Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1885-08-21
THE BATTLE OF NEW ulm.
An Incident In the Sioux Massacre OF
lS62-Preparations for d Reunion OF

InE 0A1llE VI NEW UEW.
An Incident in the sioux Massacre OF
ls62-Preparations for Reunion OF
Survivors.
Next Sunday, August 23d, there will
be held at New Ulm, Minnesota, a re-
union of the survivors OF the bloody bat
tie at that place between the whites and
the Sioux, that day being the twenty
third anniversary of the fight. Many
people now living in Yankton partici-
pated in the bloody scenes which fol.
lowed, after the Indians had invaded
Dakota, and to them at least, the follow.
ing description of tho final victory over
the Inaiuns at New Ulm will he of III.
terest:
Early oD Saturday, the 2Sd of August
the Indians returned-probably five
hundred warriors, all told-to New Ulm,
prepared TO attacked and capture the
place. Their approach was trst made
manifest to the defenders by towers of
hame-tinged smoke ascending from the
houses burned in the outer suburbs.
Cnpt. Huey, of st. Peter, with seventy.
i've man, crossed to the Ridgely side of
the river and 1irst encountered the reds.
He Was outnumbered and driven down
the liver with the loss of two killed.
Unable to recross the ferry, he retreated
st. Peterwards, and at NicoIlet met
Capt. E. ST. uiien Cox with $50 men
on the way to New Ulm. Simultaneous.
ly with the attack on Huey, Command
ant Fiandrau eaw the Indians, to the
number of about $50, debouching in
rather close order on the plain two and
half miles from the center of the town.
believing it would be better to take
chances on the open prairie, Flandrau
ordered his men forward, deploying
them In skirmishing order. When
within one and half miles of
the barrlcade the Indians COM
menced to open, like slowly parted
ian. aud within double rifle shot had
almost completely over apped the
whites, who waited the approach with
bated breath: Uttering piercing
whoops eud yells the Indians rushed
forward and almost at the first fire the
morale OF the whites, for the time bong,
failed them, and they retreated. un-
wisely neSlecting to burn outlying and
detached buildings. which the Indians
| speedily seized, and from which they
poured Calling fire. Seeing the dis
| comfture, Flandrau rode up, with voice
and example ralled his forces; who
speedy finding that yells do not kill
and their lighting blood growing warm.
er, made successful stand. Then the
fight became the usual skrimish against
| Indians, each man for himself, and
countless were the hairbreadth escapes
Commandant Fiandrau coming in fol
l hia fnll choSo fNh. raI.
ed the town, or nearly SO, and
from the overlooking bluffs poured
in Ere harassing IN the ex.
treme. if not especially deadly. AIarge
windmill at the lower end of the town
had been taken possession of by twenty
men of the LIE Sueur Tigers, end these,
by bravery and good Workmanship, held
| the enemy at bay IN that quarter. Fo,
hours the desultory fight YVES waeed
and, the wind blowing from down town
up. the Indians tried their best, by firing
the houses to windward, to cause con.
migration, ut the same time adyancinp
through the smoke their fires caused
Capt. Dodd, of St. Peter, at the head Of
the squadron, charged through the
| by five bullets. Capt. Saunders, of Le
| ouOulS VuOOHA "OuuU6us WOulO
not give up his trusty rifle until he found
worthy hands in which to entrust 1t. In.
stances of personal bravery on the part
OF the whites we're as plenty as songs
of bullets, and frequent sallies to take
detached buildings were made. though
| the assailants were exposed to steady
fire from the bluffs. In the southern
part of the town 4Flandrau had placed
Ug1s NE I>to
shots, and bis wisdom was soon appar
ent. In the later afternoon the Indian.
from the Ridgely side of the river joined
their fellows on the New Ulm side and
prepared for charge from the lower
side. Flandrau grew nervous, and nat
urally. 1t his men wavered and broke
the day was lost, and massacre with at.
tendant horrors the mlnd recoiled from
imagining wonld surely follow. To tht
point of attack, then, the cornmande
hurried. and proud was he of his mel
when the charge of the reds was made
with all his accomplishments of demon.
lacal yells, waving blankets, piercing
fulisades and whirliDg rush OF men and
horses. The men with pale faces had
blood in their eyes and determi
nation in their hearts. They met the
foe right gallantly, and drove them bacE
with quick slaughter. 1t was the
crucial point; the Indians were dlsheart
end and retired; New Ulm was saved
A spread out skirmish was kept up unit
dark. but after twilight was over tn,
fight for the day was ended. After the
battle Flandrau ordered all the out
lying buildings burned Except on,
house, which commanding the opposite
bluffs, was loophoIed for defensel an6
despite the fact that it was their owr
homes, residents chesrfully applied th,
torch to more than forty buildings
There was little sleep on that Saturda,
night, and early on Sunday morning th
Indians renewed the fight. Blu
they had lost all dangerou
vigor, and by noon withdrey
with considerable loss. Sunday, morn
ing Cspt. Cox, with his 15O volunteer
from Sibley and Nioollet counties, al
rived, and the immediate danger of
massacre in the town was over. TIL
loss of whites was ten killed and Eft
wounded. and as is almost always th
case, the Indian casualty list remains
matter ofguess work. Out Of 200 build
ings in New Ulm scarce thirty remaine
: intact while during the terrible wee
commencing Aug. II, more than 70
} whites in Minnesota, southern lowe al,
eastern Dakota we're killed, while %
were made prisoners. Commandan
Flandrau ordered an evacuation of Ne,
Ulm, which was safely accom-
plished. Ofthe subsequent campaign
} under Generals Sibley and Sully, of Ia
trials of captured reds and the executio
, OF thirty. eight of the worst desperadoe
at Mankato, Feb. 26, 1868, the numerou
histories of the times rive amnla ,art