The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-08-23
Nc GLORY THERE.

Nc GLORY THERE.
What Commissioner 6iifillan Thinks
of the Birch Coolie Fight.
The fact THAT the sons of Maj.
Brown ask the courts for an injunction
to restrain the Birch Coolie Indian
commission FROM placing the name OF
Capt. H. P. Grant on the monument
as being in command at the time the
battle occurred has created consider
able of interest all oyer the State, and
the GAZETTE has secured a statement
from Hon. G. D. Gilfllan, who is a
member of the commission.
Mr.. Gilfllan admits that the com
mand at the time WAS a matter OF
grave doubt among the members OF
the commission, when it decided the
matter. Letters were addressed to
Mai. Brown as being in command,
while Col. Crooks, of St. Paul, who
was in the very room at the time the
expedition was fitted out, states posi-
lively that Capt. Grant was the SUI
perior officer, and this statement was
accepted by the commission. "The ex-
petition is no credit to whoever was
in command" continued Mr.. Gilfillan,
land admitting the fine soldier quail
ties of Gen. Sibley, who was in COM
mand of all the Indian troubles in
this State. it must be said that the
battle of Birch Coolie will ever be
black spot on his fine record. He had
the opportunity of turning his cavalry
and infantry on these Indians and wip-
ing them off the face of the earth at
a previous time and place, but instead
of that, when he shifted the In
dams mile off the soldiers and cavalry
stopped and Immediately commenced
throwing up intrenchments, giving
the Indians chance to retreat,
chance they accepted very quickly.
And when the soldiers commenced to
pursue them they had arrived at the
Coolie and a great number of them
were in ambush. The result was that
in the neighborhood of 60 soldiers
we're killed and wounded to not more
than one dead Indian. That is not
very creditable to whoever was in COM
: mand, surely"
The commissioner had just received
letter from Attorney General Childs
on the subject, and had just penned a
reply when the GAZETTE reporter called
at his house last Thursday evening.
The reply was in effect that it would
be better to allow the completion of
the monument as the commission had
designed, and as the marble man has
almost completed it already,an when
the next legislature met to investigate
the matter, and if it was found that
Mai. Brown was in command to have
his name substituted for that Of Capt.
Grant. This will only cost about $50,
and more than that can be saved by
not resorting to the course of law. eff
you and l were sons of Maj. Brown"
remarked Mr.. Gilfillan," we would be
willing to give Capt. Grant all the
glory of that dismal failure"
The commissioner continued to chat
entertainingly on the Birch Coolie
monument and it's location. He said
that three members of the commission
were survivors of the battle, and when
the site was being selected, no two out
of the three could agree as to the ex-
act spot on which the battle was
fought. They were from 300 feet to
half mile apart, land when we called
in another survivor that gentleman To-
Gated it about 800 feet from any of the
members of the commission. If we
could have had money enough to buy
couple of acres of ground we could
have secured the whole tract and been
sure of the battle field, but as it is was
we done the best we could. The monu-
ment will be located where every one
can see it and we have contract with
the Morton Fair association whereby
it will keep the grounds in order at
their expense. The site is where a
part of the battle was fought, anyway.
We have accomplished what will be a