The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-08-21

AuA lAei W Tile east mat town was
New Ulm. If Fort Ridgely hadn't baf-
fed Little Crows rage for three days
the savages would undoubtedly ha 9
burned the place and massacrcd all :ts
inhabitants. 1t was the place OF refuge
for tho hunted, frightened settlers FROM
all the region of the first raids. While
Lieutenant Sheehan and his little garM-
son defended Fort Ridgely, reinforce
ments were arriving, and when the en-
ranged warriors, logged in all their
savage war accoutrements, descended
On the little town, they were met by
band Of determined men. The several
hundred men who had collected there
chose Colonel Charles e. Flandrau as
their commander and prepared to give
the savages a reception that would not
be lacking in warmth
On the morning of Aug. 90 Il detaeh-
ment OF $50 warriors dashed up to New
Ulm and began hot battle. or all The
American Indians, the Sioux most fire.
Quently gavo open battle. New Ulm
was attacked and assailcd very hot.s
A Calling fire was poured into the town,
and under its cover the warriors trept
up to the outlying buildings and set
fire to them. Those they didn't fire
the whites did, so as to leave the foes
without cover
In tho middle of the afternoon tho
Indians were pressing the garrison very
closely when a detachment of fifty men
rushed down tho burning main street
of the town and flung itself upon the
Indians, who completely gave way.
That settled that battle and the Indians
withdrew The whites lost ten killcu
and sixty wounded. The defense Of New
ulm was a glorious one. for. while the
Indians numbered 650 well armed was
riors, there were not 200 guns in the
town. On Monday. the 25th. fearing
another attack. and not being able to
longer endure tho stencil that arose
from the ruins of the town. its de-
tenders and all the refugees to the num-
her of about 1000 began retreat to
MnnkAtO. The sixty men who were
wounded in the battle and the women
and children were conveyed in 153 wak
ons. The retreat was safely executed
Four days later. as a sort OF Il fceler
and reconnaissance in force. Major JOS
eph r. Brown was sent up tho valley In
command Of $50 men. They passed the
lower agency and riiled the abandoned
Indian tepees at that place. They saw
not single Indian, and in the exuber-
ance Of spirits brought on by the de-
lightful weather and the beautiful coun-
try they almost forgot they were III a
hostile country. though they passed
here and there the mnngled remains OF
human beings That night they en-
camped at the head OF Birch Coulce.
thirteen miles from the fort. Before
dawn tho startled soldiers were awaken
Ell by rslttling vollcy and an Internal
din OF Indian warwhoops. They sprang
to their feet only to hear Major Brown
shouting, Lie. down, you d--n fools;
lie down and shoot" The ninety horses
in tho command were an easy mark
for tho Indians and the first hour OF the
battle saw them all shot The hard
pressed soldiers kept up the battle all
day long, and as il progressed NAL
after man tumblcd over, dead or wound
ed. The water supply was soon eX
haustcd. and suffering the pangs Of
thirst the beleagucrcd men lay beside
tho bOated and blackcncd bodies OF
their comrades which We're fast becOm-
ing putrid under the hot sun. The In
dians stopped their fnsilade at night.
but resumed 1t early the next morning.
Their frightfully painted faces their
blorl-curdllng yells, and their impetu-
GUS rushes so Overcamc many Of the
men that they would jump out OF the
carthworks to meet instant death. The
day before the distant booming Of n
canon had given the soldiers a few
moments OF hope and towards noon OF
tho second day the cannon was heard
again. This time 1T was accompanied
by a noticeable agitation among Tho
Indians, who soon retired in haste be-
fore the reinfOrcemcnts sent out by
General Sibley from Fort RidgCly.
When relief came. the poor fellows in
the reconnaissance party had been be-
sicgcd thirty hours and had lost twenty
three killed and forty-five severely
wounded.
Lieutenant james j. Egan who was
in the battle OF Birch C0ulce. has writ
ten thrilling account of the fray. in
which he gives Il most graphic dc scrip
ton of the appearance of the blank
cted painted. yelling warriors as they
circled around and around the little
force, waving their blankets, and stop
ping every now and then to pour in a
CALLING fire.
Before retiring to tho fort Gencral
Sibley addressed a brief note to Little
Crow and pinned it on Il stake driven
into the ground on the battlefield. The
note informed Little Grow that If ne
would Immediately surrender his Drls-
oners peace negotiations would begin
at once Little Crow sent an evasive
answer by two halfbreeds in which he