Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-02-23

Il
excitement Thus the outrages committed
LAST Fall in the West BY the Sioux Indians
and the brutal war of determination whicl
they carried on against the white settlers
putting to death over seven hundred men
women and children, awakened little interest
save in the vicinity of their occurrence. A
great war belittles minor calamities.
T. J. Galbraith, Esq, Government Agent
at Yellow Medicine, Minnesota, the Sioux
Agency, arrived at the Angler last evening
and remained over Sunday He is accOmpa-
MED by Ampatokecha, or "other Day." a
Chief of the Sioux, en- route for Washington.
Considerable interest surrounds AmpatOke-
cha, ("0 Other Day. for he rescued sixty-tWO
white persons from the Sioux territory when
that fierce tribe opened the war, and guided
them for nearly one hundred and City miles
to place Of safety. Among the party were
Mr.. Galbraith's wife and three children, their
music teacher and servant, whose home was
at Yellow Medicine. -
Mr.. Galbraith, who has been civil agent at
Yellow Medi line for two years past, and has
personal knowledge of the history of the
outbreak, favored US with q brief account,
which we are sure win interest our readers.
The outbreak was confined to the Sioux
Indians. There are the Upper and Lower
Sioux Reservations, which contained $500
annuity Indians and |, 500 Cut Head Indians,
Of whom about 800 warriors at the outset were
hostile. Yellow Medicine is the Agency for
both Reservations. Previous to the outbreak
nothing had been discovered in the conduct
of the Indians to cause apprehension. On
the 18th of August hunting party of Sioux
went from the Lower Reservation to white
settlement called Acton. There they became
drunk, and getting ints quarrel killed six
white persons, two men and four women.
They returned to the Reservation and told
the Indians what they had done. They said
if they were taken they would be executed,
and they urged the warriors to rise and ex-
terminate all the whites, and repossess the
territory for themselves. The white men
have gone to the war, they argued, and the
territory is in manner defenseIess. Ira
ditional hatred of the whites, jealousies and
wrongs, real and imaginary, caused them to
give ready ear to the proposition, and the
result was that the war of determination
commenced on the following morning, Au-
gust 18th, in the Lower Reservation. The
Indians numbered about $50, armed with
rifles, shot-guns, knives, hatchets, &c. News
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80 miles from the immediate vicinity of it,
on the 18th. The Sioux chief, Ampato-
kecha, (other Day,) gathered together the
white residents at Yellow Medicine, sixty
two in number, and guided them away from
the threatened danger. Of the party only
twenty were men the remainder were
women and children. They met with no OBJ
staoles on the way, and reached shakopee,
thirty miles above St. Paul, on the 2lst of
August. The Agent, Mr.. Galbraith, was on
his way to St. Paul at the time of the out
break. He heard of it on the night of the
18th, (the day it commenced, y at St. Peter,
messenger having overtaken him. The fol-
lowing morning he got together party of
ffty-fve men, well armed, and started back.
BE reached Fort Ridgely on the goth. This
fort is on the north side of the Minnesota
river, in Nicolet county, about 100 miles due
west of St. Paul, and so miles east of yell
low Medicine. On the following day the
fort was bosiged by band of Indians, esti-
mated at about 800. The fort was in COM
mand of Lieutenant Shaehan. The garri-
son numbered I25 soldiers and citizens, well
provided with arms, ammunition and can
non. Considerable fighting was carried on
during the eleven days they were besiged, in
which eleven indians were killed, and the
garrison lost eight men. General SibIey who
was sent intoAhe Sioux territory to quell the
outbreak, relieved Fort Ridgely September
1st. He had about 200 men. His force
was afterwards increased by about 500 men.
Leaving 800 to guard the fort, he crossed in
to the Reservation on the 10Th of September.
Advancing to Wood Lake, 40 miles from
Fort Ridgely, he fought decisive battle with
about 700 Sioux on the 22d, defeating them.
After this battle, a number of friendly In
disns and half breeds (some 200 in number),
who had been forced to take up arms with
the hostile ones, abandoned the latter, tax
ing with them the white captives that had
been taken at the various settlements. They
were mostly women and children, and about
three hundred in number. On the morning
of the Path, the hostile Indians moved off,
and Gen. Sibley relieved the oaptives, the
place being called Camp Relieve. The
friendly Indians delivered themselves up.
Some Of them are now in camp at Fort Smell
ing, five miles above St. Paul, and only
nOminaIly prisoners. At that Fort are about
I 300 friendly Indians, all but about 100
being women and children.
Among the oaptives found at Camp Relieve
by Gen. sibley was a young lady, Miss
Martha Williams, of Painesville, Ohio
About two years ago she went to Minnesota
to live with an uncle by the name of Rey-
nolds, who had charge of an Indian farm at
Redwood Shortly after her arrival she be-
came teacher in an Indian school. She was
made a captive by the Indians on the 18th
Of August She was at the Angler yester-
day, on her way to Painesville, having come
from Minnesota in charge of Mr.. Galbraith.
She says the women and children who were
captured were generally treated we'll, being
protected by the squaws and by the friendly
Indians.
The hostile Sioux have rendezvoused at
DEVILS Lake, $50 miles northwest of their
former home. They number about 1900
warriors, and, it is believed, are preparing
for another outbreak in the spring. II they