proper  time  serve  its  purpose,  ac- 
cepted the  office  without  any  stipulated  salary.  The 
chancellor,  after  correspondence  with  Chancellor  Tappan, 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  the  second  session  of 
the  State  Legislature,  secured  the  passage  of  an  act  for 
the  regulation  of  the  State  University,  in  which  all  pre- 
paratory work  was  discarded,  of  which  the  joint  com- 
mittee of  the  Senate  and  House  on  the  University  said 
in  the  report: 

"From  a  provision  in  the  enactment  of  the  present 
session  in  relation  to  donations  to  the  State  University, 
the  committee  are  very  hopeful  of  results. 

"The  universities  of  our  "Western  States  have  gener- 
ally excited  but  little  interest  among  the  friends  of  edu- 


STATE    UNIVERSITY.  185 

cation  The  Legislature  has  been  the  only  'alma  mater' 
to  which  they  could  look  for  nutrition,  and  too  often 
they  have  been  made  to  feel,  in  the  literal  signifi- 
cation of  the  word,  that  they  were  'alumni'.  Good  men, 
fearing  constant  and  hasty  changes  in  policy  by  suc- 
ceeding Legislatures,  have  preferred  to  endow  institu- 
tions of  learning  under  the  supervision  of  some  branch 
of  the  church.  Already  in  our  commonwealth,  Baldwin, 
the  distinguished  manufacturer  of  locomotives,  and  pub- 
lic-spirited citizens  of  Philadelphia,  have  given  thous- 
ands of  dollars  to  an  institution  of  learning  at  St.  Paul 
and  Hamline,  an  honored  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  has  given  a  large  sum  to  the  college  at 
Red  Wing. 

"Such  security  is  given  to  the  philanthropist,  in  the 
fifth  section  of  the  act  providing  for  the  government 
and  regulation  of  the  University  of  Minnesota,  that  it 
is  believed  that  in  the  course  of  three  or  four  years,  the 
State  may  expect  similar  endowments  from  individuals 
who  love  to  build  up  establishments  for  sound  learning, 
the  greatest  ornaments  a  republic  can  possess. 

"Indeed,  we  do  not  see,  with  the  guards  thrown  around 
donations  by  the  provisions  of  tlie  sections  alluded  to, 
why  men  of  every  school  of  philosophy,  and  shade  of 
religious  belief,  should  not  become  zealous  supporters  of 
one  great  university,  which  shall  be  known  far  and  wide 
as  the  University  of  the  State. 

"Time,  toil,  and  great  patience  will  be  needed  to  per- 
fect a  university  system.  The  oaks  of  California,  ma- 
jestic in  appearance  now,  required  centuries  for  develop- 
ment after  the  acorn  was  buried  in  the  soil.  For  five 
years  nothing  may  be  done  by  the  Piegents,  which  is  vis- 


1SG  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

ible  or  tangible,  and  yet  these  silent  and  invisible  pro- 
cesses are  necessary  to  permanent  growth. 

'"The  general  government  for  years  employed  skillful 
engineers  in  throwing  vast  rocks  into  the  ocean,  at  the 
entrance  of  Delaware  Bay.  To  the  class  of  men  who 
looked  for  results  in  a  day,  it  seemed  a  foolish  and  ex- 
pensive work,  but  little  better  than  'building  castles  in 
the  air';  but  now  that  these  piles  of  rock  have  reached 
the  surface  of  the  waters,  and  are  surmounted  by  mas- 
sive walls  behind  which  ships  nestle  in  the  fiercest 
storm,  with  the  security  of  the  brood  under  the  shadow 
of  the  mother's  wing,  the  humblest  mariner  appreciates 
the  work,  and  as  he  sails  along,  prays  'God  save  the 
Commonwealth.'  Let  us  lay  the  foundation  stones  of 
the  University,  and  the  generation  which  follows  us, 
wdien  they  behold  the  superstructure,  will  be  sure  to 
bless  the  foresight  and  the  persevering  labor  which  has 
secured  to  them  the  priceless  boon  of  a  complete  edu- 
cation; a  breakwater  against  the  waves  of  anarchy,  sup- 
erstition, and  'science  falsely  so  called."  ' 

For  the  sake  of  economy,  as  well  as  procuring  unity 
of  development  during  the  State's  infancy,  an  act  was 
also  passed  by  the  second  Legislature  making  the  Chan- 
cellor of  the  University  also  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Regents  after  the  passage 
of  the  Act,  on  the  fifth  of  April.  1SG0,  the  Chancellor 
presented  a  memorial,  which  was  adopted  by  the  Board, 
asking  the  Governor  to  take  steps  to  procure  two  addi- 
tional townships  of  land.  The  memorial  concluded  as 
follows: 

"Heretofore  Congress  has  made  grants  to  Territories 
not  having  organized  any  Universities,  and  the  lands  be- 


LAND  GRANT  FOR  UNIVERSITY.  187 

iog  free  from  all  prospective  incumbrances,  the  Enab- 
ling Acts  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and  Iowa  have  used 
the  following  similar  phraseology: 

"'Seventy-two  sections  of  land,  set  apart  and  reserved 
for  the   use  and  support   of  a  University  by  an  Act  of 

Congress   approved  on  -— — day   of also    hereby 

granted,  and  conveyed  to  the  State  to  be  appropriated 
solely  to  the  use  and  support  of  said  University  in  such 
manner  as  the  Legislature  may  prescribe. 

"The  condition  of  Minnesota  being  different,  so  far  as  a 
Territorial  University  was  concerned,  we  expect  and 
find  different  language  in  the  Enabling  Act.  There  is 
no  reference  as  in  the  Acts  alluded  to,  to  previous  re- 
sources, but  it  is  prospective.  It  declares  that  if  certain 
provisions  are  accepted  that  seventy-two  sections  of 
land  shall  be  set  apart  and  reserved  for  the  use  and 
support  of  a  Stoic  University  to  be  selected  by  the  Gov- 
ernor of  said  State  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Com- 
missioner of   the  General  Land  office. 

"Although  a  Territorial  University  had  been  in  exis- 
tence for  years,  aud  the  Regents  had  selected  lands, 
there  is  no  reference  thereto,  but  the  language  pre- 
scribes selections  for  a  future  State  University.  Cer- 
tainly it  was  not  the  intention  of  Congress  to  turn  over 
the  debts  and  prospectively  encumbered  lands  of  an  old 
and  badly  managed  Territorial  institution,  but,  to  give 
the  State  that  was  to  be,  a  grant  for  a  State  University, 
free  from  all  connections   with  territorial  organizations." 

The  Regents  after  several  years  of  earnest  effort  ob- 
tained the  additional  two  townships  of  land.  While 
some  of  the  best  friends  of  the  University  were  absent 
from  the  State,  the  Legislature  modified  the  Act  which 
had    been    approved    by    the  then    Chancellor  of    the 


188  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

University  of  Michigan,  and  added  a  preparatory 
school,  and  abolished  the  office  of  Chancellor. 

At  present  there  remains  but  one  preparatory  class, 
and  under  an  efficient  President  the  institution  in  its 
general  features  now  resembles  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan.     _ 

Two  institutions  of  learning,  supported  by  private 
munificence  were  chartered,  before  the  commencement 
of  the  war  with  the  late  slave  states. 

In  February,  1853  the  legislature  chartered  the  Baldwin 
school,  which  was  opened  the  following  June  at  St.Paul, 
and  in  December  of  the  same  year,  its  trustees  dedicated 
a  two-story  brick  edifice,  still  standing  at  the  head  of 
Rice  Park,  and  now  owned  by  the  city,  at  that  time,  the 
largest  brick  building  for  educational  purposes  in  Minne- 
sota. In  their  second  catalogue  the  trustees  mention  that 
the  design  of  the  projectors  of  the  Baldwin  school  was 
the  establishment  of  a  series  of  schools,  for  the  educa- 
tion of  both  sexes.  The  preparatory  department  for  fe- 
males was  first  commenced  because  there  were  more  of 
that  sex  prepared  to  avail  themselves  of  the  advantages 
afforded.  The  impression  was  thus  gained  that  the 
Baldwin  School  was  intended  for  the  education  of  female 
youth.  It  has  therefore  been  deemed  expedient  to  dis- 
tinguish the  male  department  by  the  "College  of  Saint 
Paul." 

The  College  of  Saint  Paul  was  duly  incorporated,  and 
a  large  stone  edifice  erected  for  its  use,  on  Wilkin  street 
near  the  bluffs,  and  enrolled  as  one  of  the  colleges  under 
the  patronage  of  the  "Society  for  promoting  collegiate 
education  in  the  West." 

The  second  printed  catalogue  of  the  Baldwin  School 
and  College  of  St.  Paul,    in    1851,    gives  the   names  of 


MA0ALE8TEE   COLLEGE.  189 

seventy-four  pupils  in  the  Baldwin  School,  and  thirty- 
four  in  the  academic  department  of  the  College  of  Saint 
Paul,  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  eight  students.  During 
the  year  18(34  these  institutions  were  again  brought 
under  one  college  charter,  and  in  1874,  that  charter  was 
amended  so  that  the  college  would  be  known  as  Macal- 
ester  College,  and  providing  that  the  preparatory  de- 
partment of  the  college  shall  be  called  the  Baldwin 
School. 

In  1854,  by  the  efforts  of  Hev.  David  Brooks  and  oth- 
ers, Hamline  University  was  chartered,  and  established 
at  Red  Wing,  and  for  several  years  did  a  good  work 
under  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Jabez  Brooks.  For  a  time 
it  was  suspended,  but  a  few  years  ago  it  was  removed  to 
St.  Paul,  and  under  its  present  management  has  a  hope- 
ful future. 


190  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER   THIRTEENTH. 

Minnesota's  part  in  suppressing  slaveholders' 
rebellion:  occurrences  of  18G1. 

The  people  of  Minnesota  had  not  been  as  excited  as 
those  of  the  Atlantic  States  relative  to  the  questions 
that  were  discussed  previous  to  the  presidential  election 
of  November,  1860.  A  majority  had  calmly  declared 
their  preference  for  Abraham  Lincoln  as  President  of 
the  republic. 

The  sources  of  the  Mississippi  River  being  in  the 
State,  its  waters,  after  rolling  by  the  capital,  also  wash 
the  borders  of  the  former  slave  States  of  Missouri,  Ten- 
nessee, Mississippi,  Arkansas,  and  Louisana,  and  pass- 
ing the  city  of  New  Orleans,  are  lost  in  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico. Living  upon  the  banks  of  the  same  river,  in  the 
summer-time,  the  slaveholder  would  leave  his  plantation 
and  breathe  the  bracing  atmosphere  of  the  valley  of  the 
Upper  Mississippi,  and  while  he  discovered  that  the 
citizens  of  Minnesota,  with  but  few  exceptions,  consid- 
ered the  holding  of  persons  of  African  descent  in  slave- 
ry as  a  foul  blot  upon  the  reputation  of  States  that  be- 
longed to  a  so-called  free  republic,  yet  he  was  treated 
with  kindness,  and  was  convinced  that  there  was  no  dis- 
position upon  the  part  of  the  inhabitants  to  use  unlawful 
measures  for  the  abolition  of  slavery. 

But  the  blood  of  her  quiet  and  intelligent  population 
was  stirred  on  the   morning  of  April  fourteenth,   1801, 


GOV.    RAMSEY    OFFERS   A   REGIMENT.  191 

by  the  intelligence  communicated  in  the  daily  papers  of 
the  capital,  that  the  insurgents  of  South  Carolina  had 
bombarded  Fort  Sumter,  and  that  after  a  gallant 
resistance  of  thirty-four  hours,  General  Anderson  and 
the  few  soldiers  of  his  command  had  been  obliged  to 
haul  down  their  country's  Hag  and  evacuate  the  fort. 

The  sad,  thoughtful  countenances  of  the  congrega- 
tions worshipping  in  the  churches,  the  groups  of  earnest 
men  talking  at  the  corners  of  the  streets  on  that  event- 
ful Sunday,  indicated  their  conviction  that  the  existence 
of  the  nation  was  imperilled,  and  that  the  honor  of 
the  flag  must  be  sustained  by  the  expenditure  of  life 
and  much  treasure. 

Governor  Ramsey  was  in  Washington  at  this  period, 
and  on  Sunday  called  upon  the  President  of  the  repub- 
lic with  two  other  citizens  from  Minnesota,  and  was  the 
first  of  the  State  governors  to  tender  the  services  of  the 
people  he  represented  in  defence  of  the  republic. 

The  offer  of  a  regiment  was  accepted,  and  the  Gov- 
ernor sent  a  dispatch  to  Lieutenant-governor  Donnelly, 
which  caused  the  issuing  on  Tuesday,  the  sixteenth,  of  a 
proclamation  calling  for  a  regiment  of  volunteers  to 
serve  three  month  unless  sooner  discharged. 

Business  during  the  week  was  almost  suspended.  The 
national  flag  displayed  over  the  stores  and  the  roofs  of 
private  residences  evinced  that  there  was  a  determina- 
tion to  preserve  what,  with  all  of  its  blemishes,  was  still 
the  best  of  earthly  governments. 

All  political  party  ties  were  obliterated,  and  the  pub- 
lic meetings  at  the  capital  and  at  St.  Anthony,  Minne- 
apolis, Ked  Wing,  Winona,  and  all  the  principal  towns, 
indicated  a  surprising  unanimity  and  resolve  to  use 
every  effort  to  conquer  the  slaveholders'  rebellion. 


192  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

Under  the  call  issued  by  the  lieutenant-governor,  act- 
ing in  the  absence  of  the  Governor,  recruiting  -was  begun 
with  alacrity.  On  Monday  morning,  the  sixteenth,  com- 
panies of  the  artillery  of  the  regular  army  arrived  at 
St.  Paul  from  Fort  Ridgley  in  charge  of  Major  Pem- 
berton,  hastening  to  Washington  to  aid  in  protection  of 
the  capital;  but  this  officer,  before  he  reached  the  desti- 
nation, resigned  his  command,  and,  although  a  native  of 
one  of  the  free  States,  offered  his  sword  in  defence  of 
the  confederacy  of  slave  States. 

The  first  company  raised  under  the  call  of  the  State 
was  composed  of  the  most  energetic  of  the  young  men 
of  St.  Paul,  and  its  captain  was  the  esteemed  William 
H.  Acker,  who  had  been  the  adjutant-general  of  the 
State  militia.  Other  companies  quickly  followed  in 
tendering  their  services. 

On  the  last  Monday  of  April  a  camp  for  the  1st  Reg- 
nient  was  opened  at  Fort  Snelling,  and  Captain  Ander- 
son D.  Nelson,  U.  S.  A.,  in  two  or  three  days  mustered 
in  the  companies,  and  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  the 
month  Adjutant-General  John  13.  Sanborn  in  behalf  of 
Governor  Ramsey,  ex-officio  commander-in-chief  of  State 
troops  issued  the  following  order: 

'•The  commander-in-chief  expresses  his  gratification 
at  the  prompt  response  to  the  call  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States  upon  the  militia  of  Minnesota,  and 
his  regret  that  under  the  present  requisition  for  only 
ten  companies  it  is  not  possible  to  accept  the  services  of 
all  the  companies  offered. 

"The  following  companies,  under  the  operation  of 
General  Order  No.  1,  have  been  accepted:  Company  B, 
2d  Regiment,  Capt.  Lester;  Company  A,  6th  Regiment, 
Capt.  Pell;  Company  A,   7th  Regiment,   Capt.  Colville; 


TELEGRAM   OF   SECRETARY    OF   WAR.  193 

Company  A,  Sth  Regiment,  Capt.  Dike;  Company  A, 
13th  Regiment,  Capt.  Adams;  Company.  A,  16th  Regi- 
ment, Capt.  Putnam;  Company  A,  17th  Regiment,  Capt. 
Morgan;  Company  A,  *23d  Regiment,  Capt.  "Wilkin; 
Company  13,  23d  Regiment,  Capt.  Acker;  Company  A, 
25th  Regiment,  Captain  Bromley.  Each  officer  and 
private  is  recommended  to  provide  himself  with  a  blank- 
et. Captains  of  the  above  companies  will  report  their 
respective  commands  to  the  adjutant-general  at  Fort 
Snelling. 

"The  commander-in-chief  recommends  the  companies 
not  enumerated  above  to  maintain  their  organization 
and  perfect  their  drill,  and  that  patriotic  citizens 
throughout  the  State  continue  to  enroll  themselves  and 
be  ready  for  any  emergency." 

More  companies  having  offered  than  were  necessary 
to  fill  the  quota  of  the  1st  Regiment,  on  May  third  the 
Governor  sent  a  telegram  to  the  President  offering  a 
second  regiment. 

The  authorities  at  Washington  were  soon  convinced 
of  the  magnitude  of  the  rebellion,  and  on  May  seventh 
Mr.  Cameron,  Secretary  of  War,  sent  the  following  tele- 
gram to  Governor  Ramsey: 

"It  is  decidedly  preferable  that  all  the  regiments 
mustered  into  the  service  of  the  government  from  your 
State,  not  already  actually  sent  forward,  should  be  mus- 
tered into  service  for  three  years  or  during  the  war. 
If  any  persons  belonging  to  the  regiments  already  mus- 
tered for  three  months,  but  not  yet  actually  sent  for- 
ward, should  be  unwilling  to  serve  for  three  years  or 
during  the  war,  could  not  their  places  be  filled  by  others 
willing  to  serve?" 

On   May    eleventh,     Lieutenant-governor     Donnelly 


194  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

telegraphed  to  Governor  Eamsey,  then  in  Washington 
on  official  business:  "The  entire  1st  Regiment,  by  its 
commissioned  officers,  is  this  day  tendered  to  the  Presi- 
dent for  three  years  or  during  the  Avar.  The  men  will 
be  mustered  in  to-day  by  Capt.  Nelson.  In  case  of 
deficiency  in  the  ranks,  what  course  would  you  recom- 
mend? Answer."  The  same  day  the  Governor  replied: 
"Adjutant  General  Thomas  authorizes  me  to  say  that 
Captain  Nelson  may  muster  in  Colonel  Gorman's  regi- 
ment at  once  for  three  years  or  during  the  war.  Do 
this  at  once  under  dispatch  of  May  seventh." 

The  ladies  of  St.  Paul  having  purchased  a  handsome 
silk  flag  for  the  regiment,  on  May  twenty-fifth  they 
came  to  receive  the  present.  After  a  six  miles'  march 
from  Fort  Snelling,  the  regiment  arrived  in  the  suburbs 
of  the  city  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Before 
they  reached  the  capitol  the  grounds  surrounding  and 
adjoining  streets  were  crowded  with  spectators.  The 
troops  having  been  formed  in  hollow  square  in  front  of 
the  building,  the  wife  of  the  Governor  appeared  on  the 
steps  with  the  llag  in  her  hand,  and  Captain  Stansbury, 
of  U.  S.  A.  Topograhical  Engineers,  made  the  presenta- 
tion speech  in  behalf  of  the  ladies,  after  which  Colonel 
Gormon  replied  most  appropriately. 

On  June  fourteenth,  the  Governor  received  a  dispatch 
from  the  secretary  of  war  ordering  the  regiment  to 
Washington.  Messengers  were  immediately  sent  by 
Colonel  Gorman  to  the  companies  temporarily  garrison- 
ing Forts  Eipley  and  Ridgley  to  report  at  Fort  Snell- 
ing. 

On  the  twenty-first,  at  an  early  hour  they  embarked 


DEPARTURE   OF   FIRST   REGIMENT.  195 

in  the  steamers  Northern  Belle  and  War  Eagle. l  Be- 
fore marching  out  of  the  fort  to  the  boats,  their  chap- 
lain delivered  the  following  address: 

"Soldiers  of  Minnesota  !  This  is  not  the  hour  for 
many  words.  The  moment  your  faces  are  turned  toward 
the  South  you  assume  a  new  attitude.  Gray-haired 
sires,  venerable  matrons,  young  men  and  fair  maidens 
will  look  upon  you  with  pride  as  you  glide  by  their 
peaceful  homes.  From  week  to  week  they  will  eagerly 
search  the  newspapers  to  learn  your  position  and  condi- 
tion. 

"To-day  the  whole  State  view  you  as  representative 
men,  and  you  no  doubt  realize  that  the  honor  of  our 
Commonwealth  is  largely  entrusted  to  your  keeping. 

"Your  errand  is  not  to  overturn,  but  to  uphold  the 
most  tolerant  and  forbearing  government  on  earth.  You 
go  to  war  with  misguided  brethren,  not  with  wrathful, 
but  with  mourning  hearts.  Your  demeanor  from  the 
day  of  enlistment  shows  that  you  are  fit  for  some  thing 
else  than  'treason,  stratagem  and  spoils. 

"To  fight  for  a  great  principle  is  a  noble  work.  "We 
are  all  erring  and  fallible  men;  but  the  civilized  world 
feel  that  you  are  engaged  in  a  just  cause,  which  God  will 
defend. 

"In  introducing  myself  to  you,  I  would  say,  I  come 

1.      STAFF  OFFICF.RS. 

Willi-1  A.  Gorman,  Colonel.  Promoted  to  Briuadier-General  by  advice  of  Gen- 
eral Winfield  Scott.  Oct.  7.  1861. 

Stephen  Miller.  Lieutenant-Colonel.  Made  Colonel  of  7th  Regiment,  Aug.  l^J'2. 

William  H.  Dike.  Major.    Resigned  Oct.  22,  lsnil. 

William  B.  I  each.  Adjutant.     Made  Captain  and  A.  A.  G.  Feb.  23,  1862. 

Mark  W.  Downie,  Quartermaster.  Promoted  Captain  Company  B,  Jul v  16, 
18(11. 

Jacob  H.  Stewart,  Surgeon.  Prisoner  of  war  at  Bull  Run,  July,  1861.  Paroled 
at  Richmond. 

Charles  W.  Le  Boutillier.  Assistant-Burgeon.  Prisoner  of  war  at  Bull  Ron. 
Surgeon  y  h  Regiment.    Died  April  i>tw. 

Edward  I).  Neill,  Chaplain.  Resigned  July  13,  1862,  and  commissioned  by 
President  Lincoln  as  Hospital  Chaplain  U.S.A.  In  1864  resigned,  and  com- 
missioned as  one  of  the  secretaries  to  President. 


196  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

~  not  to  com  maud,  but  to  be  a  friend,  and  point  to  you 
the  'Friend  of  friends,'  who  sticketh  closer  than  a  broth- 
er, who  pities  when  no  earthly  eye  cau  pity,  aud  who  can 
save  when  no  earthly  arm  can  save. 

"As  far  as  in  me  lies,  I  am  ready  to  make  known  the 
glad  tidings  of  the  gospel,  the  simple  but  sublime  truth 
as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  religion  I  shall  inculcate 
will  make  you  self-denying,  courageous,  cheerful  here, 
and  happy  hereafter. 

"Soldiers  !  if  you  would  be  obedient  to  God,  you 
must  honor  him  who  has  been  ordained  to  lead  you 
forth.  The  colonel's  will  must  be  your  will.  If,  like 
the  Roman  centurion,  he  says,  'go,'  go  you  must.  If  he 
says  'come,'  come  you  must.  God  grant  you  all  the  He- 
brew's enduring  faith,  and  you  will  be  sure  to  have  the 
Hebrew's  valor.  Now  with  the  Hebrew  benediction  I 
close. 

"The  Lord  bless  you  and  keep  you.  The  Lord  make 
his  face  shine  upon  you  and  be  gracious  unto  you.  The 
Lord  lift  up  his  countenance  upon  you  and  give  you 
peace.     Amen  !" 

At  7:30  a.  M.  the  troops  arrived  at  the  upper  landing 
of  St.  Paul,  and  amid  the  tears  aud  cheers  of  its  citizens, 
marched  through  the  city  to  the  lower  landing,  and  again 
embarked  for  the  seat  of  war. 

While  this  regiment  did  not  contain  any  braver  or 
better  men  than  those  which  were  subsequently  raised, 
yet  because  it  was  the  First,  and  also  the  only  one,  from 
Minnesota,  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  engaged  in  the 
defence  of  the  national  capital,  its  course  during  the 
war  was  watched  with  deep  interest.  Their  journey  to 
Washington  so  soon  after  the  call  for  troops,  and  their 


FIRST   REGIMENT    IN   CHICAGO.  197 

fine,  healthful  appearance,  were  commended  by  the  pub- 
lic press. 

The  Chicago  Tribune,  June  twenty-third,  said:  "Gal- 
lant Minnesota  deserves  high  credit  for  her  noble  sons 
and  their  appearance  yesterday.  They  have  enjoyed  in 
their  make-up  that  rare  and  excellent  process  of  selec- 
tion and  culling  from  the  older  States  which  has  thrown 
into  the  van  of  civilization  the  hardy  lumbermen  and 
first  settlers  of  the  wilds.  There  are  few  regiments  we 
ever  saw  that  can  compete  in  brawn  and  muscle  with 
these  Minnesotians,  used  to  the  axe,  the  rifle,  the  oar, 
the  setting  pole,  and  thus  every  way  splendid  material 
for  soldiers." 

Another  paper  of  the  same  city,  in  an  editorial  with 
the  caption  "Northern  Hive"  thus  descants  :  "The  ad- 
vent of  the  Minnesota  regiment  on  Sunday  on  their  way 
to  the  seat  of  war  was  suggestive  of  many  curious 
reflections.  It  carried  the  mind  back  to  the  twilight  of 
modern  civilization,  to  the  days  when  not  hireling  mer- 
cenaries, but  companions  in  arms,  free  men  of  northern 
Europe,  burst  from  their  icy  homes  and  overwhelmed 
their  effeminate  southern  neighbors.  The  old  story  of 
the  world's  history  seemed  to  be  repeated;  and  chron- 
icle and  tradition  alike  teach  us  what  the  result  must 
be.  As  we  beheld  the  men  march  by,  their  stalwart 
forms,  wild  dress,  martial  bearing,  and  healthy  complex- 
ions gave  reality  to  the  reflection,  that  this,  after  all  was 
repetition  of  the  scene — that  these  were  forms  as 
brawny,  faces  as  intelligent,  expressions  as  resolute,  as 
in  the  days  of  old  issued  from  the  Northern  Hive  to 
plant  the  foundations  of  all  that  we  now  know  of  free- 
dom and  civilization. 

After  remaining  a  few  days  encamped  at  Washington, 


19S  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

the  regiment  was  ordered  to  cross  the  Potomac.  On 
the  morning  of  the  third  of  July  it  left  its  camping 
ground  in  the  rear  of  the  Capitol,  and,  marching  down 
to  the  Washington  Navy  Yard,  was  received  by  Commo- 
dore Dahlgreen,  who  had  two  staunch  steamers  all  ready 
to  convey  it  to  Alexandria.  Arriving  at  Alexandria  in 
less  than  an  hour,  it  marched  to  General  McDowell's 
head-quarters,  and  received  directions  to  retire  to  a 
camping-ground,  in  the  suburbs.  On  the  sixteenth  it 
began  to  move  toward,  and  on  the  nineteenth  reached, 
Centreville,  and  from  this  place,  early  on  the  morning 
of  the  twenty-first,  proceeded  to  the  battle  field. 

As  it  is  impossible  for  any  person  to  see  the  entire 
battle-field,  it  is  always  better  to  present  the  statement 
of  several  eye-witnesses,  made  from  different  stand- 
points. 

Using  the  reports  of  the  division,  brigade,  and  regi- 
mental commander  on  the  conduct  of  the  1st  Minnesota 
Regiment  in  battle  on  Sunday,  July  twenty-first,  at  Bull 
Hun,  we  have  added  thereto  in  footnotes1-  the  accounts 
of  others. 

Javan  B.  Irvine,  of  St.  Paul,  arrived  a  few  days  before  the  battle,  on  a  visit 
to  hib  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Halsted,  of  Company  A.  In  civilian's  dress,  h^  took 
a  musket  and  went  into  action,  and  captured  the  officer  of  the  highest  rank 
among  all  the  prisoners  taken  by  the  various  brigades  For  his  bravery  he  was 
made  First  Lieutenant  13th  United  States  Infantry  on  October  twenty-sixth. 
1861.  He  is  still  a  captain  in  the  regular  army.  Mr.  Irvine's  letters  to  his  wife! 
publish,  d  in  one  of  the  St.  Paul  papers,  were  among  the  best  written  after  the 
fight,  and  are  worthy  of  preservation.    He  st-ys: 

'We  took  a  circuitous  route  through  t>e  wood?,  and  arrived  in  vicinitv  of 
the  enemy  at  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.*  YYhileon  the  march,  the  battle 
was  commenced  by  the  artillery  who  were  in  the  advance,  and  the  roar  of  which 
we  could  distinctly  hear  some  three  or  four  miles  off,  and  the  smoke  rising  at 
every  discharge  of  the  same. 

_  "You  can  form  some  idea,  perhaps,  of  our  forces,  when  I  tell  you  that  our 
lines  were  some  rive  or  six  miles  in  length,  and  the  Minnesota  Resiment  was  as 
ditlicidt  to  find  as  it  would  be  to  find  a  single  person  in  a  very  large  crowd  of 
men. 

"At  about  eleven  o'clock  we  halted  in  a  ravine,  to  give  the  men  an  opt  ortu- 
nity  to  till  their  canteens  with  water.  At  this  time  tht-  ririnsj  had  become  pretty 
general,  and  the  roar  of  artillery  and  the  rattle  nf  musketry  was  heard  only 
about  a  mile  distant.  You  have,  no  doubt,  read  of  the  agitation  and  fear  which 
come  over  individuals  on  the  approach  of  battle,  but  1  must  say,  and  I  say  it 
not  in  the  spirit  of  braggadocio  either,  that  1  experienced  no  such  f^ars  or  agi- 


heintzelman's  repokt.  199 

Colonel  S.  P.  Heintzelman,  of  17th  United  States  In- 
fantry, was  the  commander  of  the  division  to  which  the 
Minnesota  regiment  was  attached. 

He  says  in  his  report  of  the  battle:  "At  Sndley's 
Springs,  while  waiting  the  passage  of  the  troops  of  the 
division  in  our  front,  I  ordered  forward  the  1st  brigade 
to  fill  their  canteens.  Before  this  was  accomplished  the 
leading  regiments  of  Colonel  Hunter's  division  became 
engaged.  General  McDowell,  who.  accompanied  by  his 
staff,  had  passed  us  a  short  time  before,  sent  back  Cap- 
tain Wright  of  the  engineers,  and  Major  McDowell,  one 
of  his  aids,  to  send  forward  two  regiments. 
Captain  Wright  led  forward  the  Minnesota  Regiment  to 

tation  during  the  conflict.  I  was  surprised  at  this  myself,  for  I  certainly  thought 
that  I  should  feel  as  writers  have  so  often  described.  . 

"While  halting  here,  I,  together  with  others  of  the  hoys,  coolly  went  to  picK- 
ing  blackberries,  with  which  the  whole  country  abounds.  We  soon  took  up 
our  line  of  march,  anil  drew  near  to  the  battle-field  (at  double-quick  time),  and 
were  stationed  in  a  field,  sheltered  by  a  strip  of  woods,  about  one-half  mile 
from  where  oqi  forces  were  fighting.  Here  we  divested  ourselves  of  our  blank- 
ets and  haversacks  of  provision,  and  whatever  might  impede  us  in  fighting,  re- 
taining, however,  of  course,  our  arms  and  ammunition.  .  . 

"You  have  no  idea  how  desperate  men  will  act  while  approaching  or  retiring 
from  a  battle-field.  They  appeared  to  have  no  care  or  anxiety  for  anything  ex- 
cept their  arms;  all  else  was  thrown  off  and  strewn  along  the  road. 

"We  did  not  remain  long  in  the  field  where  we  were  stationed  before  the  or- 
der came  to  advance,  which  we  did  through  the  woods  at  double-<|iuck.  and 
soon  came  op  to  the  field  where  the  conflict  was  raging.  Here  we  halted  in  the 
edge  of  the  woods  in  the  presence  of  the  dead  and  wounded,  who  were  lying  ail 
aronud  us,  until  about  5000  troops  filed  past  us  to  take  their  position. 

"As  they  passed  the  general  officers  and  staff  they  cheered  in  the  wildest  ana 
most  enthusiastic  manner.  After  they  had  passed  we  took  our  positional  the 
open  fi.-ld  in  sight  of  the  enemv's  batteries.  We  were  soon  ordered  to  advance 
from  this  position  and  tile  around  to  the  left,  for  the  purpose  of  outflanking 
and  taking  them.  While  doing  this  the  cannon-balls  and  bomb-shells  new 
around  u>  thick  and  fast.  Fortunately  they  were  most  of  them  aimed  too  Jugn 
and  we  passed  unharmed,  but  not  without  frequent  dodirin^  by  some  of  the  no;.s 
as  the  balls  and  shells  whistled  by.  Our  battery  had  engaged  them  by  tin-  time 
in  front  while  we  were  passing  to  the  left.  \\  e  ran  down  a  hill  and  crossed  a 
email  stream.  I  being  a  little  in  advance  stopped  to  pick  a  few  blackberries  to 
quench  my  thirst  while  the  regiment  came  up.  We  soon  came  to  a  road  where 
we  were  met  by  an  aid  of  the  commanding  officer,  who  desired  us  to  follow  him 
and  take  up  a  position  where  he  could  get  no  other  troops  to  stand.  We  told 
him  we  would  follow  him,  and  he  gave  us  a  position  to  the  left  of  the  batten 
and  directly  opposite  to  it.  Here  we  formed  in  line  of  battle  with  a  strip  or. 
woods  between  us  ami  about  four  thousand  secessionists.  We  had  just  formed 
when  we  were  ordered  to  kneel  and  fire  upon  the  rebels,  who  were  advancing 
under  cover  of  the  woods.  We  fired  two  volleys  through  the  woods,  when  we 
were  ordered  to  rally  in  the  woods  in  OUT  rear,  which  all  did  except,  the  tir^C 
platoon  of  our  own  company,  who  did  not  hear  the  order  and  stood  their  grouna. 
The  rebels  soon  came  out  from  their  shelter  between  us  and  their  battery.  I  ol- 
onel  Gorman  mistook  them  for  friends  and  told  the  men  to  cease  tiring  upon 


200  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

the  left  of  the  road  which  crosecl  the  run  at  this  point. 
*  *  *  I  accompanied  this  regiment.  At  a  lit- 
tle more  than  a  mile  from  the  ford  we  came  upon  the 
battle-field.  Ricketts'  Battery  was  posted  on  a  hill  to 
the  right  of  Hunter's  Division,  and  to  the  right  of  the 
road.  After  firing  some  twenty  minutes  at  a  battery  of 
the  enemy  placed  just  beyond  the  crest  of  a  hill,  the 
distance  being  too  great,  it  was  moved  forward  to  within 
about  one  thousand  feet  of  the  enemy's  battery.  Here 
the  battery  was  exposed  to  a  heavy  fire  of  musketry, 
which  soon  disabled  it.  Franklin's  Brigade  was  placed 
on  the  right  of  the  woods  near  the  center  of  our  line, 
and  on  ground  rising  toward  the  enemy's  position." 

them,  although  they  had  three  secession  flags  flying  directly  in  front  of  their 
advancing  columns.  This  threw  our  men  into  confusion,  some  declaring  they 
were  friends,  otheis  that  they  were  enemies.  I  called  to  our  hoys  to  give  it  to 
them,  and  tired  away  myself  as  rapidly  as  possible.  The  rebels  themselves  mis- 
took us  for  Georgia  troops,  and  waved  their  hands  to  us  to  cease  tiring.  I  had 
just  loaded  to  give  them  another  charge  when  a  lieutenant-colonel  of  a  Miss- 
issippi regiment  rode  out  between  ns,  waving  his  hand  for  us  to  stop  nrina.  I 
rashed  up  to  him  and  asked  if  he  was  a  secessionist.  He  said  'he  was  a  Miss- 
issippian'.  I  presented  my  bayonet  to  his  breast  and  commanded  him  to  sur- 
render, which  he  did  after  some  hesitation.  I  ordered  him  to  dismount  and  led 
him  and  his  horse  from  the  field,  in  the  meantime  disarming  him  of  his  sword 
and  pistols.  I  led  him  oft'  about  two  miles  and  placed  him  in  charge  of  a  lieu- 
tenant, with  an  escort  of  cavalry,  to  be  taken  to  General  McDowell.  Here- 
quested  the  otlicer  to  allow  me  to  accompany  him.  as  lie  desired  my  protection. 
The  officers  assured  him  that  he  would  be  safe  in  their  hands,  and  he  rode  off. 
I  retained  his  pistol,  but  sent  his  sword  with  nim." 

In  another  letter,  on  July  twenty-fifth,  Mr.  Irvine  writes: 

"I  have  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Brooks,  who  is  con- 
fined in  the  old  capital.  I  found  him  in  a  pleasant  room  on  the  third  story  sur 
rounded  by  several  southern  gentlemen,  among  whom  was  Senator  Brecken- 
ridge.  He  was  glad  to  see  me,  and  appeared  quite  well  after  the  fatigue  of  the 
battle  of  Sunday.  .  .  ,  „  ,   .„  .  T  . 

'There  were  with  me  Chaplain  Neill,  Captains  Wilkin  andColville.  and  Lieu- 
tenant Coats,  who  were  introduced  to  the  colonel.  We  had  a  very  pleasant  in- 
terview, and  invited  the  colonel  to  call  on  us  at  our  camp  when  he  obtained  his 
parole.  He  is  a  fine  appearing  and  pleasant  man.  I  also  saw  the  two  other 
prisoners.  They  are  tine  Looking  fellows,  and  one.  Mr.  Lewis,  of  the  Palmetto 
Kities  of  South  Carolina,  very  much  of  a  gentleman.  The  other  man  s  name  is 
Walker,  of  Mississippi.  *  *  *  *  As  to  the  fighting :  qualities  of  the 
1st  Minnes  ita,  Company  A  took  its  position  as  you  will  see  on  the  plan,  and  the 
1st  platoon  never  moved  from  it  until  ordered  to  retreat.  Captain  \\  ilkin 
fought  like  a  hero.  He  seized  a  rifle  and  shot  down  four  or  five  of  the  rebels, 
and  took  one  prisoner.  The  drummer  boy  Hines  [Company  A  J  took  an  officer's 
horse,  with  sword,  pistol,  and  trappings.  -.,—,.        „  ,, 

"Much  praise  is  awarded  to  Lieutenant  Welch  of  Red  Wing,  for  the  gallantry 
and  intrepidity  hedisplayed  in  rallying  and  cheering  his  men.  Lieutenant  Har- 
ris, of  the  same  company,  also  behaved  nobly. 

"Captain  McKutie,  of  the  Faribault  Company,  while  leading  his  men,  was 
t  hot  dead. 


franklin's  report.  201 

Colonel  W.  B.  Franklin,  of  the  regular  army,  brigade 
commander,  in  his  report,  after  stating  that  Ricketts' 
Battery  in  its  second  position  was  soon  disabled,  says  he 
ordered  the  5th  and  11th  Massachusetts  Regiments  to 
save  the  battery,  but  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  the 
men  to  draw  off  the  guns."  He  then  continues:  "The 
Minnesota  Regiment  moved  from  its  position  on  the  right 
of  the  field  to  the  support  of  Ricketts'  Battery,  and  gal- 
lantly engaged  the  enemy  at  that  point.  It  was  so  near 
the  enemy's  lines  that  friends  and  foes  were  for  a  long 
time  confounded.  The  regiment  behaved  exceedingly 
well." 

Colonel  Gorman,  in  his   report   to   General  Franklin, 

'The  regimental  flag  presented  by  the  ladies  of  Winona  was  pierced  by  thir- 
teen balls,  one  a  cannon-ball  through  the  blue  field,  muking  a  hole  about  a  foot 
long. 

******** 

"I  have  not  been  mustered  in  yet,  anil  think  I  shall  not  be.  I  shall  fight  on 
my  own  hook,  always,  however,  going  into  the  field  with  Company  A,  and  stick- 
ing to  them." 

EXTRACTS  FROM  CHAPLAIN'S  JOURNAL. 

"Saturday,. Jul;/  twentieth.— In  company  with  Chaplain  Da  Costa  and  Assis- 
tant-Surgeon Keen  of  the  Massachusetts  5th.  walked  to  the  scene  of  Thursday's 
engagement.  When  we  came  in  sight  of  the  enemy's  hospital,  our  advance 
pickets  stopped  us,  as  it  was  dangerous  to  proceed  nearer. 

"Captain  Adams,  of  Company  H.  afterwards  obtained  permission  to  pass  the 
picket,  and  was  fired  upon  by  tiie  enemy. 

'This  afternoon  a  flag  taken  at  Fairfax  was  paraded  under  an  escort  of  Fire 
Zonaves  ami  Michigan  1st.  It  is  of  silk,  and  bears  the  inscription,  Tensas 
Rifle-:,'— a  Louisiana  corps.  On  the  central  stripes  is  a  representation  of  a  cot- 
ton-bale. 

^"General  McDowell  has  issued  orders  directing  us  to  be  ready  to  march  at  six 
o'clock  p.  M.  After  all  things  were  ready,  an  aid  came  with  an  order  postpon- 
ing the  march  until  two  o'clock  to-morrow. 
m  'Sunday,  July  twenty-first.— Sergeant  Young  came  and  told  me  that  it  was 
time  to  rise.  The  night  was  cold,  and  after  I  rose  I  hastened  to  one  of  the  few 
camp-fires  that  h*d  been  lighted,  to  warm  myself.  The  moon  shone  brightly, 
and  men  moved  about  without  much  speaking,  feeling  that  this  might  be  their 
la>t  Sunday  on  earth. 

"About  three  o'clock  A.  M.  we  left  camp  and  wound  up  the  hill  to  Centreville. 
At  the  end  of  the  village  we  halted  until  daylight,  being  delayed  by  the  passage 
of  Colonel  Hunter's  column,  which  had  preceeded  us  by  another  road  to  this 
point. 

"Following  the  column  of  Hunter,  we  passed  a  bridge  near  Centreville,  I  be- 
lieve on  the  Warrenton  road.  While  Tyler's  division  kept  on  this  road,  those 
of  Hunter  and  Heintzelman  soon  turned.  Forseve  al  miles  we  passed  through 
woodlands  of  Oak  and  hickory,  where  no  springs  could  be  found  that  were 
serviceable,  and  the  m>'n  suffered  much  for  watt-rand  were  quite  fatigued,  as  it 
was  warm;  many  of  them  had  neither  had  breakfast  nor  6upp"er  the  night  be- 
fore. 

"Emerging  into  an  open  country  and  looking  to  our  left,  we  could  see  the 


202  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

remarks:  "Immediately  upon  Ricketts'  Battery  coming 
into  position  and  we  in  line  of  battle,  Colonel  Heintzel- 
rnan  rode  up  between  our  lines  and  that  of  the  enemy, 
within  pistol-shot  of  each,  which  circumstance  stagger- 
ed my  judgment  whether  those  in  front  were  friends  or 
enemies,  it  being  equally  manifest  that  the  enemy  were 
in  the  same  dilemma  as  to  our  identity;  but  a  few  sec- 
onds, however,  undeceived  both,  they  displayed  the  rebel 
and  Ave  the  Union  flag.  Instantly  a  blaze  of  fire  was 
poured  into  the  forces  of  the  combatants,  each  produc- 
ing terrible  destruction,  owing  to  the  close  proximity  of 
the  forces,  which  was  followed  by  volley  after  volley,  in 
regular  and  irregular   order  as  to   time,  until  Pdcketts' 

smoke  of  artillery  rising  from  the  woods  about  a  mile  or  two  distant,  indicating 
that  the  action  with  the  enemy  had  fairly  commenced.  About  eleven  o'clock 
we  crossed  a  small  branch  which  I  suppose  was  Bull  Run.  As  Company  A  was 
crossing.  Colonel  Gorman,  who  was  on  theotherside,  in  a  loud  voice  urged  the 
regiment  to  close  up  and  hurry  on.  With  alacrity  the  men  obeyed,  and  with 
donble-quick  step  they  ran  up  the  hill-side,  which  was  through  woodland.  Just 
before  we  reached  the  summit,  we  met  ambulances  and  soldiers  carrying  down 
wounded  and  dying men  to  a  church  called  Sudley  Church,  which  was  on  the 
roadside  between  the  scene  of  action  and  the  ford.  As  we  turned  into  the  wood 
near  the  battle-rield  an  officer  in  uniform,  and  wounded  badly  in  the  neck, 
passed  in  a  vehicle.  With  a  smile  of  enthusiasm  he  threw  up  his  arms  and 
urged  us  on;  he  was  sai  I  to  be  General  Hunter.  After  passing  through  the 
woods  several  rods,  we  came  to  a  clearing,  and  our  regiment  formed  in  column 
and  stood  alone,  the  other  regiment  of  the  brigade  having  pa-sed  at  a  later  pe- 
riod directly  up  the  road  from  the  ford.  As  the  regiment  waited  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, Colonel  Heintzelman,  the  commander  of  our  division,  and  another  offi- 
cer, went  to  an  eminence  near  by,  anil  with  a  telescope  took  a  view,  As  the 
wounded  men  of  the  regiments  began  to  appear  on  the  edge  of  the  woods. 
Surgeon  Le  Bouti) her  requested  me  to  go  and  a.-k  Dr.  Stewart  to  come  up  with 
the  hospital  attendants  and  the  litters.  [  went  back  as  requested  and  saw  the 
doctor;  he  told  me  that  the  medical  director  had  requested  him  to  stay  at  and 
near  Sudley  Church.  With  privates  Dengleand  Williams,  attached  to  the  assis- 
tant surgeon,  I  hurried  back  with  the  litters,  and  found  the  regiment  had  left 
the  clearing.  Passing  through  a  narrow  strip  of  woods,  I  came  to  open  and 
cultivated  land,  and  found  the  regiment.  They  occupied  ground  lately  occu- 
pied by  the  enemy,  who  had  been  driven  back  by  the  Khode  Island  Brigade. 
The  enemy's  batteries  were  planted  on  the  heights  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
open  valley-  Captain  liickett'a  (J.  S.  Battery,  belonging  to  our  brigade,  was 
ordered  to  engage  the  enemy,  and  the  Minnesota  Kegiment  to  support  it.  As 
they  hurried  through  the  gate-way  to  take  position  opposite  the  enemy's  rifled 
cannon,  it  was  difficult  for  t tie  soldiers  to  push  through,  and  I  busied 
myself  in  pulling  down  fence  rails,  so  they  could  move  faster  and  not  break 
column. 

"After  Rickett'sD.  S.  Artillery  began  to  fire  I  did  not  follow  our  regiment, 
but  remained  on  the  field  at  the  point  when-  the  artillery  unlimbered. 

"As  I  stood,  General  Burnside,  of  Khode  island,  whose  acquaintance  I  had 
made  in  the  winter  of '.V.»-'tio,  at  the  hou>e  of  General  McClellan.  in  Chicago. 
rode  up  on  horseback,  and  I  learned  from  him  the  history  of  the  engagement  of 
the  lthode   Island  Artillery   with    the  enemy.     He  supposed  that   the  enemy's 


.     FIRST   REGIMENT   AT    BULL    RUN.  203 

Battery  was  disabled  and  cut  to  pieces,  and  a  large  por- 
tion of  its  officers  and  men  had  fallen,  and  until  Compa- 
nies H,  J,  K,  C,  G,  and  those  immediately  surrounding 
my  regimental  ilag,  were  so  desperately  cut  to  pieces  as 
to  make  it  more  of  a  slaughter-house  than  an  equal  com- 
bat. *  *  -  *  I  feel  it  due  to  my  regiment  to 
say  that,  before  leaving  the  extreme  right  of  our  line, 
vthe  enemy  attempted  to  make  a  charge  with  a  body  of 
cavalry,  who  were  met  by  my  command  and  a  part  of 
the  Fire  Zouaves  and  repulsed  with  considerable  loss  to 
the  enemy,  but  without  any  to  us.  *  *  *  I 
regard  it  as  an  event  of  rare  occurrence  in  the  annals  of 
history  that  a  regiment  of  volunteers,  not  over  three 

battery  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  from  where  he  found  it,  and  when 
he  came  insight,  he  was  obliged  to  reply,  and  at  half-wheel  engage  them.  After 
a  hot  contest  he  dislodged  them  from  their  position. 

"  While  talking  with  General  Burn  side,  General  .McDowell  rode  on  to  the  ele- 
vated held  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the  road,  and  with  several  members  of  the 
staff  sat  in  their  saddles  and  viewed  the  action.  Rickett's  Battery  now  ceased 
firing,  and  attaching  their  caissons  came  out  of  the  field  where  they  first  posted 
and  wheeling  into  the  road,  descended  to  a  position  nearer  the  regiment  and 
the  enemy,  where  they  suffered  severely.  One  of  his  lieutenants,  Douglas  Ram- 
sey, a  nephew  of  one  with  whom  I  was  acquainted,  had  his   head  shot  off. 

"As  L stood.  1  could  see  the  locality  where  the  Minnesota  1st  and  the  Fire 
Zouaves  were  fighting.  With  a  piece  of  wood  on  their  right,  they  had  readied 
the  ascent  of  the  slope,  on  the  crest  of  which  was  the  principal  battery  of  the 
Confederates;  but  the  woods,  as  the  clouds  of  dust  indicated,  were  fast  beina: 
filled  with  fresh  troops  of  the  enemy.  As  the  cannon-balls  flew  past  me  I 
changed  my  position  from  time  to  time,  and  once  came  to  a  small  one-story 
house  on  our  left  filled  with  wounded  of  other  regiments.  Even  here  the  shots 
from  the  rifled  cannon  came.  Just  before  the  retreat  from  the  field,  I  went  in- 
to the  woods  that  skirted  over  near  where  stood  the  ambulances.  One  of  these 
attached  to  our  brigade  was  foremost,  and  a  horse  with  a  saddle  on  that  was 
next  the  ambulance  ,  was  shot  while  I  was  talking  to  the  driver.  I  had  been 
re-re  but  a  few  minutes,  when  a  young  man  named  Workman,  a  member  of  the 
Regimental  Hand  came  up  and  told  me  that  there  were  several  of  our  regiment 
wounded  and  on  the  field  not  far  distant,  and  that  he  feared  unless  we  could 
reach  them  soon  they  would  be  captured.  In  the  absence  of  the  surgeons.  I 
told  tlie  driver  of  the  ambulance  to  take  Workman  and  myself  to  the  spot  indi- 
cated. Drove  up  to  a  fence  of  a  small  farm-house,  and  into  the  yard 
where  lay  numbers  of  wounded  men:  all  were  eager  to  be  placed  in  the  ambu- 
lance, but  I  was  obliged  to  tell  them  it  was  reservedfor  the  wounded  of  the 
Minnesota  Regiment.  Keceiviug  four  of  our  men,  I  drove  off  the  field  to  Sad- 
ley  Church,  which  was  used  as  a  hospital. 

"Here  was  a  scene  bathing  description.  The  benches  from 
this  rude  country  church  had  all  been  removed,  and  its  floor 
was  strewn  with  wounded  and  d.wng.  The  gallery  also  was  full.  Ascend- 
ing, I  found  Dr.  Stewart.  Stretched  on  his  hack  was  an  elderly  man  of  Com- 
pany B,  begging  for  water: his  look  was  irresistible,  and  picking  up  a  cup  be- 
smeared with  blood.  I  went  to  a  brook  some  distance  off  and  brought  him 
what  was  mud  and  water:  but  this  impure  potion  was  eagerly  quaffed.  Finding 
John  T.  llalsted,  of  St.  Paul,  1  led  him  up  stairs  to  the  doctor,  as  the  fillers  of 


201  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

months  in  the  service,  marched  up  without  flinching  to 
the  mouth  of  batteries  supported  by  thousands  of  infan- 
try, and  opened  and  maintained  a  fire  until  one-fifth  of 
the  whole  regiment  was  killed,  wounded,  or  made  pris- 
oners, before  retiring,  except  for  purposes  of  advantage 
of  position. 

"My  heart  is  full  of  gratitude  to  my  officers  and  men 
for  their  gallant  bearing  throughout  the  whole  of  this 
desperate  engagement,  and  to  distinguish  the  merits  of 
one  from  another  would  be  invidious,  and  injustice 
might  be  done.  A  portion  of  the  right  wing,  owing  to 
the  configuration  of  the  ground,  became  detached,  under 
Lieut.  Col.  Miller  whose  gallantry  was  conspicuous  and 
who  contested  every  inch  of  the  ground. 

his  left  Land  were  shattered  by  a  ball.  While  his  risht  arm  was  round  my  neck, 
he  showed  some  feeling,  and  when  I  told  him  his  wound  was  not  serious  he 
eaid,  'O/i,  /  am  not  thinking  of  that,  but  of  how  many  of  our  brave  men  have 
been  cut  down  by  the  enemy.1'' 

"Captain  Acker,  of  St.  Paul,  slightly  wounded  in  the  eye,  was  lying  on  the 
church  floor  near  the  pulpit.  As  the  groans  of  those  mortally  wounded  were 
dreadful  he  walked  out  to  the  open  air  leaning  on  my  arm.  As  I  sat  with  him 
near  a  tree,  I  noticed  my  trunk  containing  my  entire  wardrobe  not  far  distant, 
also  those  of  Doctors  Stewart  and  Le  Boutiilier,  all  of  which  became  spoil  of 
the  enemy.  While  under  the  tree  a  private  of  ( lonipany  K  called  my  attention 
to  a  prisoner  he  had  taken,  a  soldier  of  a  Mississippi  regiment.  The  prisoner 
tirst  addressing  me  as  captain,  I  told  him  I  was  a  chaplain:  he  grasped  my  hand 
and  <aid  he  hoped  "he  was  a  Christian,  and  had  enlisted  from  conseienth  us  mo- 
tives, as  he  thi night  Southern  rights  had  been  infrinded  upon.'  He  then  begged 
me  to  protect  him  from  ill-usage,  and  not  force  him  to  tight  against  his  hrethren. 
I  assured  him  there  was  neither  danger  of  ill-treatment  from  our  troops,  nor 
compulsion  by  the  United  States  government  to  make  him  bear  arms  on  our 
side. 

"Captain  Acker,  fearing  capture,  told  me  he  would  like  to  find  our  regiment. 
Taking  my  arm  we  walked  down  to  the  ford,  not  far  from  the  church,  und  there 
learned  that  Colonel  Gorman,  with  such  officers  and  soldiers  as  he  could  find, 
had  returned  toward  Centreville.  Meeting  Gates  (iibbs,  a  son  of  Justice  (iibbs 
of  St.  Paul,  and  one  of  my  Sunday-school  scholars  when  I  preached  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  driving  an  empty  ambulance  1  placed  therein  Captain 
Acker.  Had  not  proceeded  very  far  before  I  found  soldiers  carrying  Lieutenant, 
Harley,  of  Captain  Pell's  company,  on  a  litter.  He  was  taken  up.  and  in  a  few 
minutes  had  our  ambulance  full  of  our  wounded,  and  among  others.  Robert 
Stephens,  who.  in  1849,  when  a  lad,  assisted  in  plastering  my  house,  the  tirst 
brick  edifice  built  in  Minnesota. 

"While  on  the  Warrenton  Turnpike,  in  the  woods,  about  two  miles  south  of 
the  bridge  over  Cub  Knn,  the  soldiers  in  foot  of  the  ambulance  appeared  to  be 
in  gn  at  confusion:  we  weie  told  that  the  enemy  had  flanked  us.  Fearing  that  a 
charge  might  be  made,  1  asked  the  driver  for  somnthing  red  to  hang  out  of  the 
ambulance,  as  a  hospital  flag.  A  youth  of  the  Faribault  Conn  any,  by  the  name 
of  Kerrof ,  hearing  my  question,  although  lying  in  the  bottom  <-f  the  ambulance. 
wounded  in  the  leg,  and  very  weak,  sat  up  and  tore  off  his  red  flannel  shirt  and 
gave  it  to  me.    Placing  it  on  a  sabre  bayonet,  I  held  it  for  a  time  over  the  ambu- 


col.  w.  a.  gorman's  report.  205 

"Major  Dike  and  my  adjutant  bore  themselves  with 
coolness  throughout.  My  chaplain,  Rev.  E.  D.  Xeill, 
■was  on  the  field  the  whole  time,  and,  in  the  midst  of 
danger,  giving  aid  and  comfort  to  the  wounded.  Dr. 
Stewart  while  on  the  field  was  ordered  to  the  hospital  by 
a  medical  officer  of  the  army.  Dr.  Le  Boutillier  contin- 
ued with  the  regiment." 

After  the  battle,  the  regiment  returned  to  Washington 
to  recruit.  On  the  second  of  August  they  marched  to 
the  Upper  'Potomac,  and  on  the  seventh  went  into  camp 
near  Seneca  Mills,  where  they  remained  until  the  fif- 
teenth, and  then  moved  to  a  point  between  Poolesville 
and  Edward's  Ferry,  which  proved  to  be  their  winter 
quarters.     They    were   attached   to   Gormans'  Brigade, 

lance.  As  we  neared  Cub  Run  bridge,  there  was  evidence  of  a  panic.  Baggage 
wagons  were  overturned,  muskets  and  blankets  strewn  on  the  road,  and  cavalry 
and  infantry  mingled  together  without  any  officers  to  restore  confidence.  Just 
at  the  bridge  were  broken  artillery  wagons,  and  a  horse  lying  on  the  road  with  a 
wound  in  the  breast.  When  we  crossed  at  dusk  by  the  ford  adjoining  the 
bridge,  which  was  done  with  difficulty,  we  saw  in  an  open  field  a  regiment 
drawn  up  in  line,  and  the  stars  and  stripes  indicated  they  were  a  reserve  of 
friends. 

"J nst  after  dark  reached  old  camping-ground  at  Centreville.  Met  Adjutant 
Leach,  and  was  told  that  the  field-officers  and  a  portion  of  the  regiment  was  in 
the  field  near  the  old  quarters  of  General  McDowell.  Prepared  to  go  to  sleep 
on  some  blankets  1  had  borrowed,  when  an  order  was  given  us  to  retire  to  Wash- 
ington. By  the  kindness  of  the  wagon-master  the  well-known  old  settler. 
Anson  Northrop,  1  obtained  a  tin  cup  of  coffee,  with  some  pilot  bread,  and  I 
think  it  was  the  most  refreshing  meal  I  ever  had.  About  half-past  nine  o'clock 
the  regiment  formed  and  began  its  march  to  Washington,  beyond  Fairfax  Court 
House;  a  portion  by  mistake,  took  the  Vienna  Road.  This  was  the  front  with 
the  field  officers.    Reached  Vienna  about  half-past  three  Monday  morning. 

Monday  morning,  July  twenty-second.— As  the  men  hail  been  on  their  feet 
twentv-four  hours,  halted  at  Vienna  until  five  o'clock.  Major  Dike  and  1  lay  on 
the  grass,  with  his  saddle  for  a  pillow,  but  as  it  rained  I  did  not  sleep  half  an 
hour.  Began  to  march  to  Georgetown,  fifteen  miles  distant:  when  ten  or  eleven 
miles  off  hired  a  blacksmith,  with  a  rickety  one-horse  wairon,  for  sis  dollars, 
to  take  Captain  Putnam,  Lieutenant  Coates.  and  Zeiurenberg  to  Georgetown. 
He  drove  so  slow  it  was  some  time  before  we  reached  Captain  Putnam:  by  the 
time  the  wagon  reached  Falls  Church  a  wounded  Zouave  and  a  soldier  of  the 
New  York  Highland  Regiment  begged  a  place,  and  it  was  impossible  to  refuse 
them.  Finding  Captain  Putnam,  1  relinquished  my  seat  to  the  driver,  and  was 
glad  to  he  on  my  feet  again.  . 

"About  eleven  o'clock,  in  the  rain,  called  at  Fort  Corcoran,  with  Colonel 
Gorman  and  Major  Dike.  The  commanding  officer,  W.  T.  Sherman  was  not 
very  obliging.  With  some  difficulty  the  guard  allowed  me  to  pass,  under  an 
order  from  General  Uorman,  to  Georgetown  Ferry.  Taking  an  omnibus  at 
Georgetown  went  to  Washington,  called  and  informed  Mrs.  Dike  ami  Mrs. 
Leach  that  their  husbands  were  wife,  and  in  the  afternoon  went  to  Philadelphia 
to  replenish  my  own  wardrobe,  and  procure  supplies  for  our  wounded." 


206  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

in  Stone's  Division,  and  commanded  by  Colonel  X.  J.  T. 
Dana,  who,  on  October  second,  was  mastered  in  as  colonel. 
Xo  event  of  importance  occurred  during  the  remain- 
der of  the  year  except  in  connection  with  the  movement 
on  October  twenty-first,  toward  Leesburg,  which  result- 
ed in  the  death  of  Colonel  E.  B.  Baker,  late  U.  S.  Sena- 
tor from  Oregon. 

About  one  p.  m.  on  Sunday,  October  nineteenth,  the 
regiment  was  ordered  to  Edward's  Ferry,  and  Colonel 
Dana  was  directed  to  send  two  companies  to  the  Virginia 
side  in  three  flat  boats.  The  companies  of  Captain 
Morgan  and  Captain  Lester  crossed,  protected  by  the 
fire  of  our  artillery,  but  in  fifteen  minutes  were  recalled 
and  the  regiment  was  sent  back  to  camp.  A  little  after 
midnight  Colonel  Dana  received  orders  to  move  again  to 
the  Ferry  at  daybreak.  By  half-past  eight  a.  at.  the 
whole  regiment  had  crossed  the  Potomac,  and  was  form- 
ed in  line  of  battle,  its  left  resting  on  Goose  Creek.  For 
three  days,  exposed  to  cold  rains,  this  position  was  held. 
On  Monday  night  other  troops  that  had  followed  were 
ordered  back  to  their  camps,  and,  while  they  were  re- 
crossing,  the  1st  Minnesota  were  kept  in  line  and  pro- 
tected them.  On  Tuesday  afternoon  Company  I,  com- 
manded by  Second  Lieutenant  Halsey,  was  attacked  by 
the  enemy,  and  one  killed  and  one  wounded.  On  Wed- 
nesday night  at  half-past  nine  o'clock.  General  Stone  ap- 
pointed Colonel  Dana1  to  superintend  the  withdrawal  of 
our  troops  from  Goose  Creek,  to  the  east  side  of  the  Po- 
tomac.    Colonel  Dana  in  his  report  says: 

1.  Napoleon  Jackson  Tecumseh  Dana,  son  of  an  army  officer,  was  born  in 
-Maine.  Ladet  1838;  second  lieutenant.  7th  infantry,  Julv,  1842; first  lieutenant 
February,  1X17.  April  IS,  1*47,  severely  wounded  at  Cerro  Gordo,  in  Mexico. 
<  aptam  and  assistant  quartermaster,  March.  1848.  Resigned  commission  in 
Kegalararmy,  18"j.">.  Brigadier-general  of  volunteers,  18B2.  Major-general  of 
volunteers,  November  2lJ,  l-:ij. 


SECOND    MINNESOTA   REGIMENT.  207 

"As  the  first  streak  of  dawn  made  its  appearance, 
Minnesota  again  alone,  with  General  Stone  stood  upon 
the  Virginia  shore,  and  everything  else  having  been 
placed  on  board,  the  men  were  ordered  to  follow.  I 
coveted  the  honor  to  be  the  last  man  upon  the  bank,  but 
the  gallant  general  would  not  yield  his  place,  and  I  obey- 
ed his  order  to  go  on  board  and  leave  him  alone."1 

Other  troops  from  Minnesota  began  to  enter  the  field 
about  this  time.  The  2d  Regiment,  which  had  been  or- 
ganized in  July,  left  Fort  Snelling  on  the  thirteenth  of 
October,  and,  proceeding  to  Louisville,  were  incorporat- 
ed with  the  Army  of  the  Ohio.  - 

A  company  of  sharp-shooters,  under  Captain  F.  Petel- 
er,  proceeded  to  "Washington,  and  on  the  eleventh  of 
October  was  assigned  as  Company  A,  2d  Regiment  U.  S. 
Sharp-shooters. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  November,  the  3d  Regiment  left 
the  state  and  proceeded  to  Tennessee.3 

1.  A  writer  in  the  Faribault  Republican  speaks  of  a   Sunday  in  camp  after 
Ball's  Bluff  disaster: 

"To-day  the  chaplain  preached  to  us  ont  in  the  woods.  The  cold  winds 
brought  the  dead  leaves  down  in  showers  and  swept  them  in  heaps.  The  chap- 
lain could  scarcely  raise  his  voice  above  the  rustling  of  the  leave:-,  but  we  heard 
him  say:  "That  death  was  essential  f\j  life  and  prosperity.  It  was  so  in  the  nat- 
ural world.  We  could  see  around  us  that  these  trees,  late  densely  covered  with 
verdure,  were  now  sapless  and  naked.  But  after  the  storms  of  the  coming  win- 
ter life  would  clothe  with  brighter  verdure  these  same  trees.  So  would  it  be 
with  our  nation.  Dangers  and  difficulties  must  be  met.  A  loni?  period  of  stormy 
adversity  must  be  passed  through  to  prepare  the  nation  for  greater  excellency. 
Nations  "must  be  baptized  in  blood,  and  subjected  to  defeat,  before  sufficient 
strength  of  purpose  and  character  is  obtained  to  ensure  permanent  prosperity." 
2.  Staff  officers  Second  Regiment. 

Horatio  P.  Van  Cleve,  Colonel.    Promoted  Brigadier-General,  March  '21.  1SB2. 

James  Georsre,  Lieutenant  Colonel.    Promoted  Colonel;  resigned  June  29,  'tjt. 

Simeon  Smith.  Major.    Appointed  Paymaster  U.  S.  A..  September,  lstjl. 

Alexander  Wilkin,  Major.    Colonel  9th  Minnesota,  1S62, 

Reginald  Bingham,  Surgeon.    Dismissed  May  27,  isti'2. 

M.  ('.  Tollman   Assistant-Surgeon.    Promoted  Surgeon. 

Timothy  Cressey.  chaplain.    Resigned  October  lo.  W.:i. 

Daniel  O.  ileauey.  Adjutant,     Promoted  Captain  Company  C. 

William  S.  Grow.  Quartermaster      Resigned  January,  1S03. 
3.  Staff  Officers  Thibd  Regiment. 

Henry  C.  Lester,  Colonel.    Dismissed  December  1.  lSrt'2. 

Benjamin  F.  Smith,  Lieutenant-Colonel.     Resigned  May  9.  lst;2. 

John  A.  Hadley,  Major.    Promoted  Lieutenant-Colonel,  May  29,  ls,->2. 

R.  C.  Olin,  Adjutant. 

C.  H.  Blakeley,  appointed  .January  9,  1S1V2. 

Levi  Butler,  Surgeon      Resigned  September  :'.<>.  1863. 

Francis  R  MUligan,  Assistant-Surgeon.    Resigned  April  S,  1882. 


20S  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

In  December,  the  1st  Battery  Light  Artillery  left  and 
reported  for  duty  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

In  October  and  November,  three  companies  of  cavalry 
were  organized  and  proceeded  to  Benton  Barracks,  Mis- 
souri, and  were  ultimately  incorporated  with,  the  5th 
Iowa  Cavalry. 

Before  the  month  of  January,  1862,  expired,  the  2d 
Minnesota  Regiment  won  a  distinguished  reputation. 
On  Sunday,  the  nineteenth,  not  far  from  Somerset,  about 
forty  miles  from  Danville,  Kentucky,  they  were  engaged 
in  the  battle  of  Mill  Spring.  Colonel  Robert  L.  Mc- 
Cook,  the  brigade  commander,  says: 

"The  position  of  the  Minnesota  regiment  covered  the 
ground  formerly  occupied  by  the  4th  Kentucky  and  10th 
Indiana,  which  brought  their  flank  within  about  ten  feet 
of  the  enemy,  when  he  had  advanced  upon  the  4th  Ken- 
tucky. *  *  *  On  the  right  of  the  Minnesota 
regiment  the  contest  was  almost  hand  to  hand,  and  the 
enemy  and  2d  Minnesota  were  poking  their  guns  at  each 
other  through  the  fence. 

Colonel  Van  Cleve1  made  the  following  report: 

"I  have  the  honor  to  report  the  part  taken  by  the  2d 
Minnesota  Regiment  in  the  action  of  the  Cumberland, 
on  the  nineteenth  instant.  About  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  that  day,  and  before  breakfast,  I  was  inform- 
ed by  Colonel  Manson,  of  the  10th  Indiana,  command- 
ing the  Second  Brigade  of  our  division,  that  the  enemy 
were  advancing  in  force,  and  that  he  was  holding  them 
in  check,  and  that  it  was  the  order  of  General  Thomas 
that  f  should  form  my  regiment  and  march  immediately 
to  the  scene  of  action.  - 

1.  Brigadier  General  March  21,  1>»62. 

2.  A.  correspondent  of  Cincinnati  Commercial  write*:  "General  Zollicoffer's 
body  lay  upon  the  ground  in  front  of  one  of  tlie  Minnesota  tents  surrounded  by 
some  twenty  soldiers.    Two  soldiers  were  busy  washing  off  the  mud  with  which 


BATTLE   OF   MILL   SPRING.  209 

"Within  ten  minutes  we  bad  left  our  camp.  Arriving 
at  Logan's  Field,  by  your  order  we  halted  inline  of  bat- 
tle, supporting  Standart's  Battery,  which  was  returning 
the  fire  of  the  enemy's  guns,  whose  balls  and  shells  were 
falling  near  us. 

"As  soon  as  the  9th  Ohio  came  up,  and  had  taken  its 
position  on  our  right,  we  continued  the  march,  and 
after  proceeding  about  a  half  mile  came  upon  the  enemy, 
who  were    posted  behind  a  fence  along  the  road,  beyond 

it  had  been  covered.  It  was  almost  as  white  and  transparent  as  wax.  The  fatal 
wound  was  in  the  breast,  and  was  evidently  made  by  a  pistol-ball.  This  was 
Zollicoffer!  He  whose  name  had  so  long  been  a  terror  to  men  who  loved  their 
country  on  the  banks  of  the  Cumberland.'* 

Geo.  D.  Strong,  of  Company  D,  writes:  "We  were  jnst  in  the  edge  of  the 
woods,  close  to  the  fence,  the  other  side  of  which  were  the  rebel  forces  resting 
their  guns  on  the  fence.  My  position  was  nest  to  the  regimental  colors,  and 
only  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  from  the  foe.  We  all  dro  ped  on  our  knees  and  be- 
hind rotten  logs,  loading  and  tiring  as  rapidly  as  possible,  pouring  in  a  fearful 
fire,  which  told  upon  them.  A  momentary  silence  caused  me  to  look  round, 
when  I  saw  one  of  our  company,  W.  H.  II.  Morrow,  wounded.  I  assisted  in 
carrying  him  to  a  safe  place.  He  was  shot  in  the  right  shoulder,  the  ball  turn- 
ing towards  the  breast.     He  diet  two  hours  after  I  left  him." 

\V.  S.  Welles,  of  Company  I,  writes:  Lieutenant  Bailey  Peyton  was  shot  by 
Adam  Wichet,  a  German  in  Company  I.  Peyton  stood  exactly  in  front  of  the 
flag,  while  Company  D  was  on  the  right,  and  Company  I  on  the  left  of  it. 

''Pejton  stood  about  two  rods  from  our  line,  tiring  right  oblique  into  Com- 
pany I.  A  bullet  from  his  revolver  had  just  severely  wounded  Lieutenant  Stout. 
At  this  moment  Lieutenant  Uline  caught  a  glimpse  of  him  through  the  smoke, 
and  as  his  revolver  was  useless,  he  ordered  Wichet,  who  stood  by,  to  shoot  him. 
Wichet  tired,  and  Peyton  breathed  his  last.  The  whole  charge,  a  bullet  and 
three  buckshot,  ente  ed  the  left  side  of  his  face,  taking  out  the  eye,  and  coming 
out  just  below  the  left  ear. 

A  correspondent  of  the  St.  Paul  Press  says:  "Win,  H.  Blake,  the  little  drum- 
mer-boy of  Company  H,  dropped  his  gun  and  seizing  the  gun  of  a  wounded 
man,  fought  it  out  with  us  stoutly." 

A  DEAD  BROTHER. 

"Dear  Parents:— I  am  weary  and  lonesome,  and  hardly  know  what  to  write 
to  you.  We  have  had  a  great  battle  with  Zollicoffer' s  forces,  one  mile  and  a  half 
from  this  camp,  but  1  am  safe  and  well.  Ten  of  our  poor  boys  are  killed,  and 
some  ten  or  fifteen  wounded.  Dear  father  and  mother,  how  can  I  tell  you,— hut 
you  will  hear  of  it  before  this  gets  to  you, — Samuel  has  gone  to  his  God  He 
now  sleeps  the  sleep  that  knows  no  waking  on  this  earth,  beneath  the  cold  soil 
of  Kentucky.  He  died  charging  boldly  on  the  enemy  from  a  bayonet  wound  in 
the  left  groin,  winch  passed  through  the  kidneys.  He  died  in  about  fifteen  min- 
utes after  receiving  the  thrust  He  died  calmly  and  easily,  without  much  pain. 
One  of  the  drummer-boys  offered  to  call  the  surgeon,  but  he  said,  "If  you  call 
him  he  will  leave  some  poor  fellow  that  will  die.  and  it  may  as  well  be  me  as  any 
one.'  When  he  was  laid  in  his  grave  he  looked  as  if  asleep.  I  cannot  write  you 
the  particulars  of  the  battle,  for  I  am  so  lonesome  and  sa  1  that  I  have  no  mind 
to  do  anything.  I  have  a  board  at  the  head  of  his  >rrave.  with  his  name,  regi- 
ment, and  company  cut  upon  it.  Oh,  dear  father  and  mother,  may  God  help  us 
to  bear  up  under  this  our  affliction!    Good-bye  my  dear  parents. 

"From  your  sorrowing  son. 

"Albert. 

"Camp  Looan,  January  20,  1862." 


210  HISTOKY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

which  was  an  open  field  broken  by  ravines.  The  enemy 
opening  upon  us  a  galling  fire,  fought  desperately  and  a 
hand. to  hand  fight  ensued,  which  lasted  about  thirty 
minutes.  The  enemy,  met  with  so  warm  a  reception  in 
front, — and  afterwards  being  flanked  on  their  left  by  the 
9th  Ohio,  and  on  their  right  by  a  portion  of  our  left, 
who  had,  by  their  well-directed  fire,  driven  them  from 
behind  their  hiding-places — that  they  gave  way,  leaving 
a  large  number  of  their  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field. 
We  joined  in  the  pursuit,  which  continued  till  near  sun- 
set, when  we  arrived  within  a  mile  of  their  intrench- 
ments,  where  we  rested  upon  our  arms  during  the  night. 
The  next  morning  we  marched  into  their  works,  which 
we  found  deserted.  Six  hundred  of  our  regiment  were 
in  the  engagement,  twelve  of  whom  were  ki'led  and 
thirty-three  wounded." 

The  1st  Minnesota  Battery  was  present  at  the  great 
battle  of  Pittsburgh  Landing,  which  occurred  on  Sun- 
day, the  6th  of  April.  Lieutenant  W-  Pfaender,  com- 
manding the  battery,  in  a  communication  to  Governor 
Ramsey,  says: 

"The  people  of  our  state  are  probably  anxious  to  learn 
the  fate  of  the  Minnesota  volunteers  who  fought  at  the 
late  battle  of  Pittsburg,  Tennessee;  and  as  the  1st  Min- 
nesota Battery  was  the  only  representative  of  our  state 
in  the  terrible  fight,  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  send  you  a 
short  account. 

"At  our  arrival  here,  on  the  eighteenth  of  March,  we 
were  attached  to  the  Fourth  Brigade  of  General  Sher- 
man's Division,  but  afterwards  we  were  attached  to  Gen- 
eral Prentiss'  Division;  and  on  Saturday,  the  fifth,  re- 
moved to  our  new  camp,  immediately  on  the  right  of 
General  Prentiss'  headquarters.         *        * 


FIRST    MINNESOTA    BATTERY.  211 

"At  our  arrival  at  the  scene  of  action,  our  infantry 
were  already  retreating.  *  *  *  One  of  our 
men  and  two  horses  were  already  killed  before  we  com- 
menced firing;  another,  and  third  one,  all  belonging  to 
my  section,  were  killed  in  quick  succession. 

"Now  Captain  Munch' s  horse  was  shot  in  the  head, 
and  immediately  afterward  the  captain  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  leg.  My  horse  was  wounded  in  both 
fore-legs.  Several  other  horses  had  received  injuries, 
and  our  position  became  critical.  *  *  *  Our 
division  now  fell  back  behind  the  line  coming  to  our 
support  under  General  Hurlbut,  and  after  a  short  rest 
General  Prentiss  formed  the  remainder  of  our  division 
again  on  the  left  center  of  our  line.  *  *  * 
Lieutenant  Peebles  maintained  his  position  on  our  left 
nobly,  and  at  a  charge  of  a  Louisiana  regiment  com- 
pletely mowed  them  down  with  canister.  The  enemy, 
however,  also  took  good  aim ;  two  of  our  cannoniers 
were  here  killed,  Lieutenant  Peebles  severely  wounded 
in  the  jaw,  Sergeants  Clayton  and  Conner  severely 
wounded,  and  a  number  of  horses  killed.         *         * 

"Arriving  at  the  bluifs  of  Pittsburgh  Landing,  I  tried 
to  get  the  whole  battery  in  the  best  possible  condition 
again,  and  succeeded,  by  dismounting  and  changing 
pieces,  to  get  five  pieces  in  good  shape,  at  least  able  to 
open  fire  again.  *  *  *  We  located  our  five  pieces, 
together  with  Margreff's  Ohio  Battery,  on  a  hill  com- 
manding a  long  ravine.  •*  *  *  The  rebels  knew  that 
this  last  attack  would  decide  the  day,  and  about  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  opened  on  us  again.  *  *  *  * 
The  1st  Minnesota  Battery  poured  in  a  cannonade.  It 
was  really  majestic,  and  no  army  would  be  able  to  take 
that  position.  *     *     *  A  heavy  rain-storm  had  drenched 


212  HISTOKY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

us  thoroughly  during  Sunday  night,  yet  the  Minnesota 
Battery  was  ready  for  another  trial;  and  being  without 
an  immediate  commander,  as  General  Prentiss  had  been 
taken  prisoner,  I  reported  to  General  Grant,  who  ordered 
me  to  keep  position  until  further  orders;  and  as  Mon- 
day's righting  was  mostly  done  by  General  Buell's  forces, 
which  had  been  crossing  all  night,  and  steadily  poured 
in,  we  remained  there  until  we  were  removed  to  our  old 
camp  again."   x 

The  1st  Minnesota  Regiment,  after  remaining  in  camp 
near  Edward's  Ferry  during  the  winter,  moved,  with 
Gorman's  Brigade,  to  Harper's  Ferry,  and  crossing  the 
Potomac   on   a  pontoon,   were   attached  to  SedgwicVs 

1  Lieutenant  Cook  writes  to  a  friend: 

"Our  battery  took  breakfast  earlier  than  nsual.  and  had  just  finished  when 
we  heard  occasional  tiring  in  front.  What  does  this  mean?  was  asked  by  hun- 
dreds of  anxious  voices.  Who  could  answer:  *  *  But  hark!  the  long  roll 
beats.  The  bugle  sounds  'to  arms,'  'to  horse.'  A  mounted  orderly  then  rode  to 
oar  head-quarters,  and  the  battery  received  orders  to  repair  to  the  front  and 
commence  fireing  immediately.  In  less  time  than!  give  you  the  details  we 
were  flying  to  the  scene  of  action,  which  Was  not  five  hundred  yards  distant. 
*  *  *  We  poured  a  galling  tire  into  them,  until  they  were  nearly  close  enough 
to  make  a  charge  and  capture  our  pieces. 

"  'Limber  to  the  front,'  and  away  we  went  into  auother  position.  By  the  way, 
onr  captain  and  one  corporal  were  wounded  as  we  were  executing  the  above 
command.  We  hail  one  man  killed  before  we  had  tired  a  gun  Brave  buy!  one 
of  the  men  picked  him  up,  and  he  remarked,  'Don't  stop  with  me -stand  to 
your  posts  like  men.'  He  expired  soon  after.  He  was  from  Minneapolis.  s  * 
Just  about  noon  I  was  struck  on  the  thigh  by  a  six-pound  spent  ball.  It  hit 
the  ground  about  twenty  or  thirty  feet  from  me.  then  rising,  came  near  taking 
me  off  the  saddle.  It  struck  me  right  on  the  joint,  making  me  sick  and  causing 
me  to  vomit.  I  sat  do.vu  by  a  tree,  and  was  called  by  Lieutenant  Peebles  to  get 
some  ammunition.  I  could  not  use  my  limb.  Two  of  the  boys  helped  me.  1 
hobbled  to  the  caisson,  and  sitting  down  on  the  trail,  issued  ammunition.  *  * 
So  >n  after,  Johnson  was  wounded  s  >verely  by  a  musket-ball.  A  moment  or  two 
afterwards  Tilson  was  killed,  shot  through  the  head.  Then  Sergeant  Clayton 
was  wounded;  then  Saxdale  was  killed;  tuen  Sergeant  Conner  was  wounded, 
and  immediately  after  Lieutenant  Peebles." 

The  St  Anthony  News  publishes  letter  of  J.  F..  to  his  mother: 

"Sunday  morning,  just  after  breakfast.au  otlicer  rode  up  to  our  captain's 
tent  and  told  him  to  prep  ire  for  action.  *  *  *  We  wheeled  into  battery  and 
opened  upon  them.  *  *  *  The  first  time  we  wheeled  one  of  our  drivers  was 
killed;  his  name  was  Colby  Stinsou.  Hey  wood's  horse  was  shot  at  almo-t  the 
same  time.  The  second  time  we  came  into  battery  the  captain  was  wounded  in 
the  leg  and  his  horse  shot  under  him.  Chey  charged  on  our  guns,  and  on  the 
sixth  platoon  howitzer,  but  they  got  hold  of  tli>-  wrong  end  of  the  gun.  We 
th<>n  limb 'red  up  and  r>>tr.-it»d  within  the  line  of  battle.  While  we  were 
retreating  they  shot  one  of  our  horses,  when  we  lwd  to  stop  anil  take  him  out, 
which  let  tlie  rebels  come  up  rather  close.  When  within  about  six  rods,  they 
fired  and  wounded  Corporal  Davis,  of  the  gun  detachment,  breaking  his  leg 
above  the  ankle." 


SIEGE   OF   YORKTOWN,    VIRGINIA.  213 

Division,  and  on  the  thirteenth  of  March,  marched  to  the 
suburbs  of  Winchester,1  when  soon  an  order  came  to 
return,  and  by  the  last  of  the  month  they  had  -joined 
the  army  of  the  Potomac,  near  Fortress  Monroe,  and  by 
the  middle  of  April,  were  taking  part  in  the  siege  of 
Yorktown,  and  stationed  on  a  road  that  led  from  War- 
wick Court-House  to  Yorktown. 

The  chaplain  of  the  regiment,  in  one  of  the  St.  Paul 
papers,  gave  the  following  account  of  the  gradual  ad- 
vance from  Yorktown  to  within  sight  of  the  spires  of 
Richmond: 

"The  army  of  the  Potomac  advanced  toward  Yorktown 
during  the  first  week  in  April.  Our  line  extended  in 
front  of  the  enemy's  works,  which  were  a  continued  chain 
from  the  Warwick  to  York  River. 

"Until  the  middle  of  April  the  soldiers  were  busily 
employed  in  cutting  new  roads  through  the  woods,  so 
as  to  enable  our  wagons  and  artillery  to  move  without 
being  exposed  to  the  enemy's  lire.  By  the  last  of  April 
the  preparations  for  a  siege  was  fast  being  completed, 
gabions  had  been  platted,  trenches  dug,  and  batteries 
erected.  Sedgwick's  Division  occupied  a  position  mid- 
way between  Warwick  Court-House  and  Yrorktown,  on 
the  old  Warwick  Road. 

"Smith's  Division  was  on  our  immediate  left,  and 
watched  the  enemy  at  Lee's  Mills,  while  we  annoyed 
them  with  our  artillery  and  sharp-shooters  at  Wynne's 
Mills. 

"Battery  Xo.  8  was  erected  by  our  engineers  to  com- 
mand the  enemy's  fortifications  at  Wynne's  Mills,  and 
would  have  opened  tire  in  a  day    or   two   had    they   not 

1  While  on  the  march,   Col.   Alfred  Sully  took  command  in  place  of  Dana, 
promoted. 


214  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

fled.  While  for  two  weeks  there  were  frequent  dis- 
charges of  artillery  during  the  night,  on  the  evening  of 
Saturday  the  third  of  May  there  was  an  incessant  boom 
ing  of  cannon,  which  suddenly  ceased  just  before  the  day- 
break of  Sunday.  The  pickets  of  General  Dana's  Brig- 
ade, noticing  the  stillness  and  perceiving  no  movement, 
cautiously  approached,  and  were  astonished  to  find  that 
an  evacuation  had  taken  place.  By  sunrise  the  whole 
of  the  brigade  was  within  the  works  of  the  enemy  or 
in  bivouac  on  the  fields  in  the  rear.  After  breakfast 
they  were  relieved  by  Gorman's  Brigade,  who  passed  the 
day  in  searching  for  some  memento  of  the  place  to  send 
home  to  friends.  The  correspondence  left  by  the  troops 
excited  much  attention,  and  was  of  every  description, 
'from  grave  to  gay,  from  lively  to  severe,'  and  very  much 
of  it  was  not  fit  to  be  read  in  the  presence  of  ears  polite. 

"It  was  distressing  to  see  a  spirit  of  vandalism  mani- 
fested on  thfi  part  of  the  troops  in  searching  the  houses 
of  rebels;  officers  in  some  cases  showed  neither  the  dig- 
nity nor  discretion  of  ordinary  boys.  One  major  of  a 
New  York  regiment  rode  into  camp  on  Sunday  night 
with  a  large  looking-glass,  which  could  be  of  no  manner 
of  use;  and  another  from  the  same  State,  and  of  similar 
rank,  brought  in  (a  mahogany  rocking-chair,  trimmed 
with  red  velvet,  to  be  lolled  in  for  the  night  and  aban- 
doned or  destroyed  in  the  morning. 

"On  Monday  in  a  soaking  rain  the  whole  division  pro- 
ceeded to  Yorktown,  and  halted  on  the  field  where, 
in  1781,  the  troops  of  Cornwallis  surrendered  to  the 
allied  American  and  French  forces. 

"The  fortifications  near  and  about  Yorktown  impress 
you    with    their    magnitude.      For   months    hundreds 


SKIRMISH   AT    WEST    POINT.  215 

of  negroes   had    toiled  under  task-masters   as  hard  as 
the  Egyptians,  in  throwing  up  these  walls  of  earth. 

"All  day  Monday  we  could  hear  the  discharge  of  ar- 
tillery, indicating  that  our  advance  was  in  proximity  to 
the  rebel  rear.  Just  before  dusk,  an  order  came  for  the 
division  to  march  towards  Williamsburg,  but  the  troops 
had  not  proceeded  a  half-mile  before  a  halt  was  ordered. 
The  wagon  train  had  blockaded  the  road  for  miles,  and 
the  increasing  rain  and  Egyptian  darkness  of  the  night 
made  it  impossible  to  move.  Hour  after  hour,  drenched 
to  the  skin,  the  soldiers  stood  in  the  mud,  but  no  ad- 
vance, and  towards  midnight  the  order  came  to  return  to 
camp. 

"The  next  afternoon  the  division  began  to  embark  in 
transports  for  the  bond  of  York  River,  for  the  purpose 
of  intercepting  the  retreat  of  the  enemy,  if  possible. 

"Dana's  Brigade  first  moved  off,  and  then  Gorman's, 
and  last  that  of  Burns.  About  eleven  o'clock  on  "Wed- 
nesday, Gorman's  brigade  came  in  sight  of  West  Point. 
The  sound  of  musketry,  and  smoke  arising  above  the 
woods  on  the  south  side  of  the  Pamunky,  indicated  that 
a  portion  of  Franklins  Division,  which  had  preceded 
Sedgwick's,  was  engaged  with  the  enemy.  The  first 
Minnesota  was  ordered  to  leave  their  transports  and 
land  in  bateaux  as  soon  as  possible.  The  wide  plain  on 
the  lower  side  of  the  Pamunky  was  soon  filled  with 
regiments  drawn  up  in  the  line  of  battle,  ready  to  sup- 
port Franklin's  troops  if  necessary.'  About  one  o'clock 
P.  M.,  the  enemy,  with  three  cannon,  began  to  fire  from 
the  wooded  heights  on  the  transports,  but  three  United 
States  gunboats  quickly  took  position,  and  their  heavy 
guns  in  thunder  notes  soon  silenced  the  battery  on  the 
hill." 


21G  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

"On  Friday,  the  twenty-third,  the  regiment  encamped 
at  Goodly  Hole  Creek,  in  Hanover  County,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  Chickahominy.  The  next  week  Gorman's 
Brigade  moved  up  to  Cold  Harbor,  but  on  Thursday 
they  returned  to  Goodly  Hole  Creek. 

"About  noon  on  Saturday,  the  thirty-first  of  May, 
rapid  musketry  riling  was  heard,  and  at  three  o'clock  a 
message  came  for  Sedgwick  to  move,  as  Casey's  and 
Couch's  Divisions  were  being  driven  by  the  enemy.  By 
a  road  that  had  just  been  cut  through  a  swamp,  the  reg- 
iment hastened  to  the  rescue,  and,  crossing  a  rude  bridge 
of  logs,  now  known  as  the  grape  vine  bridge,  both  ends 
submerged  by  the  waters  of  the  swollen  Chickahominy, 
reached  the  battle-field  just  in  time  to  save  defeat.  As 
at  Bull  Bun  it  was  placed  on  the  right,  and  before  it  was 
fairly  in  line  of  battle  the  enemy  were  seen  advancing. 
A  crash  of  musketry,  like  the  snapping  of  limbs  in  a 
hurricane  came,  and  leaves  from  the  trees  fell  upon  the 
officers'  hats. 

"In  a  few  minutes  the  whole  of  Gorman's  brigade  was 
drawn  up  in  a  field  within  a  few  hundred  feet  of  the 
rebels,  who  were  concealed  in  the  woods.  For  two  or 
three  hours,  until  it  became  perfectly  dark,  the  brigade 
stood  solid  as  a  stone  wall,  and  with  a  roar  of  musketry 
really  terrific,  kept  the  foe  from  advancing. 

"On  Thursday,  the  twenty-sixth  of  June,  the  soldiers 
of  Sumner's  corps  were  made  anxious  by  the  continual 
firing  at  Mechanicsville,  and  on  Friday  occurred  the 
disastrous  conflict  at  Gaines's  Mill.  At  daylight  on 
Saturday  morning,  the  serious  face  of  General  Sedg- 
wick told  the  soldiers  of  the  division  that  a  crisis  had 
been  reached.  All  that  day  the  sick  of  Sumner's  corps 
were  hurried  to  the  rear,  and  in  the   afternoon  soldiers 


PEACH    ORCHARD   AND   SAVAGE    STATION.  k217 

were  employed  in  emptying  all  surplus  ammunition  into 
the  vats  of  a  tannery  near  the  Fair  Oaks  battle-field, 
showing  that  a  rapid  change  of  base  was  contemplated. 

"Just  before  daylight,  on  Sunday,  June  twenty-ninth, 
Sedgwick's  Division  left  the  position  that  it  had  held 
since  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  and  proceeding  less  than 
two  miles,  the  enemy  made  their  appearance,  and  after 
a  brief  and  sharp  fight,  in  a  peach  orchard,  retired. 

"About  five  r.  M.,  at  Savage  Station,1  on  the  York  rail- 
road, the  enemy  again  gave  battle.  Until  dark  the  con- 
flict raged,  but  by  the  valour  and  coolness  of  our  men 
the  foe  were  held  in  check,  with  a  loss  of  about  eighty 
killed  and  wounded. 

"On  Monday,  between  White  Oak  Swamp  and  Willis's 
Church,  the  enemy  again  appeared,  and  in  the  skirmish 
Captain  Colville  was  slightly  wounded.  The  next  day, 
July  first,  the  1st  Eegiment  was  drawn  up  at  the  divi- 
ding line  of  Charles  City  and  Henrico  counties,  in  sight 
of  James  Paver,  and  although  much  exposed  to  the  ene- 
my's batteries  was  not  actually  engaged.  At  midnight 
the  order  was  given  to  move  to  James  River,  and  early 
on  the  second  of  July  they  encamped  on  the  Berkeley 
plantation,  where  President  Harrison  was  born." 

1.  Sergeant  Harmon,  Company  D,  writes: 

"About  5  p.  M  the  rebels  came  upon  as  and  commenced  shelling  ns:  several 
of  the  boys  in  our  regiment  were  wounded  by  them.  We  laid  down  on  the 
ground.  McCaslin  had  his  knapsack  torn  from  his  back  by  a  piece  of  a  shell. 
We  moved  forward  to  the  left  into  the  woods,  out  of  range  of  the  battery  in  that 
direction,  to  support  another  regiment  that  was  fighting  on  the  left.  The  fight 
lasted  here  until  after  lark,  the  whole  division  being  engaged,  besides  the  Ver- 
mont Brigade  in  Smith's  Division.  The  rebels  got  driven  back.  We  lost  out 
of  our  regiment  in  this  light  about  thirty  killed  and  wounded. 

"Sergeant  Burgess,  the  color-bearer,  was  shot  dead;  lie  was  the  man  that 
brought  the  colore  off  from  the  battle-field  at  Bull  Hun:  he  was  a  tine  fellow  as 
well  as  brave.  Every  man  in  the  regiment  was  his  frie"d.  He  was  shot  by  a 
minnieball  through  the  Jungs,  and  killed  instantly,  and  the  colors  fell  to  the 
ground.  They  were  raised  by  one  of  the  guard.  Our  company  was  very  fortu- 
nate not  to  lose  any  one.  Joseph  McDonald,  a  sou  of  McDonald  that  lives  op- 
posite Elk  River,  was  wounded,  but  not  seriously.  Judson  Jordon,  a  brother 
of  C.  B.  Jordon,  was  killed;  tie  was  a  member  of  the  first  Michigan.  This  was 
Sunday's  right  at  Savage's  Station.  About  10  P.M.  we  started  on  the  march, 
leaving  the  wounded,  that  could  not  walk,  in  old  build  ngs;  surgeons  and  hos- 
pital stewards  stopped  with  them." 


218  HISTOEY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

After  Pope's  repulse,  General  McClellan  resumed 
command  of  the  army,  and  Sumner's  corps,  with  others, 
were  advanced  north  of  Washington  to  meet  Lee,  who 
had  crossed  the  Potomac  with  the  insurgent  army.  By 
forced  marches  Sedgwick's  Division  arrived  near  Sharps- 
burg,  Maryland,  and  took  part  in  the  great  battle  of  the 
seventeenth  of  September.  After  an  active  contest  the 
1st  Regiment  was  flanked  by  the  enemy,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  fall  back.  Captain  Russell's  company  of 
sharp-shooters  was  attached  to  the  regiment  during  this 
fight. 

The  4th  Regiment  and  2d  Minnesota  Battery,  on  April 
twenty-first  left  St.  Paul  for  Benton  Barracks,  Missouri. 
They  were  both  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  5th  Piegiment  also  departed  on  the  thirteenth  of 
May,  and  on  the  twenty-third  took  position  with  their 
comrades  of  the  2d  and  4th  Regiments  near  Corinth, 
Mississippi.  In  less  than  a  week  they  were  brought 
into  action,  and  Second  Lieutenant  David  Oakes  was 
killed.     A  correspondent  writes: 

"On  Wednesday,  the  twenty-eighth,  there  was  heavy 
cannonading  during  the  entire  day.  At  ten  o'clock  in 
the  morning  a  force  of  Federal  infantry  was  thrown  out 
to  plant  a  twenty-four  pound  Parrot  gun  upon  an  eminence 
commanding  a  piece  of  timber  on  our  left,  which  sheltered 
the  rebel  regiment  who  so  continually  annoyed  us.  The 
enemy  discovering  our  intentions  advanced  a  body  of 
troops  to  take  the  gun.  Our  forces  were  immediately 
drawn  up  in  line  of  battle.  Not  a  man  stirred  from  the 
ranks  until  the  enemy  approached  within  fifty  yards  of 
our  line,  when  Colonel  Purcell,  of  10th  Iowa,  acting 
brigadier,  ordered  the  5th  Minnesota  to  charge  bayonets. 

*     *     *     *     Terribly   did   they   revenge  their  fallen 


BATTLE   OF   IUKA.  219 

comrades.  The  casualties  to  the  5th  Minnesota  did  not 
exceed  forty  killed  and  wounded.  This  is  a  new  regi- 
ment, and  this  is  the  first  occasion  they  have  been  able 
to  show  the  material  of  which  they  have  been  made."1 

On  the  eighteenth  of  September,  Colonel  Sanborn, 
acting  as  brigade  commander  in  the  Third  Division  of 
the  Army  of  the  Mississippi,  moved  his  troops,  includ- 
ing the  4th  Minnesota  Regiment,  to  a  point  on  the  Tus- 
cumbia  road,  and  the  next  day  advanced  towards  Iuka, 
driving  pickets  to  enemy's  position.  Under  the  fire  of 
the  enemy's  battery  he  placed  his  troops  in  line  of  battle, 
and  the  4th  Minnesota  was  stationed  on  the  crest  of  a 
ridge.  Captain  Legro,  in  command  of  the  regiment, 
reported  as  follows: 

'  'At  5  p.  M.  I  moved  my  command  at  double-quick  to 
a  position  on  the  left  of  the  4Stli  Indiana,  which  regi- 
ment was  in  support  of  the  11th  Ohio  Battery,  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant  Sears.  Shortly  after,  the  battle 
was  opened  by  the  battery,  and  raged  fiercely  along  the 
line  for  half  an  hour,  when  the  48th-Indiana,  being  com- 
pelled to  give  way,  fell  back  to  the  edge  of  the  woods, 

1.   STAFF  OFFICERS  OF  FOURTH  REGIMENT. 

John  B.  Sanborn,  Colonel,  Made  Brigadier-General  in  1863,  B't  Major  Gen. 
U.  S.  Vols.  1864. 

Minor  T.  Thomas,  Lieutenant-Colonel.  Made  Colonel  3th  Regiment,  August 
24,  1862. 

A.  Edward  Welch,  Major.    Died  at  Nashville.  Feb.  1.  1864. 

John  M.Thompson,  Adjutant.  Promoted  Captain  Company  E,  November 
20,  1862. 

Thomas  B.  Hunt,  Quartermaster.  Made  Captain  and  Assistant-Quartermas- 
ter April  9,  1863. 

John  II.  Murphy,  Surgeon.    Resigned  July  9,  1*63. 

Eliaha  W  Cross,  Assistant-Surgeon.    Promoted  July  9,  1863. 

Asa  S.  Fiske,  Chaplain.    Resigned  Oct.  3,  1864. 

STAFF  OFFICERS  OF  FIFTH  REGIMENT. 
Rudolph  Borgensrode,  Colonel.     Resigned  Aug.  31,  1862. 
Lucius  F.  Hubbard,  Lieutenant-Colonel.     Promoted  Colonel  Aug.  31,  1862. 
William  B.  Gere,  Major.     Promoted  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Alpheus  It.  French.  Adjutant.     Unsigned  March  19,  1363. 
Wm.  P>.  McGrorty,  Quartermaster.    Resigned  Sept.  15,  1>64. 
Francis  B.  Frheridge,  Sun/eon.     Kesigned  Sept.  3,  1862. 
Vincent  P.  Kennedy,  Assistant-Surgeon      Promoted  Surgeon  Sept.  3,  1862. 
James  F.  Chaffee,  Chaplain.    Resigned  June  23,  1862. 
John  Ireland,  Chaplain,    Appointed  June,  1862.    Resigned  April,  1863. 


220  HISTOKY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

leaving  my  regiment  exposed  to  an  oblique  fire  in  the 
rear  from  the  advancing  enemy. 

"I  then  ordered  the  right  wing  to  fall  back  ten  rods 
to  the  timber,  which  was  accomplished  in  good  order, 
notwithstanding  the  galling  and  incessant  fire  of  the 
enemy.         *         *         * 

"I  was  then  ordered  to  move  by  the  right  Hank  about 
forty  rods  up  the  road,  at  nearly  a  right  angle  to  my  for- 
mer position,  then  by  the  left  flank  to  a  point  near  the 
battery,  which  I  did  immediately.         *         *         * 

"Throughout  the  whole  both  officers  and  men  behaved 
with  coolness  and  courage,  conducting  themselves  in  a 
manner  highly  commendable. 

"Too  much  praise  cannot  be  awarded  to  Surgeon  J. 
H.  Murphy  and  his  assistants  for  their  unceasing  at- 
tention to  the  wounded  through  the  action  and  during 
the  night.  I  enclose  a  list  of  the  killed,  wounded,  and 
missing." 

The  battle  of  Iuka  was  but  the  beginning  of  the  move- 
ment that  in  a  few  days  culminated  at  Corinth  in  which 
conflict  the  1st  Minnesota  Battery  and  the  4th  and  5th 
Eegiments  participated.  At  Corinth  the  Union  army 
faced  northward.  On  the  left  center  the  ground  was 
quite  hilly,  and  here  the  Chevally  road  entered  the  town. 
Fort  Eobinett  with  Fort  Williams  enfiladed  the  Chevally 
and  Bolivar  roads,  and  another  fort  on  the  extreme  left 
near  the  seminary,  protected  the  left  and  strengthened 
the  center. 

Hamilton's  Division,  to  which  the  -ith  Regiment  was 
attached,  was  on  the  extreme  right,  and  Stanley's  Divis- 
ion, to  which  the  5th  belonged,  was  on  the  left. 

Captain  Munch,  in  a  communication  to  Governor 
Ramsey,  says: 


BATTLE   AT    CORINTH.  221 

"On  the  first  [of  October]  the  battery,  then  stationed 
in  town,  was  ordered  out  to  take  up  camp  at  Fort  No.  F, 
one  of  the  forts  on  our  western  line  of  defence,  about 
two  miles  from  town.  Not  yet  fairly  in  camp  there,  we 
received  orders  to  send  two  of  the  pieces  (two  12-pound 
howitzers)  to  Chevally  to  support  a  brigade  of  infantry 
then  at  that  place.  *  *  *  As  I  was  not  le- 
gally reinstated  in  my  command  yet,  and  almost  too 
lame  for  any  hard  work,  Lieutenant  Clayton  was  sent 
with  that  section,  I  retaining  the  other  in  the  fort.  They 
went  as  far  as  Chevally  that  evening,  when  they  found 
the  enemy  entering  the  town  from  the  opposite  side. 
Not  strong  enough  to  offer  much  resistance,  our  forces 
fell  back  about  a  mile,  and  took  up  camp  for  the  night. 
On  the  second  day  there  was  skirmishing  all  day  along 
the  road,  no  artillery  engaged  on  the  same. 

"Early  on  Thursday  morning,  the  third,  our  boys 
opened  the  ball  with  the  two  howitzers,  and  to  judge 
from  the  rapid  succession  of  reports,  they  must  have 
been  well  to  work,  and  by  their  cool  and  unflinching  at- 
tention to  their  duty  earned  the  praise  of  the  command- 
ing general.  Lieutenant  Clayton  has  shown  good  judg- 
ment in  taking  positions,  and  by  the  general  manage- 
ment of  affairs  gave  evidence  that  he  well  earned  the 
confidence  you  kindly  reposed  in  him. 

"In  the  meantime  I  was  placed  in  command  of  the  re- 
maining sections  of  our  battery,  together  with  a  section 
of  the  3d  Ohio  Battery.  I  planted  them  all  in  the  fort. 
At  8  o'clock  p.  M.,  a  report  was  sent  in  that  one  of  the 
howitzers  was  disabled,  not  by  the  tire  of  the  enemy, 
but  by  the  weakness  of  the  carriage,  which  broke  by  the 
recoil  of  the  piece.  As  they  could  not  drag  it  along 
fast  enough,  the  enemy  being  in  hot  pursuit  with  great- 


222  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

ly  superior  numbers,  they  spiked  the  piece,  throwing  it 
into  a  deep  creek,  rendering  it  useless  to  the  enemy. 

"Another  piece  was  immediately  sent  to  replace  it. 
This  after  a  few  rounds  was  disabled  and  brought  to  the 
rear,  when  the  last  piece  of  the  battery  was  sent  for- 
ward. The  battery  then  had  an  excellent  position  across 
the  railroad,  and  did  great  execution.  By  and  by  the 
little  command  became  so  exhausted  by  heat,  thirst,  and 
hard  work,  that  it  became  necessary  to  order  them  to  the 
rear,  and  replace  them  by  new  troops.  But  the  enemy 
soon  became  so  numerous  that  it  made  any  further  re- 
sistance at  that  place  useless,  and  a  general  retreat  was 
ordered,  which  was  carried  out  in  good  shape.  The 
musketry  became  general  along  the  line,  and  we  could 
discover  heavy  columns  moving  forward.  The  enemy 
planted  a  battery  in  range  for  our  fort,  and  commeuced 
throwing  shells,  which  were  well  directed,  but  could  not 
injure  us  much  behind  the  breastworks;  we,  of  course, 
were  not  lazy  to  answer,  and  our  second  shot  silenced 
their  battery. 

"At  four  o'clock  p.  m.  all  the  forces  were  drawn  into 
the  inner  line  of  defences,  and  both  armies  rested  for  the 
night.  Our  battery  took  a  good  position  near  the  semi- 
nary, and  during  the  second  day  of  the  fight  assisted  the 
big  guns  of  the  forts  to  clear  the  woods  across  the 
abattis.  After  the  enemy  were  so  deadly  repulsed  in 
their  effort  to  take  the  town,  they  commenced  retreating 
in  their  common  way,  by  sending  in  a  flag  of  truce  pur- 
porting to  bury  their  dead." 

Colonel  J.  B.  Sanborn,  in  his  report  to  his  superior 
oflicer,  says: 

"At  about  a  quarter  before  five  o'clock  I  advanced  my 
line  by  your  order  across  the  field  in  my  front,  toward  a 


SANBORN S   RErORT.  223 

heavy  growth  of  timber,  where  our  skirmishers  had  en- 
countered the  enemy  in  some  force.  Company  K  was 
again  deployed  forward  as  skirmishers,  and  had  ad- 
vanced but  a  short  distance  in  a  westwardly  direction, 
before  they  drew  a  very  heavy  musketry  fire  from  the 
enemy  concealed  in  the  timber.  In  the  meantime  I  had 
wheeled  my  battalion  to  his  left,  so  that  I  was  fronting 
the  southwest.  At  that  time,  the  fire  of  the  enemy  was 
brisk  and  enfiladed  nearly  my  whole  line.  At  this  mo- 
ment Captain  Mowers  beckoned  to  me  with  his  sword, 
as  if  he  desired  to  communicate  important  information, 
and  I  started  toward  him  upon  a  gallop,  but  had  rode 
but  a  few  steps  when  I  saw  him  fall  dead— shot  through 
the  head.  From  the  course  of  the  ball  and  the  position 
the  enemy  seemed  to  occupy,  I  interpreted  the  informa- 
tion that  Captain  Mowers  desired  to  give,  to  be  that  the 
enemy  were  passing  to  my  rear  by  my  right,  my  com- 
mand at  this  time  holding  the  right  of  the  infantry  in 
the  whole  army.  These  impressions  were  immediately 
communicated  to  the  general  commanding  the  brigade, 
and  I  received  orders  to  dislodge  the  enemy  from  the 
woods  on  my  right.  I  at  once  changed  the  front  of  my 
battalion  to  the  rear  on  the  tenth  (10th)  company;  this 
was  done  under  a  heavy  fire  of  musketry,  in  'double- 
quick'  time,  but  with  as  much  coolness  and  precision  as 
if  on  ordinary  battalion  drill. 

"This  movement  completed,  I  ordered  the  regiment 
forward  at  'quick  time'  until  within  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  paces  of  the  enemy's  line  of  battle  at  this 
point,  when  I  gave  the  further  command,  'forward  one 
hundred  and  fifty  paces,  double  quick.'  This  was  exe- 
cuted in  the  most  gallant  and  splendid  manner.  The 
regiment,    in  perfect  line  and  with  triumphant   shouts, 


224  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

t 

rushed  forward  against  a  most  murderous  fire,  and  when 
within  fifty  yards  of  the  enemy's  line,  he  fled  to  the  rear 
with  the  greatest  precipitancy,  receiving  two  or  three 
volleys  from  my  regiment  as  he  retired.  Immediatly 
after  this  was  accomplished,  I  received  your  order  to 
fall  back  and  join  Colonel  Alexander  (5th  Indiana)  on 
his  right,  which  order  was  at  once  obeyed,  and  skirm- 
ishers thrown  forward  one  hundred  paces  to  my  front, 
and  around  my  right  flank. 

''It  was  now  night.  "We  were  exhausted,  and  obe- 
dient to  orders,  I  moved  to  the  first  position  held  in  the 
morning  and  bivouaced  there  at  11  p.  M.  During  the 
day  my  loss  was  one  commissioned  officer  and  one  pri- 
vate killed,  and  four  wounded.  The  heat  during  the 
engagement  of  my  command  was  most  intense,  said  to  be 
108°  in  the  shade,  and  more  men  were  carried  off  the 
field  on  litters  from  the  effect  of  sunstroke  than  from 
wounds. 

"Ammunition  was  distributed  to  the  men,  so  that  each 
had  seventy  five  rounds,  between  eleven  and  one  o'clock 
at  night,  and  at  half-past  one  I  received  your  order  to 
move  my  command  to.  the  right,  accross  the  Pittsburg 
and  Hamburg  road,  and  about  one  hundred  yards  to  the 
rear,  which  was  done  at  once,  and  the  regiment  stood  to 
arms,  fronting  the  north,  for  the  remaining  part  of  the 
night. 

"My  command  remained  in  this  position  until  half 
past  ten  o'clock  on  the  following  morning,  when  I  re- 
ceived your  order  to  move  by  the  left  Hank  into  position 
on  the  ridge  of  my  left,  in  support  of  the  11th  Ohio  Bat- 
tery. This  order  was  at  once  executed  and  my  front 
changed  to  the  west.  I  formed  my  regiment  about  fifty 
feet  in  rear  of  this  battery,  which  masked  the  six  centre 


SANBORN'S   REPORT.  225 

companies.  These  six  companies  were  ordered  by  me 
to  fix  bayonets,  and  charge  the  enemy  whenever  he 
should  charge  upon  the  battery.  Two  companies  on  the 
right  and  two  on  the  left  were  moved  forward  on  the 
line  of  the  guns  of  the  battery,  with  instructions  to  en- 
gage the  enemy  with  musketry  whenever  he  might 
appear,  and  meet  him  with  the  bayonet  in  case  of  a 
charge. 

"The  enemy  retired  from  the  ground  covered  by  the 
valley,  and  from  the  front  of  my  regiment,  in  about  forty 
minutes  after  the  firing  commenced.  I  maintained  the 
same  relative  position  to  the  battery  in  its  movements 
upon  the  field,  to  get  in  rear  of  the  enemy,  until  your 
orders  came  to  occupy  again  the  ground  left,  when  I 
went  into  action.  I  at  once  reoccupied  that  position, 
where  I  remained  until  the  morning  of  the  5th  inst,,  at 
four  o'clock,  when  the  pursuit  commenced. 

"In  the  engagement  on  the  fourth  I  lost  one  commis- 
sioned officer,  and  five  privates  wounded. 

"Of  the  pursuit  it  is  enough  to  report  that  it  was 
commenced  on  Sunday  morning,  the  fifth  inst.,  and  con- 
tinued without  cessation  or  delay,  except  such  as  was 
absolutely  necessary  to  rest  the  men  temporarily,  until 
the  following  Saturday  night,  the  troops  having  marched 
during  the  time  about  one  hundred  and  tweuty  miles. 

"I  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  the  patient  endurance 
and  valor  of  my  command.  During  a  period  of  nine 
days  of  the  most  heated  and  uncomfortable  weather,  my 
regiment  marched  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  and  for 
two  days  and  nights  of  that  time  were  engaged  in  one  of 
the  most  extensive  and  desperate  battles  of  the  war.  The 
conduct  of  all  officers  was  satisfactory.      Captain  Tour- 


226  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

•  tellotte   and  Edson  conducted  themselves  with  most  ex- 
traordinary coolness  and  determination. 

"My  commissioned  staff,  First  Lieutenant  Thomas  B. 
Hunt,  Regimental  Quartermaster,  and  First  Lieutenant 
John  M.  Thompson,  Adjutant,  behaved  with  coolness 
and  judgment,  and  in  the  absence  of  other  field  officers 
rendered  me  efficient  service,  repeating  commands  and 
communicating  orders. 

"Quartermaster-Sergeant  Frank  E.  Collins,  for  dis- 
tinguished valor  and  services  on  the  field  in  aiding  me 
in  every  movement,  and  in  arresting  and  bringing  pris- 
oners from  the  field  near  the  close  of  the  engagement, 
deserves  special  mention.  Commissary-Sergeant  T.  P. 
Wilson  remained  under  fire  all  the  time  directing  litter 
carriers  to  the  wounded,  and  furnishing  water  to  the 
famishing  soldiers,  as  well  as  repeating  my  commands 
when  near  the"  lines. 

"Sergeant-Major  Kittredge  was  among  the  coolest  men 
on  the  field,  and  most  efficient  until  he  was  overcome  by 
sunstroke. 

"Surgeon  Dr.  J.  H.  Murphy,  and  second  Assistant 
Surgeon  Dr.  H.  R.  Wedel,  conducted  their  department 
with  perfect  order  and  method.  Every  wound  was 
dressed  in  a  few  moments  after  it  was  received,  and  the 
wounded  cared  for  at  once  in  the  most  tender  manner." 

Colonel  L.  F.Hubbard,  of  the  5th  Regiment,  reported  ' 
as  follows: 

"We  were  aroused  before  dawn  on  the  morning  of 
the  fourth  hist,  by  the  discharges  of  the  enemy's  guns, 
and  the  bursting  of  his  shells  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  where  we  lay.  One  man  of  my  regiment  was  quite 
severely  wounded  here  by  a  fragment  of  a  shell.  At 
about   nine  a.  m.,  I   was  ordered  by  General  Stanley  to 


col.  hubbard's  report.  227 

deploy  one  company,  as  skirmishers,  into  the  edge  of 
the  timber  towards  the  front  and  right;  in  obedience  to 
which  Company  A  was  sent  forward  under  command  of 
Captain  J.  E.  Dart.  A  few  moments  later  the  advance 
of  the  enemy  along  our  entire  line  was  made.  I  soon 
observed  that  the  part  of  our  line  running  from  near 
my  right  towards  the  rear  was  giving  way,  and  that  the 
enemy  was  rapidly  gaining  ground  toward  the  town.  I 
immediately  changed  front,  moving  by  the  right  flank 
by  file  right,  and  took  a  position  at  right  angles  to  my 
former  one.  The  movement  was  just  completed,  when 
I  was  ordered  by  General  Stanley,  through  Major 
Coleman,  to  support  a  battery  which  had  been  in  posi- 
tion about  four  hundred  yards  towards  the  front  and 
right,  but  which  was  being  driven  from  the  field.  I 
moved  by  the  right  flank  at  double-quick,  a  distance  of 
perhaps  two  hundred  yards.  By  this  time  the  battery 
mentioned  had  retired  from  the  field  entirely.  Captain 
Dee's  Michigan  Battery,  occupying  the  crest  of  a  ridge 
near  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  railroad  towards  the  left,  had 
been  abandoned  and  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Our  line  for  the  distance  of  several  hundred  yards  had 
been  repulsed,  became  scattered,  and  was  rapidly  retreat- 
ing. The  enemy,  in  considerable  numbers,  had  already 
entered  the  streets  of  the  town  from  the  north,  and  was 
pushing  vigorously  forward.  His  flank  was  presented 
to  the  line  1  had  formed,  which  exposed  him  to  a  most 
destructive  fire,  and  which  the  5th  Minnesota  delivered 
with  deadly  effect.  After  receiving  and  returning#a 
number  of  volleys,  the  enemy  began  to  fall  back.  I 
then  moved  forward  in  line,  at  a  run,  pressing  hard  upon 
the  enemy,  who  was  flying  in  great  confusion.  I  moved 
on  outside  the  town,  and  halted  on  the  crest  of  a   ridge 

-» 


228  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

to  the  left  of,  and  on  a  line  with,  the  former  position  of 
the  battery  I  was  ordered  to  support,  regaining,  mean- 
time, possession  of  the  abandoned  guns  of  the  Michigan 
Battery.  The  enemy  continued  his  retreat  under  a 
galling  fire  from  our  guns,  and  the  artillery  of  the  forts 
on  the  left,  until  lost  sight  of  in  the  woods  in  our  front, 
when  he  re-formed,  and  again  advanced  in  considerable 
force.  I  at  once  opened  upon  him  a  hot  fire,  which, 
with  the  fire  from  along  the  line  upon  my  right,  which 
had  now  rallied  and  was  re-forming,  arrested  his  pro- 
gress, and  soon  drove  him  back  under  cover  of  the 
timber. 

"About  forty  prisoners  fell  into  our  hands,  and  large 
numbers  of  killed  and  wounded  marked  the  line  of  the 
enemy's  retreat.  The  regiment  expended  near  fifty 
rounds  of  ammunition.  I  feel  authorized  in  referring 
especially  to  the  coolness  and  courage  of  the  officers 
and  men  of  my  command,  and  their  general  good  con- 
duct during  the  action." 

A  few  days  after  the  battle  of  Corinth,  Buell's  army 
attacked  Bragg  at  Perryville,  Kentucky,  and  here  the 
2d  Minnesota  Battery,  Captain  \Y.  A.  Hotchkiss,  did 
good  service.  A  correspondent  of  the  Cincinnati  Ga- 
zette, describing  the  conflict  says: 

"The  2d  Minnesota  Battery,  Captain  Hotchkiss,  came 
up  nearly  at  the  same  time  with  the  2d  Missouri  Infan- 
try, and  by  delivering  a  well-directed  fire  upon  the  rlank 
of  the  rebels,  assisted  materially  in  driving  them  from 
the  woods." 

In  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  on  the  thirteenth  of 
December,  the  1st  Regiment  supported  Kirby's  Battery, 
and  retired  to  camp  near  Falmouth,  Virginia,  without 
serious  loss. 


THIRD    REGIMENT    HUMILIATED.  229 

The  position  of  the  3d  Regiment  during  this  year 
was  most  unfprtuuate.  On  the  morning  of  the 
thirteenth  of  July,  near  Murfreesboro,  Kentucky, 
the  rebels  attacked  a  Michigan  regiment,  and  after 
their  commanding  officer  was  wounded,  and  they 
lost  nearly  half  their  number,  they  surrender- 
ed. The  3d  Minnesota,  which  was  a  little  more  than  a 
mile  off,  and  a  battery  of  four  guns,  as  soon  as  they 
heard  of  the  attack,  marched  up  the  turnpike  and  took 
position  in  an  open  field,  and  in  a  little  while  fell  back 
a  half  mile.  The  colonel  called  a  council  of  officers  to 
decide  whether  they  should  fight,  and  the  first  vote  was 
to  fight;  a  subsequent  vote  being  taken,  by  ballot,  was 
in  favor  of  surrender;  Lieutenant-Colonel  C.  W.  Griggs, 
Captains  Andrews1  and  Hoyt,  voted  on  both  occasions  to 
fight.  In  September  the  regiment  returned  to  the  State 
humiliated  by  the  lack  of  judgment  upon  the  part  of 
their  colonel,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  Indian 
country. 

1.  Lt.  Col.  Dec.  1,  is»".2.  Colonel  Aug.  9, 1^63.  Brie*  General  U.  S.  Volunteers 
January  5,  1S*U.     lit.  Major  Gen.  U.  S.  Volunteers,  March  9,  1605. 


230  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER  FOURTEENTH. 

SIOUX    MASSACRE. 

Two  hundred  and  forty  years  after  the  first  great  mas- 
sacre in  the  valley  of  the  James  Eiver,  in  Virginia, 
another  occurred  in  the  valley  of  the  Minnesota  just  as 
unexpected,  accompanied  by  barbarities  as  revolting,  and 
which  would  have  been  more  extensive  had  it  not  been 
for  the  influence  of  a  converted  Indian,  Paul  Mazakuta- 
mani,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission  Church. 

There  have  been  many  theories  advanced  to  account 
for  the  Sioux  outbreak  of  1S62,  but  they  are  for  the 
most  part  superficial  and  erroneous.  Little  Crow,  in  his 
written  communications  to  Colonel  Sibley,  explaining 
the  cause  which  had  provoked  hostilities  on  the  part  of 
the  Indians,  makes  no  allusion  to  the  treaties,  but  stated 
that  his  people  had  been  driven  to  acts  of  violence  by 
the  suffering  brought  upon  them  by  the  delay  in  the 
payment  of  their  annuities,  and  by  the  bad  treatment 
they  had  received  from  their  traders.  In  fact,  nothing 
has  transpired  to  justify  the  conclusion  that  when  the 
bands  first  assembled  at  the  agency,  there  was  nothing 
more  than  the  usual  chronic  discontent  among  them, 
superinduced  by  the  failure  of  the  government,  or  its 
agents  faithfully  to  carry  out  the  stipulations  of  the  dif- 
ferent treaties.  During  the  trial  of  the  prisoners  before 
the  military  commission  hereinafter  mentioned, every  ef- 
fort was  made  to  elicit  evidence  bearing  upon  the  out- 


CAUSES   FOR   SIOUX   UPEISING.  231 

break  and  the  motives  which  actuated  the  leaders  in  in- 
augurating the  bloody  work.  The  only  inference  that 
can  be  drawn  from  all  of  these  sources  of  information 
is,  that  the  movement  was  not  deliberate  and  predeter- 
mined, but  was  the  result  of  various  concurrent  causes, 
to  wit:  long  delay  in  the  payment  of  the  annuities  after 
the  Indians  were  assembled,  and  an  insufficient  supply 
of  food  in  the  interim;  dissatisfaction  with  the  traders; 
alleged  encroachment  of  settlers  upon  the  Indian  reser- 
vation; ill-feeling  of  the  Pagan  Indians  against  the 
missionaries  and  their  converts;  and  predictions  of  the 
medicine-men  that  the  Sioux  would  defeat  the  Ameri- 
cans in  battle,  and  then  reoccupy  the  whole  country  after 
clearing  it  of  the  whites.  Add  to  these  the  facts,  well 
known  to  the  Indians,  that  thousands  of  young  and  able- 
bodied  men  had  been  despatched  to  aid  in  suppressing 
the  rebellion,  and  that  but  a  meagre  force  remained  to 
garrison  Forts  Ridgely  and  Abercrombie,  the  only  mili- 
tary posts  in  proximity  to  their  country,  and  it  will  be 
perceived  that,  to  savages  who  held  fast  to  their  tradi- 
tional attachment  to  the  British  crown,  and  were  there- 
fore not  friendly  to  the  Americans,  the  temptation  to 
regain  their  lost  possessions  must  have  been  strong.  It 
was  fresh  in  their  minds,  also,  and  a  frequent  subject  of 
comment  on  their  part  that  the  government  had  taken 
no  steps  to  punish  Ink-pah-du-tah  and  his  small  band, 
who  had  committed  so  many  murders  and  other  outrages 
upon  citizens  of  the  United  States,  at  Spirit  Lake. 

It  is,  however,  by  no  means  certain  that  all  of  these 
considerations  combined  would  have  resulted  in  open 
hostilities  but  for  an  occurrence  which  proved  to  be  the 
application  of  the  torch  to  the  magazine.  Five  or  six 
young  warriors,  wearied  of  the  inaction  of  a  stationary 


232  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

camp  life,  made  an  excursion  along  the  outer  line  of  the 
Big  Woods  in  a  northern  direction,  with  the  avowed  in- 
tention of  securing  the  scalp  of  a  Chippewa,  if  practic- 
able. Being  unsuccessful  in  their  search,  they  retraced 
their  steps  to  Acton,  a  small  settlement  in  Meeker  Coun- 
ty, on  the  seventeenth  of  August,  1862,  and  through 
some  means  they  obtained  whisky,  and  drank  freely. 
They  made  a  demand  for  more  liquor  from  a  man  named 
Jones,  and  were  refused,  whereupon  the  infuriated  sav- 
ages fired  upon  and  killed  not  only  him  but  two  other 
men,  Webster  and  Baker  by  name,  and  an  elderly  lady 
and  a  young  girl.  Terrified  at  their  own  violence,  and 
fearful  of  the  punishment  due  to  their  own  crimes,  these 
wretches  made  their  way  back  to  the  camp  at  the  Lower 
Agency,  confessed  their  guilt  to  their  friends,  and  im- 
plored protection  from  the  vengeance  of  the  outraged 
laws.  They  all  belonged  to  influential  and  powerful 
families,  and  when  the  whole  affair  had  been  discussed 
in  solemn  conclave  in  the  "Soldiers'  Lodge,"  it  was  de- 
termined that  the  bands  should  make  common  cause 
with  the  criminals,  and  the  following  morning  was  fixed 
upon  for  the  extermination  of  the  unsuspecting  whites 
at  the  agencies,  and  of  all  the  white  settlers  within 
reach.  How  secretly  and  how  faithfully  the  orders 
of  the  "soldiers''  were  executed,  remains  briefly  to  be 
told. 

About  six  o'clock  a.  m.  on  the  eighteenth  of  August, 
1862,  a  large  number  of  Sioux  warriors,  armed  and  in 
their  war  paint,  assembled  about  the  buildings  at  the 
Lower  Agency.  It  had  been  rumored  purposely  in  ad- 
vance that  a  war-party  was  to  take  the  field  against  the 
Chippewas,  but  no  sooner  had  the  Indians  assumed  their 
several  positions,  according  to  the  programme,  than  an 


WHITES  MURDERED  AT  LOWER  AGENCY.      233 

onslaught  was  made  indiscriminately  upon  the  whites, 
and  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  men  who  con- 
cealed themselves,  and  a  few  of  the  women  and  children 
who  were  kept  as  captives,  no  whites  escaped  destruc- 
tion but  George  H.  Spencer,  a  respectable  and  intelli- 
gent young  man,  who,  although  twice  seriously  wound- 
ed, was  saved  from  instant  death  by  the  heroic  interven- 
tion of  his  Indian  comrade,  named  "  \Yak-ke-an-da-tah," 
or  the  "Red  Lightning."  A  number  of  persons  were 
also  slaughtered  at  the  Cpper  Agency,  but  through  the 
agency  of  "Other  Day,"  a  Christian  Indian,  the  mission- 
aries, and  others,  including  Rev.  Messrs.  Riggs  and 
Williamson  and  their  families,— in  all  about  sixty  per- 
sons,— were  saved,  being  conducted  safely  through  the 
Indian  country  to  the  white  settlements.  Their  escape 
was  truly  providential.  The  massacre  of  the  people, 
the  pillage  of  stores  and  dwellings,  and  the  destruction 
of  the  buildings  having  been  consummated,  parties  were 
despatched  to  fall  upon  settlers  on  farms  and  in  villages 
along  the  entire  frontier,  extending  nearly  two  hundred 
miles.  The  scenes  of  horror  consequent  upon  the  gen- 
eral onslaught  can  better  be  imagined  than  described. 
Fortunate,  comparatively  speaking,  was  the  lot  of  those 
who  were  doomed  to  instant  death,  and  thus  spared  the 
agonies  of  lingering  tortures,  and  the  superadded  an- 
guish of  witnessing  outrages  upon  the  persons  of  those 
nearest  and  dearest  to  them.  The  tiends  of  hell  could 
not  invent  more  fearful  atrocities  than  were  perpetrated 
by  the  savages  upon  their  victims.  The  bullet,  the 
tomahawk,  and  the  sealping-knife  spared  neither  age 
nor  sex,  the  only  prisoners  taken  being  the  young  ami 
comely  women,  to  minister  to  the  brutal  lusts  of  their 
captors,  and  a  few  children.    In  the  short  space  of  thirty- 


234  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

six  hours,  as  nearly  as  could  be  computed,  eight  hun- 
dred whites  were  cruelly  slain.  Almost  every  dwelling 
along  the  extreme  frontier  was  a  charnel-house,  contain- 
ing the  dying  and  the  dead.  In  many  cases  the  torch 
■was  applied,  and  maimed  and  crippled  sufferers,  unable 
to  escape,  were  consumed  with  their  habitations.  The 
alarm  was  communicated  by  refugees  to  the  adjacent 
settlements,  and  soon  the  roads  leading  to  St.  Paul  were 
crowded  by  thousands  of  men,  women,  and  children,  in 
the  wild  confusion  of  a  sudden  flight.  Domestic  ani- 
mals, including  hundreds  and  even  thousands  of  cattle, 
were  abandoned,  and  only  those  taken  which  could  expe- 
dite the  movements  of  the  terror-stricken  settlers. 

The  savages,  after  accomplishing  their  mission  of 
death,  assembled  in  force  and  attempted  to  take  Fort 
Ridgely  by  a  coup  de  main.  In  this  they  were  foiled  by 
the  vigilance  and  determination  of  the  garrison,  aided 
by  volunteers  who  had  escaped  from  the  surrounding 
settlements.  The  attack  was  continued  at  intervals  for 
several  days,  but  without  success.  The  town  of  New 
Ulm  was  also  assailed  by  a  strong  force  of  the  savages, 
but  was  gallantly  defended  by  volunteers  from  the 
neighboring  counties  under  the  command  of  Colonel  C. 
H.  Flandrau.  Captain  Dodd,  an  old  and  respectable 
citizen  of  St.  Peter,  was  among  the  killed  at  this  point. 
Fort  Abercrombie,  on  the  lied  raver,  also  suffered  a  long 
and  tedious  siege  from  the  hands  of  Sioux  from  Lacqui- 
Parle,  until  relieved  by  a  force  despatched  by  Governor 
Ramsey,  from  St.  Paul. 

The  first  advices  of  the  outbreak  reached  St.  Paul  on 
the  day  succeeding  the  massacre  at  the  Lower  Agency. 
Instant  preparations  were  made  by  Governor  Piamsey  to 
arrest  the  progress  of  the  savages.    At  his  personal  solici- 


COL.    H.    H.    SIBLEY    IN   COMMAND.  235 

tation,  H.  Henry  Sibley,  a  resident  of  Mondota,  whose 
long  and  intimate  acquaintance  with  Indian  character 
and  habits  was  supposed  to  render  him  peculiarly  fitted 
for  the  position,  consented  to  take  charge  of  military 
operations.  He  was  accordingly  commissioned  by  the 
Governor,  colonel  commanding,  and  upon  him  developed 
the  conduct  of  the  campaign  in  person. 

Unfortunately,  the  State  of  Minnesota  was  lament- 
ably deficient  in  the  means  and  appliances  requisite  to 
carry  on  successfully  a  war  of  the  formidable  character 
which  this  threatened  to  assume.  The  Sioux  allied  bands 
could  bring  into  the  field  from  eight  hundred  to  a  thous- 
and warriors,  and  they  might  be  indefinitely  reinforced 
by  the  powerful  divisions  of  the  prairie  Sioux.  Those 
actually  engaged  in  hostilities  were  good  marksmen, 
splendidly  armed,  and  abundantly  supplied  with  ammu- 
nition. They  had  been  victorious  in  several  encounters 
with  detachments  of  troops,  and  had  overwhelming  con- 
fidence in  their  own  skill.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
State  had  already  dispatched  five  thousand,  more  or  less 
of  her  choicest  young  men  to  the  South,  her  arsenal 
had  been  stripped  of  all  the  arms  that  were  effective, 
and  there  was  little  ammunition  on  hand,  and  no  rations 
.There  was  no  government  transportation  to  be  had,  and 
the  prospect  was  by  no  means  favorable.  Governor 
Ramsey,  notwithstanding,  acted  with  promptness  and 
vigor.  He  telegraphed  for  arms  and  ammunition  to 
the  War  Department,  and  to  the  governors  of  the  adjoin- 
ing States.  He  authorized  also  the  appropriation  for 
public  use  of  the  teams  belonging  to  individual  citizens, 
and  adopted  such  other  measures  as  the  emergency 
demanded. 

There  were  at  Fort  Snelling,  happily,    the  nucleus  of 


236  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

regiments  that  had  been  called  into  service.  Colonel 
Sibley  left  Fort  Snelling  with  four  hundred  of   the  6th 

Regiment  Minnesota  Volunteers,  early  on  the  morning 
of  August  twentieth.  Upon  an  inspection  of  the  arms 
and  cartridges  furnished,  it  was  found  that  the  former 
comprised  worthless  Austrian  rifles,  and  the  ammunition 
was  for  guns  of  a  different  and  larger  calibre.  The 
command  was  detained  several  days  at  St.  Peter,  en- 
gaged in  swedging  the  balls  so  as  to  fit  the  arms,  and 
in  prepariug  canister-shot  for  the  six-pounders.  Mean- 
time arms  of  a  better  quality  were  received,  reinforce- 
ments of  troops  arrived,  and  the  column  took  up  the 
line  of  march  for  Fort  Rnlgely,  which  was  reached 
without  interruption,  and  the  troops  went  into  camp  a 
short  distance  from  the  post,  to  await  the  reception  of 
rations  and  to  make  the  final  preparations  for  an  ad- 
vance upon  the  hostile  Indians,  who  had  drawn  in  their 
detached  parties,  and  were  concentrating  for  a  decisive 
battle. 

Scouts  were  dispatched  to  ascertain  the  location  of 
the  main  Indian  camp,  and  upon  their  return  they  report- 
ed no  Indians  below  Yellow  Medicine  River.  A  burial 
party  of  twenty  men  under  the  escort  of  one  com- 
pany of  infantry  and  the  available  mounted  force,  in 
all  about  two  hundred  men,  under  the  command  of 
Major  J.  R.  Brown,  was  detailed  to  proceed  and  inter 
the  remaius  of  the  murdered  at  the  Lower  Agency  and 
at  other  points  in  the  vicinity.  This  duty  was  per- 
formed, fifty-four  bodies  buried,  and  the  detachment 
was  en  route  to  the  settlements  on  Beaver  River,  and 
had  encamped  for  the  night  near  Birch  Coolie,  a  long 
and  wooded  ravine  debouching  into  the  Minnesota  River, 
when  about  dawn  the  following  morning,  the  camp   was 


BIRCH    COOLIE    AND    WOOD    LAKE.  237 

attacked  by  a  large  force  of  Indians,  twenty -five  men 
were  killed  or  mortally  wounded,  and  nearly  all  the 
horses,  ninety  in  number,  shot  down.  Providentially, 
the  volleys  of  musketry  were  heard  at  the  main  camp, 
although  eighteen  miles  distant,  and  Colonel  Sibley 
marched  to  the  relief  of  the  beleagured  detachment, 
drove  off*  the  Indians,  buried  the  dead,  and  the  weary 
column  then  retraced  its  steps  to  the  camp. 

The  period  spent  in  awaiting  necessary  supplies  of 
provisions  was  made  useful  in  drilling  the  men  and 
bringing  them  under  discipline.  So  soon  as  ten  days' 
rations  had  been  accumulated,  Colonel  Sibley  marched 
in  search  of  the  savages,  and  on  the  twenty-third  of  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  was  fought  the  severe  and  decisive  battle 
of  Wood  Lake.  The  action  was  commenced  by  the  In- 
dians, and  was  bravely  contested  by  them  for  more  than 
two  hours,  when  they  gave  way  at  all  points,  and  sent  in 
a  flag  of  truce,  asking  permission  to  bury  their  dead  and 
wounded,  which  was  refused.  A  message  was  sent  back 
to  Little  Crow,  the  leader  of  the  hostile  Indians,  to  the 
effect  that  if  any  of  the  white  prisoners  held  by  him  re- 
ceived injury  at  the  hands  of  the  savages,  no  mercy  would 
be  shown  to  the  latter,  but  they  would  be  pursued  and 
destroyed  without  regard  to  age  or  sex. 

The  success  at  Wood  Lake  was  not  achieved  without 
serious  loss.  Major  Welch,  of  the  3d  Minnesota  Volun- 
teers, commanding,  was  severely  wounded  in  the  leg; 
Captain  Wilson,  of  the  6th  Regiment,  badly  contused  in 
the  breast  by  a  spent  ball;  and  nearly  forty  non-commis- 
sioned officers  and  privates  were  killed  or  wounded. 
The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  much  greater,  a  half-breed 
prisoner  stating  it  at  thirty  killed  and  a  large  number 
wounded.      Lieutenant-Colonel    Marshall     and    Major 


238  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

Bradley,  of  the  7th  Regiment,  distinguished  themselves, 
the  former  leading  a  charge  of  five  companies  of  his 
own  and  two  companies  of  the  6th  Regiment,  which, 
cleared  a  ravine  of  the  enemy,  where  they  had  obtained 
shelter.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Averill  and  Major  McLar- 
en, of  the  6th  Regiment,  also  performed  signal  service, 
as  did  all  the  officers  and  men  of  both  regiments.  The 
3rd  Regiment,  composed  of  fractions  of  sis  companies, 
fought  gallantly,  having  for  a  time,  in  conjunction  with 
the  Renville  Rangers,  borne  the  brunt  of  the  fight,  and 
their  loss  was  great  in  proportion. 

One  of  the  main  objects  of  the  campaign,  the  deliver- 
ance of  the  white  captives,  was  yet  to  be  accomplished, 
and  required  the  exercise  of  much  judgment  and  cau- 
tion. There  was  good  reason  to  fear  that,  in  the  exas- 
peration of  defeat,  they  might  fall  victims  to  the  sav- 
ages. Colonel  Sibley,  therefore  delayed  his  march  tow- 
ards the  great  Indian  camp  until  the  second  day  after 
the  battle,  to  allow  time  to  the  friendly  element  to 
strengthen  itself,  and  to  avoid  driving  the  hostile  In- 
dians into  desperate  measures  against  their  prisoners. 
On  the  twenty-fifth  of  September,  the  column,  with 
drums  beating,  and  colors  flying,  filed  past  the  Indian 
encampment,  and  formed  the  camp  within  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  of  it .  Colonel  Sibley,  with  his  staff  and  field 
officers,  then  proceeded  to  the  lodges  of  the  Indians,  and 
directed  that  all  the  captives  be  delivered  up  to  him, 
which  was  forthwith  done.  A  sight  was  then  presented 
which  sufficed  to  suffuse  the  eyes  of  strong  men  with 
tears.  Young  and  beautiful  women,  who  had  for  weeks 
endured  the  extremity  of  outrage  from  their  brutal  cap- 
tors, followed  by  a  crowd  of  children  of  all  ages,  came 
forth  from  the  lodges,  hardly  realizing  that  the   day  of 


RELEASE   OF   CAPTIVES.  230 

their  deliverance  had  arrived.  Convulsive  sobbings  was 
heard  on  every  side,  and  the  poor  creatures  clung 
to  the  men  who  had  come  to  their  relief,  as  if  they  feared 
some  savage  would  drag  them  away.  They  were  all  es- 
corted tenderly  to  the  tents  prepared  for  their  reception 
and  made  as  comfortable  as  circumstances  would  admit. 
The  number  of  pure  whites  thus  released  amounted  to 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty,  including  one  man  only, 
Mr.  Spencer.  The  latter  expressed  his  gratitude  to  Col- 
onel Sibley  that  he  had  not  made  a  forced  march  upon 
the  camp  after  the  battle,  stating  emphatically  that  if 
such  a  course  had  been  pursued,  it  was  the  determina- 
tion of  the  hostile  Indians  to  cut  the  throats  of  the  cap- 
tives, and  then  disperse  in  the  prairies.  There  were 
delivered  also,  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  half-breeds, 
who  had  been  held  as  prisoners. 

Two  of  the  principal  objects  of  the  campaign,  the 
defeat  of  the  savage  and  the  release  of  the  captives, 
having  now  been  consummated,  there  remained  but  to 
punish  the  guilty.  Many  of  these,  with  Little  Crow, 
had  made  their  escape  and  could  not  be  overtaken,  but 
some  of  the  small  camps  of  refugees  were  surrounded 
and  the  inmates  brought  back.  The  locality  where 
these  events  transpired  was  appropriately  called  Camp 
Release,  and  the  name  should  be  perpetuated. 

At  the  proper  time,  the  Indian  camp  was  surrounded 
by  a  cordon  of  troops,  and  four  hundred  of  the  warriors 
were  arrested,  chained  together  in  pairs,  and  placed  in 
an  enclosure  of  logs  made  by  the  troops,  under  strong 
guard.  Others  who  were  known  to  be  innocent  were 
not  interfered  with.  Colonel  Sibley  constituted  a  mili- 
tary commission,  with  Colonel  Crooks,  commanding  Oth 
Regiment,  as  president,    for  the   trial  of  the   prisoners. 


240  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

A  fair  and  impartial  hearing  was  accorded  to  each,  and 
the  result  was,  the  finding  of  three  hundred  and  three 
guilty  of  participation  in  the  murder  of  the  whites,  and 
the  sentence  of  death  by  hanging  was  passed  upon 
them.  Others  were  convicted  of  robbery  and  pillage 
and  were  condemned  to  various  terms  of  imprisonment, 
and  a  few  were  acquitted.  The  witnesses  were  composed 
of  the  released  captives,  including  mixed  bloods,  and 
of  Christian  Indians  who  had  refused  to  join  Little 
Crow  in  the  war.  A  full  record  was  kept  of  each  case 
that  was  tried. 

The  preparations  for  the  execution  of  the  guilty  In- 
dians were  brought  to  a  summary  close,  by  an  order 
from  President  Lincoln  prohibiting  the  hanging  of  any 
of  the  convicted  men  without  his  previous  sanction. 
The  people  of  the  State  were  highly  indignant  at  this 
suspension,  and  an  energetic  protest  was  made  by  their 
Senators  and  representatives  in  Washington.  Finally, 
after  much  delay,  Colonel  Sibley  was  directed  to  carry 
out  the  sentence  of  the  commission  in  certain  cases 
specified,  and  on  December  twenty-sixth,  1862,  thirty- 
eight  of  the  criminals  were  executed  accordingly  at 
Mankato,  on  the  same  scaffold,  under  the  direction  of 
Colonel  Miller,  commanding  that  post.  The  remainder 
of  the  condemned  were  sent  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  early 
in  the  spring,  where  they  were  kept  in  confinement  for 
more  than  a  year,  a  large  number  dying  of  disease  in 
the  meantime.  Those  that  remained  were  eventually 
despatched  to  a  reservation  on  the  Upper  Missouri, 
where  the  large  number  of  prisoners  taken  by  Colonel 
Sibley,  principally  women  and  children  had  already 
been  placed. 

The  President  testified  his  approbation  of  the  conduct 


CAMPAIGN   TERMINATED.  241 

of  Colonel  Sibley  by  conferring  upon  him,  unasked,  the 
commission  of  brigadier-general  of  volunteers,  and  the 
appointment  was  subsequently  confirmed  by  the  Senate. 

Thus  happily  terminated  the  Indian  campaign  of 
1862,  entered  upon  without  due  preparation,  against  an 
enemy  formidable  in  numbers,  completely  armed  and 
equipped,  and  withal  confident  of  their  own  powers  and 
strength.  It  was  a  critical  period  in  the  history  of  the 
State,  for  it  was  then  suspected,  and  has  since  been  con- 
firmed, that  if  the  column  of  troops  under  Colonel  Sib- 
ley had  met  with  a  reverse,  there  would  have  been  a 
rising  of  the  Chippewas  and  AVinnebagoes  against  the 
whites,  and  many  of  the  counties  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi would  have  been  entirely  depopulated.  Indeed, 
in  a  speech  to  his  warriors  the  night  previous  to  the 
battle  of  "Wood  Lake,  Little  Crow  stated  the  programme 
to  be,  first  the  defeat  and  destruction  of  the  old  men 
and  boys  composing,  as  he  said,  the  command  under 
Colonel  Sibley,  and  second  the  immediate  descent  there- 
after of  himself  and  his  people  to  St.  Paul,  there  to  dis- 
pose summarily  of  the  whites,  and  then  establish  them- 
selves comfortably  in  winter  quarters.  That  the  people  of 
Minnesota  succeeded,  without  extraneous  "aid,  in  speed- 
ily ending  an  Indian  war  of  such  threatening  and  form- 
idable proportions,  while  they  continued  to  bear  their 
full  share  of  the  burdens  imposed  oil  the  Northern 
States  in  tJie  suppression  of  the  g^a^  rebellion,  consti- 
tutes an  epoch  in  -their  history  of  which  .they  may  be 
justly  proud.  •'  ,    « 

It  was  deemed  requisite  by  the  military  authorities 
at  "Washington,  and  by  Major-General  Pope,  command- 
ing the  Department  of  the  Northwest,  that  a  second 
campaign  should  be  entered  upon  against  th^refugees 


242 


HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 


who  had  been  concerned  in  the  massacres,  and  had  fled 
to  the  upper  prairies,  where  they  had  beeu  hospitably 
received  and  harbored  by  the  powerful    bands  of  Sioux 
in   that   remote   region.     Accordingly,   General    Sully, 
commanding   the   District  of  the   Upper  Missouri,  and 
General  Sibley,  commanding  the  District  of  Minnesota, 
were  summoned  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  department 
at  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  to  confer   with  General  Pope. 
It  was  finally  decided   that  a  large  force  under  the  dis- 
trict commanders  mentioned    should  march  as  early  in 
the  summer  of  18(33  as  practicable,  from  Sioux  City  on 
the  Missouri,  and  from  a  designated   point  on  the  Min- 
nesota  River  respectively,   the   objective-point   of   the 
two  columns  being  Devil's  Lake,  where  it  was  supposed 
the  main  body  of  Indians  would  be  encountered.     The 
force  under  General  Sully  was  to  be  composed  entirely 
of  cavalry,  and  that  under  General  Sibley  of  three  reg- 
iments  of  infantry,  one   regiment   of  cavalry,    and  two 
sections   of    light   artillery.      The    Minnesota   column 
reached  the  point  of  rendezvous  after  a  most  weary  and 
indeed  distressing  march,  the  summer  being  exceedingly 
warm,    and   the   prairies   parched   with     the    excessive 
drouth.     Learning  from  the  Red  River  half-breeds  that 
the   large  Indian   camps  were   to  be   found  on  the  Mis- 
souri coteau,  in  the  direction  from  which  General  Sully 
was  to  be  expected,  General  Sibley  left  the  sore-footed 
and   weary  of  his   men  and   animals   in  an  entrenched 
camp  on  the  Upper   Sheyenne  River,  and  marched  rap- 
idly towards  the  Missouri  River.     He  succeeded  in  fall- 
ing in   with  the    camp  in   which  many  of  the    refugees 
were  to  be  found,  and  which  contained  several  hundred 
warriors,  attacked  and  defeated   them  with  considerable 
loss,  and  followed  them  as  they  retreated  upon  other  and 


LITTLE   CROW  KILLED.  243 

stronger  camps,  the  tenants  of  which  were  driven  back 
in  confusion  successively,  until  the  Missouri  River  was 
interposed  as  a  barrier  to  the  advance  of  the  pursuing 
column.  The  command  of  General  Sully,  delayed  by 
unexpected  obstacles,  was  not  fallen  in  with,  and  the 
Minnesota  troops  having  accomplished  more  than  was 
allotted  to  them  in  the  co-operative  movement,  and  se- 
cured their  own  frontier  from  apprehensions  of  further 
serious  raids  on  the  part  of  hostile  Sioux,  returned  to 
their  quarters  in  their  own  State.  The  year  1863  was 
also  signalized  by  the  death  of  Little  Crow,  who,  with  a 
small  party  of  seventeen  men,  made  a  descent  upon  the 
frontier  with  the  object  of  stealing  horses,  and  after 
committing  a  few  murders  and  depredations,  he  was 
fatally  shot  by  a  man  named  Lamson,  in  the  Big  Woods, 
and  his  son  who  was  with  him,  was  subsequently  taken 
prisoner  near  Devil's  Lake,  by  a. detachment  from  Gen- 
eral Sibley's  column,  condemned  to  death  by  military 
commission,  but  subsequently  pardoned  on  account  of 
his  extreme  youth. 


244  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER  FIFTEENTH. 

SERVICES   OF   REGIMENTS   IN   THE    SOUTH. 

On  the  first  of  March  the  fourth  Regiment  embarked 
at  Memphis  and  entered  the  Yazoo  Pass,  and  on  the 
fifteenth  of  April  returned  to  Milliken's  Bend.  A  few 
days  after,  Colonel  Sanborn  was  temporarily  placed  in 
command  of  Quinby's  Division.  On  the  thirtieth  of 
April  the  regiment  was  opposite  Grand  Gulf,  and  in  a 
few  days  they  entered  Port  Gibsou,  and  here  Colonel 
Sanborn  resumed  the  command  of  a  brigade;  and  on 
the  tenth  of  May  the  regiment,  which  was  a  part  of  his 
brigade,  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Raymond,  and  on 
the  fourteenth  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Jackson. 

A  newspaper  correspondent  says:  "Captain  L.  13. 
Martin,  of  the  -4th  Minnesota,  A.  A.  G.  to  Colonel  San- 
born, seized  the  Hag  of  the  59th  Indiana  Infantry,  rode 
rapidly  beyond  the  skirmishers  (Company  H  of  4th 
Minnesota,  Lieutenant  George  A.  Clark),  and  raised  it 
over  the  dome  of  the  capitol.  Lieutenant  Donaldson 
of  the  4th,  also  riding  in  advance,  captured  a  rlag  made 
of  silk;  on  one  side  was  inscribed  'Claiborne  Rangers,' 
and  on  the  other  'Our  Rights' 

On  the  sixteenth  the  regiment  was  in  the  battle  of 
Champion  Hill,  and  took  one  hundred  and  eighteen 
prisoners.  Four  days  later  it  was  in  the  rear  of  Yicks- 
burg.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Tourtellotte  reports  as  fol- 
lows : 


FIFTH   REGIMENT   AT   JACKSON   AND   VICESBURG.     '215 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  twenty-second,  by  order  of 
General  Grant,  an  assault  was  made  on  Yicksburg. 
My  regiment,  with  the  forty-eighth  Iowa  for  reserve 
and  support,  was  ordered  to  charge  upon  one  of  the 
enemy's  forts  just  in  front,  as  soon  as  I  should  see  a 
charge  made  upon  the  fort  next  on  my  right."  This 
order  being  modified,  the  report  continues:  "No  sooner 
had  we  taken  position  than  General  Burba ge  withdrew 
his  brigade  from  the  action.  Under  the  direct  fire  from 
the  fort  in  front,  under  a  heavy  cross-fire  from  a  fort  on 
our  right,  the  regiment  pressed  forward  up  to  and  even 
on  the  enemy's  works.  In  this  position,  contending  for 
the  possession  of  the  rebel  earthwork,  the  regiment 
remained  for  two  hours,  when  it  became  dark,  and  I  was 
ordered  by  Colonel  Sanborn  to  withdraw  the  regiment. 
Noticing  a  field-piece  which  had  been  lifted  up  the  hill 
by  main  strength,  and  which  had  apparently  been  used 
by  General  Burbage  in  attempting  to  batter  down  the 
walls  of  the  fort,  I  sent  Company  C  to  withdraw  the 
piece  from  the  ground  and  down  the  hill.  *  *  *  In 
this  action  the  regiment  suffered  severely,  losing  some 
of  its  best  officers  and  men." 

The  Fifth  Regiment,  attached  to  the  Third  Division 
of  Fifteenth  Army  Corps,  reached  Grand  Gulf  on  the 
seventh  of  May.  On  the  thirteenth  they  were  at  Ray- 
mond, and  the  next  day  in  action  near  Jackson.  On  the 
twenty-second  it  was  before  Yicksburg,  and  exposed  to  a 
galling  fire,  but  lost  only  two  men. 

The  First  Regiment  left  Falmouth,  Virginia,  and  by 
hurried  marches  reached  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  first  of  July.  The  next  morning  Hancock's  Corps, 
to  which  it  was  attached,  moved  to  a  ridge,  the  right 
resting  on    Cemetery    Hill,    the    left   near    Sugar  Loaf 


246  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

Mountain.  The  line  of  battle  was  a  semi-ellipse,  and 
Gibbons'  Division,  to  which  the  regiment  was  attached, 
occupied  the  centre  of  the  curve  nearest  the  enemy.1 

Captain  H.  C.  Coates,  commanding  the  regiment  after 
the  battle,  writes: 

"At  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  second  instant, 
we  were  ordered  into  position  in  the  front  and  about  the 
center  of  our  line  just  to  the  left  of  the  town.  The 
battle  commenced  at  daylight  and  raged  with  fury  the 
entire  day.     AVe  were  under  a  severe   artillery  fire,  but 

1  As  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  one  of  the  decisive  battles  of  the  Rebellion 
we  give  the  following  extracts  from  a  most  graphic  account,  written  by  one 
signing  himself  "Sergeant,"  which  appeared  in  the  St.  Paul  Pioneer,  August 

He  says:  "  General  Hancock  rode  up  to  Colonel  Colville,  and,  pointing  to  the 
6moke-coverednia*sesof  the  advancing  foe,  said,  'Colonel,  advance  and  take 
their  colors.'  '  Forward!*  shouted  our  Colonel,  and  as  one  man  we  commenced 
to  move  down  the  slope  towards  a  little  run  at  its  foot,  which  the  enemy  evi- 
dently wished  to  gain.  Now  their  cannon  were  pointed  to  us.  and  round  shot 
grape  and  shrapnel  tore  fearfully  through  our  ranks,  and  the  more  deadly 
itnbeld  rifles  were  directed  to  us  alone.  Great  heavens,  how  fast  our  men  fell' 
Marching  as  tile-closer,  it  seemed  as  if  every  step  was  over  some  fallen  comrade 
Yet  no  man  wavers,  every  gap  is  closed  up,  and,  bringing  down  their  bavi.nets, 
the  boys  press  shoulder  to  shoulder;  and  disdaining  the  fictitious  courage  pro- 
ceeding from  noise  and  excitement,  without  a  word  or  cheer,  but  with  silent 
desperate  determination,  step  tirmly  forwardm  unbroken  line  within  a  hundred 
—within  fafty  steps  of  the  foe.  Three  times  their  colors  are  shot  down,  and  three 
times  arising  go  forward  as  before.  One-fourth  of  the  nieD  have  fallen  and 
yet  no  shot  has  been  bred  at  the  enemy,  who  paused  a  moment  to  look  upon 
that  line  of  leveled  bayonets,  and  then,  panic-stricken,  turned  and  ran- 
but  another  line  took  their  place,  and  poured  murderous  volleys  into  us  not 
thirty  yards  distant,  'Charge!'  cried  Colonel  Colville,  and  with  a  wild  cheer 
we  ran  at  them.  We  fired  away,  three,  four,  five  irregular  volleys,  and  but 
little  ammunition  is  waited,  when  the  muzzles  of  opposing  guns  almost  meet 
The  enemy  seemed  to  sink  into  the  ground.  They  are  checked  and  -tam- 
pered; one  division  came  up  at  this  instant,  and  before  we  recovered  from  the 
bewdderment  of  the  shock,  we  scarcely  know  how,  but  the  rebels  are  swept 
back  over  the  plain.  Put.  good  God!  where  was  the  First  .Minnesota-  Our 
nag  was  carried  back  to  the  battery,  and  seventy  men,  scarce  one  of  them 
unmarked  by  scratches  and  bullet  holes  through  their  clothing,  are  all  that 
formed  around  it.  The  other  two  hundred,  alas!  lay  bleeding  under  it.  Our 
held  officers,  rendered  conspicuous  by  their  great  personal  stature  and  cool 
and  dashing  gallantry,  had  all  fallen,  each  p'erced  by  several  balls  and  the 
command  devolved  upon  Captain  Messick.  Tired  and  weary,  we  might  not 
sleep,  or  even  build  fires  to  make  coffee,  but  rested  on  our  arms  all  the  long 
damp,  drizzling  night,  in  wakeful  anticipation  of  an  attack.  Red  and  fiery 
through  the  tnorniug  mists  at  length  arose  the  sun  on  the  third  of  July.  Trie 
forenoon  passed  as  did  the  previous  one.  About  noon  two  trims  were  tired  ;ls  a 
sort  of  signal,  and  immediately  after  one  hundred  and  eighty  pieces  of  cannon 
opened  on  our  line.  When  you  remember  our  formation  and  that  of  the  enemy 
conformed  to  it.  you  will  see  that  their  cannon  were  on  three  sides  of  u-,  and 
that  their  converging  lines  of  fire  crossed  each  other  in  all  directions  over  us 
Many  of  their  shot  fired  from  batteries  to  the  west  of  us,  passed  clear  over  our 
horseshoe,'  and  fell  among  their  own  men  facing  us  from  the  east.  Imagine 
our  position  in  the  centre!    Our  artillery  opened  ay  vigorously  in  return,  and 


BATTLE    AT    GETTYSBURG.  247 

not  actively  engaged  until  about  five  o'clock  P.  3L,  when 
we  were  moved  to  support  Battery  I,  4th  United  States 
Artillery.  Compauy  F  had  beeu  detached  from  the 
regiment  as  skirmishers,  and  Company  L  as  sharpshoot- 
ers. Our  infantry,  who  had  advanced  upon  the  enemy 
in  our  front,  and  pushed  him  for  a  while,  were  in  turn 
driven  back  in  some  confusion,  the  enemy  following 
them  in  heavy  force.  To  check  them,  we  were  ordered 
to  advance,  which  wre  did,  moving  at  double-quick  down 
the  slope  of  the   hill,  right   upon  the  rebel  line.     The 

now  the  scene  became  sublime.  Two  long,  weary  hours,  and  then  came  the 
lull.  We  kne  .v  their  infantry  was  advancing,  and  we  rose  for  the  death  strug- 
gle with  a  feeling  of  relief,  for  it  was  at  worst  but  man  to  man.  and  we  could 
give  as  well  as  take.  And  now  they  emerged  from  the  woods,  Long-treet's 
whole  corps,  near  thirty  thousand  strong.  General  Pickett's  division,  of  about 
twelve  thousand,  fre^h  from  the  rear,  was  in  front  of,  and  advanced  upon  our 
shattered  division  of  less  than  four  thousand.  We  had  reserves  behind,  though, 
to  go  to  our  assistance  if  needed.  Over  the  plain,  still  covered  with  the  dead 
and  wounded  of  yesterday,  in  three  beautiful  lines  of  battle,  preceded  by  skir- 
mishers, with  their  arms  at  right  shoulder  shift  and  with  double-quick  step, 
right  gallantly  they  came  on.  What  was  lefc  of  our  artillery  opened,  but  they 
never  seemed  to  give  it  any  attention.  Calmly  we  awaited  the  onset,  and  when 
within  two  hundred  yards  we  opened  fire.  Their  front  line  went  down  like 
grass  before  the  scythe:  again  and  again  we  gave  it  to  them,  when  they  changed 
direction,  and  followed  a  small  ravine  up  towards  our  right.  To  the  right  we 
went  also,  marching  parallel  with  them  anil  tiring  continually;  and  no  man 
seemed  to  shrink  from  his  duty.  Three  or  four  brigades  of  the  enemy  clo-ed 
together  near  a  cave,  when,  changing  again,  they  rushed  forward  and  planted 
their  colors  on  one  of  our  batteries.  <  'ur  brigade  rushed  at  them.  The  tattered 
colors  of  the  First,  in  advance,  were  now  shot  down,  the  ball  passing  through 
John  Dehn's  'the  color-bearer  >  right  arm,  and  cutting  the  staff  in  two  where  he 
grasped  it.  Corporal  O'Brien  raised  the  tiag  and  bore  it  on.  Generals  Hancock 
and  Gibbon  were  both  weunded  here  while  cheering  us  on.  Orders  were  unnec- 
essary. Tlie  tight  had  become  a  perfect  melee,  and  every  man  fonght  for  him- 
self, or  under  the  direction  of  his  company  officers.  Here  that  noble  soldier 
Captain  .Me--siek,  was  killed,  and  Captain  Barrel,  who  had  gallantly  brought  np 
the  provost  guard,  Company  C.  to  reinforce  his  shattered  regiment,  mortally 
wounded.  The  enemy  had  halted,  and  were  tiring  on  us  from  behind  some 
bjU-he*.  We  pushed  on.  They  tired  till  we  reached  the  muzzles  of  their 
guns,  but  they  could  not  stand  the  bayonet,  and  broke  before  the  cold  steel  in 
disorder  and  dismay.  Our  division  took  more  colors  than  it  had  regiments. 
Marshall  Sherman,  of  Company  C,  of  this  regiment,  took  those  of  the  Twenty- 
eighth  Virginia  Not  daring  to  run,  their  officers  and  men  surrendered  in 
scores  and  hundreds.  At  this  moment  of  victory.  Corporal  O'Brien  was  shot 
down,  and  the  colors  fell.  Corporal  Irvine  immediately  raised  that  tattered 
bat  sacred  flag  of  Minnesota,  and  again  it  waved  in  glorious  triumph  over  her 
gallant  dead,  while  the  ringing  shout.-,  of  victory  along  the  front  of  our  whole 
corps  proclaimed  that  the  magnificent  army  which  Lee  had  launched  like  a 
thunderbolt  to  break  our  c  >ntre,  was  shattered,  broken  and  defeated  by  the  old 
Second,  scarcely  eight  thou-and  strong.  The  reserves  were  not  called  upon, 
and  did  not  tire  a  gnu;  and  twenty-eight  battle-flags  were  added  to  the  trophies 
gathered  on  the  Peninsula  and  Antietam  by  that  corps,  which,  in  the  words  of 
Sumner,  'never  yet  lo-.ta  gun  or  a  color,  and  never  turned  back  in  battle  before 
the  enemy.'  " 


24S  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

fire  we  encountered  here  was  terrible,  and,  although  we 
inflicted  severe  punishment  upon  the  enemy,  and  cheek- 
ed his  advance,  it  was  with  the  loss  in  killed  and  wound- 
ed of  more  than  two-thirds  of  our  men  who  were  en- 
gaged. Here  Captain  Muller,  of  Company  E,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Farrer,  of  Company  I, 'were  killed,  and  Captain 
Periam,  of  Company  Iv,  mortally  wounded.  Colonel 
Colville,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Adams,  Major  Downie,  Ad- 
jutant Peller,  and  Lieutenants  Sinclair,  Company  B, 
Demerest,  Company  E,  De  Gray  and  Boyd,  Company  I, 
were  severely  wounded.  Colonel  Colville  is  shot  through 
the  shoulder  and  foot;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Adams  is 
shot  through  the  chest  and  twice  through  the  leg,  and 
his  recovery  is  doubtful.  Fully  two-thirds  of  the  en- 
listed men  engaged  were  either  killed  or  wounded. 
Companies  F,  C  and  L,  not  being  engaged  here,  did  not 
suffer  severely  on  this  day's  fight.  The  command  of  the 
regiment  now  devolved  upon  Captain  Nathan  S.  Messick. 
At  daybreak  the  next  morning  the  enemy  renewed  the 
battle  with  vigor  on  the  right  and  left  of  our  line,  with 
infantry,  and  about  ten  o'clock  a.  m.  opened  upon  the 
center,  where  we  were  posted,  a  most  terrible  fire  of  ar- 
tillery, which  continued  without  intermission  until  three 
o'clock  I-,  m.j  when  heavy  columns  of  the  enemy's  infan- 
try were  thrown  suddenly  forward  against  our  position. 
They  marched  resolutely  in  the  face  of  a  withering  fire 
up  to  our  line,  and  succeeded  in  planting  their  colors  on 
one  of  our  batteries.  They  held  it  but  a  moment  as  our 
regiment,  with  others  of  the  division,  rushed  upon  them, 
the  colors  of  our  regiment  in  advance,  and  retook  the 
battery,  capturing  nearly  the  entire  rebel  force  who  re- 
mained alive.  Our  regiment  took  about  five  hundred 
prisoners.     Several    stands   of  rebel    colors   were    here 


OFFICERS    AT    KILLED   AT    GETTYSBURG.  249 

taken.     Private  Marshall  Sherman,  of  Company  C,  cap- 
tured the  colors  of  the  28th  Virginia  Regiment. 

"Our  entire  regiment,  except  Company  L,  was  in  the 
fight,  and  our  loss  again  was  very  severe.  Captain  Mes- 
sick,  while  gallantly  leading  the  regiment,  was  killed 
early.  Captain  W.  B.  Farrel,  Company  0,  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  died  last  night.  Lieutenant  Mason,  Com- 
pany D,  received  three  wounds,  and  Lieutenants  Har- 
mon, Company  C,  Heffelfinger,  Company  D,  and  May, 
Company  B,  were  also  wounded.  The  enemy  suffered 
terribly  here,  and  is  now  retreating.  Our  loss  of  so 
many  brave  men  is  heartrending,  and  will  carry  mourn- 
ing into  all  parts  of  the  state;  but  they  have  fallen  in  a 
holy  cause,  and  their  memory  will  not  soon  perish.  Our 
loss  is  four  commissioned  officers  and  forty-seven  men 
killed,  thirteen  officers  and  one  hundred  sixty-two  men 
wounded,  and  six  men  missing.  Total  two  hundred  and 
thirty-two,  out  of  less  than  three  hundred  and  thirty 
men  and  officers  engaged. 

"Several  acts  of  heroic  daring  occurred  in  this  battle. 
I  cannot  now  attempt  to  enumerate  them.  The  bearing 
of  Colonel  Colville  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Adams,  in 
the  fight  of  Tuesday,  was  conspicuously  gallant.  Hero- 
ically urging  them  on  to  the  attack,  they  fell  very  nearly 
at  the  same  moment,  their  wounds  comparatively  dis- 
abling them,  so  far  in  the  advance  that  some  time  elaps- 
ed before  they  were  got  off  the  field.  Major  Dowirie 
received  two  bullets  through  the  arm  before  he  turned 
over  the  command  to  Captain  Messick.  Colonel-Ser- 
geant E.  P.  Perkins,  and  two  of  the  color-guard  succes- 
cessively  bearing  the  flag,  were  wounded  in  Thursday  s 
fight.  On  Friday,  Corporal  Dehn,  of  Company  A,  the 
last  of  the  color-guard,  when  close  upon  the  enemy,  was 


250  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

shot  through  the  hand  and  the  flag-staff  cut  in  two; 
Corporal  Heury  D.  O'Brien,  of  Company  1),  instantly 
seized  the  flag  by  the  remnant  of  the  staff,  and,  waving 
it  over  his  head,  rushed  right  up  to  the  muzzles  of  the 
enemy's  muskets;  nearly  at  the  moment  of  victory  he 
too  was  wounded  in  the  hand,  but  the  flag  was  instantly 
grasped  by  Corporal  W.  N.  Irvine,  of  Company  D, 
who  still  carries  its  tattered  remnants.  Company  L, 
Captain  Berger,  supported  Kirby's  Battery  throughout 
the  battle,  and  did  very  effective  service.  Every  man  in 
the  whole  regiment  did  his  whole  duty." 

On  the  nineteenth  of  September,  the  2d  Regiment, 
now  under  Colonel  George  for  the  first  time  since  the 
fight  at  Mill  Spring,  was  engaged  at  Chickamauga.  It 
was  in  the  2d  Brigade,  3d  Division,  loth  Army  Corps, 
and  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  was  placed  next  to 
Battery  I,  4th  United  States  Artillery,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Frank  G.  Smith.1  The  enemy  charged 
desperately,  and  after  a  sharp  contest  was  repulsed. 
The  regiment  lost  eight  killed  and  forty-one  wounded. 
The  next  day  the  fight  was  resumed  and  lasted  until 
dark.2 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  twenty-third  of  November 
the   2d   Regiment   marched   from   its   encampment    at 

1.    Son  of  Franklin  Smith,  M.  D.  of  St.  Paul. 

,v2*  ?VT  York  Herald  correspondent  wrote:  "In  Braman's  Division  there  are 
the  old  famous  regiments  of  which  the  lure  General  Robert  McCuok  and  (Gen- 
eral \  an  Llevewere  formerly  (.'olonels  This  was  the  first  fight  since  "Mill 
?.S)nn?-  -i  *,•  *i  *  *  *  Tho  big-hearted  Minnesotians.  whom  Van 
Uevenad  enlisted  two  years  before,  sprung  from  their  position  in  reserve,  and 
with  loud  yells,  as  if  the  sight  had  infuriated  them,  rushed  forward  with  fixed 
bayonets  drove  the  enemy  from  their  guns,  before  they  could  be  turned  on  us  "' 
A  friend  writing  to  Lieutenant  U.  VV.  Prescott,  says:  "Gen.  R.  W.  John-on 
fought  splendidly.  *  *  *  *  I  heard  on  Sunday  /hat  he  was  wounded 
and  a  prisoner,  but  afterwards  learned  that  he  was  safe.  I  called  on  him  yester- 
",aj'-  *('',-*  not  Wf'11,  a"(1  cllink*  of  taking  a  trip  to  Minnesota.  *  *  *  "  * 
General  Van  Cleve  lost  ten  out  of  eighteen  pieces  of  artillery.  *  *  *  * 
Murdoch:,  of  his  staff,  son  of  the  actor  and  a  brilliant  fellow,  was  mortallv 
wounded.  Lieutenant.  Woodbury,  commanding  I'd  Battery,  had  his  left  arm 
badly  shattered  on  Saturday." 


SECOND    REGIMENT    AT   MISSION    RIDGE.  251 

Chattanooga,  and  was  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle  in  front 
of  Fort  Negley,  and  on  the  twenty-fifth  it  took  a  posi- 
tion to  the  east  forcing  the  enemy  at  the  foot  and  on 
the  crest  of  Mission  Bidge.  With  the  whole  brigade 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  it  advanced  and 
came  in  full  view  of  the  enemy's  works. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Bishop,1  commanding  the  regi- 
ment, says:  "After  remaining  in  front  of  this  part  of 
the  enemy's  lines  for  some  twenty  minutes,  I  received 
an  order  from  Colonel  Van  Derveer  commanding  the 
brigade  to  advance.  *  *  *  *  With  bayonets  fixed, 
the  whole  line  commenced  the  advance.  The  enemy 
opened  fire  with  musketry  from  the  breastworks  and 
artillery  from  the  main  ridge  as  soon  as  our  line  emerged 
from  the  woods,  but  in  the  face  of  both  the  men  moved 
silently  and  steadily  forward  across  the  creek  and  up 
the  slope,  until  about  one  hundred  paces  of  the  breast- 
works, when,. as  the  pace  was  quickened,  the  enemy 
broke  from  behind  the  works  and  ran  in  some  confusion. 
*  *  *  About  twenty  minutes  after  the  capture  of  the 
first  work,  my  regiment  moved  forward  with  the  others 
of  the  brigade,  assembling  on  the  colors  as  fast  as  it  was 
possible,  until  ascending  the  steepest  part  of  the  slope, 
where  every  man  had  to  find  or  clear  his  own  way 
through  the  entanglement  and  in  the  face  of  a  terrible 
fire  of  musketry  and  artillery.  *  *  *  *  Hardly 
had  a  lodgment  in  the  enemy's  works  been  gained,  when 
the  enemy's  reserves  made  a  furious  counter-attack 
upon  our  men,  yet  in  confusion.  The  attack  was  prompt- 
ly met.     *     *     *     *     Of  seven  non-commissioned   otii- 


1.  Entered  service  as  Captain,  June  '2t>,  1861;  Major,  March  21,  ls'i'2:  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel,  August  lit),  lstj'J;  Colonel,  July  14,  1SC4;  B't  Brij,'.  (ien.  U.  S.  Volun- 
teers, Jane  7.  lSXi. 


252  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

cers  in  the  color-guard,  all  but  one  were  killed  or 
wounded." 

The  4th  Regiment  was  also  at  Chattanooga,  assigned 
to  the  loth  Army  Corps,  but  suffered  no  losses. 

The  1st  Regiment,  at  Bristow  Station,  Virginia,  on 
the  fourteenth  of  October  was  the  head  of  the  column 
of  the  2d  Division  of  the  2d  Corps,  and  as  skirmishers 
in  the  woods,  held  the  enemy  in  check  until  our  troops 
could  form  behind  the  railroad.  After  the  enemy  was 
repulsed,  the  regiment  again  advanced  and  captured 
three  hundred  and  twenty  prisoners  and  six  rebel  can- 
non. 

As  the  term  of  the  regiments  first  organized  ap- 
proached expiration,  the  men  were  allowed  to  re-enlist 
and  return  to  the  State  on  furlough.  On  the  eighth  of 
January,  1864,  the  2d  left  Chattanooga  for  Fort  Snell- 
ing,  and  on  the  twenty-fourth  arrived  at  St.  Paul,  with 
the  exception  of  the  companies  that  belonged  to  Fill- 
more and  Olmsted  Counties,  which  stopped  at  Winona. 
The  1st  left  their  camp  near  Culpepper  on  the  fifth  of 
February,  and  after  partaking  of  a  banquet  at  the  Na- 
tional Hotel  in  Washington,  given  by  members  of  Con- 
gress and  other  citizens  of  Minnesota  in  the  city,  pro- 
ceeded westward,  and  were  finally  welcomed  at  St.  Paul 
on  the  fifteenth  of  February. 

The  1st  Battery,  that  had  been  attached  to  the  17th 
Army  Corps,  now  commanded  by  William  T.  Clayton 
arrived  early  in  March,  and  on  the  twentieth  the  4th 
returned  on  furlough. 

The  3rd  Regiment,  which,  after  the  Indian  exposition 
had  been  ordered  to  Little  Pock,  Arkansas,  on  the  thir- 
tieth had  an  engagement  with  McPae's  forces,  near  Au- 
gusta, at  Fitzhugh's    Woods.     Seven   men  were  killed 


THIRD   REGIMENT    ENGAGED.  253 

ami  sixteen  wounded.  General  C.  C.  Andrews,  in  com- 
mand of   the  force,  had  his  horse  killed  by  a  bullet. 

The  2d  Battery,  Captain  W.  A.  Hotchkiss,  having  re- 
enlisted,  left  Chattanooga  on  the  twelfth  of  April  and 
returned  on  a  furlough. 

By  order  of  the  "War  Department,  the  1st  Regiment 
was  mustered  out  at  the  expiration  of  its  three  years 
term  of  service.  On  the  twenty-eighth  of  April  it  held 
its  last  evening  parade,  at  Fort  Snelling,  in  the  presence 
of  Governor  Miller,  who  had  once  commanded  them,  and 
a  large  number  of  spectators. 

A  portion  of  its  members  were  organized  in  a  battal- 
ion, and  in  May  proceeded  to  Washington,  and  from 
thence  went  to  Virginia  and  joined  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, and  participated  in  engagements  near  Peters- 
burg, Jamestown,  Plank  Boad,  Deep  Bottom,  and  Beams 
Station.  The  6th  Regiment,  which  had  been  actively 
engaged  in  the  Indian  expedition  of  1S62,  was  ordered 
to  the  South  in  October,  1863,  and  in  June,  1861,  was 
assigned  to  the  16th  Army  Corps.  The  7th  at  the  same 
time  was  assigned  to  this  corps,  and  also  the  9th  and 
10th  Begiments.  The  5th  Begiment,  which  had  been 
attached  to  the  corps  since  January,  was  in  the  expedi- 
tion up  the  Bed  River  of  Louisiana  during  the  spring, 
and  on  the  sixth,  of  June  was  under  Major  Becht.  in 
Hubbard's  Brigade,  engaged  in  battle  with  General 
Marmaduke's  forces  at  Lake  Chicot,  Arkansas. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  July  the  insurgents,  under  For- 
rest, opened  lire  upon  General  A.  J.  Smith's  Division, 
near  Tupelo,  Mississippi,  in  which  were  portions  of  the 
5th,  the  9th,  the  7th,  and  10th  Begiments. 

During  the  first  day's  fight,  Surgeon  Smith  of  the  7th 
was  shot  through  the  neck  and  killed.     On  the  morning 


254  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

of  the  fourteenth  the  battle  began  in  earnest,  and  the 
7th,  under  Colonel  Marshall,1  made  a  successful  charge. 
Colonel  Alexander  Wilkin,2  of  the  9th,  while  gal- 
lantly leading  a  brigade,  was  shot  and  fell  dead  from 
his  horse. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  October  the  4th  Regiment,  with 
other  troops  under  General  Corse,  were  attacked  near 
Altoona,  Georgia,  by  a  superior  force  of  insurgents 
under  General  French,  and  after  six  hours'  fight  the 
latter  retired. 

On  the  seventh  of  December,  the  Sth  Regiment,  with 
other  troops  under  General  Milroy,  met  the  insurgents 
near  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee,  and  drove  them  from 
their  position.  In  rushing  up  to  the  enemy's  batteries 
fourteen  of  the  regiment  were  killed  and  seventy-six 
wounded. 

In  the  great  battle  before  Nashville  in  the  same  month 
the  5th,  7th,  9th  and  10th  Regiments  were  engaged. 
The  1st  Brigade,  1st  Division,  of  General  A.  J.  Smith's 
force,  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Hubbard  of  the  5th, 
and  the  2d  Brigade  by  Colonel  W.  R.  Marshall  of  the 
7th.  All  the  Minnesota  regiments  distinguished  them- 
selves.    Colonel  Hubbard,  after  he  had  been  knocked 

1  Colonel  November  6,  1863;  Bt.  Brig.  Gen.  U.  S.  Volunteers.  March  13, 1865. 

2  Alexander  Wilkin  will  always  be  remembered  as  among  the  bravest  of  the- 
officers  who  gave  their  lives  fur  their  country. 

He  vvas  the  son  of  Hon.  Samuel  J.  Wilkin,  formerly  a  member  of  Congress 
from  New  York,  and  was  born  in  Orange  Chanty.  After  studying  law  he  be- 
came a  captain  of  volunteers  in  the  Mexican  war.  In  1SW  he  came  to  Minne- 
sota and  succeeded  (.:.  K.  Smith  as  Secretary  of  the  Territory.  As  soon  as  Fort 
Sumter  was  tired  upon  he  began  to  raise  a  company,  and  when  the  1st  Regi- 
ment was  organized  he  was  captain  of  Company  A.  "  For  gallantry  at  Bull  Knn 
he  was  made  captain  in  the  regular  army,  and  then  appointed  major  of  the  2d, 
and  subsequently  colonel  Of  the  £>th  Minnesota.  The  manner  of  his  death  is 
thus  described  by  Captain  J.  K.  Arnold,  of  the  7th  Uegiment,  who  was  his  ad- 
jutant. 

"The  bullets  and  shells  were  flying  thick  ami  fast.  Colonel  Wilkin  sat  on  his 
horse,  and  when  he  was  struck  was  invimr  his  orders  as  coolly  as  he  ever  did  on 
dress  parade.  He  was  instantly  killed,  He  was  shot  under  the  left  arm,  the 
ball  passing  through  tic  body  and  coming  out  und.-r  the  right  arm.  I  hail  left 
him  but  a  moment  before  with  an  order.  He  never  spoke  after  being  hit,  but 
fell  from  his  horseand  was  dead  before  reaching  the  ground  " 


SURRENDER   OF   GENERAL   LEE.  255 

off  his  horse  by  a  ball,  rose  and  on  foot  led  his  command 
over  the  enemy's  works  Colonel  Marshall  also  made  a 
gallant  charge,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jennison,1  of 
the  10th,  was  one  of  the  first  on  the  enemy's  parapet, 
and  received  a  severe  wound. 

In  the  spring  of  1865,  the  5th,  6th,  7th,  9th  and  10th 
Minnesota  Regiments,  attached  to  the  lGth  Army  Corps, 
took  part  in  besieging  the  rebel  works  at  Spanish  Fort, 
opposite  Mobile,  and  at  Blakely,  near  the  terminus  of 
the  Mobile  and  Motgomery  Railroad.  The  final  and 
victorious  assault  was  begun  about  six  o'clock  on  Sunday 
afternoon,  the  ninth  of  April, by  two  brigades  of  the  13th 
Army  Corps,  commanded  by  General  C.  C.  Andrews, 
formerly  Colonel  of  the  3d  Minnesota  Regiment. 

On  this  day  General  Lee  had  also  surrendered  his 
army  to  General  Grant,  and  the  rebellion  ended.  The 
2d  and  4th  Regiments  and  1st  Battery  had  accompanied 
General  Sherman  in  his  wonderful  march  through  Geor- 
gia, South  and  North  Carolina,  and  the  8th  Regiment  in 
March  had  moved  to  North  Carolina  from  Tennessee  by 
the  way  of  Washington. 

The  battalion  that  was  the  outgrowth  of  the  1st  Regi- 
ment was  active  in  the  last  campaign  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  commencing  in  March  and  resulting  in  the 
surrender  of  Lee's  Army. 

Arrangements  were  soon  perfected  for  the  disbanding 
of  the  Union  army,  and  before  the  close  of  the  summer 
all  the  regiments  that  had  been  in  the  South  had  return- 
ed, and  were  discharged. 

1.    Bt.  Rrig.  Gen.  U.  S.  Vols.,  March  13,  1665. 


256  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

SYNOPSIS  OF  REGIMENTS. 

Organized.  Discharged. 

Infantry. 

First April         1861.     May  5,  186-1 

Second July,  1861.     July  11,  1865 

Third October,     1861.     September,    1865 

Fourth December.  1861.     August,  1S65 

Fifth  May,  1861.     September,    1865 

Sixth . .  August,      1862.     August,  1865 

Seventh " 

Eighth " 

Ninth " 

Tenth 

Eleventh August      1861. 

Infantry  Batallion.. May,  1861.     July,  1865 

Artillery. 

First    Regiment    Heavy 

Artillery   ....  April,        1865.     September,     1865 

Batteries. 

First October,     1861.  June,  1865 

Second ...  December,  1861.  July,  1865 

Third February,  1863.  February,  1S66 

Cavalry. 

Rangers March,       1863.  Oct.  to  Dec.  1863 

Brackett's Oct.  Nov.,  1861.  May  to  June,  1866 

Second  Regiment. .  .January,    186-1.  Nov.  to  June,  1866 

Hatch's July,  1863.  Ap'l.  to  June,  1866 

Sliarpstiooters. 

Company  A 1861 

Company  B .  .1S62.     On  duty   with   First    Regi- 
ment in  the  Armv  of  the  Potomac. 


AFFAIRS    SINCE    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  257 


CHAPTER  SIXTEENTH. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  CIVIL  AFFAIRS  DURING  AND  SINCE  THE 
REBELLION. 

In  consequence  of  the  Indian  outbreak  in  the  Yalley 
of  the  Minnesota,  Governor  Ramsey  called  an  extra  ses- 
sion of  the  Legislature,  which  convened  on  September 
9,  1862,  and  in  his  message  urged  prompt  and  severe 
measures  to  subdue  the  savage  cut-throats. 

As  long  as  Indian  hostilities  continued,  the  flow  of  im- 
migration was  checked  and  the  agricultural  interests 
suffered;  but  notwithstanding  the  disturbed  condition 
of  affairs,  within  the  borders  of  the  State,  the  St.  Paul 
and  Pacific  Railroad  Company  completed  ten  miles  of 
of  the  first  railway  from  the  capital.  Governor  Ram- 
sey having  been  elected  for  a  second  term,  delivered  his 
annual  message  before  the  fifth  State  Legislature  on  Jan- 
uary seventh,  18C3,  and  during  the  session  was  elected 
to  supply  the  vacancy  about  to  take  place  in  the  United 
States  Senate  by  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  office  of 
the  Hon.  Henry  M.  Rice, !  who  had  been  a  member  of 
that  body  from  tlie  time  that  Minnesota  was  admitted  in- 
to the  Union. 

1  Mr.  Rice  has  been  for  years  identified  with  the  public  interests  of  Minne- 
sota. He  was  one  of  the  commissioners  in  1*47  who  met  the  Pillagers  at  Leech 
I^ake  and  negotiated  for  the  cession  of  country  between  the  Mississippi,  I-00? 
i'rairie  and  Watab  Kivers.  In  1833  he  was  a  delegate  to  (  ongress,  re-elected  in 
1855.  Took  his  seat  ia  United  Strifes  Senate  W,s.  In  1860  was  on  the  special 
committee  on  the  Condition  of  the  Country.  During  his  term  he  was  also  a 
member  of  the  committees  on  Military  affairs.  Finance,  Public  Lands,  and 
Post  Office.  .  . 

While  in  Washington  he  united  with  Senators  Douglas  and  Breckennuge  in 
building  three  elegant  mansions  on  H  Street  still  called  Minnesota  Row:  and  in 
one  of  these  he  lived,  and  need  an  elegant  hospitality  to  the  citizens  of  Minne- 
sota without  regard  to  their  political  opinions. 


258  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

He  continued  to  act  as  Governor  until  he  took  his 
seat  in  the  U.  S.  Senate,  when  the  Lieutenant-Governor, 
Henry  A.  Swift,1  became  Governor  by  constitutional 
provision,  and  held  the  office  until  the  inauguration,  on 
January  eleventh,  1864,  of  Stephen  Miller,-  who  had 
been  duly  elected  by  the  people  at  the  regular  election 
of  the  previous  fall.  During  Miller's  administration, 
Shakopee,  or  Little  Six,  and  Tahta-e-chash-na-manne, 
or  Medicine  Bottle,  were  tried  by  a  military  commission 
at  Fort  Snelling,  for  participation  in  the  massacre  of 
white  citizens  during  the  year  1862,  and  found  guilty, 
and  sentenced  to  be  hung.  The  execution  took  place  on 
the  tenth  of  November,  1865,  in  the  presence  of  the 
soldiers  at  the  fort  and  a  number  of  civilians.3 

William  11.  Marshall 4  succeeded  Governor  Miller  on 
the  eighth  of  January,  1866,  and  after  serving  two  terms 

1  Henry  A.  Swift  was  born  in  1828,  at  Ravenna,  Ohio;  graduated  at  Western 
Reser\e  College;  studied  law  at  Ravenna,  and  in  1845  was  admitted  to  practice. 

In  1846-7  he  was  assistant  clerk  of  House  of  Representatives  of  Ohio,  and 
during  the  nest  two  sessions  was  chief  clerk.  In  ls:>:>,  he  came  to  Minnesota  and 
settled  at  St.  Paul,  In  1856  he  removed  to  St.  Pet  t-  From  1861  to  1865  he  was 
a  State  Senator,  and  in  1865  was  appointed  by  the  President.  Register  of  United 
States  Land  OHice  at  St.  Peter.  He  died  on  February  26,  18d(J,  respected  and 
beloved  by  all. 

2  Stephen  Miller  was  born  in  1*P5  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania.  In  1*40  was 
Prothouotary  of  Dauphin  county,  and  in  IS")  flour  inspector  of  Philadelphia. 
He  came  in  18)8  to  Minnesota.    Was  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  First  and  Colonel  of 

Seventh  Regiment,  and  on  October  twenty-sixth,  lstj:',,  was  made  Brigadier- 
General. 

3  Shakopee, or  Shakpedan.  was  born  about  1811,  and  was  the  son  of  the  blus- 
tering, thieving  chief  of  the  same  name,  whodied  at  the  village  of  Shakopee  in 
1860.  He  was  a  mean  Indian,  of  but  little  mental  capacity.  It  is  said  that  when 
the  tir-t  locomotive  passed  on  the  railway  just  completed  beneath  the  walls  of 
Fort  SneUing,  he  pointed  to  it  from  las  prison  window,  and  said,  with  a  touch 
of  sentiment:  "  There!  fViuris  what  has  driven  us  away.'' 

His  body  was  fot warded  to  Jefferson  Medical  College,  in  Philadelphia,  and 
after  being  placed  upon  an  anatomical  table.  Prof.  Pancoast  cave  a  brief  sketch, 
of  his  career,  and  then  proceeded  to  expose  his  body,  for  the  benefit  of  science, 
to  the  gaze  of  the  students. 

Medicine  Bottle  was  born  about  1831,  at  Mendota,  and  was  head  soldierof  his 
brother,  the  chief  Grey  Ragle. 

4  W.  K.  .Marshall  was  born  October  seventeenth,  1825,  in  Boone  county,  Mis- 
souri. Came  to  Minnesotain  July,  1847,  and  was  in  1S4U  member  of  the  first 
Legislature  of  the  Territory.  In  1855  was  nominated  by  the  first  convention  of 
the  Republican  party,  as  delegate  to  Congress.  For  several  years  was  engaged 
in  banking  and  mercantile  pursuits.  During  the  war  was  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
then  Colonel  of  Seventh  Regiment.     In  1865,  Bt.  Brig.  Gen.  U.  S.  Vols. 


ADMINISTRATION   OF   GOV.    AUSTIN.  259 

was  followed  by  Horace  Austin  on  the  seventh  of  Jan- 
uary, 1S70. 

Horace  Austin1  in  January,  1S72,  entered  upon  a  sec- 
ond term  as  Governor  of  Minnesota,  having  been  elected 
to  the  ofhce  by  a  large  majority.  The  important  event 
of  his  administration  was  the  veto  of  an  act  passed  by 
the  Legislature  of  1S71,  dividing  the  Internal  Im- 
provement Lands  of  the  State  among  several  railway 
companies. 

"Wisconsin,  admitted  as  a  State  in  1S-18,  in  her  Consti- 
tution provided  that  the  grant  of  500,000  acres  under  the 
act  of  Congress  approved  Sept.  4, 1SI1,  and  also  the  rive 
per  cent,  of  net  proceeds  of  the  public  lands  should  be 
used  for  the  support  of  schools.  Iowa  and  California 
made  similar  provisions,  but  the  framers  of  the  Consti- 
tution of  Minnesota  paid  no  attention  to  these  prece- 
dents, which  have  since  been  followed  by  Kansas,  Oregon 
and  other  states. 

As  soon  as  the  legislature  acquired  control  over  these 
lands  under  the  act  of  1S-41,  they  were  sought  for  by 
railroad  corporations,  and  a  bill  was  passed  in  1S71  giv- 
ing to  them  that  which  other  states  had  appropriated  to 
the  support  of  schools.  It  failed,  however,  to  receive 
the  approval  and  signature  of  the  Governor,  and  this 
led  to  the  adoption,  in  November,  1873,  by  a  vote  of  the 
people,  of  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution,  which  for- 
bids all  moneys  belonging  to  the  Internal  Improvement 
Land  fund  to  be   appropriated  "for  any  purpose   what- 

1.  Horace  Austin  was,  in  1<?3 1,  born  in  Connecticut.  He  received  a  common 
school  education,  and  f<>ra  time  worked  at  the  trade  of  his  father.  Atfer  spend- 
ing some  time  in  thelaw  office  <>£  Bradbury  &  Merrill,  Augusta,  Maine,  in  K"> I 
he  came  West,  and  in  1855  removed  to  Minnesota,  and  the  next  year  became  a 
res i<l,- m  of  the  town  of  S  dnt  Peter.  During  Gen.  Sibley's  expedition  of  1*»>3, 
against  the  Indians,  he  served  as  a  captain  of  cavalry.  In  IStii  he  was  elected 
Judge  of  the  Sixth  Judicial  District,  and  in  1S69  was  nominated  as  Governor  l>y 
the  Kepublican  party,  and  elected,  lie  has  bwn  an  Auditor  of  the  U.  S.  Treas- 
ury at  Washington.  In  1*77  was  one  of  the  Railroad  Commissioners  of  Min- 
nesota. 


2G0  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

ever,  until  the  enactment  for  that  purpose  shall  have 
been  approved  by  a  majority  of  the  electors  of  the  State 
voting  at  the  annual  general  election  following  the  pas- 
sage of  the  act." 

Cushman  K.  Davis,1  on  the  ninth  of  January,  1S74, 
delivered  his  inaugural  address  as  Governor.  He  called 
the  attention  of  the  Legislature  to  the  importance  of  the 
State  checking  a  tendency  upon  the  part  of  railroad 
corporations  to  make  an  abatement  of  freight  rates  in 
favor  of  their  friends  at  the  expense  of  farmers  and 
other  customers.  His  language  upon  the  subject  was 
emphatic: 

"The  expense  of  moving  products  has  become  the 
great  expense  of  life,  and  it  is  the  only  disbursement 
over  which  he  who  pays  can  exercise  no  control  what- 
ever. He  has  a  voice  in  determining  how  much  his  taxes 
shall  be.  In  the  ordinary  transactions  of  life  he  can 
buy  and  sell  where  he  chooses,  and  competition  makes 
the  bargain  a  just  one;  but  in  regard  to  his  crops  he  is 
under  duress  as  to  their  carriage,  and  under  dictation  as 
to  their  price.  In  the  very  nature  of  things,  the  occa- 
sion must  be  rare  which  will  justify  any  advance  in  the 
rates  for  moving  grain  from  Minnesota.  In  September, 
1873,  however,  when  a  wheat  crop  of  unexpected  abund- 
ance was  overcrowding  the  means  of  transportation,  and 
when  there  was  every  reason  why  there  should  be  a  re- 
duction instead  of  an  advance  of  rates,  the  Milwaukee 
&  St.  Paul  Railway  Company,  and  the  Chicago  &  North- 

1.  Coshman  K.  Davis  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York  in  1838,  and  in  boy- 
hood removed  with  his  parents  to  Waukesha,  Wisconsin.  For  several  years 
he  was  a  student  at  Carroll  College,  but  graduated  in  ls">7  at  the  University  of 
Michigan.  After  studying  law  with  Ex-Gov.  Alex  Randall,  of  Wisconsin,  in 
1839.  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  28th  Wisconsin 
Volunteers,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  as  Ass't  Adj't  (i<'neral.  and  .-erved 
upon  the  staff  of  <ien.  Willis  A.  Gorman.  In  lsiu  he  settled  in  St.Paul.and 
in  1866  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature.  In  1868  he  was  appointed  U.  S. 
District  Attorney.    In  January,  1887,  he  was  elected  U.  S.  Senator. 


ADMINISTRATION    OF    GOV.    DAVIS.  2G1 

western  Railway  Company  simultaneously  imposed  upon 
our  wheat  crop  a  tax  of  three  cents  per  bushel,  by  an 
advance  of  that  amount  in  charges.  If  any  administra- 
tion should  commit  such  an  act  as  this  in  performing 
the  functions  of  taxation,  it  would  be  deposed  by  an  in- 
dignant constituency.  No  less  deserving  of  condemna- 
tion is  the  policy  of  the  companies  in  regard  to  freights 
which  are  moved  wholly  within  the  state." 

During  the  administration  of  Governor  Davis,  the 
people,  at  the  election  of  November,  1875,  sanctioned 
amendments  to  the  Constitution  relative  to  judicial  dis- 
tricts, and  terms  of  office,  the  investment  of  funds  from 
the  sale  of  school  lands,  and  permission  of  women  to 
vote  for  school  officers.  The  last  amendment  is  in  this 
language:  " The  Legislature  may,  notwithstanding  any 
thing  in  this  article  [Article  7,  Section  8]  provide  by 
law,  that  any  woman  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  and 
upward,  may  vote  at  any  election  held  for  the  purpose 
of  choosing  any  officers  of  schools,  or  upon  any  measure 
relating  to  schools,  and  may  also  provide  that  any  such 
women  shall  be  eligible  to  hold  any  office  solely  per- 
taining to  the  management  of  schools." 

John  S.  Pillsbury,1  on  the  seventh  of  January,  1876, 
delivered  his  inaugural  message  as  Governor. 

At  the  outset  of  his  administration  he  called  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Legislature  to  the  importance  of  making 
some  equitable  settlement  with  the  holders  of  the  State 
Railroad  Bonds,  in  language  which  called  forth  a  hearty 

Uohn  S.  Pillsbury  was  born  on  July  29,  1S2S»  at  Sutton,  New  Hampshire. 
After  a  common  school  education,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  a  store,  and 
at  the  a«e  of  twenty-one  formed  a  partnership  with  Walter  Harrimon,  who 
became  G-overnor  of  New  Hampshire.  In  June,  1853,  he  came  to  Minnesota, 
and  established  a  hardware  store  at  St.  Anthony,  and  after  a  few  years  became 
one  of  the  most  respected  merchants  of  Minneapolis.  Since  1863,  he  has  been  a 
faithful  resent  of  the  State  University,  and  for  nine  sessions  represented  Hen- 
nepin county  as  Senator  in  tho  Legislature  of  Minnesota. 

18 


262  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

response  from  every  intelligent  citizen  who  had  carefully 
investigated  the  subject. 

On  the  sixth  of  September,  1870,  the  quiet  inhabitants 
of  Minnesota  were  excited  by  a  telegraphic  announce- 
ment, that  at  midday,  a  band  of  outlaws  from  another 
State,  had  ridden  into  the  town  of  Northfield,  recklessly 
discharging  firearms,  while  a  portion,  proceeding  to  the 
bank,  killed  the  acting  cashier  in  an  attempt  to  take  out 
the  funds.  Two  of  the  desperadoes  were  shot  in  the 
streets,  by  firm  citizens,  and  in  a  brief  period,  parties 
from  the  neighboring  towns  were  in  pursuit  of  those 
who  made  their  escape.  After  a  long  and  weary  search, 
four  were  surrounded  in  a  swamp,  and  one  was  killed 
and  the  others  captured.  At  the  November  term  of  the 
Fifth  District  Court  at  Faribault,  the  culprits  were 
arraigned,  and  under  an  objectionable  statute,  by  plead- 
ing guilty,  secured  an  imprisonment  for  life,  in  place  of 
the  death  they  had  so  fully  deserved. 

In  1874,  in  some  of  the  counties  of  Minnesota,  the 
Piocky  Mountain  locust,  of  the  same  genus  but  a  dif- 
ferent species  from  the  European  and  Asiatic  locust, 
driven  eastward  by  a  failure  of  the  succulent  grasses 
on  the  high  plains  of  the  Upper  Missouri  and  Sas- 
katchewan valleys,  appeared  as  a  short,  stout-legged, 
devouring  army,  and  in  1S75,  the  myriads  of  eggs 
deposited  were  hatched  out,  and  these  insects  born 
within  the  State,  taking  unto  themselves  wings,  flew 
to  new  camping  grounds  to  deposit  their  ova.  In 
consequence  of  their  devastations,  many  farmers  were 
deprived  of  successive  crops.  As  other  States  between 
the  Mississippi  and  Rocky  Mountains  were  suffering 
from  these  pests,  at  the  suggestion  of  Governor  Pills- 
bury,  a  conference  of  Governors  was  convened  on  the 


gov.  pillsbuey's  administration.  2G3 

twenty-fifth  of  October,  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  to  devise 
measures  by  which  there  might  be  a  diminution  of 
their  vast  numbers.  A  circular  was  also  prepared  and 
distributed  by  the  Governor,  through  the  infested  and 
other  counties,  giving  directions  as  to  the  best  methods 
of  extermination.  By  visiting  the  suffering,  pledging 
his  personal  credit  before  the  assembling  of  the  Legis- 
lature, and  inciting  the  charitable  to  send  clothing 
and  provisions,  he  did  much  to  sustain  the  desponding. 
In  his  annual  message  to  the  Legislature  of  1877, 
Governor  Pillsbury  again  urged  upon  the  legislators  to 
take  steps  which  would  relieve  Minnesota  from  being 
any  longer  classed  in  the  money  markets  of  the  world 
with  those  States  which  repudiated  obligations  to  which 
were  affixed  the  seals  of  their  commonwealths.  In 
November  of  this  year  he  was  elected  for  another  term 
of  two  years.  At  the  same  time  the  people  voted  to 
accept  the  following  amendments  to  the  State  Con- 
stitution: 

Amendment  to  Section  1,  Article  4 — "The  Legislature 
of  the  State  shall  consist  of  a  Senate  and  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, who  shall  meet  biennially,  at  the  seat  of 
government  of  the  State,  at  such  time  as  shall  be  pre- 
scribed bylaw;  but  no  session  shall  exceed  the  term  of 
sixty  days. 

Amendment  to  Section  3,  Article  S — "  But  in  no  case 
shall  the  moneys  derived  as  aforesaid,  or  any  portion 
thereof,  or  any  public  moneys  or  property,  be  appropri- 
ated or  used  for  the  support  of  schools  wherein  the  dis- 
tinctive doctrines,  creeds,  or  tenets  of  any  particular 
Christian  or  other  religions  sect,  are  promulgated  or 
taught." 

For  several  years  scientific  Germans  had  been  puzzled 


2G4  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA, 

to  account  for  sudden  explosions  in  flour  mills,  and  a 
prize  was  offered  for  the  best  essay  upon  the  subject. 
A  professor  in  Berlin  was  the  successful  essayist,  and 
contended  that  there  was  always  a  liability  to  explode 
when  particles  of  dust  of  any  kind  were  thickly  distri- 
buted in  the  atmosphere  of  narrow  ducts  or  poorly  ven- 
tilated rooms.  An  explosion  which  occurred  in  Minne- 
apolis, between  seven  and  eight  o'clock  of  the  evening 
of  the  second  of  May,  renewed  investigation,  which 
has  already  led  to  an  improvement  in  mill  machinery 
and  architecture.  One  of  the  largest  mills  in  the  world 
known  as  the  Washburn  "A,"  suddenly  exploded,  which 
was  followed  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  by  the  explo- 
sion of  two  mills  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  and  by  the 
conflagration  of  three  other  mills,  the  loss  of  eighteen 
lives,  and  the  destruction  of  much  valuable  property. 
The  concussion  was  so  great  in  the  first  mill  that  all  the 
walls  fell,  and  hardly  one  stone  was  left  upon  another. 

In  the  fall  of  1879  the  Republican  party  nominated 
John  S.  Pillsbury  for  a  third  term,  and  he  was  elected 
by  a  majority  of  more  than  fifteen  thousand  votes. 

On  the  night  of  the  fifteenth  of  November,  1880,  the 
north  wing  of  the  State  Insane  Asylum  at  St.  Peter  was 
entirely  destroyed  by  fire.  The  shrieks  of  the  patients, 
and  their  wanderings  over  the  snow-covered  praries,  can 
never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  were  present.  Twenty- 
seven  lost  their  lives.  It  is  thought  that  the  building 
was  set  on  fire,  in  the  cellar,  by  a  patient  who  had  been 
employed  in  the  kitchen. 

The  tsventy-second  session,  the  first  biennial,  of  the 
legislature  convened  on  the  fourth  of  January,  1881,  and 
Governor  Pillsbury  re-iterated  his  sentiments  upon  the 
honorable  settlement  of  outstanding  railroad  bonds.  On 


RAIL   ROAD   BONDS    RAID.  265 

the  nineteenth,  S.  J.  Pi.  McMillan  was  re-elected  United 
States  Senator  for  the  term  expiring  in  1887,  on  the 
third  day  of  March. 

.  On  the  second  of  March,  the  legislature  passed  an  act 
for  the  settlement  of  the  railroad  bonds,  providing  a  tri- 
bunal composed  of  judges  to  take  action  in  the  matter. 
The  State  Supreme  Court  decided  that  the  act  was  void, 
because  it  delegated  legislative  power  to  the  tribunal, 
and  a  writ  of  prohibition  was  issued.  Governor  Pills- 
bury  then  called  an  extra  session  of  the  legislature,which 
convened  in  October,  and  a  legal  provision  was  made 
for  canceling  bonds,  the  ignoring  of  which  for  more  than 
twenty  years  had  been  prejudicial  to  the  otherwise  fair 
name  of  the  commonwealth  of  Minuesota. 

William  Windom,  who  had  been  elected  United  States 
Senator  for  the  term  expiring  in  1SS3,  having  been  ap- 
pointed by  President  Garfield  in  March,  1881,  the  Sec- 
retary of  U.  S.  Treasury,  Governor  Pillsbury  appointed 
A.  J.  Edgerton  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  Mr.  Win- 
dom's  resignation.  Mr.  Edgerton  after  a  brief  period 
resigned,  and  Mr.  Windom  was  re-elected.  On  the  night 
of  the  first  of  March,  1881,  the  capitol  at  St.  Paul  was 
destroyed  by  fire,  and  immediate  steps  were  taken  by 
Governor  Pillsbury  to  erect  the  present  edifice. 

At  the  election  of  November,  1S82.  Milo  White,  J.  B. 
Wakefield,  H.  B.  Strait  and  W.  D.  Washburn,  were  elected 
to  the  U.  S.  House  of  Bepresentatives  for  two  years, 
and  by  the  legislature  of  1SS3,  Dwight  M.  Sabin  was 
elected  U.  S.  Senator. 

Lucius  F.  Hubbard,  who  had  been  colonel  of  the  Fifth 
Minnesota  Begiment,  in  January,  1882,  became  Gover- 
nor, and  for  five  years  discharged  the  duties  of  the  oniee 
to  the  general  satisfaction  of  the  people.      In  January, 


2GG  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

1SS7,  A.  R.  McGill  delivered  his  inaugural   address  as 
Governor. 

The  "prosperity  of  the  State  during  the  last  thirty 
years,  has  surpassed  the  expectations  of  the  most  san- 
guine. In  18b2  there  were  not  twenty  miles  of  railway 
in  operation,  while  at  the  close  of  1S8G  there  are  several 
thousand.  The  increase  in  population  and  agricultural 
productions  has  been  correspondingly  great,  and  there 
is  every  reason  to  suppose  that  Minnesota  will  always 
continue  to  be  one  of  the  most  important  States  in  the 
Valley  of   the  Mississippi. 


MEMBERS   OF   CONGRESS.  207 


CHAPTER  SEVENTEENTH. 

Minnesota's  representatives  in  congress  of  united 
states  of  america. 

From  March,  1S19,  to  May,  1858,  Minnesota  was  a 
Territory,  and  entitled  to  send  to  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States  one  delegate  with  the  privilege  of  repre- 
senting the  interests  of  his  constituents,  but  not  allowed 
to  vote. 

TERRITORIAL   DELEGATES. 

Before  the  recognition  of  Minnesota  as  a  separate  Ter- 
ritory, Henry  H.  Sibley  sat  in  Congress,  from  January, 
184:9,  as  a  delegate  of  the  portion  of  Wisconsin  Territory 
which  was  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  State  of  Wis- 
consin, in  1848,  admitted  to  the  Union.  In  September, 
1849,  he  was  elected  delegate  to  Congress,  by  the  citi- 
zens of  Minnesota  Territory. 

Henry  M.  Rice  succeeded  Mr.  Sibley  as  delegate,  and 
took  his  seat  in  the  thirty-third  Congress,  which  con- 
vened on  December  5,  1853,  at  Washington.  He  was 
re-elected  to  the  thirty-fourth  Congress,  which  assem- 
bled on  the  3d  of  December,  1855,  and  expired  on  the 
3d  of  March,  1857.  During  his  term  of  office  Congress 
passed  an  act  extending  the  pre-emption  laws  over  the 
unsurveyed  lands  of  Minnesota,  and  Mr.  Rice  obtained 
valuable  land  grants  for  the  construction  of  railroads. 

William  W.  Kingsbury  was  the  last  Territorial  dele- 


26S  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

gate.  He  took  his  seat  in  the  thirty-fifth  Congress, 
which  convened  on  the  7th  of  December,  1857,  and  the 
next  May  his  seat  was  vacated  by  the  admission  of  Min- 
nesota as  a  State. 

REPRESENTATION  IN  V.    S.  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 

William  W.  Phelps  was  one  of  the  first  members  of 
U.  S.  House  of  Representatives  from  Minnesota.  Born 
in  Michigan  in  182G,  he  graduated  in  1846  at  its  State 
University.  In  1854  he  came  to  Minnesota  as  Register 
of  the  Land  Office  at  Eed  Wing,  and  in  1857  was  elected 
a  Representative  to  Congress. 

James  M.  Cavanaugh  was  of  Irish  parentage,  and 
came  from  Massachusetts.  He  was  elected  to  the  same 
Congress  as  Mr.  Phelps  and  subsequently  removed  to 
Colorado. 

;  William  Windom  was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1859  to 
the  thirty-sixth  Congress  and  was  continuously  re-elected 
and  occupied  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
until  1870,  when  he  entered  the  U.  S.  Senate  and  served 
until  March,  1883. 

Mr.  Windom  was  bom  on  May  10,  1827,  in  Belmont 
Co.,  Ohio.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1850,  and 
was  in  1853  elected  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  Knox  Co., 
Ohio.  The  next  year  he  came  to  Minnesota,  and  has 
represented  the  State  in  Congress  longer  than  any  other 
person.  He  has  occupied  responsible  positions  and 
acquitted  himself  with  honor. 

Cyrus  Aldrich,  of  Minneapolis,  Hennepin  county,  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  thirty-sixth  Congress,  which 
convened  Dec.  5th,  1859,  and  was  re-elected  to  the  thir- 
ty-seventh Congress.  During  his  last  term  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs.    He  was  born  in 


REPRESENTATIVES    IN   CONGRESS.  "269 

1808  at  Smithfield,  Pi.  I.  In  boyhood  he  worked  on  a  farm 
and  went  to  sea.  At  the  age  of  twenty-nine  he  came  to 
Alton,  111.,  and  in  1842  came  to  Galena,  and  became  a 
proprietor  of  stage  coaches.  In  1815  and  1846  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Illinois  Legislature.  In  1817  he  was 
elected  Register  of  Deeds  for  Jo  Daviess  Co.,  111.  and  in 
1819  became  Receiver  of  U.  S .  Land  Office  at  Dixon, 
111.,  which  he  held  four  years.  In  1855  he  removed  to 
Minnesota,  and  in  1S57  was  a  member -of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention.  In  1S65  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Minnesota  Legislature,  and  in  1807  became  Postmaster 
at  Minneapolis,  and  held  the  office  for  four  years.  He 
died  Oct.  5,  1871. 

Ignatius  Donnelly  was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1831; 
graduated  at  the  high  school  of  that  city,  and  in  1853 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1857  he  came  to  Miune- 
sote,  and  in  1859  was  elected  Lt.  Governor,  and  re- 
elected in  L861.  He  became  a  representative  in  the  U. 
S.  Congress  which  convened  on  Dec.  7th.  1863,  and  was 
re-elected  to  the  thirty-ninth  Congress,  which  convened 
on  Dec.  1th,  1865.  He  was  also  elected  to  the  fortieth 
Congress,  which  convened  in  Dec,  1867.  He  has  been 
an  active  State  Senator  from  Dakota  County,  in  which 
he  has  been  a  resident,  and  in  1887  represented  his 
district  in  that  body.     He  is  well  known  as  an  author. 

Eugene  M.  Wilson  of  Minneapolis,  was  elected  to  the 
first  Congres  which  assembled  in  December,  1S69.  He 
was  born  Dec.  25,  1833,  at  Morgantown,  Virginia,  and 
graduated  at  Jefferson  College,  Pennsylvania.  From 
1857  to  1861,  he  was  U.  S.  District  Attorney  for  Minne- 
sota. During  the  civil  war  he  was  Captain  in  First 
Minnesota  Cavalry.  While  in  Congress  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Pacific  Railroad  Committee,  and  introduced  a 


270  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 

bill  by  which  the  State  University  obtained  the  lands 
which  had  long  been  claimed.  Mr.  Wilson's  father, 
grandfather,  and  maternal  great  grandfather  were 
members  of  Congress. 

M.  S.  Wilkinson,  of  whom  mention  will  be  made  as  U. 
S.  Senator,  was  elected  in  1868  a  representative  to  the 
Congress  which  convened  in  Dec,  1S69. 

Mark  H.  Dunnell,  of  Owatonna,  in  the  fall  of  1870, 
was  elected  from  the  First  District  to  fill  the  seat  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  so  long  occupied  by  Mr.  Win- 
dom.  Mr.  Dunnell,  in  July,  1823,  was  born  at  Buxton,  Me.> 
He  graduated  at  the  college  established  at  Waterville,  in 
that  State,  in  1849.  From  1855  to  1859  he  was  the  State 
Superintendent  of  Schools,  and  in  1SG0  commenced  the 
practice  of  law.  For  a  short  period  he  was  Colonel  of 
the  5th  Maine  regiment,  but  resigned  in  18(32,  and  was 
appointed  U.  S.  Consul  at  Yera  Cruz,  Mexico.  In  18G5 
he  came  to  Minnesota,  and  was  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  from  April,  1867,  to  August,  1S70. 
Mr.  Dunnell,  until  1SS3,  represented  his  district. 
John  T.  Averill  was  elected  in  November,  1870,  from 
the  Second  District,  to  succeed  Eugene  M.  Wilson. 

Mr.  Averill  was  born  at  Alma,  Maine,  and  completed 
his  studies  at  the  Maine  Wesleyan  University.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Minnesota  Senate  in  1858  and  1859,  and 
during  the  rebellion  was  Colonel  of  the  6th  Min- 
nesota regiment.  He  is  a  member  of  an  enterprising 
firm  of  paper  manufacturers.  In  the  fall  of  1871  he 
was  re-elected  as  a  member  of  the  forty-second  Con- 
gress,  which  convened   in  December,  1873. 

Horace  B.  Strait  was  elected  to  the  forty-third  and 
forty-fourth  Congress,  and  in  1SS0  was  elected  again, 
and  served  until  1887.     He  was  born  on  the  twenty-sixth 


REPRESENTATIVES  IN  CONGRESS.         271 

of  January,  1835,  and  in  1S1G  removed  to  Indiana.  In 
1S55  he  came  to  Minnesota.  In  18(52  he  was  made 
Captain  of  the  ninth  Minnesota  regiment,  and  became 
Major. 

William  S.  King  of  Minneapolis,  was  born  December 
sixteenth,  1828,  at  Malone,  New  York.  He  has  been  one 
of  the  most  active  citizens  of  Minnesota,  in  developing 
its  commercial  and  agricultural  interests.  For  several 
years  he  was  Postmaster  of  the  U.  S.  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives; and  was  elected  to  the  forty-fourth  Congress, 
which  convened  in  1S75. 

Jacob  H.  Stewart,  M.  D.,  was  elected  to  the  forty-fifth 
Congress,  which  convened  in  December,  1S77.  He  was 
born  January  fifteenth,  1829,  in  Columbia  county,  Xew 
York,  and  in  1851,  graduated  at  the  University  of  Xew 
York.  For  several  years  he  practiced  medicine  at  Peeks- 
kill,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1S55  removed  to  St.  Paul.  In  1859 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  was  chairman  of 
the  Bailroad  Committee.  In  18 34  he  was  Mayor  of 
St.  Paul.  He  was  surgeon  of  First  Minnesota,  and  taken 
prisoner  at  first  battle  of  Bull  Pun.  From  1S69  to  1873 
he  was  again  Mayor  of  St.  Paul. 

Henry  Poehler  was  born  at  Lippe  Detwold,  Germany, 
in  1833,  and  in  183S  came  to  the  United  States.  For  a 
period  he  resided  in  Iowa,  and  then  settled  at  Hender- 
son, Minnesota.  Twice  he  was  elected  to  the  Minnesota 
House  of  Representatives,  and  twice  to  the  State  Senate. 
From  1879  to  1881  he  was  a  member  of  the  U.  S.  House 
of  Representatives. 

William  Drew  Washburn  was  born  on  the  fourteenth 
of  January,  1831,  at  Livermore,  Maine.  In  1851  he 
graduated  at  Bowdoin  College,  and  in  1857  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.     In  1801  he   was  commissioned  U.  S.   Sur- 


272  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

veyor  General  for  Minnesota.  In  November,  187S,  he 
was  elected  to  the  U.  S.  House  of  Representatives,  and 
until  March,  1885,  held  the  office. 

Milo  White  was  born  in  Fletcher,  Vermont,  on  the 
seventeenth  of  August,  1830,  and  received  a  common 
school  education.  He  served  four  terms  in  the  Minne- 
sota State  Senate,  and  was  elected  to  the  Forty-eighth 
and  also  to  the  Forty-ninth  Congress,  and  in  March, 
1887,  his  term  will  expire. 

James  B.  Wakefield  of  Blue  Earth  City,  was  born  in 
March,  1828,  at  Winsted,  Ct.,  and  in  1S16,  graduated  at 
Trinity  College,  Hartford,  Ct.  He  began  the  practice  of 
law  in  Indiana,  and  in  1851  removed  to  Minnesota.  For 
four  sessions  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  legis- 
lature, and  Speaker  of  that  body  in  1866,  and  was  twice 
elected  to  the  State  Senate.  In  1875  was  elected  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  of  Minnesota,  and  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Forty-eighth  and  Forty-ninth  Congress,  which,  in 
March,  1887,  expires. 

Knute  Nelson  of  Alexandria,  was  born  in  Norway,  in 
1813,  and  during  the  war  served  for  three  years  in  a 
Wisconsin  regiment.  He  served  several  times  as  a 
State  Senator.  Has  been  a  member  of  the  Forty-eighth, 
and  Forty-ninth,  and  is  elected  to  the  Fiftieth  Congress. 
He  is  a  Regent  of  the  State  University. 

John  B.  Gilfillan  of  Minneapolis,  was  born  in  Barnet, 
Vermont,  in  1835,  and  in  1855  obtained  his  acade- 
mic education  at  Caledonia  Academy.  Admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Minneapolis,  in  July,  1S60,  and  has  held  many 
local  appointments.  He  was  a  State  Senator  for  ten 
years,  and  is  a  Regent  of  the  State  University. 

Henry  M.  Ilice,  who  had  been  four  years  delegate  to 
the  U.    S.  House  of  Representatives,  was  on  the  nine- 


REPRESENTATIVES   IN   U.    S.    SENATE.  273 

teenth  of  December,  1S57,  elected  United  States  Senator. 
During  his  term  the  civil  war  began,  and  he  rendered 
efficient  service  to  the  Union  and  the  State  he  repre- 
sented.    For  notices  of  Mr.  Rice  see  Index. 

James  Shields,  elected  at  the  same  time  as  Mr.  Rice 
drew  the  short  term  of  two  years.  He  came  from  Ire- 
land in  182(5,  a  lad  of  sixteen  years  of  age.  In  lb32  he 
opened  a  lawyer's  office  at  Ivaskaskia,  Illinois.  In  1S43 
he  was  appointed  Judge  of  the  Illinois  Supreme  Court, 
and  in  1S45  was  made  Commissioner  of  the  U.  S.  Land 
Office,  Washington.  During  the  Mexican  war  he  was  a 
Brigadier  General,  and  distinguished  himself  by  gallant 
services.  In  1849  he  was  elected  United  States  Senator 
from  Illinois,  and  served  six  years.  In  1S56  he  came  to 
Minnesota.  After  his  brief  term  as  its  representative, 
General  Shields  removed  from  Minnesota.  He  was  for 
a  time  a  General  in  the  Army  of  the  Union  during  the 
rebellion  of  the   Slave  States,  and  died  in   Missouri. 

Morton  S.  Wilkinson  was  chosen  by  a  joint  conven- 
tion of  the  Legislature  on  December  fifteenth,  1859,  to 
succeed  General  Shields.  During  the  rebellion  of  the 
Slave  States  he  was  a  firm  supporter  of  the  Union.  He 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Revolutionary 
Claims,  and  was  one  of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs. 
On  January  twenty-second,  1819,  was  born  at  Skaneat- 
eles,  X.  Y.  After  studying  law,  he  settled  at  Eaton 
Rapids,  Michigan.  He  was  a  member,  in  1849,  of  the 
first  Territorial  Legislature.  In  1S6S  he  was  elected  to 
the  U.  S.  House  of  Representatives,  and  has  represented 
IJlue  Earth  county  in  the  State  Senate. 

Alexander  Ramsey,  the  first  territorial  Governor,  and 
also  the  efficient  Governor  of  the  State  at  the  breaking 
out  of   the  rebellion   of  the   slave-holding   States,  was 


274  HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

elected  by  the  Legislature,  on  tlie  fourteenth  of  Jan- 
uary, 1S63,  as  the  successor  of  Henry  M.  Pace.  He 
served  on  Naval,  Post  Office,  Pacific  Railroad,  and  other 
important  committees.  The  Legislature  of  1869  re- 
elected Mr.  Ramsey  for  a  second  term  of  six  years,  end- 
ing March,  1S75. 

Daniel  S.  Norton,  on  January  tenth,  1865,  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  Senate,  as  the  successor  of 
Mr.  Wilkinson.  Mr.  Norton,  having  offended  the  party 
by  whom  he  was  elected,  its  members  manifested  their 
displeasure,  in  the  Legislature  of  1867,  by  the  passage 
of  resolutions  requesting  him  to  resign,  which  were 
unnoticed  by  the  Senator,  who  felt  that  he  did  not  go  to 
Washington  to  be  a  blind  instrument.  Mr.  Norton,  who 
had  been  in  feeble  health  for  years,  died  in  June,  1870. 
On  April  twelfth,  1S29,  he  was  born  in  Mt.  Vernon,  Knox 
county,  Ohio,  and  was  educated  at  Kenyon  College.  He 
served  with  the  second  Ohio  regiment  in  the  Mexican 
war.  In  ISIS  he  became  a  law  student,  and  in  1850 
went  to  California,  and  from  thence  to  Nicaragua.  Re- 
turning to  Ohio,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1852,  and 
in  1855  removed  to  Minnesota.  In  1857,  1860,  1863  and 
1864,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Minnesota  Senate,  and  of 
the  Minnesota  House  of  Representatives  in  1S62. 

O.  P.  Stearns  was  elected  on  January  17,  1S71,  for 
the  few  weeks  of  the  unexpired  term  of  Mr.  Norton.  On 
January  15,  1832,  he  was  born  at  De  Kalb,  St  Lawrence 
Co.,  New  York.  In  1858  he  graduated  in  literature  at 
University  of  Michigan,  and  in  1860  finished  his  studies 
in  the  Law  School  of  that  institution.  The  same  year 
he  settled  at  Rochester,  Minnesota.  He  entered  as  a 
private  soldier  of  the  9th  Minnesota  regiment,  and  was 
appointed  in  April,  1S64,  Colonel  of  the  39th  Regt.,  U. 


UNITED  STATES.  SENATORS.  275 

S.  Colored  Troops, and  was  present  at  the  attacks  on  Fort 
Fisher,  and  Petersburg. 

William   "Windom,    so  long   a   member   of  the  U.  S 
House  of   Representatives,  was   elected  U.   S.  Senator 
for  a  term  of  six  years,   ending   March  4,  1877,  and  was 
re-elected  for  a  second  term  ending  March,  1883. 

S.  J.  E.  McMillan,  of  St.  Paul,  on  the  19th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1875,  was  elected  U.  S.  Senator  for  the  term  expir- 
ing March,  1881,  and  re-elected  for  the  term  ending 
March,  1887.  He  was  born  at  Brownsville,  Pa.,  and 
in  1S4G  completed  his  academic  education  at  Duquesne 
College,  Pittsburg.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Ed- 
win M.  Stanton,  late  Secretary  of  War,  and  in  18-10  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1852  he  settled  at  Stillwater, 
and  in  1S57  was  elected  Judge  of  the  1st  Judicial  Dis- 
trict. From  1S64  to  1871  he  was  an  Associate  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  and  at  the  time  of  his  election  to 
the  U.  S.  Senate,  was  Chief  Justice. 

Dwight  May  Sabin  was  born  April  25,  1843,  at  Man- 
lius,  N.  Y.,  was  for  a  time  a  department  clerk  at  Wash- 
ington, then  engaged  in  the  lumber  business.  He  served 
three  sessions  in  the  Minnesota  House  of  Kepresenta- 
tives  and  two  terms  in  the  Senate  of  the  State.  He  took 
his  seat  as  United  States  Senator  in  March,  1883,  as 
the  successor  of  William  Windom. 


27G  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


APPENDIX  A. 


RECAPITULATION. 

MINNESOTA   IN   WASHINGTON. 

Alexander  Ramsey,  appointed  Secretary  of  War  by 
President  Hayes,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  until  March,  1881, 
remained  in  office,  and  for  a  time  was  also  acting  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy. 

William  Windom  appointed  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury by  President  Garfield.  In  the  fall  of  18S1  resigned, 
having  been  again  elected  United  States  Senator. 

MEMBERS  OP  COXGEESS. 

TERRITORIAL  DELEGATES. 

Henry  Sibley 1849  to  December,  1853. 

Henry  M.  Rice 1853  to  December,  1857. 

W.  W.  Kingsbury 1857  to  May,  1858. 

MEMBERS  OF  U.  S.  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES, 

W.  W.  Phelps 1858  to  1S59. 

J.M.  Cavanaugk 1858  to  1859. 

William  Win doni 1859  to  1870. 

Cyrus  Aldrich 1859  to  1S63. 

Ignatius  Donnelly 18G3  to  1869. 

Morton  S.  Wilkinson. 1869  to  1871. 

Eugene  M.  Wilson 1869  to  1871. 

M.  H.  Dunnell 1871  to  18S3. 

J.  T.  Averill 1871  to  1875. 

H.  B.  Strait 1875  to  1879. 

Wm.  S.  King 1875  to  1*77. 

Jacob  H.  Stewart 1877  to  1S79. 

Henry  Poehler 1879  to  1881. 

W.  D.  Washburn 1879  to  1885. 

Milo  White 1883  to  1887. 

J  B.  Wakefield 1883  to  1887. 

Knute  Nelson 1883  in  office. 

J.  B.  Gilfillan 18S5  to  1887. 


MINNESOTA   IN    WASHINGTON.  277 


UNITED   STATES   SENATORS. 

Henry  M.  Rice 1857  to  1863.        six  years. 

James  Shields 1857  to  1859,      two  "years. 

Morton  S.  Wilkinson 1859  to  1865,        six  years. 

Alexander  Ramsey 1863  to  1875.  twelve  "years. 

Daniel  S.  Norton 1865  to  1870.  died  in  June. 

O.  P.  Steams 1871  to  Mar.  height  weeks. 

William  Windom 1871  to  1883,  twelve  years. 

S.  J.  R.  McMillan 1875  to  1887,  twelve  "years. 

A.  J.  Edgerton 1881,  a  few  months. 

Dwight  H.  Sabin 1883,  in  office. 

LIST  OF  GOVERNORS. 

TERRITORIAL. 

Alexander  Ramsey March,  1849  to  May,     1853, 

Willis  A.  Gorman May,     1853.  to  April,  1857. 

Samuel  Medary April,  1857,  to  May,    1858. 

STATE. 

Henry  Sibley May,        1858  to  January,  1860. 

Alexander  Ramsey January,  1860  to  July,         1863. 

Henry  A.  Swift . . " July,         1863  to  January,  1864. 

Stephen  Miller January,  1864  to  January,  1866. 

William  R.  Marshall January,  1856  to  January,  1870. 

Horace  Austin January,  1870  to  January,  18.4. 

Cushman  K.  Davis January,  1874  to  January,  1876. 

John  S.  Pillsbury January,  1876  to  January.  1882. 

Lucius  F.  Hubbard January,  1882  to  January.  1887. 

A.  R.  McGill January,  1887  in  office. 


278  HISTORY   OF    MINNESOTA. 


APPENDIX    B. 


RECORD    OF     STAFF     OFFICERS,    AND     BRIEF     REGIMENTAL 
HISTORIES. 

The  following  brief  notices,  based  upon  the  reports 
of  the  Adjutant  General  of  Minnesota,  are  appended  for 
convenience  of  reference. 

FIRST   REGIMENT,  INFANTRY. 

Colonel.         Willis  A.  Gorman,  St.  Paul;  promoted  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral, Oct.  1,  1861. 

Napoleon  J.  T.  Dana,  St.    Paul;    promoted  Brigadier 
General,  Feb.  3,  1S62. 

Alfred  Sullv,  promoted  Brigadier    General,  Sept.  26, 
1863. 

George  X.  Morgan, Minneapolis;  resigned  Mayo,  1863. 

William  Colville,  Jr.,  Bed  Wing;  discharged  with  reg- 
iment May  4,  1864. 
Lieut.  Col.     Stephen  Miller,   St.  Cloud;    promoted    Colonel    7th 
Minnesota  Infantry,  August,  1862. 

George  N.   Morgan,  Minneapolis;    promoted  Colonel, 
Sept.  26.  1862. 

William  Colville,  Jr.,  Bed  Wing;    promoted   Colonel 
May  6.  1863. 

Charles  P.  Adams,  Hastings;  discharged  with  regiment 
May  4.  1864 
Major.  William  H.  Dike.  Faribault;  resigned  Oct.  2, 1861. 

George  X.    Morgan,   Minneapolis;    promoted    Lieut. 
Col..  August  28, 1S62. 

William  Colville.  Jr.,  Bed  Wing;  promoted  Lieut.  Col., 
Sept.  26,  1862. 

Charles  P.   Adams,  Hastings;   promoted  Lieut.  Col- 
May  6,  1863. 

Mark   W.   Downie,    Stillwater;    discharged  with  regi- 
ment, May  4,  1S64. 


FIRST    AND   SECOND    REGIMENT    OFFICERS.  279 

Adjutant.      William  B.  Leach.  Hastings;    promoted  Captain   ami 

A.  A.  G..  Feb.  23,  1862. 

John  N.  Chase    St.  Anthony;    promoted  Captain  Co. 

G,  Sept.  '25,  1862. 
Josias  R.  King,   St.  Paul;    promoted  Captain  Co.  E, 

July  2.  1863. 
John  Peller,  Hastings;  discharged  with  regiment,  May 

4,  1864. 
Q.  Master.    Mark  W.  Downie,  Stillwater;    promoted  Captain  Co. 

B,  July  16, 1861. 

George  H.  Woods,   promoted  Captain  and  A.  Q.  M., 

August  13. 1861. 
Mark  A.  Hoyt,  Pied  Wing;  resigned.  1862. 
Francis  Baasen,  New  Ulm;  discharged  with  regiment. 

May  4, 1S04. 
Surgeon.        Jacob  H.  Stewart,  St.  Paul;    transferred  to  skeleton 

regiment. 
William  H.  Morton,  St.  Paul;   resigned  June  23.  1S63. 
John  B.  LeBlond,  discharged  with  regiment.  May  4, 

1864. 
Asst.Scrg.     Charles  W.  LeBoutillier,  St.  Anthony;  transferred  to 

Minnesota  skeleton  regiment. 
D.  W.  Hand.  St.  Paul;  breveted  Lieutenant  Colonel. 
John  B.  LeBlond,  promoted   Surgeon,  Augus_t  7. 1S63. 
Edmund  J.  Pugsley,  cashiered,  August  15,  1874. 
Peter  Gabrielson,  St.  Paul;  discharged  with  regiment. 

May  4, 1864. 
Chaplain.     Edw."  D.  Neill,  St.  Paul.  June,  1861;  appointed  July 
13,  1862,  Hospital  Chaplain,  U.  S.  A.     Resigned  Janu- 
ary, 1864. 
F.  A.  Con  well,  Minneapolis. 

Ordered  to  Washington.  D.  C.  June  14.  1861.  First  Bull  Run. 
Julv  21,  1861;  Edward's  Ferrv,  Oct.,  1861;  Yorktown.  May  7,  1862; 
Fair  Oaks.  June  1,1862:  Peach  Orchard.  June  2'.».  1^62:  Savage 
Station,  June  29,  1*62:  Glendale.  June  30,1862:  Nelson's  I  arm. 
June  30,  1862;  Malvern  Hill.  Julv  1.  1862;  Antietam.  Sent.  17,  18(52; 
first  Fredericksburg,  Dec.  11,12  and  13:  second  Fredericksburg,  May 
3,  1863;  Gettysburg,  July  2  and  3,  1863,  and  Bristow  Station.  Dis- 
charged at  Fort  Suelling,  Minn.,  May  4.  1864. 

SECOND    KF.OIMENT,  INFANTRY. 

Colonel.  Horatio  P.  YanCleve,  St.  Anthony;  promoted  to  Brig- 

adier General  March  21,  1862. 
Jame^  George.  Mantorville;   resigned  June  29,  1864. 
Judsou  W.  Bishop.   Chatfield;  discharged  with   regi- 
ment July  13,1865. 
Lieut.  Col.     James  George.  Mantorville;  promoted  Colonel. 

Alexander  Wilkin.   St.    Paul:   promoted   Colonel   *.»th 

Regiment  Minnesota  Vols.  August26,  1862. 
JudsonW.  Bishop,  Chatfield;  promoted  Colonel. 


280  HISTOItY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

Lieut.  Col.     Calvin  S.  Uline,  St.  Paul;    discharged  -with  regiment 

July  11.  1865. 
Major.  Simeon  Smith,  appointed  Paymaster  TJ.   S.  A.,  Sept. 

17, 1861. 

Alexander  Wilkin,  St.  Paul,  promoted  Lieut.  Colonel. 

Judson  W.  Bishop.  Chatfield;  promoted  Lieut.  Colonel. 

John  B.  Davis,  St.  Paul:  resigned  April  15,  1864. 

Calvin  S.  Uline,  St.  Paul;  promoted  Lieut.  Colonel. 

John  Moulton,   St.   Paul;  discharged  with  regiment 
July  12.  1865. 
Surgeon.        Eeginal  Bingham,  Winona;    dismissed  May  27,  1864. 

Moody  C.  Tollman.  Anoka. 

William  Brown. 
Asst.  Surg.     Moody  C.  Tollman.  Anoka,  promoted  to  Surgeon. 

Wiiliam  L.  Arm  ngton.  St.  Paul:  resigned  Feb.  23. 1863. 

William  Brown.  Red  Wing;  promoted  Surgeon. 

Otis  Aver,  Le  Sueur;  resigned  Dec.  23,  1863. 
Adjutant.     Daniel  P.  Heaney,  Rochester;  promoted  Captain  Co.  C. 

Samuel  P.  JennisoD,  St.  Paul;  promoted  Lieutenant 
Colonel  10th  Minn.  Infantry,  August,  1862. 

Charles  F.  Meyer,  St  Paul;    promoted  Captain  Co.  G. 

James  W.  Wood,  St.  Paul;  promoted  Captain  Co.  B. 

George  W.  Shuman,  St.  Paul;  promoted  Captain  Co.  D. 

Frank  Y.  Hotfstott,  St.   Paul;   discharged  with  regi- 
ment Julv  11,  1805. 
Q.  Master.     William  S.  Grow,  Red  Wing;  resigned  Jan.28,  18G3. 

S.  De  Witt  Parsons,  resigned  July  30,  1864. 

John  L.  Kinney,  Chatfield;   discharged  with  regiment 
July  11.  1865. 
Chaplain.     Timothy  Cressey,  resigned  Oct.  10,  1863. 

Levi  Gleason,  discharged  with  regiment  July  11,  1865. 
Organized  July,  1861.  Ordered  to  Louisville.  Ivy.,  October,  1861, 
and  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Ohio.  Engaged  in  the  following 
marches,  battles, skirmishes  and  sieges:  Mill  Spring,  January  19, 
1862;  Siege  of  Corinth.  April.  1862:  transferred  to  the  Army  of  the 
Tennessee;  Bragg' s  raid:  Perryville.  October  8,  1862;  skirmishes  of 
Tullahoma  campaign;  Chh'kamauga.  September  19  and  20,  1863; 
Mission  Ridge,  November  25.  1863.  Veteranized  January,  1864. 
Battles  and  skirmishes  of  the  Atlanta  campaign,  viz.:  Resaea.  June 
14,  15 and  16,  1864;  Jonesboro;  Sherman's  march  through  Georgia 
and  the  Carolinas;  Bentonville,  March  29, 1865.  Discharged  at 
Fort  Snelliug,  Minnesota,  July  11,  1865. 

THIRD  REGIMENT,  INFANTRY. 

Colonel.         Henry  C-  Lester.  Winona;  dismissed  Dec.  1,  1862. 

Chauncey  W.  Griggs,  Chaska:   resigned  July  15.  1863. 

Christopher  C.  Andrews;  St.  Cloud:  promoted  Briga- 
dier General  April  27,  1864. 

Hans  Mattson,  Red  Wing;  discharged  with  regiment 
Sept.  2,  1805. 


THIRD   REGIMENT   OFFICERS.  2S1 

Lieut.  Col.    Benjamin  P.  Smith,  Mankato;  resigned  May  9,  18G2. 

Chauncey  W.  Griggs,  Chaska;    promoted  Colonel  De- 
cember 1, 1802. 

Christopher  C.  Andrews,  St.  Cloud;  promoted  Colonel 
July  15, 18(33. 

Haiis  Mattson,  Red  Wing;    promoted  Colonel  April 
15,  1861, 

Everett  W.  Foster,  Wabashaw. 

James  B.  Hoit,  discharged  with  regiment  Sept.  2,  1865. 
Major.  John  A.  Hadley,  resigned  May  1,  1862. 

Chauncey  W.  Griggs,  Chaska;    promoted  Lieutenant 
Colonel  May  29, 1862. 

Hans  Mattson.  Red  Whig;   promoted  Lieutenant  Col- 
onel July  15,1863. 

Everett  W.   Foster,   Wabasha;   promoted  Lieutenant 
Colonel  April  15,  1864 

Benjamin  F.  Rice,  resigned  before  being  mustered. 

William  W.  Webster,  resigned  November  12,  1864. 

James  B.  Hoit,  promoted  Lieut.  Colunel  May  25,  1865. 
Adjutant.      Cvrene  H.  Blakelv,  promoted  Captain  of   Subsistence 
June  13,  1864, 

Ephraim  Pierce, St.  Paul;  promoted  Captain  of  Co.  F, 
April  17,  1863. 

Jed.  F.  Fuller,  appointed  1st  Lieutenant  of  Co.  A. 

William  F.  Morse,  promoted  Captain  of   Co.  F,  July 
19,  1865. 

Philander  E.  Folsom,  discharged  with  regiment  Sep- 
tember 2,  1865. 
Q.  Master.     Samuel  H.  Ingman,  dismissed  December  1,  1862. 

James  P.  Howlett,  resigned  Marcli  2,  1864. 

William  G.  J.  Akers,  promoted  Captain  Co.  I,  Jan., 
1865. 

George  L.  Jameson,  promoted  Captian  Co.  H.  May  3, 
1865. 

Bonde  Olesou,  Red  Wing,  discharged  with  regiment, 
Sept.  2,1865. 
Surgeon.       Levi  Butler,  resigned  September  20.  1863. 

Albert  G.  Wedge,  discharged  with  regiment,  Septem- 
ber 2,  1865. 
Asst.  Surg.   Francis  H.  Milligan,  resigned  April  8,  1862. 

Albert  G.  Wedge,  promoted  Surgeon  September  22, 
1863. 

Moses  R.  Greeley,  discharged  with  regiment.  Septem- 
ber 2,  1865. 

Nahana  Bixby,  discharged  with  regiment  September 
2,  1865. 
Chaplain.      Chauncey  Hobart,  resigned  April  13,  1863. 

B.  F.  Crary,  resigned  June  2,  1863. 


282  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

Chaplain.      Simeon  Putnam,  died  September  11,  1864,  at  Afton, 
Minnesota. 
Anthonv  Wilford,  discharged  with  regiment,  Septem- 
ber 2,*  1865. 

Organized  October  1861.  Ordered  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  March, 
1SG2.  Captured  and  paroled  at  Murfreesboro,  July.  1862.  Ordered 
to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Thence  to  Minnesota.  Engaged  in  the  Indian 
expedition  of  1862.  Participated  in  the  battle  of  Wood  Lake.  Sep- 
tember, 1802.  Ordered  to  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  Nov.  1863.  Veteran- 
ized January,  1864.  Engaged  in  the  battle  of  Fitzhugh's  Woods, 
March  30,  1864.  Ordered  to  Pine  Bluff,  Ark.,  April,  1864,  Thence  to 
DuVall's  Bluff,  October,  1864  Mustered  out  at  DuVall's  Bluff, 
September  2,  1SG5.     Discharged  at  Fort  Snelling. 

FOURTH  REGIMENT,  INFANTRY. 

Colonel.         John  B.  Sanborn,  St.  Paul,  resigned  August  5,  1863. 

John  E.  Tourtellotte,  Mankato;   discharged  by  order, 
June  21.  1865. 
Lieut.  Col.     Minor  T.  Thomas.  Stillwater;  promoted  Col.  8th  Minn. 
Inf.,  Aug.  24,  1862. 
John  E.  Tourtellotte,  Mankota:  promoted  Col.  Sept. 

16. 1864. 

James  C.  Edson,  Glencoe;  discharged  with  regiment, 

Julv  19, 1865. 
Major.  A.  Edward  Welch,  Red  Wing;  died  Feb.  1, 1862,  at 

Nashville.  Tenn. 
Luther  L.  Baxter,  Shakopee:  resigned  October  11. 1862. 
James  C.  Edson,  Glencoe;  promoted  Lieut.  Colonel 

Sept.  16,  1864. 
Leveret t  R.  Wellman,  discharged  with  regiment,  July 

19. 1865. 

Adjutant.     John  M.  Thompson,  promoted  Captain  Co.  E,  Nov.  20, 

1862. 
William  F.  Kittridge,  promoted  Captain  and  A.  A.  G., 

August  21,  1SG4. 
Watson  W.  Rich,  promoted  Captain  Co.  D,  June  21. 

1865. 
Frank  S.  DeMers,  discharged  with  regiment.  Julv  19. 

1865. 
Q.  Master.     Thomas  B.  Hunt,  Shakopee.  promoted  Captain  and  A. 

Q.  MM  April  19, 1863. 
D.  M.  G.  Murphy,  St.  Paul;  promoted  Captain  Co.  B, 

May  3.  1864. 
Samuel  W.  Russell,  discharged  with  regiment.  July  19. 

1865. 
Surgeon.       John  H.  Murphy.  St.  Paul;  resigned  July  6.  1S63. 

Elisha,  W.  Cross.  Rochester;  resigned  December  22, 

1864. 
Henry  R.  Wedel,  Winona;  resigned  June  15,  1865. 


FIFTH   REGIMENT    OFFICERS. 


283 


Aost  Surg.   Elisha  "W.  Cross,  Eochester;  promoted  Surgeon  July 
9, 1SG3. 
Henry  E.  Wedel,  Winona;  promoted  Surgeon  January 

9,  1865; 
George  M.  B.  Lambert,  St.  Paul;  discharged  with  reg- 
iment. July  19,  1865. 
Chcqrfain.     Asa  S.  Fisk,  resigned  October  3,  1865. 

Organized  December  23.  1861.  Ordered  to  Benton  Barracks,  Mo., 
April  19,  1862.  Assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi,  May  4, 
1862.  Siege  of  Corinth.  April.  1862:  Iuka,  Sept.  19,  1802:  Corinth, 
Oct.  3  and  4,  1S62;  Yicksburg,  July,  1803.  Transferred  from  17th 
to  loth  Corps.  Mission  Ridge.  Nov.  25.  1863.  Veteranized  Janu- 
ary, 1864.  Altoona,  July.  1864,  With  General  Sherman,  in  march 
throucrh  Georgia  and  Carolinas,  March.  1865.  Mustered  out  at 
Louisville,  Ky.,  July  18, 1S65.    Discharged  at  Fort  Snelling. 

FIFTH   KEGIMENT,   INFANTRY. 

Colonel         Rudolph  Borgesrode,  Shakopee;  resigned  August  31, 
18G2. 
Lucius  F.  Hubbard,  discharged  by  order,  1865. 
Lieut  Col.    Lucius    F.  Hubbard,  promoted  Colonel,  August  31, 
1862. 
William  B.  Gere,  discharged  by  order.  August  30,  I860. 
Major.  William  B.  Gere,  promoted  Lieut.  Colonel,  August  31, 

1862. 
Francis  Hall,  resigned  April  30,  1864. 
John  C.  Brecht,  St.  Paul;  discharged  by  order,  March 

18, 1865. 
John  P.  Huston,  Stillwater;  discharged  with  regiment, 

Sept.  6,  1865. 
Adjutant.      Adolpheus  R.  French,  resigned  March  19,  1863. 

Thomas  P.  Gere,  discharged  by  order,  April  15,  I860. 
Alfred  Rhodes,  discharged  with  regiment.  September 
6, 1865. 
Q.  Master.     William  B.  McGrorty.  resigned  September  15, 1864. 

Francis  G.  Brown,  discharged  with  regiment,  Septem- 
ber 6,  1865. 
Surgeon.       Fraucis  P..  Etheridge,  resigned  Sept.  3.  1862. 

Vincent  P.  Kennedv,  discharged  by  order,  May  1,  I860. 
William  H.  Leonard,  discharged  with  regiment.  Sep- 
tember 6,  1865. 
Asst.  Surg.  Vincent  P.  Kennedy,  promoted  Sergeon,  September  3, 
1862. 
William  H.  Leonard,  promoted   Surq-eon,  May  1,  IS60. 
J.  A.  Vervais,  St.  Paul;  resigned  April  3,  1863. 
Chaplain.    James  H  Chaffee.  Minneapolis;  resigned  June  23,  !>62. 

Organized  May,  1862.     Ordered  to   Pittsburg  Landing,  May  9, 
1862."  Detachment  of  three  companies  remained  in  Minnesota,  gar- 


284  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

risoning  frontier  posts.  Participated  in  the  following  marches,  bat- 
tles, sieges  and  skirmishes:  sieges  of  Corinth,  April  and  May.  1862. 
Detachment  in  Minnesota  engaged  with  Indians  at  Redwood.  Min- 
nesota, August  10, 1802.  Siege  of  Fort  Ridgelv.  August  20.  21  and 
22.  1S02.  Fort  Abercrombie,  D.  T.,  August,  1862.  Regiment  as- 
signed to  10th  Army  Corps.  Battle  of  Iuka,  September  IS.  1VC2: 
Corinth,  October  3  and  4.  1802;  Jackson.  May  14,  1863;  Siege  of 
Vieksburg;  assault  of  Vicksburg.  May  22,  1863;  Mechaniesburg, 
June  3,  1863;  Richmond,  June  15,  1863;  Fort  De  Russey,  La- 
March  14,  1864.  Red  River  Expedition,  March,  April  and  May, 
1804.  Lake  Chicot,  June  6,  1864;  Tupelo,  June.  1804.  Veteran- 
ized, July,  1804.  Abbeyville.  August  23,  1003.  Marched  in  Sep- 
tember, 1804.  from  Brownsville.  Ark.,  to  Cape  Girardeau.  Mo.,  thence 
by  boat  to  Jefferson  City,  thence  to  Kansas  line,  thence  to  St. 
Louis,  Missouri.  Ordered  to  Nashville,  November.  1804.  Battles 
of  Nashville,  Dec.  15  and  10,  1864.  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely. 
April,  1865.  Mustered  out  at  Demopolis,  Ala.,  Sept.  1,  1805.  Dis- 
charged at  Fort  Snelling.  Minnesota. 

'  SIXTH  REGIMENT,   INFANTRY. 

Colonel.         William  Crooks.  St.  Paul;  resigned  October  28.  1864. 
John  T.  Avenll,  Lake  Citv;  discharged  by  S.  O.  W.D. 
518,  Sept.  30,  18(55. 
Lieut.  Col  John  T.  Averill,  Lake  City;  promoted  Colonel,  Octo- 
ber 28,  1804. 
Hiram  T.  Grant.  St.  Paul;  discharged  with  regiment, 
August  10,  1805. 
Major.  Robert  N.  McLaren.  Red  Wintr;  promoted  Colonel  2d 

Minn.  Cavalry,  Jan.  12.  1804. 
Hiram  P.  Grant.  St.  Paul;  promoted  Lieut.   Colonel, 

October  2S,  1804. 
Hiram  S.  Bailey,  discharged  with  regiment,  August  10, 
1805. 
Adujant.      Florian  E.  Snow,  St.  Paul:  resigned,  December  18. 1864. 
Alonzo  P.  Connelly.  St.   Paul;   discharged  with  regi- 
ment, August  19. 1865. 
Q.  Master.     Henrv  L.  Carver,  St.  Paul;   promoted   Captain   A.  Q. 
M.,"  April,  1S04. 
Henrv  H.  Gilbert,  discharged  with   regiment,  August 
19,1865. 
Surgeon        Alfred  Wharton.  St.  Paid;  resigned  July  29.  1803. 

Wallace  P.  Belden.  discharged  with  regiment.  August 
19,  1865. 
Asst.  Surg.     Jared  W.  Daniels,  resigned  December  2S,  1803. 

Augustus  O.  Potter,  died  at  Helena,  Ark.,  September 

13,  1864. 
James  N.  Mr-Masters.  St.  Paul;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. August  19,  1805. 
Henrv  Wilson,  discharged  with  regiment,  August  19, 
1865. 


SEVENTH    REGIMENT    OFFICERS.  2S5 

Chaplain.     Richard  B.  Bull,  resigned  1864. 

Daniel  Cobb,  St.  Paid,  discharged  with  regiment.  Au- 
gust 19,  1865. 

Organized  August.  1862.  Detachment  of  200  in  battle  with  Sioux 
Indians  at  Birch  Coolie.  Sept.  2.  1862;  Wood  Lake.  Sept.  22.  1862. 
At  frontier  posts  from  Nov.,  1862,  to  May,  1863.  Indian  Expedi- 
tion, engaged  in  skirmishes,  July,  1863.  Ordered  to  Helena,  Ark., 
June,  1861:  to  New  Orleans.  January  18,  1865.  Assigned  to  16th 
Army  Corps.  In  action  at  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely,  near 
Mobile.     Discharged  at  Fort  Suelling,  August  19, 1865. 

SEVENTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

'Colonel.         Stephen  Miller,  St.  Paul;  promoted  Brigadier  General, 
Nov.  6,  1863. 
William  B.  Marshall,  St.  Paul;  discharged  with   regi- 
ment. 
Lieut.  Col.     William  B.  Marshall.  St.  Paul;  promoted  Colonel  Nov. 
6,  1863. 
George  Bradley,    St.  Paul;  discharged  with  regiment. 
Major.  George  Bradley,  St.  Paul;  promoted  Lieut.  Colonel, 

Nov.  6,  1868." 
William  H.  Burt,  Taylor's  Falls;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 
Adjutant.     John  K.   Arnold,  Wabasha;  promoted  Captain  Co.  A, 
June  17,  1863. 
Edward  A.  Trader,   St.   Louis:  resigned  February  8, 

1865. 
A.  J.  Patch,  Dubuque;  discharged  with  regiment. 
Q.  Master.    Ammi  Cutter.  Anoka;  promoted  Captain  and  A.  Q.   M. 
May  6,  1804. 
Henry  C.  Bolcom,  Winona;  discharged  with  regiment. 
Surgeon.       Jeremiah  E.  Finch.  Hastings:  resigned  May  28,  1803. 

Lucius  B  Smith,  killed  July  13,  1864,  at  battle  of  Tu- 
pelo. 
Albert  A.  Ames,  Minneapolis;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 
Asst.  Surg.   Lucius  B.  Smith,  promoted  Surgeon,  May  20,  1803. 

Albert   A.    Ames,    Minneapolis;    promoted    Surgeon, 

July  23, 1802. 
Brewer  Mattocks,   St.   Paul;   discharged    with    regi- 
ment. 
Percival  O.  Barton,  Pine  Bend:  discharged  with   regi- 
ment. 
Chaplain.     Oliver  P.  Light,  resigned  June  II.  1864 

E.  E.  Edwards,  Taylors   Falls,   discharged  with   regi- 
ment. 
Organized  August,  1862.     In  battle  with  Sioux  Indians  at  Wood 
Lake,   Sept.,   1862.     Indian    Expedition    of   1863.     Ordered  to  St. 
Louis,  Oct.  7,  1863.     Paducah,  Ky.,  April,  1864.     Assigned  to  16th 


2S6  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

Army  Corps.  Battle  of  Tupelo,  July,  1864;  Tallahatchie.  August, 
1864.  In  pursuit  of  General  Price.  Battle  of  Nashville.  Decem- 
ber, 1864.  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely.  near  Mobile,  April,  I860. 
Discharged  at  Fort  Snelling,  August  16,  18(35. 

EIGHTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Colonel  Minor  T.  Thomas,  Stillwater,   discharged  with   regi- 

ment. Julv  11. 1865. 

Lieut.  Col.     Henry  C.  Rogers,  Austin;   discharged  by  reason  of 
wounds.  May  15,  'G5. 

Major.  George  A  Camp,  St.  Anthony;  resigned  May  2, I860.  _ 

Edwin  A.  Folsom.  Stillwater;   discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 

Adjutant.     George  W.  Butterfield  promoted  Capt.  and  A.  A.   (jr., 
March  15. 18(55. 
Lewis  C.  Paxon,  discharged  with  regiment. 

Q.  Master.    Geo.L.  Fisk,  Mazeppa;  discharged  per  order  May  15, 

Surgeon.      Francis  Ileiger.  St.  Paul;  resigned  April  10  1864. 

John  H.  Murphy,  St.  Paul:  resigned  January  12.  1865. 

Irving  H.  Thurston,  discharged  with  regiment. 
Ast.  Snrg     Irving  H.  Thurston,  promoted  Surgeon,  May  29  I860. 

William  H.  Bouse, Eden  Prairie:  discharged  July    11, 

1SG5.  ,     .  , 

Chaplain.     Lauren  Armsby,  Farbault;  discharged  with  regiment. 

Organized  August  1. 1852.  Stationed  at  frontier  posts  until  May 
186irwhen  ordered  upon  Indian  Expedition.  Engaged  in  the  fol- 
lowing battles,  sieges,  skirmishes  and  marches:  Tah-cha-o-ku-tu, 
Julv  28,  1864;  battle  of  the  Cedars.  Overall's  Creek.  Ordered  to 
Clifton  Tenn.,  thence  to  Cincinnati,  thence  to  W  ashmgton,  thence 
to  Wilmington,  thence  to  Newbern,  N.  C.  Battles  of  Kmgs:on, 
March  8.9,  10,  18( '.5.  Mustered  out  at  Charlotte,  N.  C,  July  11, 
1865.     Discharged  at  Fort  Snelling.  Minnesota. 

NINTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Colonel.        Alexander  Wilkin.  St.  Paul;  killed  July  14,  1864,  in  bat- 
tle of  Tupelo.  Miss. 
Josiah  F.  Marsh,  \ustin;  discharged  with  regiment. 
Lieut   Col.   Josiah  F.  Marsh,  Austin;   promoted  Colonel,  July  27 
1864.  ,       ... 

William  Markham,  Bochester;  discharged  with   regi- 
ment, it'  n  1 
Major            William  Markham,  Bochester;  promoted   Lieut.   Lot., 
July  27, 1864. 
Horace    B.   Strait,   Shakopee;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 
Adjutant.     Edward  H.  Cause,  discharged  with  regiment. 
Q.  Master.    Johu  P.  Owens,  discharged  per  order,  May  lo,  18bo. 


TENTH    REGIMENT   OFFICERS.  287 

Surgeon.      Chas.  W.  LeBoutillier.  St.  Anthony;  died  April  3,  1863, 
at  St.  Peter.  Minn. 
Reginald  H.  Bingham,  Winona:  discharged  •with  regi- 
ment. 
Asst.  Surg.  Refine  W.  Twitchell,   Chatfield;  promoted   Surg.  72d 
Col'd.  Inf.  July  7, '64 
John  Dewey.  St.  Paul;  resigned  September  11,  1863. 
John  C.  Dickson,  discharged  per  order  May  15,  1865. 
Edwin  G.  Pugsley,  discharged  with  regiment. 
Chaplain.     Aaron  H.  Kerr,  St.  Peter;  discharged  with  regiment. 

Organized  August,  1862.  At  frontier  posts  until  September. 
1873.  At  Memphis,  Teun.,  May,  186-1.  Assigned  to  16th  Army 
Corps.  Battle  of  Tupelo,  July,  1864.  Oxford  Expedition,  August 
Tallahatchie,  August.  Pursuit  of  General  Price.  Battles  of  Nash- 
ville, December.  1864  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely,  April,  1865. 
Discharged  at  Fort  Snelling,  August  24  1865. 

TENTH  REGIMENT,  INFANTRY. 

Colonel.         James   H.   Baker,   Mankato;   discharged    with    regi- 
ment. 
Lieut.  Col.     Samuel  P.  Jennison,  St.  Paul;   discharged   with  regi- 
ment. 
Major.  Michael  Cook,  Faribault;  died  Dec.  27, 1864,  of  wounds 

received  at  the  battle  of  Nashville. 
Edwin  C.  Sanders,   Le   Sueur;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 
Adjutant.     James  C.  Braden,  Brownsville;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 
Q.  Master.     George  W.  Greene.  Clinton  Falls;  resigned  March  23, 
1864. 
Eden   N.  Levens,   Faribault;   discharged  with   regi- 
ment. 
Surgeon.       Samuel   B.    Sheardown,    Stockton;    discharged  with 

regiment. 
Asst.  Surg.   William  W.  Clark.  Mankato;  resigned   September  20, 
1864. 
Alfred  H.  Burnham,  dismissed  October  23, 1863. 
Francis  H.  Mi  ligan,    Wabasha;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 
Louis  Proebsting,   died   October  31,   1864  at-  Cairo, 

Illinois. 
Cyrus    A.    Brooks,    St.  Paul;   discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 
Chaplain.     Ezra  R.  Lathrop.  resigned,  October  27,  1S64. 

Organized  August,  1864.  Stationed  at  frontier  posts  until  June, 
1863,  when  ordered  upon  Indian  Expedition.  Engaged  with 
Indians  July  24,  26,  and  28. 1803.  Ordered  to  St.  Louis,  Mo..  Octo- 
ber, 1N63;  thence  to  Columbus,  Ky.,  April,  1864;  thence  to  Memphis 


288  HISTOKY    OF    MINNESOTA. 

Term.,  June,  1864,  and  assigned  to  10th  Army  Corps.  Participated 
in  the  following  marches,  battles,  sieges  arid  skirmishes:  Battle  of 
Tupelo,  July  13,  1865.  Oxford  Expedition.  August.  1864.  Marched 
in  pursuit  of  Price  from  Brownsville,  Ark  ,  to  Cape  Girardeau: 
thence  by  boat  to  Jefferson  City:  thence  to  Kansas  line:  thence  to 
St.  Louis,  Mo.  Battles  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  December  15  and  16, 
1864.  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely,  April,  1865.  Discharged  at 
Fort  Snelling,  Aug.  19.  1865. 

ELEVENTH  REGIMENT,  INFANTRY. 

Colonel.  James  B.  Gilfillan,  St.  Paul;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 

Lieut.  Col.    John  Ball.  Winona;  discharged  with  regiment. 

Major.  Martin  Maginnis,  discharged  with  regiment. 

Adjutant.     Horatio  D.  Brown,  discharged  with  regiment 

Q.  Master.     Martin  Maginnis,  promoted  Major.  September  13,1864. 
Nathaniel  C.  Gault.  discharged  with  regiment. 

Surgeon.  Henry  McMahou,  Fort  Ripley;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 

Asst.  Surg.   Peter  Gabrielson,  St.  Paul;  discharged  with  regiment. 
Robert  L.  Morris,  discharged  with  regiment. 

Chaplain.      Charles  G.  Bowdish,   Glencoe;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 
Organized    August.   1864.     Ordered    to    Nashville.    Tennessee. 

Engaged  in  guarding  railroad  between  Nashville  and  Louisville, 

until  muster  out  of  regiment,  June  26.  1S65. 

INFANTRY    RATTALION. 

Lieut.  Col.  Mark  W.  Dowuie,  Stillwater;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment, July  14.1865. 

Major.  Frank  Houston,  St.  Paul;  discharged  with  regiment. 

Adjutant.     James  H.  Place,  St.  Cloud;  discharged  with  regiment. 

Q.  Master.  John  W.  Pride,  St.  Anthony;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 

Surgeon.      John  B.  LeBlonde,  discharged  with  regiment. 

Asst.  Sarg.  Charles  H.  Spear,  Minneapolis;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 

Originally  consisted  of  two  companies,  organized  from  the  re- 
enlisted  veterans,  stay-over  men  and  recruits  of  the  First  Regiment 
Minnesota  Infantry  Volunteers.  Ordered  to  Washington.  D.  C, 
May,  1864:  joined  Army  of  the  Potomac  June  10th,  1864  Partici- 
pated in  the  following  engagements:  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  IS, 
1864;  Jerusalem  Plank  Roads.  Va.,  June  22  and  23,  186,4;  Deep 
Bottom.  Va..  August  11,  1804;  Ream's  Station,  Va..  August  25, 
1864;  Hatcher's  Run,  Va..  October  27, 1864;  Hatcher's  Run,  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1805.  Company  C  joined  March  27,  1865.  Took  active 
part  in  campaign  commencing  March  28,  1805,  and  resulting  in  the 
capture  of  Petersburg,   Va.,   April  2,  1865.     Four  new  companies 


ARTILLERY    AND    SHARP    SHOOTER    OFFICERS.  2S9 

joined  at  Berksville,  Ya.,  April,  1805.  Marched  from  Berksville. 
Ya..  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  May,  1865.  Two  new  companies  joined 
at  Washington.  Ordered  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  June,  1803.  Mustered 
out  at  Jett'ersonville,  Ind.,  July  14,  180.3.  Discharged  at  Fort 
Snelling,  Minnesota,  July  25,  1805. 

HEAVY  ARTILLERY,    FIRST   REGIMENT. 

Colonel.        William   Colville,  Eed  Wing;     discharged  by  order 

May,  1805. 
Lieut.  Col.     Luther  L.  Baxter,  Shakopee;    discharged  with  regi- 
ment, Sept.,  Ib05. 
Major  Luther  L.  Baxter,   Shakopee;    promoted  Lieut.  Col.. 

Feb.  22,  1805. 
Orlando  Eddy,  discharged  with  regiment. 
Christopher  C.  Heffelfinger,  discharged  with  regiment. 
David  Misner,  discharged  with  regiment. 
Surgeon.       MiloM.  Mead,  Winona;  discharged  with  regiment. 
Clinton  G.  Stees.  St.  Paul;  resigned  June  24,  1S05. 
Asst.  Surg.    Milo  M.  Mead,  promoted,  July  19,  1805. 

J.  C.  Rhodes,  Stillwater:  discharged. 
Chaplain.     Charles  Griswold,  Winona;  discharged  with  regiment. 
Organized  April,  1865.  Stationed  at  Chattanooga,  until  mustered 
out  with  regiment,  in  September,  1805. 

SHAKE  SHOOTERS,   FIRST  COMEANY. 

Francis  Peteler,   Captain,  Anoka;  promoted  Lieut.  Col.  2d  Begt. 

U.  S.  S.,  Feb.  10,  1802. 
Benedict  Hipler,   1st  Lieutenant,  promoted  Captain,  Feb.  10,  1802; 

resigned  July  2s,  1802. 
Dudley  P.  Chase.  Minneapolis;  promoted  1st  Lieutenant,  Feb.  10, 

1802;    Captain,  July  18,  1802;    died  of  wounds   in  battle  of 

Chancellorville,  Ya. 

SHARE  SHOOTERS,  SECOND  COMPANY. 

Wm.  F.  Russell,  Captain;  resigned  Feb.  20,  1803. 

Emil  A.  Burger,  Captain:  resigned  Nov.  20, 1803. 

Mahlon  Black.  Captain. 

Emil  A.  Burner,  1st  Lieutenant,  promoted  Captain,  Feb.  20,  1803. 

John  W.  Jones,  1st  Lieutenant;  resigned  May  20,  1803. 

Mahlon  Black,  1st  Lieutenant;  promoted  Captain,  Nov.  23,  1803. 

Louis  Fitzinimons,  1st  Lieutenant. 

John  A.  W.  Jones, 2d  Lieutenant:  promoted  1st   Lieutenant,  Feb. 

20,1862. 
Mahlon  Black.  2d  Lieutenant:  promoted  1st  Lieutenant. 
Daniel  H.  Priest.  2d  Lieutenant. 

The  company  left  St.  Paul,  Minn..  April  27,1862;  reported  by 
order  of  Maj.  Gen.  McClellan,  to  the  1st  Regt.  U.  S.  S.  at  Yorktown, 
Ya.,  May  0,  1802.     May  22,  1802,  by  special   Order  No.  153,  issued 


290  HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 

by  Maj.  Gen.  McClellan,  the  company  was  assigned  for  duty  with 
the  1st  Minn.  Vols.,  and  on  duty  with  that  regiment  from  June  1, 
1S02,  and  participating  in  all  the  engagements  and  Dattles  of  said 
regiment  until  its  muster  out  from  the  U.  S.  service.  All  the 
enlisted  men  of  the  company  whose  term  of  service  had  not  then 
expired,  were  transferred  to  companies  A  and  B  of  the  1st  Minn, 
regiment  Infantry,  in  pursuance  of  special  Order  No.  102.  Head 
Quarters  Army  of  the  Potomac,  dated  April  '22,  1S65. 

CAVALRY— MOUNTED   RANGERS,    FIRST  REGIMENT. 

Colonel.         Samuel  MoPhail,  Caledonia;    discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 

Lieut.  Col.     William  Pfsender,  New  Ulm.  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 

Major.  John  H.  Parker.  "Warsaw;  discharged  with  regiment. 

Salmon  A.  Buell,  St.  Peter;  discharged  with  regiment. 
Orrin  T.  Hayes.  Hastings,  discharged  with  regiment. 

Adjutant.     William  M.  Pierce,  Oronoco;  discharged  with  regiment. 

Q.  Master.     Duncan  R.  Kennedy,   St.  Peter;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 

Com'issary.  Edward  D.  Cobb.  St.  Paul;  discharged  with  regiment. 

Surgeon.       Josiah  S.  Weiser,  Shakopee;  killed  July  21,  1863,  bat- 
tle Big  Mound.  D.  T. 

Asst.  Surg.  Reginald  H.  Bingham,  Winona;   resigned  for  promo- 
tion, May  7. 1803. 
James  C.  Rhodes,   Stillwater;   discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 

Chaplain.     Thomas  E.  Iuman.  St.  Paul;  discharged  with  regiment. 
Organized  March,    1863.     Upon   the   frontier  until  May,   1803. 

Indian  Expedition.     Engaged   with  Indians,  July  24,  20,  28,  1803. 

Mustered  out  bv  companies  between  October  1  and  December  30, 

1803. 

CAVALRY— BR  ACKETT's  BATTALION. 

Major.  Alfred  B.  Brackett,  St.  Paul;  discharged  May  10, 1866. 

Originally  1st,  2d  and  3d  companies  of  this  cavalry  organized 
October  and  November,  1801.  Ordered  to  Benton  Barracks.  Mo., 
December,  1801.  Assigned  to  a  regiment  called  Curtis'  Horse. 
Ordered  to  Fort  Henry.  Tenn.,  February,  1802.  Name  of  regiment 
changed  to  5th  Iowa  Cavalry,  April,  1862,  as  companies  G,  D  and 
K.  Engaged  in  sieire  of  Corinth.  April,  1862.  Ordered  to  Fort 
Hciman,  Tenn.,  August,  1862.  Veteranized  February.  1861.  Ordered 
to  Department  of  Northwest.  1*64.  Ordered  upon  Indian  Expedi- 
tion. Engaged  with  Indians  July  28  and  August.  1864.  Mustered 
out  by  companies,  between  May,  1800  and  June,  1800. 

CAVALRY— SECOND  REGIMENT. 

Colonel.         Robert  N.  McLaren,  Red  Wing:  discharged  with  reg- 
iment, Nov.  17,  1805. 


CAVALRY   AND   ARTILLERY   OFFICERS.  201 

Lieut.  Col.    William  Pfcender,  New  Ulm;  discharged  Dec.  7.  1865. 
Major.  Ebenezer  A.  Rice,  Wilton:  discharged  Dec.  5,  1865. 

John  M.  Thompson,  Hokah;  resigned  May  1, 1865. 
Robert  H.  Hose.  Belle  Plaine;  discharged  April  2, 1SC0. 
John  R.  Jones,  Ohatfield;  discharged  with  regiment. 
Adjutant.    John  T.  Morrison,  Rose  Mound;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 
Q.  Master.    Martin  Williams,  Saint  Peter:  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 
Reg.  Com.    Andrew  J.  Whitney,  St.  Paid;  discharged  with  regi- 
ment. 
Surgeon.      Jared  W.  Daniels,   St.  Peter;  discharged    with  regi- 
ment. 
Asst.  Surg.   Joseph  A.  Vervais.  St.  Paul;  dismissed  Nov.  5.  1864. 
Johu  A.  McDonald,  Chaska;  discharged  Dec.  4,  18(35, 
Charles  J.  Farley,  St.  Paul;  discharged  April  2,  1866. 
Chaplain.     Samuel  S.  Paine,  Champlin;  discharged  with  regiment. 

Organized  January,  1864.  Indian  Expedition.  Engaged  with 
Indians,  July  28,  1864.  Stationed  at  frontier  posts  and  mustered 
out  from  Nov.,  1865,  to  June,  1866. 

CAVALRY— INDEPENDENT  BATTALION. 

Lieut.  Col.    0.  Powell  Adams,  Hastings;  discharged  with  battalion. 
Major.  E.  A.  C.  Hatch,  St.  Paul;  resigned  Jnne,  1864. 

C.  Powell  Adams,   Hastings;   promoted  Lieut.   Col., 

September  5,  1864. 
Henning  Von  Miudeu,  St.  Paul;  discharged  with  bat- 
talion. 
Assist.  Surg.  John  L.  Armington.  Hastings;  discharged  March,  1804. 
Clinton  G.  Stees.  Philadelphia;  promoted  Surgeon  1st 

Regiment  Minn.  Heavy  Artillery. 
Hippolite  J.  Seigneuret,  Henderson;  discharged  with 
battalion. 
Organized  July  20,  1863.     Ordered  to  Pembina.  D.  T..  October, 
1863.     Ordered  to  Fort  Abercrombie,  D.   T..  May,  1864.     Stationed 
at  Fort  Abercrombie  until  mustered  out.     Mustered  out  by  com- 
panies from  April,  1866,  to  June,  1866. 

ARTILLERY— FIRST    BATTERY. 

Emil  Munch,  Captain.  Chengwatana;  resigned  December  '25.  1862. 
William  Pfander,  Sen.  1st  Lieut.,  New  Ulm:  resigned  for  commis- 
sion in  Minnesota  Mouuted  Rangers, 
Ferd.  E.  Peebles,  Juu.  1st  Lieut..  Winona;  resigned  Aug.  18. 1862. 
Richard  Fischer,  Sen.  2  I  Lieut..  New  dm;  resigned  Aug.  18,  1862. 
G.  Fred  Cook,  Jun.  2d  Lieut.,  Winona;  resigned  October  18.  1862. 

Organized  October.  1861.  Ordered  to  St.  Louis,  December,  1861; 
thence  to  Pittsburg  Landing,  February,  1862.  Engagedin  the  fol- 
lowing marches,  battles,  seiges  and  skirmishes:  Shdoh.  April  5th 


292  HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 

and  6th,  1862;  siege  of  Corinth.  April.  1862;  Corinth.  October  3d 
and  4th,  1862;  marched  from  Corinth  to  Oxford.  Miss.;  thence  to 
Memphis,  Term.  Assigned  to  17th  Army  Corps,  November,  18G2. 
Veteranized  January.  1864.  Ordered  to  "Cairo,  Illinois;  thence  to 
Huntsville,  Ala.;  thence  to  Altoona,  Ga  ;  thence  to  Ackworth,  Ga.; 
battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain;  Atlanta,  July  22d  and  28th;  Sher- 
man's campaign  through  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas.  Discharged 
at  Fort  Sneiling,  Minn.,  June  30, 1S65. 

ARTILLERY— SECOND  BATTERY. 

W.  A.  Hotchkiss,  Captain,  Anoka;  discharged  with  battery,  Aug. 
16, 1865. 

Gustave  Roseuk.  Sen.  1st  Lieut.,  St.  Paul;  discharged  Sept.  11, 1962. 

Albert  Woodbury.  Jan.  1st  Lieut.,  Anoka:  died  from  wounds. 

Jackson  Taylor.  Sen.  2d  Lieut,,  Buffalo:  resigned  April  24, 1862. 

Eichard  L.  Dawley,  Jun.  2d  Lieut.,  St.  Charles;  promoted  1st  Lieu- 
tenant. 

Organized  December.  1861.  Ordered  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  April, 
18G2;  thence  to  Corinth.  May,  1862.  Participated  in  the  following 
marches,  battles,  seiges  and  skirmishes.  Siege  of  Corinth,  April, 
1862;  Bragg's  raid.  Assigned  to  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  Battle 
of  Perryville,  October  Sth  and  9th,  1862;  Lancaster,  October  12th, 
1862;  Knob  Gap,  December  20th,  1862;  Stone  River,  December, 
30,  1862;  Tullahoma.  Marched  to  Rome.  Ga.,  via  Stephenson, 
Ala.,  Caperton's  Ferry  and  Lookout  Mountain;  Chickamauga,  Sept. 
19  and  20,  1893;  Mission  Ridge;  Ringgold,  Georgia.  Marched  to 
Relief  of  Knoxville,  Tenn.;  Buzzards  Roost  Gap.  Veteranized 
March,  1864.  Nashville.  Dee.  15  and  16.  186-1.  Mustered  out  July 
13,  1865.     Discharged  at  Fort  Sneiling. 

ARTILLERY — THIRD  BATTERY. 

John  Jones,  captain.  St.  Paul;  discharged  ■with  battery. 

John  C.  Whipple,  Sen.  1st  Lieut.  Faribault;  discharged  with  bat- 
tery. 

Horace  H.  "Western.  Jun.  1st  Lieut.,  St.  Paul;  discharged  with 
battery. 

Dr.  A.  Daniels  Sen.  2d  Lieut.  Rochester;  resigned  L>ec.  29,  1865. 

Gad  M.  Duelle,  Jun.  2d  Lieut.,  Lake  City:  discharged  with  battery. 

Organized  February,  1863.  Ordered  upon  Indian  Expedition 
of  1863;  participated  in  engagement  with  Indians.  July  24,  26  and 
28,  1863;  stationed  at  frontier  posts  until  May,  1864,  when  entered 
upon  Indian  Expedition  of  1864.  Engaged  with  Indians  July  28, 
1864,  and  August,  1864;  upon  return  of  expedition,  stationed  at 
frontier  posts  until  muster  out  of  battery,  Feb.  27,  1866, 


INDEX. 


293 


INDEX 


A. 

Air.l  George,  Indian  trader 49 

Aird  James,  Indian  trader 48 

Accau  (Ako)  Michel,  explora- 
tion of 12,  17 

Sent  by  LaSalle 1'.' 

Hennepin  accompanies  him        12 

Stopped  by  Sioux 13 

Acker  Capt.  W.  H 103,  204 

Adams  Lieut,  Col.,  wounded...      24-8 
Alexander  Lt.  W.,  at  Ft.  Spell- 
ing         84 

Aldrich  Cyrus,  Member  of  Con- 
gress  268,  269 

Allen  Lieut.  James,  at    Itasca 

Lake 94 

Ames  A.  E  .  early  lawyer 148 

Anderson  Thomas  (1.,  early  tra- 
der at  Lac-qai-parle 47,  49 

his  half-bred  daughter 49 

in  command  of  Fort  McKay        56 
Andriani,  Italian   Count,  stric- 
tures on  North  West  Company       43 

Andrews  Gen.  C.  C 229,  253,  255 

Andrews  Joseph,   killed  by  Sis- 

seton  Sioux 72 

Arnold  (apt.  J.  K 254 

Angelle  Anthony,  the  Pieard.  an 
associate  of  Accau  and  Hen- 
nepin  ._ 12 

Austin  Gov.  Horace,  administra- 
tion of 259 

notice  of_     259 

Ayer  Frederick,  Ojibway  mis- 
sionary   ice,  109,  123 

B. 

Babcock  L.  A 148 

BackusMiss,  first  teacher  atFalls 

of  St.  Anthony 175 

Raillv  Alexis,  early  trader 73,  135 

Baker  Col  K.  D.,  killed 206 

Baldwin  School,  see  Macalester 

College 

Bank  Robbery  at  Northfield 262 

Bardw.ll.  Ojibway  missionary..      123 

Bass  J.  W'..  early  settler 132 

Battle  of  Bidl  Hun 198,205 

Ball's  Bluff. 206 

Birch  Coolie 237 

Chattanooga 251,  252 

Corinth 219,  221 

Fair  Oaks 216 

20 


Battle  of  Fredericksburg 223 

Gettysburg 246,  250 

luka 219 

Savage  Station 217 

.Malvern  Hill 218 

Mill  Spring 208 

Nashville 254 

Perryville 228 

Pittsburg  Landing 210 

Sharpsburg.. 218 

Tupelo 253 

West  Point,  Va 215 

Vicksbnrg 215 

Wood  Lake 237 

Yorktown,  Va.,  siege  of 213 

Beardash,    an    eccentric  Ojib- 
way   44 

Beauharnois,  Governor  of  Cana- 
da   26 

Fort  at  Lake  Pepin 20 

Beciit  Major 253 

Belcourt  G.  A.,  Roman  Catholic 

Missionary 123 

Beltrami  G.  B.,  at  Fort  Snelling  74 

accompanies  Major  Long...  74 
reaches  Northern  sources  of 

Mississippi 75 

mentions  Elk  Lake  as  west- 
ern source "5 

his  Map ..     . .  76 

Bilanski  Michael,  poisoned 170 

wife  of  hung ._ 171 

Bishop  Harriet  E.,  first  school 

teacher  in  St.  Paul 174,  175 

Bishop  Gen.  Judson  W.,  in  com- 
mand of  Second  Regiment  251 

military  record 251 

Black  River  of  Wiscon-in,  Hu- 

rons  near 7,  8 

Blake,  drummer  boy 209 

BlakelyC.  H.,  Adjutant 207 

Blukely  David,  acting  Supt.  of 

Public  Instruction 181 

Blue  Earth  River  explored 23 

supposed  mines  near 23 

Fort  on 23 

D'Eraque  visits 23 

Boal  J.  M.,  early  St.  Paul  settler  139 
Boisguillot,   early    trader    n.-ar 

mouth  of  Wi-consin   river  18 
Borgesrode  Rudolph,  Col. of  5th 

Regiment 219 

Boucher  Jean  (Sieur  Montbuml 

at  Fort  Beauharnois 23 


294 


INDEX. 


Boucher  captured  by  Indians  —        27 
Pierre  describe-*  Lake  Supe- 
rior copper  mines —        .         9 
Rene  (Sieur  de  la  Perriere) 
builds  Fort  Beaoharnois  at 

Lake  Pepin 26 

Boncherv  ille  Sieur  do '27 

Boudor,  trader  to  the  Sioux,  at- 
tacked by  Fox  Indians 24 

Bontillier  C.W.,Asst.Surgeon  1st 

Minnesota  Regiment. 202,  204 

Boutwell  Rev.  W.  T.,  first  Ojib- 
way  missionary  in  Minne- 
sota  10*,  109 

companion  of  II.  R.  School- 
craft at  Itasca  Lake 95,  109 

at  Leech  Lake 109 

visits  Fort  Snelling.. Ill 

commended  by  Nicollet 90.  97 

marriage  of 110 

his  cabin  at  Leech  Lake Ill 

settles  near  Stillwater, 108 

Bradlev,  Major  Seventh  Reg't. . .       238 

Breck  Rev.  J .  Lloyd 177 

Bremer  Fredrika,  Swedish  nov- 
elist, describes  St,  Paul..  146.  147 
Bridge,  first  across  the  Mississ- 
ippi         156 

Brigade,  Franklin's  at  Bull  Run  201 
Brigham,  Reginald,  Surgeon  2d 

Regiment 207 

Brisbin,  J.  B.,  early  lawyer. 157-62 

Brisbois,  Lt.  in  British  service..  55 
British  Fort  at  Prairie  du  Chien  56 
British  influence  in  Northwest..  53-54 

Brooks,  Rev.  David 189 

Brooks,  Rev.  .Jazeb 1*9 

Brooks,  Lt.  Col.,  of  Mississippi 
captured  at  Bull   Bun  by  J.  B. 

Irvine  of  St.  Paul 200 

Brother,  letter  about  a  dead 209 

Brown's  Falls  (Minnehaha) 69 

Brown,  Jacob,  Gen.  U.  S.  Army  68 
Brown,  Joseph  R.,  drummer  boy 

at  Fort  Suelling 77 

Keeps  a  grog  shop  for  sold- 
iers   104,5 

Member  of  Wisconsin   Leg- 
islature  127,2* 

Makes     a    town  site    near 

Stillwater 127 

Secretary   of    Council,    1^19      141 
Brown,  W.  C.,  Baptist  minister 

at  Stillwater ...      176 

Branson,    Rev.    A.,     Methodist 

Missionary 127 

Bruce,  agent  for  Sioux 172 

Brule    (Broolay)  Stephen,  early 

ex  pi  on  t 5 

Brusky  i  Brooskey)  Charles,  trad- 
er at  Sandy  Lake 43 

Buffalo  in  Red  River  VaUey 45 

Bulger,  Capt.,    surrenders    Fort 

McKay,  at  Prairie  du  Chien    ..         57 
Bulwer,  Sir  K.    L.,  translator  of 
Schiller's  Poem 34 


Burgess,  color  bearer  of  First 
Minnesota  Infantry,  killed  at 
Savage  Station,  Va 217 

Burkleo,  early  settler  in  Saint 
Croix  Valley 127 

Burnside,  Gen.  Ambrose  at  Bull 
Run 202,3 

Burt,  Dr.,  Supt.  of  Public  Di- 
straction  . ..       177 

Butler,  Levi,  Surgeon  Third 
Regiment 207 

c. 

Cadotte,  J.  B.,  Red  River  trader  42 

Calhoun,  Lake,  origin  of  name.  7'.* 

Cameron,  Red  River  trader 45 

Deathof 45 

Cameron,    Murdoch,    trader    in 

Minnesota  Valley -  52 

Deathof 41 

Cameron,  Secretary  of  War 193 

Campbell,  Colin,  interpreter  for 

Sioux 55,-72 

Campbell.  John 55 

Camp  Cold  Water 71 

Capitol  at  St.  Paul  burned 265 

Carver,    Capt.   Jonathan,    early 

life  of 32 

Discovers  cave  in  Saint  Paul  33 
Describes  Falls  of  St.  Anth- 
ony    33 

Ascends  Minnesota  river 33 

Describes  funeral  rites ......  33 

Reports     speech    of    Sioux 

Chief 33 

Speech  versified  by  Schiller.  34 
Translation  by    Bulwer  and 

Herschell 34,35 

His  alleged  deed    for  .  Sioux 

land 36 

Grandsons  of,  visit   Minne- 
sota   63 

His  picture  of  Falls  of  St. 

Ant  hony 35 

Carver's  Cave,  description 33,61 

Carver's   Cave.  Maj.  Long  visits  33,64 

Kohl.  J.  {}..  visits 33 

Nicollet  and  Fremont  visit..  33 
Cass,  Gov.  Lewis  at  ('amp  Lold 

Water,  near  Fort  Snelling 71 

Cavanaugh,  J.    M.,    member  of 

( 'ongre-s 268 

Chabouillier,  Charles,  trader....  12 

Chaffee.  Chaplain  J-  F 219 

Chagouamigon  Bay,  first  visit  of 

white  man <> 

Trading  post  at *_> 

Champlain,  Samuel •> 

Charleville  describes  Falls  of  St 

Anthony 2b 

Charlevoix,  Cr.ticism  of  Hen- 
nepin   17 

Chippewa  Indians,  see  Ojibways 
Chouart,    Medard,  see  Groseill- 
iers. 


INDEX. 


295 


Clark,  Charlotte 68 

Clark,  Capt.  Nathan,  D.  S.  A....        68 
Clark,  Lt.  George  A.,  U.  S.  vol- 
unteers  :...       244 

Clark,  Governor  of  Missouri...  54,  57 
Crary,  B.  F.,  Supt.   of  Instruc- 
tion        ISO 

Clayton.  Lt.  at  Corinth 221 

Coares.  Capt.   H.  A.,  his  report 

on  Gettysburg  battle 246,50 

Cobb,  Chaplain  D 285 

Coe,    Rev.    Alvan,    missionary, 

visits  in  ls2y  Fort  Snelling.  ..       107 
Collins,  frank  E..  Q.  M    Sergt..      226 
Colville.  Col.  VV  illiam,  wound- 
ed at  Gettysburg 246,  249 

Constitutional  Convention 163. til 

Constitution,  amendment-  of...  167 
Cook,  Lt.  at  Pittsburg  Landing  212 
Cooper,  David,  territorial  judge  137 
Copper  mines  of  Lake  Superior 

early  mention  of 9, 10 

Cotton,      an     early    Red   River 

trader 45 

Courts,  first  in  Minnesota 137,3s! 

Cressey,  Chaplain!'.  R 270 

Creuxius,  Map  of 10 

Crooks,    William,    Col.    of   6th 

Regiment 239 

Cross,  A*st.  Surgeon  4th  Regi- 
ment       219 

Crosses  of  silver  sold  by  traders        31 

D. 

DaCosta,    Chaplain     5th   Mass. 

Vols 201 

Dakotahs  see  Sioux. 

Dana,  Col.  N.  J.  T 206, 215 

Dart,  Capt.  J.  R 227 

Davenport,  Col.  D.  8.  A 101 

Davis,  Gov.  Cushman  K.,  notice 

of 260 

His  administration 260,61 

Day,  Dr.  David,  Speaker  of  4th 
territorial  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives        153 

Deace,    Capt.    in    command   at 

Prairie  du  Chien 54 

DeCharleville  see  Charleville. 
DeGrey.  Lt.  wounded  at  Gettys- 
burg        248 

De  la  Jemeraye  see  Jemerm/e. 

DeLisle,  maps  of 24. 25 

De  Lu:-ignan  visits  the  Sioux.  ..        29 

Dengle,  of  1-t  Minn.  Vols 202 

Denton,  a  Sioux  missionary 123 

D'Eraque,  robbed  by  Sioux 23 

In    <  Large    of    blue    Karth 

Fort 24 

D'F-prit  Pierre  see  Radifton. 
D'lU'i-ville,  Cov.of  Louisiana.  20,22 
De  Peyster,  British  i  ommander 

at  Mackinaw 36 

Devotion,  the  tirst  sutler  at  Fort 
Snelling .        70 


Dickson, Col    Robert,  influential 

trader..  .53,  54,  55.  57,  61,  62,  74,  SO,  81 
Dike,   Major  W.   H.,  1st   Minn. 

Vols 205 

Dodge,  (Governor,  of  Wisconsin, 
makes  a  treaty  at  Fort  Stall- 
ing   

Donnelly,  Lt.  Governor 191.93 

Member  of  Congress  '.tin 
Downie.  Major  1st  Minn.  Vols..  105 
JDu    Conor,    a    Jesuit    at    Lake 

Pepin 27 

Du  Lath, Daniel  Greysolon, early 

lifeof 10 

Various     spellings    of     his 

name 10 

Plants  Kings  Arms  at  Mille 

Lacs 11 

£.-tabiishes  a  fort  at  Knman- 

istigoya 11 

Descends  the  St.  Croix  river  11. 12 

At  Falls  of  St.  Anthony 12 

Meets  Hennepin 12 

His  tour  from  Lake  Superior 

to  Mississippi 12 

Visits  Paris 17 

Trades  with  Sioux 17 

Builds  a  fort  at  entrance  of 

Lake  Huron 17 

Dunnell,  Mark  H.,  Supt.  of  Pub- 
lic Instruction 1^2 

Member  of  Congress 270 

E. 

Edgerton,  A.  J..U.  S.  Senator 
to  till  a  vacancy _  277 

Education  in  Minnesota 172-89 

Elk  Lake,  now  Itasca.  75,  94,  05,  97,  BS 

100 

Ely,  Edmund  F., teacher  at  Ojib- 
way  mission  stations  109.  117,120  123 

Emerson,  surgeon  at  Fort  Snell- 
ing  complains  of  whisky  sell- 
ers       104 

Ethridge,  Surgeon  U.  S.  Vols.. .      219 

F 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  first  white 

men  at '- 

First  mill  at 73,71,75 

Mentioned  by  La  Salle 13 

Described  by  Charleville 26 

( 'apt.  Carver  at 33 

Visited  by  Lt.  Z.  M.  Pike...        52 

Visited  by  Maj.  Long ^'"'•L". 

Religions  services  at 176 

First  schools  at 175 

First  newspaper 1*9 

Bridge,  tirst  on  the  Mississ- 
ippi        R-*5 

Steamboats  near 83,144 

Falls  of  St.  Croix,  fight  at 1W 

Faribault.  J.  t!..  Indian  trader. .         51 
Farrell,  Capt.,  killed  at  Gettys- 
burg       249 


296 


INDEX. 


Featherstonhaugh,    geologist  at 

Fort  Snelling 95 

Fisk,  Chaplain  Asa  8 210 

Flandrau,  Col. .defends  New  Ulm  236 
Flat    Mouth   Ojibway   Chief  at 

Leech  Lake 101 

At  Fort  Snelling 86 

Attacked  by  Sioux 87 

Vengance  of  grat  itied 88, 89 

Forsyth,  Major  Thomas,  arrives 
at  Minnesota    River  with  the 

U.  8.  Troops 68 

Fort  Beauhaniois  established  A. 
•     D.1727,  at  Lake  Pepin  by  Sieur 

de  la  Perriere 26 

Commanded  by  St.  Pierre. ..  29 
Fort  La  Heine,  on  River  Assine- 

boine 29 

Fort  Le  Sueur,  below  Hastings. .  21 
Fort  L'Huillier,  on  Blue  Earth 

River 23 

Built  by  Le  Sueur 23 

Left  in  charge  of  D'Eraque.  21 

Fort  Maurepas 28 

Mc  Kay,  Frairie  du  Chien.  ..  56,  57 

Perrot,  at  Lake  Pepin.. IS 

Shelby  at  Prairie  du  Chien. .  55 
Fort  Snelling,   site  secured    by 

Lt.  Pike 52 

Order  to  establish  the  post..  68 
Troops    for,    at    Prairie    du 

Chien 68 

Birth  of  Charlotte  Ouiscon- 

sin  Clark 68 

Events  of  A.  I>.  1819 69 

Major    Forsyth    pays   Sioux 

for  reservation 68 

Col.  Leavenworth  arrives  at 

Mendota 69 

First  officers  at  Cantonment  69 

Red  River  men  arrive  at 70 

Events  of  A.  D.  1*20 70, 72 

Major     Taliaferro,     Indian 

Agent  at 70 

Troops  at  Camp  Cold  Water  71 
Cass  and  Schoolcraft  visits.  71 
Col.  Snelling  succeeds  Leav- 
enworth    72 

Impressive  scene  at 72 

Advance  in  building 73 

Events  of  A.  D.   1822,  A.  D. 

1823 71,75 

First  steamboat  at 71 

Beltrami,  the  Italian  at 74 

MajorS.  H.  Long  arrives  at  ^  75 

Government  mill  near 76,77 

Sunday  School  at 77 

Events  of  A.  D.    1824 71 

Tully  boys  rescued 7s 

General  Scott  suggests  name 

forfort 79 

Events    of  A.    D.    1825  and 

1826 81 

Death  of  Surgeon  Purcell..  Ml 

Mail,  arrival  at 81 

Sioux  woman  kills  herself..  »'l 


Fort  Snelling,  Great  snow  storm 

March.  1826 82 

High  water  at.  April  21.  1826  S3 
Slaves  belonging  to  officers, 

at S3 

Steamboat     arrivals      until 

close  of  1826 83 

Duels  at *4 

General  Haines  censures  Col- 
onel SnelJing 84 

W.  Joseph  Snelling,  son  of 

Colonel,  notice  of St 

Events  of  A.  D.  1-27 ^S 

Flat  Mouth,   Ojibway  chief, 

visits  in  1*27 *6 

Attacked  by  Sioux -6 

Soldiers  arrest  Sioux *7 

Col.  Snelling  delivers  mur- 
derers for  examination. .. .  B7 
Keel  boats  from,  attacked..  89,  90 

Death  of  Col.  Snelling 92 

Rev.    Alvan    Co  e     in    1*29 

preached  at 107 

J.  N.  Nicollet  arrives  at 96 

Surgeon  R.  C.  Wood  marries  94 
Sioux    end    Ojibways    fight 

near 102,104 

Annoyed  by  whisky  sellers. .  104 

Presbyterian  church  at 113 

Steamer  Palmyra  at,  in  July, 
1838,  with  notiee  of  ratifi- 
cation of  Indian  treaties. .  126 
Fort  St.  Antoine.  Lake  P^pin ...  is  20 
Fort  St.  Anthony,  now  Snelling  79 
Fort  St.  Charles,  on  Lake  of  the 

Woods ...  28 

Fort  St.  Joseph,  on  Lake  Frie. 

established  by  Du  Luth 17 

Fort  St    Pierre,  on  Rainy  Lake.  28 
Franklin,    Sir    John,  relics    of, 

pass  through  St.  Paul 157 

Franklin's  Brigade  at  Bull  Run  _-"l 

Franquelin,  maps  of 17, 1'.' 

Eraser,  British  trader 51,  54 

Fremont,  John  C,  at    Carver's 

Cave 33 

French.  Adjt.  Alpheus  R 219 

Fronchet,  Nicollet's  voyageur...  96 
Fuller,  Judge  Jerome,    Territo- 
rial Chief  Justice 1"1 

Furber,  J.  W.  early  settler 162 

G. 

Galena  lead  mines  discorered  by 

Perrot 20 

Galtier,    Rev.    L.,    erects     first 
chapel  in  St.  Paul 116 

Gamelle,  wife  of,  killed  by  Ojib- 
ways       120 

Gardner,  Charles,  early  settler..       l^i 
Family  attacked   by  Inkpa- 
dootah's  band 159 

Gavin,  Daniel, missionary  among 
Siou  x 123 

Gear,  Chaplain  E.  G 112 


INDEX. 


297 


Gibson,  General,  letters    about 

St.  Anthony  null '6, 

George,  Col.  Jas.  C,  at  Chieka- 

mauga 

Giltillan,  Rev.  J.  A.,  Protestant 
Episcopal  Indian  missionary, 

visits  Elk  Lake  • 

GiliiUan,  John  B.,    member  of^ 

Congress ,"T'- 

Glazier,    Villard,    a   pretended 

discoverer 

Goodhue  James  M„  first  editor 

in  Minnesota 136, 

death  of 

Goodrich  Judge  Aaron  M..137,  140, 

Gooding,  t'apt.  U.  S.  Army,  his 

wife  first  white  woman  at 

Falls  of  St.  Anthony _ 

Gorman,  Governor  W.  A 154, 

Col.  of  First  Minnesota  ...194, 

his  report  of  Bull  Hun 201, 

Gorman's  brigade 212,  21 1.  215, 

Gorrell  Lt.  James,  first  English 

officer  at  Green  Bay 

Graham  Duncan,  Indian  trader. 

daughter  of • 

Grand  Forks  of  Bed  River,  Sel- 
kirk's treaty  at 

Grant  Peter,  early  Red  River 

trader 

Grasshopper  invasion 

♦Jravier,  Jesuit  missionary  cen- 
sures Hennepin 

Greeley  Elani,  early  settler 117. 

Griggs" Lieut.  Col.  C.  W..  refuses 

to  surrender 

Groseilliers  i  Gro-zay-yay  lone  of 
first  white  men  in  Minne- 
sota  

notice  of : 

explores  Lake  Superior 

discovers  UhegouamigonBay 

visits  refugee  Hurons 

enters  Sioux  country 

discovers  tributary  to  Hud- 
son's Bay. 

Groseillier's  River ... 

Guerin,   companion    of     Jesuit 

Menard 

Guignas,  Jesuit    Missionary    at 

Lake  Pepin 

captured  by  Indians 

H. 

Hadley  Major  J.  A 

Hall  Rev.  Sherman.Ojibway  mis- 
sionary  

early  education 

arrival  at  La  Pointe  Island.. 

his  wife,    first  white  woman 

at  extremity  of  Lake  Supe- 

perior  

Hamline  University  

Hancock  (Jen.  \V.  S.,  at  Gettys- 
burg  

Hancocks'  Corps 


77 
250 

100 

,276 

100 

141 
152 

151 


163 
195 
205 
216 

31 
135 

135 

61 

44 
2*52 

17 

,  128 


207 


108 


108 
189 


204 


217 
3S 


W0 
127 

207 
249 


Harley  Lieut.,  wounded  at  Bull 

Run - 

Harmon  Lieut.  SVm.,  account  of 
battle  at  Savage  Station. . . 

Harris,  early  trader ■• 

Harrower  H.   D.,    exposes    the 
pretensions    of      WiHard 

Glazier 

Haskell  Joseph,  pioneer  farmer 

Heaney  Adjt.  Daniel  D 

Heffelfinger  Lt.,  at  Gettysburg 
Heintzelman  (ien.  S.  P.,  report 

of  Bull  Run  battle 199 

Hennepin  Louis,  a  Dutch  Fran- 
ciscan   accompanies     the 

trader  Accauit 12 

enters   Sioux  country  below 

St.    Paul 12.15 

at  Falls  of  St.  Anthony I* 

metbyDuLuth 1- 

retumfl    with  Du    Luth    to 

Mackinaw ■•        " 

his  book  criticised  by  rat  ti- 
ers Gravier  and  Charlevoix        1/ 

Hennepin  county  created wl 

Hennis  C.  J.,  editor      . .  . . .... . .       »s 

Henry  Alexander,of  North  \\  est 

Company • *■ 

trader  in  Red  River  valley. ..        44 
establishes  a  post  at   Park 

River .-•■•■•.    •• 

describes  the  first  Red  River 

cart 

visits  Red  Lake  River. 

Herschell  Sir   John,  translates 
Schiller's  poem  on  Sioux 

Chief ;,--Vo----- 

Hesse,  sub-trader  in  Red  River 

valley •  ••■ ' 

Historical  Society,   first  public- 
meeting  

Hobart  Rev.  C ■■ •■       lia 

Hole-in-the-Day.  the  elder,    at- 

tacks  Sioux JJJJ 

visits  FortSnelling -       J  [- 

attack-d  by  Sioux 102,  103 

Hole-in-the-l»ay,    the    younger, 
son  of  the  former,  attacks 

Sioux  near  St,  Paul I*3 

Holcomb  Capt.    William,  early 

settler  in  St.  Croix  valley . . 

Howe,  early  settler  in  St.  Croix 

valley : .•■ 

Hopkins  Rev.  Robert,  Sioux  mis- 

sionary • -  ••       .- 

Hosford  Amanda,  early  teacher ^  i; 
Hotchkiss  Cai>t.W\  A........  •---■„.- 

Hoyt.  Captain  of  Third  regun  t      - 
Hubbard  Lucius  K.  I  olonel  ot      o. 

Fifth  Regiment ■      -'J 

report  cf '  •« 

Governor  of  State....    .....  ■• 

Hoggins  Alexander  G.,  mission 

fanner ;"i"v;"! 

Hunter    Lieut.    David,,  fights  a 

duel  at  Fort  Snellmg °**Ba 


45 

1". 


45 
141 


Us 


122 


298 


INDEX. 


Hunter,  General,and  wounded  at 

BullRun 202 

Huron  territory  proposed 13u 

Hnrons  driven  to  Minnesota —  7 

flee  to  Central  Wisconsin 7 

visited  by  white  men  7 

I. 

Inkpadootah's  massacre  of  white 

settlers 158,  1»52 

Ireland  Chaplain  John 219 

Irvine  CaptainJavanB., letter  on 

Bull  Run  battle 193,201 

John  R.,  wife  of 175 

Corporal  W.  N.,  grasps  Reg- 
imental  colors  at  Gettys- 
burg  ...  ..      250 

Isle  Peleei  Pelay )  below  Hastings 

site  of  Le  Sueur's  fort.. .. .        21 
Isle  Rojale  of    Lake  Superior, 
discovered  by  Groseiiliers 

and  Kadisson 9 

Itasca,  a  jargon  of  Latin 95 

Itasca  (Elk  i  Lrfke,  suggested  by 
Beltrami     as  the  western 

source  of  Mississippi. 75,  76 

visited  by  Schoolcraft 94,  95 

explored  by  Nicollet 97,  99 

visited  by   U.  S.  Surveyors...       100 

"       in  1872  by    Chambers      100 

bv  Rev.  J.  A.Gilfillan      100 

Iaka,  battle  of 219 

J. 

Jackson  Henry,  early  settler  in 

Paul 129 

Jarrot  N icholas 53 

Jarvis,  Surgeon  at  Fort  Snelling  117 
Jemeraye  Sieur  de  la,  at  fori  on 

Lake  Pepin 26 

nephew  of  V'erandrie 28 

explores  Groseiiliers  or  Pig- 
eon river 28 

Jensison  Lt.Col.  S.  P., wounded  255 

Johnson  Gen.  R.  W 250 

Sir  William ..  31 

Judd,  early  settler  in  St.  Croix 

valley 127 

K. 

Kaposia  band  of  Sioux  request 

a  missionary 172 

Dr.  Williamson  at 122, 172 

Kay  Alexander.   British  trader, 

reckless  life  of 38,  41 

Keel-boat-  fromFortSnelling  at- 
tacked  fcfl.  91 

Kennedy  Surgeon,  V.  P 219 

Kerrot,  wounded  at  Bull  Hun.  ..  204 
Kin;,'  W.  S.,  Member  of  ( 'ongress  -J71 
Kingsbury  W.   \V„  delegate  to 

Congress 267 

Kittridge    Serg't    Major,    com- 
mended       22ti 

Kittson  Norman  W,  129 


Laidlow.  of  Selkirk  settlement, 

at  Fort  Snelling 70,  81 

carries  wheat   in  boat  from 
Prairie  duChiento  Selkirk 

settlement 70 

Lake  Harriet  mission  describedlll,  115 

Pokeguma  mission 117 

battle  at.     lis.  ugi  120 
of  the  Woods  first  visited  by 

white  men. 28,  29 

Lamson  kills  Little    Crow,  the 

Sioux  chief 

Land  slide  at  Stillwater.    ....... 

La  Perriere  Sieur  de  la,  builds 
Fort  Beauharnois  at  Lake 

Pepin 

LaSalle,  first   o  describe  Upper 

Mississippi  valley 

employs    Accault    to    trade 

with  Indians 

his  poor  opinion  of  Henne- 
pin   

Lawrence  Phineas,  early  settler 

Leach  Adj't  W.  H 20 

Calvin,  early  settler 128 

Lead  mines  on  Mississippi JO 

Described  by  Penicaut 

Leavenworth  Colonel,  establish- 
es Fort  Snelling 

Arrival  at  Mendota 

changes  his  cantonment 

relieved  by  Snelling 

Le  Due  W.  G..  editor .. 

legislature.    First     Territorial. 

meets  Jan.,  1849,  officers  of 

Second     Territorial,    meets 

Jan.,  1851,  officers  of 148 

Third  Territorial,  meets  Jan 

1852,  officers  of 151 

Fourtii     Territorial,     meets 

Jan.,  1853,  officers  of 153 

Fifth  Territorial,  meets  Jan 

1854,  officers  of 15u 

Sixth  Ten  itorial,  me^ts  Jan 

1855,  officers  of 156 

Seventh    Territorial,     meets 

Jan  ,  1856,  officers  of 

Eighth     Territorial,    meets 

Jan..  1357,  officers  of 

Special  Territorial,  1857 

First  State 164,  168 

Second  State.  January,  I860.       169 

Third  State,  Jan.,  1861 171 

Fifth  State.  Jan.,  1863 '-•>• 

I^egro  Capt.  at  luka 219 

Le  Sueur,  associated  with  Perrot 
builds-  a  fort  below  Hastings 

a  relative  cf  DTberville 20 

at  Cake  Pepin  in  1685 and  1689 
at  La  Pointe  of  Lake  Supe- 
rior, 1692 

builds  a  post  below  Hastings 

brings   hist  Sioux    chief  to 

Montreal 


243 
151 

26 

12 
12 

17 

12S 
279 


20 

68 
69 
71 
72 
143 

140 


157 


162 
162 


18 


18 


INDEX. 


209 


Le  Saear  visits  France 22 

arrives  in  Gulf  of  Mexico..,.  22 

ascends  the  Mississippi. 22 

at  the  river  St.  Croix 23 

builds  Fort  L'Huillier 23 

holds  a    council    with     the 

Sioux 23,24 

returns  to  Gulf  of  Mexico...  24 
sails    with     DTberville    to 

France 24 

Libbey  Washington,   pioneer  at 

St.  Croix  Falls 126 

Little  Crow,  Sioux  chief,  leader 

in  the  massacre  of  1862 

230,  239,241,243 
Long  Major  Stephen  H„  tour  to 
falls  of  St.  Anthony,  A.  D. 

1817 63 

at  Wapashah   village 63 

Kaposia  village 61 

Carver's  cave,  St.  Paul 64 

Fountain  cave.  "        " 65 

St.  Anthony  Falls 66,  67 

arrives  at  Fort  Snelling,  A. 

D..  1823  75 

Looniis  Capt.  tiustavus  A.,  U.  S. 

Army 113 

Eliza  marries  Lieut.  Ogden  .  113 

D.  B..  early  settler 148 

Loras,  Roman  Catholic  bishop 

of  Dubuque 116 

Louisiana,  transfer  of 50 

M. 

Macalester  College 188 

Mackinaw,  mission  at 107 

Kobert  Stuart,  ageDt  of  fur 

company  at.. Rfi 

W.  M.  Ferry,  missionary  at..  107 
Maginuis,  makes  a  claim  at  Falls 

of  St.  Croix. 125 

Mahkahto  county  created 181 

Map  of  Belt  rami 76 

De  Lisle 29 

Nicollet 98,  99 

Ochagach.  the  Indian  28 

Marest.  Jesuit  missionary IK 

Marin.'  Mills,  esirlv  -ettlers  at   126,  127 

Marshall,  Gov.  William  K. 131 

military  service 237,  254,  255 

notice  of .  258 

Mason  Lt,,   wounded  at  Gettys- 
burg   219 

Mayakutamani    Paid,     friendly 

Sioux 230 

Martin   ("apt.    L.  B.,    of  Fourth 
Minnesota    raises   tiag   on 

Capitol  at  Jack-on.  Miss...  241 

MeCaslin  at  Savage  Station 217 

MeGlllis  Hugh,  trader  at   Leech 

Lake,  visited  by  Pike 5! 

McKean  Elias,  early  settler 12s 

McKune    Capt.,  killed  at  Get- 
tysburg   200 

McKusiek  John,  early  settler....  471 


McLaren  B't  Prig.  Gen.  II.  N.. . .  23s 

McLean  Nathaniel,  editor. 140 

McLeod     Martin,     speaker     of 

council 153 

McMillan  S.  J.  R.,  U.  S.  Senator  265 

notice  of 275 

Medary  Gov.  Samuel 162 

Meeker  B.  B.,  Territorial  Judge  137 

Menard,  Jesuit  missionary  lost  8,  9 
Messick  Capt.,  killed  at  Gettys- 

burg  ....  _ 248,249 

Methodist  missionaries 121 

Mill.  First  in  Minnesota 76,77 

Miller,  Governor  Stephen. notice 
of  Lt.  Col.  of  1st  Regiment  at 

Bull  Run 204 

Col.  of  7th  R-giment 240 

Brig.  General  Vols.,  notice 

of • 258 

Milligan,  F.  R.,  Asst.  Surgeon..  207 
Minnesota,  meaning  of  word..  .133,  34 

Historical  Society 141 

Territory  proposed  bounda- 
ries   131 

Convention  at  Stillwater 132 

Territory  organized 133 

First  courts 13  4 

First  election 139 

First  Indian  hung 156 

First  white  person  hung —  171 

Seal  of 112 

Recognized  as  State 165 

Soldiers  1st  Battery 

208,  210,211,220,  252 

2d  Battery 218,  53 

3d  Battery 229 

Officers  of  Battery 292 

Heavy  artillery 289 

Cavalry  I  Rangers) _ 204 

Cavalry  (Rrackett's)  officers 

of 290 

Cavalry,   2d  Regiment,  offi- 
cers of 29  91 

Cavalry  (Hatch's) 291 

Inf'y  Battai ion 253 

1st  Reg.  Infv.  must'd 194 

1st  Reg.  visits  St.  Paul 194 

1st    Reg.    presented    with   a 

Hag 191 

1st  Chaplain's 'address 195 

1st  list  of  start  officers.  195, 278.  279 

1st  at  Washington Vf* 

1st  near  Alexandria ltN 

1st  at  Bull  Run 198,  205 

1st  at  Edward's  Ferry '205 

1st  at  Ball's  Bluff 21*5 

1st  near  Winchester 213 

1st  at  siege  of  Yorktowu...213.  211 

1st  at  West  Point 215 

1st  at  Fair  Oaks 216 

1st  at  Peach  Orchard 217 

1st  at  Savage  Station 217 

lstat  Malvern  Hills 217 

1st  at  Antietam . . . . ; 21 -> 

lstat  Fredericksburg 228 

1st  at  Gettysburg 245,250 


300 


INDEX. 


Minnesota,  1st  at  Bristow  Station  252 
1st  at  banquet  at  Washing- 
ton   252 

1st  last  parade 2515 

2d  Rest  officers 207.  279,  280 

2d  Regt.  at  Mill  Springs 208 

2d  Regt.  at  Chickamauga . . , .  '.'50 

2d  Refit,  return '.  '0 

3d  Rest,  officers 207,  280,  2  1 

3d  Regt.  unfortunate 229 

3d  Regt.  discharged 255 

4th  Regt.  officers 219,  2^2,  233 

4th  Regt.  at  luka 219 

4th  Regt.  at  Corinth 219 

4th  Regt.  report  of 219 

4th  Regt.  at  Port  Gibson ....  244 

4th  Regt.  at  Raymond 241 

4th  Kegt.  at  Jac  •  son 244 

4th  Regt.  at  Vicksburg 241 

4tti  Regt.  with  (Jen.  Sherman  254 

4th  Regt.  discharged 255 

5th  Regt.  officers 219,  283 

5th  Regt.  goes  to  seat  of  war  218 

5th  Regt.  near  Corinth 219 

5th  Regt.  near  Jackson 245 

5th  Regt.  before  Vicksburg.  245 

5th  Regt.  at  Tupelo 253 

5th  Regt..  at  Nashville 254 

5th  Regt.  discharged 255 

6th  Rf>gt.,  officers  of 234,  85 

6th  Regt.  near  Mobile 255 

6th  Regt.  discharged 255 

7th  Regt..  officers  of 235 

"     7th  Regt.  at  Nashville 251 

7th  Regt. discharged 255 

8th  Kegt,.  officers  of 286 

8th  Regt.  near  Murfreesboro  254 

8th  Regt.  discharged 255 

9th  Regt  ,  officers  of 2S7,  288 

9th  Regt.  at  Nashville 254 

9th  Regt. at  Tupelo 253 

9th  Regt.  discharged 255 

10th  Regt  ,  officers  of 287 

10th  Regt.  at  Tupelo 253 

10th  Regt.  at  Nashville 251 

10th  Regt.  near  Mobile 255 

10th  Regt.  discharged 255 

11th  Regt . ,  officers  of 28* 

Sharpshooters,  Co.  A 207 

Sharpshooters,  Co.  B 289 

Mitchell.  A.  M.,  U.  S.  Marshal..  139 

Mission  Stations,  Mackinaw 106 

LaPointe 108 

Leech  Lake 109 

Yellow  Lake...., 109 

Lake  Harriet 113,  U 

Lac-qni  Parle 113, 10 

Pokeguma 109 

Kaposia        Ill 

Traverse  de  Sioux Ill 

Shakpay Ill 

Oak  drove    Ill 

Red  Wing Ill 

Missionaries. Kev.Alvan  Coe  vis- 
its Fort  Snelling 107 

Adams,  M.N 122 


Missionaries.    Frederick     Ayer  103 

Branson,  A 121 

W.  T.  Bout  well 109,  10,  11 

Breck,.).  L 124 

E.  F.  Ely,  (teacher) 109,117 

Mr.  Denton Ill 

Sherman  Hall 108 

Daniel  Gavin 123 

John  F,  Aiton 122 

Holton 121 

Robert  Hopkins 122 

Gideon  II.  Pom  I Ill 

Samuel  W.  Pond 111,13 

Pope 121 

J.  W.  Hancock 122 

Spates 121 

Spencer,  his  wife  murdered.  121 

J.D.  Stevens  107 

S.  R.  Riggs 121 

T.  S.  Williamson,  M.I) 112 

Montbrnn  captured  by  Indians.  27 

Morgan,  Capt .  Geo 206,  273 

Morrow,  \V.  H.,  wounded 209 

Moss.  II.  L..  U.  S.  Attorney....  137 

Munch.  Capt.,  wounded 211,  221 

Mailer,  Capt.,  killed  at  Gettys- 
burg   248 

Murphy,  Surgeon    J.    H„  com- 
mended   226 

N. 

Nadouessionx,  see  Sioux 

NeillRev.  Edward  D 141,  175 

176,177,179,184,186,195 
Nelson  Knute,  member  of  Con- 
gress   272 

Newspaper  tirst  in  St.  Paul,  the 

Pioneer 139 

Minnesota  Register 139 

Minnesota  Chronicle 139 

Chronicle  and  Register 110 

Carrier's  Address 142 

Dakotah  Friend  143 

Minnesota  Democrat 143 

St.  Anthony  Express 139 

Nicoiet,  Jean,  first  white  trader 

in  Wisconsin 5 

Nicollet  J.  N.,   astronomer  and 

geolist 96,  100,  102 

Letter    from     St.     Anthony 

Falls 101,  102 

Noble  Mrs.  captured  by  Sioux. . .  150 

Norris  J.  S.,  early  farmer 127 

North  J.  W 119 

Northup    Anson 205 

Norton  Daniel  S..  U.  S.  Senator  274 
None  Robertel  de  la,  re-occupies 
Uu  Luth's  post  at  the  head 

of  Lake  Superior 28 

o. 

Ochagach,  draws  a  map  for  Ve- 

randrie 28 

O'Brien  H.  D.,  at  Gettysburg.. .  247 


INDEX. 


301 


Ogden   Lt.  E.,  married  at  Fort 

Snelling 

Ojibways  tUhippeways)  with  Le 

bueur  at  Montreal 

fight  with  Sioux  at  Tongue 

river 

killed  near  Fort  SneLling.  A. 

D,  1S26 

visit  fort  A.  I).  Is'- 

conflict  with  Sioux  near  Fort 

Snelling .-6,  87, 

of  Lake  I'okeguma  attackedllS, 

attack  Kaposia  Sioux 

Treaty  of  lsi7 

attack  Sioux  near  St.  Paul . . 
attack    Sioux    in    St.    Paul 

streets  

kill  a  Sioux  girl  in  a  farm 

house 

Olin  Adjt.  H.  «: 

Olmstead  S.  B 

Olmsted    D.   B.,    candidate    for  _ 

Congress 146, 

One-eyed  Sioux  see  Tah-ma-hah 

Ossiniboia.  origin  of  name 

Owens  John  P.,  editor 


46 


86 

S8 
120 
110 
127 
145 

153 

157 
207 
155 


58 
150 


Park  River,  post  established  by 

Alexander  Henry ^ 

Parker  Albert,  of  2d  regiment, 
letter  to  parents  after  his 

brother  was  killed 209 

Parrant,  of  Pig's  eye   (St.  Paul)      129 
Parsons  Kev.  J.  P..  early  Baptist 

minister 1"3 

Peebles  Lt 212 

Peller,   Adj't  of    first   regiment 

wounded 218 

Penicaut,  accompanies  Le  Sueur  20,  21 
Perrot     Nicholas      winters     on 
banks  of  Misss>sippi,  be- 
low Lake  Pepin 18 

establishes  Fort  St.  Antoine 
on  east  shore  of  Lake  Pe- 
pin         1S 

discovers  lead  mines 20 

Pennesha  (Pinshom  Indian  tra- 
der..         32 

Perkins  E.  P.,  wounded  at   Get- 
tysburg       249 

Perriam    ('apt.    at    Gettysburg 

killed 218 

Peters  Rev.  Samuel 80 

Peyton  Capt  Bailie,  Confederate 

officer  killed 209 

Pfaender  Capt.,  of  1st  battery...      210 
Phelps  \V.  \\\,  member  of  Con- 
gress         268 

Pieard,  French  trader  see  Augelle 

Pike,  Lt.  Z.  JVL,  U.  S    Army 51 

Council  with  Sioux  at  mouth 

of  Minnesota 51 

Treaty  for  site  for  military 
post 52 


Pike,  Description  of  Falls  of  St.  _ 

Anthony 7 

Lost  Hag  brought  back 

Hlock  house  at  Swan  river.  . 

Visited  by  Dickson 

At  (ass  or  Bed  Cedar  Lake  . 

At  Sandy  Lake 

■  At  Leech  Lake 

,-*  Orders  the  British  flag  to  be 

hauled  down 

Pillsbury,  Gov.  John  S.,in  office 

for  three  terms 161- 

Secures  settlements  of  rail- 
road bonds 

Notice  of 

Poehler,  Henry,  member  of  Con- 
gress   

Pond,  Kev.  G.  H..  assists  in  bury- 
ing slaughtered  Sioux 

Interpreter  at  treaty  of  1851 

Pond,  Peter,  erects  trading  post 

in  1774  on  banks  of  Minnesota 

river 

His  map 

Pond,  Kev.  Samuel  W.,  notifies 

the  agent  of  a  Sioux  war  party 

Erects  the  first  house  of  -aw 

e  J  lumber  in  the  Minnesota 

Valley 

Prepares  a    Sioux    spelling- 
book 

Grammar ■•-•• 

Porlier,  trader  near  Sioux  hap- 

Poupon,  isadore,  killed  by  Sisse- 

ton  Sioux • 

Prairie  du  Chien  during  war  of 

1812-1813 

Fort  Shelby  at  

McKay  at    

British  officers  at 

Prescott,  Lt.  G.  W        •• 

"        Philander,  Indian  trad- 


265 


265 
261 


271 
101 


111 
111 


53 


1  -57 


250 
70 


Quinn,  Peter 10- 

R. 


Radisson,  Sieur 

Explorer  of  Lake  Superior. 

Visits  pictured  rocks 

"      ChagouamigeoBay — 

"      Huron  refuges 

Enters  Sioux  country 
Eae,  Doctor,  Arctic  explorer,  in 

St.  Paul....  

Railroad  agitation 

bonds        16i,.16f 

first    ten    miles    of    in 

Minnesota  ••■ 

Ramsey,  Alexander,  first  Gover- 
nor 


Organizes  Territory . 


151 
16*3 

17' i 


302 


INDEX. 


Ramsey,  Arrival  in  St.  Paul 137 

First  message     141 

Mention  of  " 144,145 

Fredrika  Bremer,  the  novel- 
ist his  guest      146 

Commissioner    to    make   a 

treaty  with  Sioux    149,  50 

Governor  of  Slate.  ..      169 

On  guarding  school  lands.. .      171 
Offers    a    regiment    to    the 

President  191 

United  States  Senator  257,  '273.  274 

Secretary  of  War.     2/6 

Acting  Secy,  of  Navy  276 

Ramsey,  Anna  P., wife  of  Gover- 
nor, presents  flag  to  soldiers  .       194 

Ravoux.  Rev.  A 116,17 

Red  River  cart  invented        ...  45 

Red  River  Valley,  first  settlers  of 

44.  58-61 
Renville,  Joseph,  early  trader  .    52.  93 

116 
Republican  party  organized  at 

St.  Anthony  . ...         156 

Rice,  Henry  M.,  notices  of  133,  257 

One  of  the  founders  of  St. 

Paul   ...  136. 13S 

Delegate  to  Congress    155,  157,  267 

United  States  Senator 164.  273 

Riggs,  S.  R.,  Sioux  missionary.  121, 122 

Robbinette,  early  settler 125 

Robertson  1'aniel  A.,  editor 144,  155 

Rocque  A.,  Indian  trader 135 

Rocky  mountains  discovered  by 

.   Verandie  brothers 29 

Rolette    Joseph     Senior,   fights 

against  the  United  States        55 

trader  in  Minnesota 49 

Rosser  J,  T.,  Secretary  of  Terri- 
tory         154 

Russell  Jeremiah,  pioneer  in  St. 

Croix  valley 117,  125,  126 

s. 

Sabin.  Dwight  M.,  U.S.  Senator      275 

Saint  Anthony  Express,  first  pa- 
per beyond  St.  Paul 

Falls,    described     by     early 

travelers. 13,  26,  33,  66,  67 

first  bridge  at 156 

first  .nill  at 73,  74.  75 

Saint  Croix  county  organized.  ..       128 

river,  origin  of  name 19 

fort  on 17,  19 

early  ?ettlers 125,  127 

Saint  Paul,  origin  of  name 172 

formerly  Pig's  eye 129 

early  settlers  of 136 

first  school  house 175 

appearance  in  1^17 173 

early  preachers 175 

Indian  right  in  streets  of 153 

described  in  l>5o 117 

Saint  Pierre  Jacques  Legardeur 

notice  of 29 


Saint  Pierre  Jacques  Legardeur 

at  Lake  Pepiu 29 

visit  from   Washington 30 

killed  in  battle 30 

Sanborn  Gen .  John  B 192.  219 

report  of 223,  226,  244,  245 

military  record 219 

Saxdale  of  Bat  tery  killed 212 

School  System 172—1^9 

Schools,   tarly 175 

Seal  of  Territory 142 

Selkirk  Lord -. 5?,  60 

settlement 5S.  61 

Pari  Thomas  Douglas 58 

secures  Ossiniboia     

forms  an  agricultural  colony 
reaches  Sault  Ste  Marie  ... 
discovers  John  Tanner 
concludes  a  treaty  with  In- 
dians at  Grand  Forks  ... 
passes  through-Minnesota.. . 
Semple.   Governor    of     Selkirk 

settlement  killed  .... 
Shea  J.G.,  on  failure  to  establish 

Sioux  mission 
Sherman  Marshall,  of  first  regi- 
ment, captures    a    flag    a 6 

Gettysburg 

Shields  James,  U.  S.  Senator  .. . 
Shokpay  or  Shakopee,    hung  at 

Fort  Snelling    

Sibley,  Gen.  II.  II  ,  signs  memo- 
rial of  1848  

Delegate  to  Stillwater  con- 
vention         

Territorial  delegate  to  Con- 
gress    133,  139,  143,  146 

Governor  of  State  ...  163 
In  command  of  expedition 

against  the  Sioux    230,  235 

Rescues  whit"  captives 238 

Brig.  Gen.  U.  S.  Vols 241 

Sinclair,  Lt.,  wounded  at  Gettys- 
burg  _    24^ 

Sioux  i  Dakotahsloriirin  of  name         6 
Visited  by   Groseilliers  and 

Radisson 7 

Visited  by  Dn  Luth           . .   .   10. 11 
Meet  Accault  and  Hennepin  13. 15 
Word  mentioned  by  Kadis- 
son  

Trade  with  Nicholas  Perrot.  IS 
In  council  with  Le  Sueur  . .  23 
First  to  visit  Montreal     ....        22 

Attack  Verandrie 

Bands  mentioned  by   Carver 
Attack  Ojibways  on  Tongue 

River         

Sisseton    murderer   at    Fort 

Snelling  72 

Fight  with  Ojibways  at  Fort 

Snelling  >6.  ?9 

Attack    Ojibways    at    Lake 

Pokeguma 118  120 

Attack   Ojibways   at   Apple 

River 143 


53 
5s 
59 
60 

61 
61 

59 

106 

247 
203 

25S 

131 

132 


f2 


46 


INDEX. 


303 


Sioux  Treaty  of  1851 .   .       149 

Smith,  Surgeon,  killed  at  Tnpelo      253 
Snelling,  Col.  Josiah,  arrives  at 

Fort  Snelling  ... .         72 

Censu'ed  by  CJen.  Gaines —        81 
Delivers  Sioux  assassins  to 

Ojihways 86,88 

Hastens  with  keel  boats  to 

Fort  Crawford 

Death  of 

W .  Joseph,  son  of  Colonel . 

Author  and  poet        

Pasquinade  on  N.  P.  Willis  . 

Death  of 

Steamboat  arrivals  at  Fort  Snell- 
ing to  close  of  1826  ... 
Virginia  tirst  at  Fort  Snelling 
First  toward  Falls  of  St.  An- 
thony   

In  Minnesota  River 

Stearns,  O.  l\,  U.  S.  Senator  to 

fdl  vacancy     

Steele,  Franklin,  pioneer  in  St. 

Croix  valley 

At  Stillwater  convention  1843 
Claim  at  St.  .Anthony- 
Stewart.  Dr.  J.  H.,  member  of 

Congress  

Stevens,  Rev.  J.  D 

Stillwater,  founders  of 

Convention  at  in  1848 

Scalp  dance  in        

Land  slide  in  1852  

Strait,    Horace   B.,  member  of 

Congress       

Stratton,    pioneer  in  St.  Croix 

valley        112.113 

Strone,  Geo.  D.,  of  2d  Regt  ...      209 

Stuart,  Robert,  of  Mackinaw 106 

Sudley,  Church        203 

Sally,  Gen.  Alfred 242,243 


91 

92 

88, 89 

,84 
84 
84 

83 
74 


145 

274 

125 

132 
129 

271 

106,108 

128 

132 

.       144 
151 

270 


Tah-ma-hah,    One-Eyed  Sioux, 

true  to  United  States 

Taliaferro,  Major  Lawrence, 
first  agent  for  the  Sioux,  not- 
ice of .. .  

Tanner,  John,   stolen    from  his 

parents   

Became  an  Indian  chief    ... 
Discovered    by  Earl  of  Sel- 
kirk         

Suspected  of  murder 

James,  son  of  John 
Troublesome  and  deceitful.. 
Taylor, . J esse  K.,  pioneer  in  St. 

Croix  Valley 

Joshua  I 

N.O.  I)..  Speaker  House  of 

Representatives  1*54 

Teeoskahtay,  Sioux  chief  first  in 

Montreal 

His  , hath  in  Montreal 
Terry.  Elijah, murdered  by  Sioux 
at  Pembina 


Thatcher,    Mrs.,     captured     by 

Sioux 

Thomas,  Lt.  Col.  M.  T 282, 

Thompson,    David,  geographer, 

N.W.Co 

Visits     northern    source   of 

Mississippi        

Treaties  of  1837  with  Sioux  and 

Ojibwavs     

Tuttle,  C.  A.,  at    Falls  of    St. 

Croix  

u. 

University  of    Minnesota,    his 
tory  of 183 

V. 

VanCleve,  Gen.  H.  P 

Charlotte   Ouisconsin,    wife 

of  Gen  

Varennes,    Pierre   Gualtier,  see 

Verandrie 

Verandrie  at  Lak  e  N  epigon  —  . 
Obtains  an  Indian  map.   . 
Expedition  west  of  Lake  Su- 
perior   

A  son  killed  by  Sioux 
Sons  of,  reach  Rocky  Moun- 
tains          

Return  to  Lake  of  the  Woods 

W. 

J.    B..    member    of 


56,  57 


60 
60 

60 
60 
60 
61 

122 

137 


123 


160 
286 

42 

42 

126 

126 

-188 
208 


W.  D.,  member  of 


Wakefield, 
Congress 
Washburn, 

Congress ..  271 

Washington  visits  St.  Pierre 30 

Wells,  James,  trader   at    Lake 

Pepin ,.       135 

White, Milo,  member  of  Congress     272 
Wilkin,  Alexander,  Secretary  of 

Territory 151 

Candidate  for  Congress 155 

Killed  in  battle 254 

Notice  of        255 

Wilkinson,    Morton    S.,    U.    S. 

Senator 273 

Williamson,   Rev.  T.   S..  M.  D., 

early  life 112 

Arrival  among  the  Sioux     .        112 
Organizes  church    at    Fort 

Snelling 113 

Missionary  at  Lac  qui  Parle.      116 

Kaposia         172 

Procures  school  teacher  for 

St.  Paul  173 

Willis.  N.  P.,  lampoons  Joseph 

Snelling  ..  84 

Wilson,  Euirene  M.,  member  of 

forty-tirst   Congress 269 

Windoin,  Wm.,U.  S  Senator... 268,  275 
Wisconsin     river,     called    Mes- 
chetz  Odeba  by  La  Salle 12 

Y. 
Yeiser,  Capt.,  at  Fort  Shelby —        55 
Yuhazee,  executed  at  St.  Paul. . .      155 


A 


kS    W