Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-10-03

said we were liable to be surrounded by
500 indians before morning. We there
fore started back and reached st. Peters
at two o'clock the next morning with
three dead bodies, horribly mangled, that
we picked up on the way. Two of them
were the bodies of women.
The next Tuesday, Col. Sibley's whole
force (about eleven hundred) started for
Fort Ridgley. This fort is forty seven
miles west of st. Peters, and had been sur
rounded and besiegcd by the indians for
more than week. 1t had but small
garrison, and into it were crowded be-
tween three and four hundred men, wo-
men and children, who had escaped slaugh-
ter.
When the troops had got out about
three miles from st. Peters, We received
word that it was doubtful whether the
fort could out until the next morning.
1t would take the whole train at least two
days to get there. Upon this state of
things one hundred and sixty mounted
men volunteered to 60 through that night
if possible, and relieve the garrison. l
was one of the number, and there were
81 others from this county.
Accordingly we left the main command
about two hours before sunset-rode till
after sunset-made supper Of raw pork
and raw cabbage, and went on again.
There was no moon and it was pitch dark
The country had been overrun by the in
dians and was completely deserted. We
stood in ro fear while we were upon the
praries, but we went through many pieces
Of timber, and ravines, where we expected
every moment to be attacked. We had
not doubt but that the fort was sur
rounded by large body of indians Re-
port estimated them at from 800 to 1000
and our only hope was that by making a
rapid march we could rush through them
at some point where they were not pre-
pared to receive us. 1t turned out, how
ever, that all our fears were groundless,
for the indians, frightened at the approah
of the army had, the very day we left
St. Peters, raised the siege of the fort and
gone about l5 miles, further west, to Q
place called Little Grow Village, in hon
or of their chief, Little Grow, and com
menccd fortifyiug themselves. There
we're still small bands of them patroline
!, about the fort, but the main body hac
, left. and we rode into the fort the mex
morning Wednesday, about 7 o'clock
without having been once molested. Yo'
. can imagine how the little garrison, ant
the three or four hundred prisoners, wer
affected. at being so suddenly reinforced
. for they had been fighting nearly ten days
and watching anxiously for assistance
,, and had almost concluded they were lef
to perish, when one of their pickets, a
an unexpected hour, ran in and told then
that the valley was full of mounted men
There is little doubt that although tn
q indians had left there, they intended t
q make another grand dash on the fort be
f fore Col. Sibley s troops reached there, an
that our opportune arrival frustrated tn
9 plan.
We reached the fort Wednesday morn
ing and the next day in the afternoon
E Col. Sibley arrived with the main column
The next day friday the prisoners
9 the fort were started in wagonsfor st P(
!, ters, the Rice County company being thei
o escort. That night we encamped on tn
- prarie about Is miles from the fort. 0
n Saturday we arrived at st. Peters wit
It our charge and on Sunday we started fe
e home, reaching here Monday forenoon.
T When we started we had no idea of b.
+ ing gone more than two or three days, 6
4 VIC supposed it to be one of those small ii
r. dian fuses which frequently take plac
IS and are Immediately quelled, and it w'
y not until we reached St. Peters that v
10 learned the real magnitude of the distu
o bance.
At The crowd which we found shut up
ID the Fort, was the most miserable collie
l. ton of human beings, | ever saw The
.r was not family but some portions Of
ra lbod hean killed or oapturad by the Ind