Washington County, Minnesota - Chapter 28: Close of the Indian War and the War of Secession, 1881

Chapter 28: Close of the Indian War and the War of Secession

Brcati of the Tour IMS. - Scatter! n( Raida on the Frontier. - A Scalp Boost]' Offered. - Removal of the Slonx and Wlnnebaffoea. - Oon. Biblojr'a Expedition of ISM. - Bra re Conduct of tho Third, Fonrth and Fifth Refiroenti. - The Ftret at Octtjraborf . - Death of UUla Crow. Oon. Sibley 'a Column Attacked by tho 8ioox. - Remarkable Draopht in ISSS-St. - Throo Mora Ra«in>enta aent Booth. - Return of the Flrat Rayiment. - Oen. Sibley' a Expedition in ISM. - Heavy Drafta fee Men. - In Ration and Hl*k Frieaa. - Battloa in whleh Minneaota Troopa Took Fart. - Union Tlctorioa. Ciooe of the War. - Return of our Troopa. - The Bute's Shan In the Conflict. - A new Era af Material Prosperity Befon.

The winter of 1862-'63 was spent by Gen. Sib¬ ley in making preparations for an' expedition to the Missouri River, to pursue and punish the hostile Sioux. A third battery of light artillery was recruited for this purpose, and John Jones, the gallant defender of Fort Ridgely, appointed captain. At the session of the legislature, Gov. Ramsey was elected U. S. Senator, but did not vacate the gubernatorial chair until June 80th.

Early in the spring, small parties of Sioux be¬ gan to make predatory incursions into the state, and these raids continued all summer. Some twenty persons were killed, in all, and a num¬ ber of horses stolen. The Indians were pur¬ sued by troops in every case, and a number of them killed. A reward of $25 was offered by the Adjutant General for Sioux scalps, and afterwards raised to $200.

In May, the Sioux were removed from the state, together with the Winnebagoes, and Bent to a new reservation on the Missouri River. Efforts were made to get rid of the Chippewas, but were not successful.

Gen. Sibley in May concentrated three thous¬ and troops at Camp Pope, on the upper Minnesota River, for his expedition. These were: the Sixth, Seventh, and Tenth Infantry, Capt. Jones' Bat¬ tery, and the Mounted Rangers. On June 17th, the expedition started on its march. Gen. Ste¬ phen Miller was meantime in command of the department here. Gen. Alfred Sully was at the same time moving up the Missouri River with another expedition.

the formation of a three years battalion of six companies of cavalry, for service against the In¬ dians, to be commanded by Major E. A. C. Hatch. This was soon recruited, and in active duty at the various posts in this department

Our Regiments In The South

The summer of 1868 was one of hard service and brilliant renown to our regiments in the South. On May 8d, the Fourth Regiment was in hot action in tbe battle at the crossing of Big Black river, with a loss of three killed. One of its officers planted the Union flag on the Capitol at Jackson. At Champion Hills (May 16th) it lost one killed. On May 22d, at Vicksburg, it again suffered severely, losing twelve killed and forty-two wounded. The Third Regiment was also in the same campaign. On May 19th, the Fifth Regiment near Vicksburg, lost one killed and five wounded.

The severest loss of any of our regiments in the war, however, was that suffered by the First Regiment at Gettysburg, on July 8d. It took part in the hottest of that memorable action, and made a movement in the face of an awful Are from the rebels. In a few minutes it lost sixtyeight killed, 149 wounded, 90 missing, and when it emerged from the baptism of Are, had only 87 men in its ranks. The news of this terrible car¬ nage was received with profound sympathy by the people of the State, mingled with thankful¬ ness, however, for the great victory won there, and at Vicksburg, on the same day.

Death Of Little Crow

During June, a band of seventeen Indians greatly annoyed the settlers in Meeker and Kandi¬ yohi counties, killing several. On July 3d, a man named Nathan Lampson, and his son Chauncy, were hunting near Hutchinson, when they espied two Sioux. A fight ensued, in which Mr. Lampson was badly wounded, when his son, by a fortu- nate shot, killed one of the Indians. The dead body of the latter was taken to Hutchinson. From its appearance, and certain marks, it was supi>osed to be Little Crow. It was scaled, and the re¬ mains buried. Not long after, an Indian was captured in Dakota, which proved to l>e llb-teina-)>c, Little Crow's son. lie confessed that the Indian killed by Lampson was his father, and that he was with him at the time. Thu remains of the celebrated chieftain, whose name for months was a terror to our jK-oplc, were then exhumed, and the skeleton preserved. Thoscalp and arm lxmes are in the museum of the Histori¬ cal Society, at St. Paul.

Gen. Sihley's expedition reached the Ooteau of the Missouri on July 24, and on that day, at a place called "Dig Mound," was attacked by about one thousand Indians. A sharp engage¬ ment ensued, in which twenty-one Indians were killed, and only two of our troops. On July 20, at " Dead IhtlTalo Lake," the Sioux again attacked his column, but were repulsed, with a loss on our side of one man. On July 28, at " Stony Lake," about two thousand Indians again gave battle, but were routed, with considerable loss. The expedition pursued the ravages to the Missouri river, across which they escaped. It returned to the state about Sept. 1st. Gen. Sully's column had several engagements with the Indians, chas¬ tising them severely.

The summer of 1803 was memorable for an in¬ tense drouth, which continued until the close of 1864. During these two seasons almost no rain fell, yet the harvests were good. The worst re¬ sult was on the river, which was unprecedenlly low, and business was badly interfered with, and the lumbering interest was, for the same reason, greatly depressed.

On Sept. 19 and 20, at Chickamauga, the Second Regiment was hotly engaged, and suffered a loss of thirty-five killed and one hundred and thirteen wounded.

Early in October, the Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Regiments were relieved from duty here and sent to St. Louis, from whence they went to the front.

On Oct. 14 the First Regiment was engaged at Rristow's Station, and lost one killed and nine¬ teen wounded, capturing two hundred prisoners and several guns.

The provost marshals of the slate made an en¬ rollment of all the male citizens this fall, prejmratory to the draft. Resistance was made in some cases, but no serious disturbances took place, as in other states.

the regiments which enlisted in 1861, and had reenlistcd as " veterans," were allowed to return to the State on furlough. They were received in the various towns of the Slate with the most lively demonstrations of pride and grati¬ tude, and banqueted and petted as the bravo heroes deserved.

On April 28th the First regiment, whose term of service had expired, was mustered out at Fort Snelling. Rarely one hundred of the 1080 men who had stood on the same parade ground three years before, wero in the ranks. Out of some rcculisted men and recruits a battalion was formed, called the "First Battalion," which did good ser¬ vice during the next year.

On March 30th the Third regiment had a dose action at a place called Fitzhugh's Woods, near Augusta, Ark. Seven were killed and sixteen wounded. Gen. Andrews, commanding, had his horse shot under him.

On June 6th an ex}>edition left Fort Ridgely in pursuit of the hostile Sioux on the Missouri River, under command of Gen Sully. It con¬ sisted of the Eighth Minn, (mounted), six compa¬ nies of the Second Cavalry, three sections of Jones' Battery, and Brackett's Battalion of cav¬ alry, which had re-enlisted and was now organ¬ ized as a separate command.

On June 14, the Sixth Regiment left Fort Snel¬ ling for the south, and was soon after placed in the Sixteenth Army Corps, in which was also the

Fifth, Seventh, Ninth and Tenth Minnesota reg¬ iments. The Fifth had, not long previously, taken a part in the disastrous Red River cam¬ paign, and the Ninth had borne a share in the unfortunate Guntown expedition (June 10), where it suffered a loss of seven killed, thirty-three wounded, and two hmidred and forty-six taken prisoners.

On Feb. 1 the War Department had made a call for two hundred thousand men, and on March 14 another call for the same number, fol¬ lowed by one in April for eighty-five thousand. The quota of our state under these heavy calls was about five thousand men, and on May 2G drafting commenced to fill the quotas of some districts which were delinquent. The desire of some towns and districts to escape a draft led to the issuing of bonds, with the proceeds of which they paid high bounties and procured reemits. Subscriptions were raised in some districts for the same puri*ose. A cliiss of middlo men, willed recruit, or bounty, agents, sprang up, who, in bidding for recruits, sometimes gave as high as $700 or $800 for men to fill quotas. Under this stimulus recruiting went on pretty lively, while a considerable number of men were drafted and sent to fill old regiments. On J uly 18th came an¬ other call for five hundred thousand, and this again produced a new strugglo to fill quotas. The entire number of men apportioned to our stale up t<» this time was 21,442.

That theso frequent and heavy drafts for men produced a feeling of doubt .and despondency can not be denied. It was now the fourth year of the war, and its end still seemed far off, while its rapa¬ cious maw api*carcd to literally swallow up the enormous levies which the peoplo in their pride and patriotism promptly furnished at each call. There was mourning in nearly every household for some "unreturning brave," and suffering in the families of enlisted men.

The inflation of the currency also produced an unheard-of riso in the price of living; On June 1 gold was 150. On July 11th ithad reached 285 - the highest point during the war. All other values advanced accordingly. There was some silver lining to the dark cloud, though. The great advance in goods literally made the for¬ tunes of many dealers. Even real estate began to show life, while there was an ease in the money market which reminded one of 1857. Several of our railroads were nowin active progress, and labor was in great demand. The continued drouth and low water was a serious drawback, however. Prayers were put up in most of the churches for rain.

Small raids were made by the Sioux several times during the summer, and several j>ersoiis killed, but these attacks occasioned but little alarm.

On July 13th, our Fifth, Seventh, Ninth and Tenth Regiments were in the Rattle of Tupelo, and all suffered some loss. The Seventh had nine killed and fifty-two wounded. Col. Wilkin, of the Ninth, was killed - one of the bravest and finest officers who left our state.

Under the call of July 23d, an eleventh regi¬ ment of infantry was authorized, and filled very quickly. James Gilfillan, formerly of the Sev¬ enth, was appointed colonel. The Eleventh left the slate on Sept. 22d, for Tennessee, where it performed guard duty for several months.

A battalion of heavy infantry was also re¬ cruited, which was soon increased to a full regiiment. Wm. Colville, late of the First Regiment, was placed in command. The regiment served for several months at Chattanooga, Tenn.

The bullets of the enemy wero not so disas¬ trous to some of our regiments, as the malaria of southern swamps. Our Sixth Regiment at Helena, and the Third at Pine HI tiff. Ark., were both decimated by disease. Sometimes only a handful of men were found well enough for duty.

On December 7th, the Eighth Regiment took part in an engagement near Murfreesboro, Tenn¬ essee, in which it lost 14 killed and 70 wounded, in a charge on the enemy's batteries.

On December 16th, the Fifth, Seventh, Ninth and Tenth Regiments took part in the great bat¬ tle of Nashville, between Thomas's and Hood's armies. All suffered loss, though fortunately not severe.

On December 19th, another call was made, for 300,000 troops, and the recruiting and bounty business grew more intense than ever, and con¬ tinued all winter.

Outlines Of The History Of Minnesota

State were contributing with generous liberality to the Sanitary and Christian Commissions, to various relief movements, to special hospital funds of our various regiments, for the support of destitute soldiers' families, and individual cases of distress without number. No State in the Union did more, proportioned to their means, in these works, than the people of Minnesota.

opened with more encouraging prospects. The large forces of the Union army were gaining sub¬ stantial victories. The successes of Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, -Sherman in his historic march to the sea, " crushing the confederacy like an eggshell," and Grant, doggedly consuming the enemy at Petersburg, were fast shattering the rebellion. In the siege of Spanish Fort, at Mobile, in April, the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Minnesota Volunteers bore an active and honorable part.

Not unmingled with tears were the rejoicings over these victories. Every battle bulletin brought sorrow and mourning to many homes in our state On April 3d came the great news of the fall of Richmond, and on April 8th, while the people celebrating this event, the dispatch of General Grant announcing the unconditional surrender of Lee and his army was received, setting nearly everybody crazy with joy. On April 13th the provost marshals received an order to cease draft¬ ing and recruiting, and the war was practically over. One of its saddest results was yet to come - the death of President Lincoln, on April 15th. This calamity was duly observed in all the towns of the State, on April 19th, by suspension of business, and religious services. These gloomy feelings were soon dispelled, however, by the early in the summer, and their muster out at Fort Snelling. As each of these bodies of brave men returned, they were received with such ovations and demonstrations of joy as a grateful people could devise. Quietly our soldiers "hung up their bruised arms," and were soon again ab¬ sorbed into the body of the people. In all, Min¬ nesota had furnished to the armies of the repub¬ lic 25,052 men, or about one-seventh of its entire population at the beginning of the war. Of these, it is estimated from the best data obtaina¬ ble, that 2500 were killed in battle and died of disease during the war, while probably twice as many more received wounds from which they will suffer through life. Many died shortly after the war, from the effects of disease or imprison¬ ment incurred in service. In her devotion to the cause of the Union, our State has a bright record.

The state was almost free from Indian raids during all thirf year. Only one of any moment occurred. On May 2d a family of live persons named Jewett, were murdered near Garden City. A half breed named Campbell, who aided in the raid, was arrested at Mankato several days afterward, and hung by a mob.

The census of 1865, showed a population of 250,099 - a gratifying increase, considering the war of secession and the Indian war as draw¬ backs.

With the close of the war a new era of pros¬ perity seemed to have begun in the state. Money was abundant, immigration brisk, labor in de¬ mand, and real estate advancing. Our railroads were in rapid progress in all directions, and vil¬ lages and towns springing up everywhere.

On Nov. 11th, at Fort Snelling, Shakopee and Medicine Rottle, two Sioux convicted of taking part in the massacre of 18G2, were hung. They had fled to Manitoba, and were not caught until 1864.

This fall much excitement was occasioned by the reported discovery of gold quartz at Lake Vermillion. Several mining companies were formed, and veins opened and worked, but the yield did not pay, and the mines were soon aban¬ doned.

The state election this year was very feebly contested. Two well-known old settlers were nominated for governor, but the vote was light. Wm. R. Marshall received 17,318 and Ilenry M. Rice 13,842. At the same election an amend¬ ment to the constitution was voted on, proposing to confer the elective franchise on negroes, but was defeated.