The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1858-06-19
Indian Warfare in Minnesota.

Although the principal facts of the Indian
fight at Shakopee, Scott county, Minnesota.
have already been published, some details of
the affair will be found interesting. Ttseems
that the Indian battles of modern days are
fully reported in the papers, and are Witness
ed by hundreds Of delighted white Spectators
The St. Paul Pioneer had the enterprise 10
dispatch reporter to the scene on the first
intimation ola rencontre between the Soux
and Chippewas, and the following isfhis ac-
count Of the fight:
"a body consisting Of about two hundred
Chippewas arrived about two miles below
this place, opposite the Sioux encamphents.
on Wednesday night, and made all their
preparations for an attack early on the fol-
lowing morning The Sioux had received all
animation that their foes were preparing for
a battle. The Chippewas had arrived UNI
known to the Sioux, and the ii:timation of
| their being in the neighhorhood was the at
tack made upon poor fellow who was sit
| tiag on the bank of the river engaged il,
catching fish fer his morning meal A bull
let from the gun of skulking Chippewa
pierced his head and he fell dead upon the
spot, while the next moment the scalping-
knife of his foe proclaimed victim and
victory for the Chippewa. The sound of the
rifle was signal for war.whoop among tho
Sioux, and Immediately their encampmcnt
was in arms and ready for the fray. The
whole number of the Sioux consisted Of only
! fifty men, (some say less, and leaving their
families, they podrd en- massc to the field
of battle, with guns tomahawks and every
| conceivable weapon they could lay their
hands on. The Sioux crossed the Minncso-
ia river at Major Murphy Ferry, about two
miles below here, of which they had possess
sion during the day and met the Chppewas
in the open bottom land directly opposite.
1t was an uneven fight in point of numbers,
but the Sioux were armed with desperate
energy. To render themselves more dexter
OILS and skilful in the use of their weapons
their cumbersome garments were cast aside,
and many of them were fighting in almost
nude state.
"There was no regularly plan Of battle;
it was heller SHELTER fight; a constant rum
ming and lodging fire, with here and there
hand-to-hand fight, one or the other Of the
parties being sure to bury his tomahawk deep
in the skull of his antagonist before its close.
Muzza- IIampa, one Of the Sioux, had despe-
rate rencontre with Chippewa, in which he
was severely wounded, but succeeded in
killing his foe after a long contest. A mere
boy, belonging to the Sioux, who had only
one arm, came in contact with Chippewa
brave, and fought with desperation rarely
if ever surpassed, and continued the fight
until he had laid the brave, who was pecked
of with all his plumes and Indian parapher-
MALTA, dead at his feet. The conflict between
the Sc two bands was characterized by the
most fiendiSh atrocity. The bodies Of the
Chippewas as they fell were cut to pieces by
the women of the Sioux, and in some instan-
ces fire was built and the body thrown
piecemeal on the consuming flames the scalp
being taken of first and retained as prize;
the head was then severed from the body
and thrown upon the flames, after which the
knife was applied to the hand, to the Shout
dors. to the thighs. the knees and so on tho
whole corpse, as it were, being cut into kind
ling wood, and made to feed not only the
fire in the bush but the more insatiate fire Of
the Sioux's wrath. The field of battle j.
covered with little trappings Of Indian diss sn
such os plumes. birch bark maps, br0A''
totnahawks, &C."