The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-10-30

either drunk or insane Within an hour,
hour, however. a second courier arrived
with confirmation of the first awful ac-
count.
The Governor Of the State, Alexander
Ramsey selected Ex-Governor Henry ii.
Sibley to take command of an expedition
against the Indians. He was we'll quail
fed for the perilous mission, having
spent many years among the Sioux as q
trader speaking their language and
knowing what could be expected of them.
One week after the first outbreak, Col.
Sibley was at ST. Peter with 1,400 men.
This seemed d large force, and would
have been so regarded were it not for the
uncertainty of the whereabouts of the
red enemy and their peculiar mode OF
warfare.
On Sunday, the 31st day Of August;
Col. Sibley started out from Fort Ridge
ly burial and soothing party Under the
command of Major Joseph r. Brown,
whose family had been made captives by
the Indians. The expedition numbered
l53 men all told, of whom considerable
number were teamSterS. with ninetySiX
horses, and a good supply of camp
equipage and provisions. The first day
covered and buried. Early the next
morning they came upon the lifeless and
scalped bodies of Captain Marsh and
about thirty men who had been sent out
on relief expedition few days before.
They seem to have been surprised and
fired upon from all sides. They were
buried by their comrades in one long
grave, which was marked by large
wooden cross.
On the night of the 1st Of Sep
TENDER, cold Joe," as Major Brown
was affectionately called, ordered his
command to go into camp in a gorge
near the now thriving village of Birch
Coolie. about sixteen miles from Fort
Ridgely. Major Brown, who had great
knowledge of the Indians, believed that
all was well, and the men, with the OK
ception of the guards, went to sleep.
Slumber is heaviest just before day
break. and it is then that Indians gen
orally make an attack. The guard we'll
understood this, and were on the alert.
Suddenly. abOtit four O'Clock, d watch
fll sentinel saw and fired upon moving
object In an instant the camp was
aroused. All sprung to their feet, and
received deadly cross-fire from hot less
than 300 rifles, mostly dOuble-b arreled,
in the hands of their stealthy fendish
enemies, the Sioux. Soon all who had not
been killed or disabled by the first fire,
broke for the wagons, from the doubtful
shelter of which brisk fire was re-
turned. Almost Immediately discovery
was made which sent thrill of dismay
through the hearts of the brayest Of the
"raw recruits" A mistake had been
made in the ammunition; the cartridges
were all of too large a calber for the
muSkets, and not more than twenty
rounds of the proper size remained for
each man.
The men fell to work whiting down
the bullets with their knives, in the
mean time firing occasionally to keep up
show of fighting. Only one shovel and
one pick could. be found, and these, to-
gcthcr with knives, spoons, and bayO-
nets, were used to dig intrcnchments. A
strong but losing fight was maintained,
and by 10 o'clock sixty men wero killed
or wounded, and ninety-five out of 4ho
ninety-siX horses were dead. The latter
no doubt saved the command from an
Inhalation, since their bodies were used
as barrie dc.
For twenty-four hours longer the