The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1888-02-24
A GALLANT DEFENSE.
Made by a Party of Whites When
Attacked by Indians.
"Reminiscences OF the Great Indian UprisinE
In MinnesOta-A Nine Days Siege
in Stone Milk
House.

On the morning of August IS, 1862. as
was carrying a pail of milk from the
COW yard to the house, on the farm of
William Miller. seventeen miles from
New Ulm, Mimi, l saw a covered
wagon coming across the prairie as fast
as two horses could pull it. 1 handed
the pail into the house, called to Miller
and his wife, and by the time we were
out Of doors the wagon had stopped at
the gate. 1t was a vehicle belonging
TO a man named Saunders, living about
nine miles away, and he his family
were inside. We had not yet reached
the gate when he shouted:
Fly for your lives, the Indians are
on the warpathr'
He would have driven off with
that, but one of his horses fell
down in the harness from ex-
haustion. There was Saunders, his
wife and four children, and 1 never
saw people so broken up. It was fully ten
minutes before we could get their
story in a shape to understand it. The
Sioux rebellion, which many pioneer s
had predicted had broken out at
last. For the past three months we
had noticed a change in the demeanor
of the Indians, some of whom called
at the house almost daily They had
become impudent and threatening,
and many of the older settlers
were becoming alarmed. Some would
have given up their farms, but there
were q few smart Alexis who rode
about the country saying there was no
danger and that there were enough
soldiers in the forts in the State to
thrash all the Indians in the West.
These men were, as we afterwaTd
found out, interested in the sale of real
estate, and of course they did not want
any sensational reports sent East. But
for the civil war then raging there
would have been no uprising of the
Indians. Uncle Sam had his hands
full in the South, and hundreds of our
young men had enlisted to fight the
COnfederates.
Saunders had received warming at
daylight from n settler on horseback,
whose whole family had been butch
cred. He was n teamster, and his
wagon then contained a part of load
of stores which he was hauling out to
a stOrekeeper in new settlement
He had unloaded some of the stuff and
flung in household goods and pro-
visions. and had driven at such a pace
as to exhaust one of his horses. Mil
Ter and his wife were Germans, cool
and phlegmatic. Their all was invest
ed right there. While they knew that
trouble was at hand. they did not want
to abandon every thing at a mere
alarm. We had three horses in the
stable, and Saunders begged hard for
one to take the place of his exhausted
beast He was bound and determin -
10 get on, even if he had to go on foot,
and Miller consented to let the horse
60. While he was being harnessed in
Saunders asked us to throw out some
of the merchandise and tighten the
vehicle. We took out four kegs OF
powder. about one hundred pounds OF
lead, fifty pounds of shot. three double
barreled shot-guns and some groceries,
and the horse was no sooner in the
traces than Saunders drove off at 8
gallop.
well, what shall we dop" asked
Mrs. Miller, as we stood looking after
the wagon.
Stay and fight" replied the hus-
band.
was then boy of sixteen, and had
been with the Millers over year
There was never a day but that som,
of the Sioux came along, and in many
instances they had eaten of our food
Miller did not question the uprising
but he did not think it as serious
matter as II turned out to be. and will
true Dutch grit he proposed TO stick
We went into breakfast, ate as HEARTH
as usual. and VIXEN we were throug
my employer said;
Now we viii get ready for tEs In
dians"