New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1892-03-23
A BIT OF MINNESOTA HISTORY.
How Men Suffered and Died IN the Brave
Days ofOld.
The Siege Of Ft. Ridgely by Infuriated Saw
ages in 1862.
Maj. Randall S Narrative Of one Of the most
Thrilling events in Minnesota
History.

nlSGOfy,
In a recent number of the Winona
Daily Republican Major B. 81. Randall
furnished the public with a graphic
narrative of the incidents connected
with the siege Of Ft. Ridgely by the In
dians in 1862. He starts out with a
description of the fort and among 9TH
er things says:
Ridgely was in no sense fort but by
general acceptation.L 1t was not designed
or constructed as place of defence.
Indians had agreed by solemn treaty
to remain forever at peace with the
whites, and good Indians never die.
1t was built on place forty rods from
the edge of a steep bluff of the river on
the south, and a gradual sloping bluff,
less abrupt, TO creek running at right
angles on the east about the same dis
tance.
A deep wooded ravine extended up
through the riyer bluff to about one
hundred yards of the southwest corner,
while considerable depression was
conG!nued some distance farther.
The St. Peter road led up the creek
bluff ravine along the north side Of the
fort, with level stretch Of prairie to the
north.
It was such a place as this that the
Indianswould have selected for the build
ing, if they had contemplated its capture.
Near and parallel with this ravine and
road, was row of six buildings of
hewed logs fronting on the rear of the
barracks,an avenue Of fifty feet between.
The east building in this row was occu-
pied by Ordinance Sergeant John Jones
and family-one rs the post hospital,
and the others as laundress' quarters;
these were irst used for officers quar-
ters.
The fort proper was built upon a
square Of three hundred feet. The
barracks formed the north side-two
hundred and forty feet in length, two
stories high, with two piazzas the whole
length. This was built of granite, as
was also the commissary on the west
side, with only passage way between
the two buildings. This was one story,
one hundred and forty by forty feet.
South of this was the. sally port, on either
side of which the cannon and field piec-
es were parked; the remainder of the
west side was covered with a long
building for officers quarters. The
west hall of the south side was double
building known as commanding officers
quarters; the other half of the south side
was vacant and open.
The east side was used for officers
quarters. All these buildings, with
wide yerandas, fronted upon the parade
grounds, covered with velvet sward, with
drives and walks OF graceful curve the
flag ever floating from staff in the cen.
ter. ALI these buildings were built with
grooved corner posts; hewed logs ten
oned to tit the groove formed the sides.
The guard house was outside, sixty feet
west of the sally port; further west,the
suffers store, and still further, beyond
the depression at the head Of the ravine,
were his store house and dwelling, not
far from the edge of the wooded bluff.
Directly south Of the fort and near
the bluff were the long cavalry and fly
ing artillery stables. On the edge of
the rayine at the southwest were ice
and root houses, and intermediate be-
tween these and the stable was the gran.
ary. Outside of all the quarters were
the outbuildings, sheds, summer kitch-
ems, ETC., enclosed with high board
fences.
A bake house of hewed logs stood on
the east line of the square near the bar
racks, which seemed to offer some Pc
culiar attractions during the investment
by Indians whether from it's conven-
lent location or solidity of construction,
never heard them say but in reality
it was no safer resort than other build
ings except that there were no openings
in the outside wall. 1t was only tenn
porary asylum for the popular ailment
known as ''heart failure The new
fort was christened Ridgely in 1854 by
JEFF. Davis, who was then secretary Of
war, commemorating the memory Of a
gallant officer who fell in the war with
Mexico. Changes in the personnel of
the garrison We're frequent. No less
than five entire transformations took
| place before the secession in 1S61-the
only exceptions being that Of Rev,
Joshua Sweet, chaplain, and b. Il.
Randall, sutler Their devotion to the
spiritual and temporal wants seemed tc
commend them to the Changing admin