St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1859-06-02

at elbows, out Of provisions, his carriagssa
wreck, his wagons badly broken, his mules
worn out; and his mon and himself in the
same condition I ( 81 !
a greater part of tho baggage with
which they started was Of Necessity EFT
on the road, in BE- care of settlers, Cow
crnment stores not yet distributed to the
men, and for which the commanding off,
Ger is responsible. They wadod sloughs
to the armpits dragging their mules out
with ropes, and carrying baggage and wa
CONS over peice. meal. Ten miles they cut
their way through heavy timber on the
track af the new State Road, thus doing
the State some service by aiding to open
this thoroughfare; and by 50 doing they
escaped impossible sloughs.
Well, after all this ado Of a forced march
as if to take an enemy by surprise, they
were overtaken within one days march Of
St. Cloud, by an express which had come
around by TT. Abercrombie from Fl.
Ridgely ordering Major PArTEN to re-
main at the Fit, and Capt. DAVIS to pro-
coed immediately to the Yellow Medicine
River, there to be ready for action by the
9th of June!!
For Major .PArrEN to get back to Fort
Abercrombie in less than month is I'M
possible; and for Capt. DAVIS to get away
without wagons or mules is also impossi-
BILE; and there it stands, while we had the
happiness to add to the Majors stock of
information the fact that a commission had
been appointed to visit Fort Abercrombie,
and report as to the e1pedtency Of a1an-
doning 1t.
The Major received this interesting
peice of news with GOODNESS worthy of an
American soldier, rather than the ;mrrsa
thence of the poet as he is; and We entire
ly appreciated his frbearance in not
swearing little.
Just imagine man in the fourteenth
day Of disastrous journey, with 60 men
out Of provisions, the wreck of his car
rage followed by string Of broken wa
CONS dragged by worn out mules, with his
baggage scattered all along the road be-
hind him, learning that the powers that
be had begun to enquire whether he had
better make the trip upon which they had
ordered him, and which had already been
made at such cost
He had resolved to push on to. Fort
Ripley, sending his Licutenant on to Fort
Ridgely via St. Paul to report, and con-
suit his Superior as to the propriety of
leaving Capt. DAVIS at Fort Abercrombis
aud ordering him and his command on to
the Yellow Medicine.
Major PArrEN was commanding officer
at Fl. Ripley in 81, when the troops were
ordered to abandon it and proceed to Kan
sas. That Fort was sold by government
orders, the money paid and receipts given.
The government refused to ratify the sale
or to refund the money; but concluding
to keep both the land and the cash, sent
the Major back again.
He was there in SO to welcome the
first steamboat on the double X treme
Upper Mississippi. This was the "North
STAR" Capt. NoRrHup, which was taken
over Sank Rapids and Little Falls to run
above Fort Ripley. The Major welcomed
him with round from shotted guns
which had been loaded for the Indians;
and when Capt. NoRrHuP saw the cannon
balls blowing up the water in front of his
boat, he began to back, faucying that he
and bis men would have to 90 up and
drive the Red Skins out of the Fort be-
fore he could land his boat. He soon un-
derstood the compliment and came in with
flying colors. RI j..
Capt. N0RTHUP is now on Red River
below Fort Abercrombie building boat,
the Pioneer, the first steamboat on that
river; and regrets that he will not have
the same commander to welcome him at
Fort Abercrombie, on his first arrival,
which he expects to accomplish this pres
cnt mocth.
Democratic love for Poor Men.
T., ....., r. - s -.
. In most of the Southern States even up
to the present day man is excluded from