The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-01-30
THE WEEKLY PIONEER AND DEMOCRAT.

Indian warfare, in which the savages failed to
obtain the entire mastery.
The Adjutant General might have ad-
ded, that it had an important bearing upon
the final result Of the campaign, as it gave
the first check to the Indians in their at
tacks upon the troops in the field, -di-
verted from their purpose large party
who were marching to attack Mankato
and St. Peter, when such attack must
have been successful, and have added a
new chapter to the horrors of the frontier
massacres, and taught the Indians the
danger of permitting our troops to get be-
tween them and their families, and thus
stopped all contemplated raids upon our
settlements during the balance of the CAM
paign. Yet, the name of the command
ing officer of this expedition is suppressed,
even at the expense of making the report
ridiculous.
In his narration of the Birch Coolie af-
fair, the Adjutant General says:
On the LIST of September the entire command
marched to the river bank, when the mounted
company, with one team and eight of the IA
| tigue party crossed the river under protection
of the infantry. After search and examination
made in the vicinity of the Agency and becOm-
ing satisfied that no Indians were in the neigh
bOrhOOd, Capt. Grant was directed to remain
with his company, and twelve of the fatigue
party and sixteen teams, on the east side of the
river. He was instructed to proceed as far as
the Beaver River, burying such dead as could
be found on the way. and thence return to the
upper timber on the Birch Coolie and cncamp.
Now, Capt. GRANT was the senior Cap
tain of the expedition. Who, then, ''di-
rected" him as to the movements and du-
ties of his command? Who INSTRUCTED"
him ''tO proceed as far as the Beaver
River" and then "return to the upper
timber on the Birch Coolie, and encamp?"
Who commanded the troops that "crossed
the river" and latter search and examin-
ation," became satisfied that no Indians
were in the neighborhood, and then is
sued the necessary orders to Capt. GRANT ?
Again the Adjutant General reports:
The two divisions of the detachment during
this day buried the mutilated bodies of fifty
four victims of savage barbarity. In the even
| ing they were reunited and went into encamp-
ment near the Birch Coolie and about three
miles from the Lower Agency.
Nothing further is said of the operations
of the force that "crossed the river The
thorough examination of the country to
and about Little Crows village by the
whole party, and the farther explorations
by Major Brown in person, to ascertain if
Indians were located in the vicinity of the
Red Wood River, are subjects officially re-
ported, as we find from our files, but en-
tirely ignored by the Adjutant General,
because they could not well be mentioned
without referring to Major Brown.
The Adjutant General in his report, fur
ther says:
The camp was made in the usual way. with
the wagons packed around the occupied ground,
and the team horses fastened to the wagons
The horses belonging to the mounted men
were fastened to strong picket rope between
the tents and the wagons around the south
half of the camp &c.
In this the Adjutant General exposes
his ignorance. In military camp the
baggage wagons are never "packed around
the occupied ground y; and, during the
whole campaign, there is no instance of
such disposition of the baggage train,
except in the encampments of the Birch
Coolie expedition. 1t is the "usual way u
in which traders and other prairie travel
lers protect their camps, and was ordered
by Major Brown, and the placing of the
wagons superintended by him, at the first
encampment. It furnishes protection
against assault, while it is 8 guaranty
against the worst of evils attending an In
dian attack-that of stampede of horses.
Fancy hundred horses frightened by the
shots and yells of Indians, becoming rest
less and ungoyernable, and the advantage
to an assaulting party can readily be i'm
agined. Major BROWN, in his disposition
of the wagons and horses,-the team
horses firmly tied, and encircling the en-
tire camp, and the cavalry horses firmly
fastened in the centre, added to the
strength of the barricade, while he made
the camp secure from the danger Of a
stampede. But this the Adjutant General
describes as "usual " military camp, to
evade reference to Major Brown.
Again the Adiutant General says:
That the enemy with a greatly superior force
should be successful in almost entering the en-
campment, protected only by a wagon in any
one part, before those inside were aware OF
their presence and when they were scattered
and asleep throughout the tents, and, yet failed
to follow up their advantage by carrying the
place by storm, or at least attempting to do so,
is almost ineXplicable
There are doubtless many other things
inexplicable to the Adjutant General,
when he can make a point by an atfecta-
ton Of ignorance We can discover moth
ing strange in the point he makes. 1t is
now well known that the programme Of the
Ineians was to assault the camp, create a