Meeker County, Minnesota - Chapter 5, 1877

The Adjutaut General might well be excused in styling us "Irregular" when connected with the fact that the horses were cabbaged upon demo¬ cratic principles - no partiality being shown among horses or men - all were taken that could be found - in size of horses, from the Indian pony to the trace horse weighing 1,600, with switches from 8 inches to 3 feet long, and soldiers to match from five feet two, to six feet eight, with weight from 1 xo to 240 !bs., some in stoga boots, and oth¬ ers in nature's moccasins. The Adjutant General must have been a man of extraordinary genius to have found any other name for us than "irregular."

On Monday morning, August 25th, a detail of 27 men was made for the purpose of visiting Monon¬ galia county - now part of Kan-di-yo-hi - in pursuit of Indians, returning on the 27th, having penetra¬ ted some thirty-five or forty miles west, and having seen no Indians but buried seven mutilated bodies in all and passed the ruins of three dwellings and quite a number of mutilated carcasses of dead cattle.

I hereby appoint Jas. M. Harvey to serve as Quarter Master for "Meeker County Volunteers," and he is hereby authorized and empowered to exercise the duties of the office.

On Wednesday the 27th of August, the follow¬ ing named persons, residents of Manannah, left Forest City to obtain stoves bedding, provis¬ ions, stock, etc., to-wit: Linus Howe, David Hoar, Chauncy Wilson, Moody Caswell, Thomas Ryckman, James Nelson, Phillip H. Deck, Wilmot Maybee, N. C. Caswell, Joseph Page and R. D. C. Cressy. Arriving at the house of Maybee the party took dinner, thence went to Manannah to the house of Carlos Caswell - saw no Indians - left a yoke of cattle in Caswell's barn, intending to return and pass the night there, thence the par¬ ty went two miles to the house of Silas Caswell, and loaded Maybee's two-horse wagon with bed- ding and provisions, whereupon Maybee and Page started with Maybee's team, and Deck and Howe with Deck's one-horse vehicle, on their return to the residence of Carlos Caswell, the balance of. the party scattering for the purpose of recovering stock. Just as Maybee's and Deck's teams went into Caswell's door-yard, they were fired upon by a party of Indians concealed behind a pile of lumber and a fence, and some in a corn-field.

Page was killed, and fell from the wagon, Deck and Howe rode about twenty rods, when they too fell, fatally pierced by bullets. Maybee ran his horses about forty rods, when he was headed off by the savages, whereupon he left his team and ran about thirty rods further, in the direction of the river, where he was shot and instantly killed.

Those exciting scenes were witnessed by Wil¬ son and Ryckmanat a distance of about sixty rods, but they were in no condition to render the least assistance, their guns being on the wagon.

The Indians about fifteen in number, after secu¬ ring the horses and wagons, started west, passing within thirty yards pf Nelson and N. C. Caswell, who mistaking them for white men let them pass unmolested - but followed at a safe distance behind for about a mile, the redskins stopping once, ap¬ parently to form an acquaintance, but soon drove

On the morning of the 28th, Lieut. Atkinson with a detail of 24 men was sent to Manannah; charged with the melancholy duty of burying the dead.

On the 23d. Mark Warren Esq., county Atty. for Meeker county, was arrested at Monticello and returned to Forest City under guard, on the grave charge of being a ' Copperhead." Copperheads were supposed to be in league with the Indians as well as the South. Warren was furloughed at Forest City.

On the night of the 27th, while Jesse V. Bran¬ ham jr., was standing guard at the creek just out of Forest City on the south, A. C. Smith, E. S. Fitch and Mark Warren taking a circuit of the guard, came up to sentinel Branham, and while conversing with the sentinel, Warren disappeared in the star-light and was not seen again till the next spring. When Warren departed Jesse duly exercised his lungs in affectionate efforts for his return, but concluded not to follow. him many miles south that night as it was too dark to use a needle gun!

Educated as a lawyer in the office of Hon. J. M. McShafter, then of Vermont - since of California - he early settled on a pre-emption claim in the town of Rice City in this County, where he lived a number of years, was County Commissioner at times, exhibiting in business transactions a good sound judgment, made but little improvement on his farm, was at peace with all the world, no ene¬ mies, a democrat from childhood, his time was principally divided in Jiis cabin between praying and swearing - 'twas difficult to tell which service he engaged in with the most zeal.

He was one fall a Democratic candidate for the Legislature and instead of electioneering for votes, kept steady at his work, and one day while he was carrying the hod, tending mason at Greenleaf, the Hon. Thomas Cowan from St. Peter, who was that season stumping this Congressional District, arrived at Greenleaf and running against a man working mortar with a hoe. enquired for Hon. Mark Warren, candidate for the Legislature from this District.

Mark looked at Cowan for a moment encased in black brftad cloth and kid gloves, then dropping Ids hoe, raised both hands above his head and ex¬ claimed, loud enough to be heard half a mile, "I'm your man by G - d sir." Should friend Warren Still be in the land of the living,and his eye chance to meet this, he will be after us with a sharp stick for some part of his - descriptive roll."

On the 30th, (Saturday) a detail was made of iq men to go to Hutchinson with the view of ob¬ taining the guns left there by Whitcomb, but the paucity of their defensive impliments induced the Hutchinson boys to hold on to the guns.

On the first of September another detail was made of 17 men of the company and several citi¬ zens for the purpose of visiting Green Lake, and for the ostensible purpose of relieving a family said to be on the island in said lake in a helpless condition. It probably should have been Nor¬ way Lake as there are no islands in Green Lake where a family could have been secreted.

The history of this detail is not material as it re¬ turned the same day reporting a skirmish at Swede Grove with the Indians. Two Indians reported killed and one of our men Sam. Hutchins, woun¬ ded in the thigh by a musket ball.

On the morning of the second day of September another detail of twenty soldiers and twenty citi¬ zens was sent out for the purpose of rescuing the family mentioned before, and as all could not be mounted it was thought best to go in wagons.

Some of the boys being near home obtained leave to visit the house about one mile from camp, on promise that they would bring back watermel¬ ons for the whole company - after being gone a short time one of them came running back with his arms full of melons and crying Indians! In¬ dians ! ! The company being unable to see any Indians from their location in the low ground one of the party was ordered "to run his head out on the knoll," near by "and take a look." He did so and reported twelve Indians advancing from the timber near by, in the direction of camp, and after being ordered back by the Captain, looking around he saw some twenty or more mounted In- dians approaching on our west, and the teams were at once ordered to retreat in the direction of Forest City, And they did retreat for a fact. It was a race for life and home.

Horses that were a little slow, were renewed in their activity by the point of the bayonet. In the flight our amiable Captain lost his hat and was un¬ able to recover it, on account of two or three In - dians that were within a half mile of them.

After this wild flight of some two miles, the teams were ordered to halt, as some of the horses were about giving out, and being considered safe, as the enemy were left at least one mile behind.*

They had only been halted for a moment when one of the teams came rushing by and one of the boys thinking he would be left, sprang for the wagon, striking the back of his gun on the side of the box - the gun "went off" wounding 0 . B. Todd in the leg and barely missing D. Chapin, tearing his cartridge box and bayonet scabbard, to shreds.

After resting a few minutes the party proceeded toward Forest City, without any further accident except the miring and leaving of one of E. O. Britt's horses, while with the other Mr. Britt came to Forest City in advance of the party and ordered all the women and children into the hotel of Lieut.

There were about a bakers dozen of men and boys left in Forest City, and arming themselves with whatever they could find marched out towards "Uncle Ikes" with Judge Smith at their head armed with an old double barrel bogus stub and-twist-shot gun, and three butcher-knives un¬ der the waist-bands of his pants. This was be¬ lieved to be the first, last and only time that the Judge ever commanded a company of Irregular Volunteer Militia, and is a full report of all of his military exploits.

At the time Capt. Whitcomb made his last "double quick" toward Forest City and thought it safe to leave Britt's horse sticking in the mud with forty men at command - there were just two Indians in sight.

There were various men among our people, who "lived fast", between the 17th of August and the 4th. of September, 1862 - some in tragedy and some in comedy - far more peril to individuals than to companies of men, assembled for mutual protection.

ilies; but Ihe facts are not furnished us. and we cannot do justice to the parties in interest from rumors obtained at the time, or from our recollec¬ tion of circumstances.

About 4 p. m. his brother-in-law. Swanson, passed Foot Lake and gave the first alarm - Nel¬ son spent some time in assisting Swanson, who had a wife and three children to get under way - with but an ox-team - a load of hay had to be dumped and wagon body substituted for the hay rack - Nelson took charge of some 40 head of cattle, has tily collected, which he intended to drive to a place of safety. In all this he was delayed till dark and he had hardly got off the premises when the Indians were on the ground.

Two cow-bells - 40 cattle and the darkness fa¬ vored Nelson and preserved his scalp. The Indi¬ ans were firstj discovered within ten paces and suppossing them to be white men, Nelson en- quires "how goes it ?" getting no answer, but hear¬ ing steps approaching he quietly slid into a corn¬ field close by. From the cornfield he ran into Mud Lake, where he found a desirable resting place for fifteen or twenty minutes, representing Moses in the bulrushes - thence he started for Diamond Lake, but soon got lost, and Nelson is ready to swear, that he, that evening, sounded every "sloo" in the vicinity.

t In the morning he found himself on the bank of a creek - the outlet of Eagle Lake and but about 40 rods from the house of Oscar Erickson, in which were four families, and the house surroun¬ ded by Indians.

It was here that Mr. and Mrs. Foot, Erickson, Swanson and Carlson defended themselves until the Indians raised the siege, after killing Carlson-

Nelson made a direct shoot for Diamond Lalce, reaching there about 7 a. m.. - proceeding to the farm of J. H. Gates, where he found a number of Diamond Lake people who were preparing break¬ fast, but in consequence of the close proximity of the Indians, they started for Forest City without stopping to eat.

Nelson lost his boots on the road and his feet be¬ came so sore that he was compelled to ride part of the way - From Forest City he went to Kingston, where his feet were dressed up with rags, and moccasins by Mr. Davidson, the miller. On his return to Forest City, Swan Munson gave him one of his horses to ride and when almost half way hack, met Atkinson with his squad, who ordered him to halt and sought to levy on his horse - Nel¬ son responded that he could not have the horse unless he took him dead or alive - A. said 'come along" and Nelson joined the crowd and was sub¬ sequently out on every detail till the company was disbanded - at one time in Foot Lake region, Nel¬ son lay by the side of a log in the dark, with the Indians passing on the side of it in the road.

Swanson and family were in the house with Foot and Erickson, and was several times lost on the prairie in getting to Paynesville with his family.

When the Indians first came to Erickson's they asked for provisions, and young Carlson went with them into the potatoe patch to dig the pota-

While defending themselves in the house, Foot was shot through the breast and Erickson through the bowels - Foot killed an Indian after he was shot, standing on his knees.

The defence of Mr. and Mrs. Foot was so hero¬ ic that the Indians raised the siege and left. Sub¬ sequently Mrs. Foot came to Forest City and re¬ ported her husband in a dying condition, but strange to say, Foot was, two days later, brought into Forest City on a load of goods, where he was kindly cared for for a couple of days and sent to St. Cloud.

Our fellow townsman N. A. Viren and family, were in close proximity to these tragical scenes - his legs and his oxen did him good service. Fall¬ ing behind the crowd in consequence of the loss of an ox, he besought his company to wait for him a little while, which they refused to do - when he overtook them, they were all stuck fast in the mud in the outlet of the lake just East of Master's place.

sloo, and started ahead - the company called him to come to their assistance and haul them out. but he politely informed them that what "was sauce for goose was sauce for gander" and passed on ?nd arrived at Forest City a day or two in advance of his company, w r ho in consequence of the delay lost most of their cattle and goods, and two of their company, Lawrenson and Backland who were killed and mutilated.

Viren "still lives," a portly well fed gentleman, and Nelson says that while he repented of all his sins by the side of that log - he gave no prefer¬ ence to any particular sin ! ! and has no desire to live that week over again.