The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-21
R0noR~NAR HEROES
MONUMENT AT FORT RIDGELY
DEDICATED WITH APPRoPRI-
ATE CEREMONIES.
MANY SURVIVORS PRESENT.
JUDGE FLANDRAU, ONE OF THE
PARTICIPANTS, DELIVERS
- THE ADDRESS,
+ss9a
STANDS on THE BATTLE GROUND,
Where Those Whose Deeds 1t Conn
memorates, Fought and
MANY SURVIVORS PRESENT.
STANDS on THE BATTLE GRoUNI

of men, women and children crowded
the railroad trains and bowled along
the country roads on the way to the
site of old Fort Ridgeley today to par
ticipate in the anniversary of one of
the most famous battles and stout
est defenses recorded in the chronicles
of Indian warfare.
Echoes of hot howitzers, the crack
ing of rifles and the sound of whoops
sounded over this bloody field thirty
four years ago, and when on Aug. q,
1862, after ten days of endurance and
blood the battle was won and the In
dams retired, they muttered to each
other ti-ye-pa-na-ta-k a-pi," which, be-
ing interpreted from their vernacular,
means the shut door, for the defense,
so gallant and successful, had shut
the door" to their further inroads in
that direction and saved the state.
Men and women now living in New
Ulm and in the other towns and cit
les of this part of the state remember
full well the terror of that time with
horrible Indian war threatening the
very existence of the state and REDEEM
ing the ground with the life blood of
their families and friends. 1t was to
honor the survivors, to commemorate
still further the memories of the dead,
and to add still another leaf to the
chronicles of the state. that the ami
versary was observed, and that men
and women crowded the plateau on
which the old fort stood.
More than this, it was the day of the
dedication of the handsome granite
shaft that now rises over the spot
where citizens and soldiers of Minneso-
ia showed how they could endure and
fight and die for their homes and for
the honor of their great commonwealth
1t was the day appointed for the gift
to the state of that monument with it's
glorious epitomes of courage and fidel-
ity.
BY 8 o'clock in the afternoon the
crowd had assembled, going from the
railroad station at Fairfax and arriv-
ing on the wagon roads, and they were
: assembled in a grove about 200 yards
from the monument for the formal ex-
ercises which had been arranged by
the committee having the day in
charge.
Judge Charles E. FIandrau, of st.
Paul, himself a hero of the battle, as
chairman of the committee. called the
assemblage to order in well chosen
words, and then PROCEEDED with much
grace and appropriate speech to deliver
the monument to the State of Mime
sofa.
- Gov. Clough was not able to be pres
ent, much to his regret, and Adjt. Gen.
Nuremberg, as his representative and
the representative of the state, received
the gift, responding in language suited
to the high occasion.
Judge F'landrau, presenting the mon
ument spoke as follows:
$50, JUDGE FLANDRAU SPEAKS.
Adiutant General Nuremberg
SOS The very agreeable duty has devolved upon
me of delivering to the state, through you as
its military representative, the monument it
has erected to commemorate the hard fought
battles of old Fort Ridgely.
On March 3, 1S49, Minnesota was born as a
territory. 1t extended from the st. Croix to
the Missouri and contained within it's borders
three tribes of Indians, the Sioux the Chippe-
was and the Winnebagoes. The Sioux occu-
pied all the country west of the Missjssinni
and were very formidable and warlike peo-
pie.
In 1851 two treaties were made with the
Sioux, one at Mendoza and one at Traverse
des Sioux, through which all their lands in
Minnesota were purchased and they were
located upon small reservation on the upper
waters Of the Minnesota river consisting Of
strip of land ten miles wide On each side of
the river. the southern extremity of which
was only a few miles below the point where
we now stand. In 1S4S the government had
erected fort on the upper Mississippi river
IN the Chippewa country, called Fort Gaines,
the name of which was afterwards and in
1850 changed to Fort Ripley.
In the years 1852 and 1853 immigration into
the territory was very rapid and the United
states decided to build fort in the Sioux
country for the protection of the settlers
which resulted in the erection of Fort
Ridgely on the Minnesota Ridgely was com
menced in 1858, and soon after completed and
was named after Maj. Randolph Ridgely one
of the heroes of the Mexican war who fell
at the battle of Monterey. These were the
first forts erected west north of old Fort
Smelling. Ridgely was in sense a fort 1t
was not walled or fortified but was simply a
collection OF buildings, some of stone and
some of wood.
Fort Ridgely was never called upon for any
serious Indian service until the year 1857
when a vagabond band of Sioux, under Ink
paduta, murdered settlement of about forty
two people in northwestern Iowa and south
western Minnesota, and carried into captivity
four white women. Company A. of the Tenth
United States infantry, under Capt. Barnard
E. Bee and Lieut.. Murray, then stationed at
Ridgely, made a terrible winter march from
the fort to the locality of the troubles but
did not succeed in Furnishing the Indians. Two
of the captive women were subsequently
rescued, and a son of Ink-paduta was killed
on the Yellow Medicine river by a part of
this same company, under Lieut. Murray and
squad of volunteers, which was the only
punishment ever inflicted upon Ink-paduta's
band.
The question is frequently asked why this
massacre was allowed to pass unnoticed.
answer that question fully. Col. Alex
ander, of the Tenth, and myself, q then had
charge of the Sioux planned attack upon
Ink-paduta's band, which we were to execute
with five companies of regulars as soon as we
heard from my expedition which had been
sent out TO rescue the women, as we dared
ar as n uSf
at the moment the expedition returned, an or
der arrived for the whole garrison of the
Fort to start Immediately for Fort Bridger
in Utah. to take part in putting down the
threatened Mormon rebellion and the boat
that brought the order carried off the troops.
The affair was soon forgotten, as all such
not been for this unexpected turn in affairs
we ,buld most undoubtedly have destroyed
Ink-paduta and all his followers.
- Quiet prevailed at the fort until 1852. when,
on the 18th of August of that year, the Sioux
rebellion broke out, and everybody that
could reach the fort fed to 1t for safety 1t
contained small garrison, which was aug
mented by refugees and others who got there
before it attacked. On the day of the
outbreak the garrison was depleted by the
: loss of Capt. Marsh, its commanding officer
and twenty-three Of his men who were am
:. pushed and killed at the Redwood ferry. This
loss was soon made up. however, by the ar
rival of Lieut.. T. ]. Sheehan and ffty-one
men Of Company G, Fifth Minnesota in
fantry, who on receiving dispatch announc-
ing the peril of the fort, made forced
march of forty-two miles in the shortest time
recorded IN history, and on his arrival he
took command of the garrison and conducted
the fight to the end.
- On the Goth of August the first attack was
made upon the fort by the Indians, and it
the 27th,- during which time 1t withstood sew
eral determined attacks. but was finally re-
Aeved by Gen. Sibley with a large force.
After the most vigorous assault made on
? the fort. which occurred on the odd of August