New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1892-04-06
A BIT OF MINNESOTA HISTORY. .
The Siege Of Fl Ridgely by Infuriated Saw
ages inl 1862.
Mai. Randall's Narrative Of one Of the most
Thrilling events in Minnesota
History.

HlSIOfyI
Major Randall's aceountsof the TT.
Ridglev defence closed in our last issue
with the cessation of the first attack on
the fort. 1t continues as follows:
Twenty old style Dragon carbines
were found IN the magazine. Patrick
Heyfron, who was for Is years a ser
geant in captain Fred Steers company
Second infsntry, put them in condition.
By cutting iron rods into slugs the
women made cartridges away into the
night and were glad of employment, In
this way twenty men were furnished
and added to the number of defenders.
The night wore slowly away and the
Indians did not come. Refugees con
tinued to arrive who could in no way
relieve the anxiety. There were already
800 helpless non-combatants.
Sergt Jones had charge of the artil-
Iery and continued to direct it's detail
and management throughout the siege.
The officer in command properly esti-
mated his merit and valued his exper-
ienee above rank
The detail for Jones' piece were
three brothers, George, Victor and
Adam Reike, and Dennis 0 Shea. o Shea
had served one enlistment IN Sherman S
battery.
J.C. Whipple and Werner Boesch
were detailed to man one twelve round
howitzer and Sergt. McGrew of Co. B
the other,
j. G. Whipple, who escaped from the
agency had served with artillery in the
Mexican war.
Werner Boesch lived on the agency
road three miles west of the fort. He
was an artillerist IN his own country
Switzerland.
Private Dunn, who survived the
slaughter of Marsh's command at the
ferry and was the first to bring the
sickening news toathe fort, was one of
Sergt. McGreW's s able assistants. His
merry laugh dried the tears of many q
sorrowirg woman. His comical saluta
tions would ring out whenever the In
dians' bullets splintered the carriage Or
fattened on the gun. Brave, courageous
Dunn! was sorry to learn that he was
killed at Nashville.
Sergt Jones had his gunin position
and stood by it ali night, and days and
nights succeeding, until reinforcements
arrived.
Geo. Rieke tells me that Lieutenant
Shehant took meals to them that were
eaten while standing by their gun.
b On Tuesday morning about 9 o'clock
the heart of everyone in the garrison
.eaped with joy to welcome Lieutenant
Shehan's return with his fifty. men of
Company c, who, after going into camp
near Glencoe, at the end of two days
march toward his post at Fort Ripley,
received the orderss sent -byl courier,
struck tents and made nearly fifty miles
on foot during the night,
Chaplets OF immortelles, woven with
trembling hands, and garnished with
tears. of despairing women, will forever
wreath his brow. He at once took
command. At o'clock the same
evening the Renville Rangers, forty
six in number, arrived from St,
Peter, where Dickinson over
took them. This company was made
up of Frenchmen, half-breeds and
frontiersmen, acquainted with the In
dians, and who spoke their language.
They were accustomed to the use Of
arms, and were provided with different
guns in store at St. Peter. Cheer up-
on cheer went up, sand hope, that had
not been vaulting perceptibly, was
again ''springirg eternal in the human
breast
Shehan reconnoitered with a small
party of the Rangers, that had just ar
rived, along the edges of rayines and
wooded bluffs,
s'Till twilight let her curtain down,
And pinned il with a star.
The lull gave the gunners time to
prepare and shoot their pieces, when
all of a sudden an awful crash of musk
etry opened on the north and the east,
from the rayine and wooded bluff.
Whipple and Boesch soon had their
pieces in position by the bake house,
which served them ss q magazine for
ammunition. Jones had moved his
piece nearly across the parade ground
when the attack was renewed with
double vigor from the southwest corner.
He quickly returned to his position at
this angle and had his six FOUNDER
trained on the point Of attack. Sergt.
McGrew occupied the northwest angle