The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-10-05
MANKATO SOLDIERS.
They Fought in the Civil and In
dian Wars.
Interesting Paper Read by Mrs. o. o.
Pitcher at the Grand Army Camp
Fire Last Night.

G. A. R., last evening, was attended
by large number of people and was
enjoyed by all present.
The program opened with music by
the G. A. r. band.
Mrs. o. o. Pitcher read the follow
ing essay on the soldiers from Man
kato who enlisted in the civil and In
dian war:
~ have been asked to tell some little
things that remember of the times
and of the boys in blue, who went
from here to the civil and Indian
wars Shall we turn back to the day
when the cry that Fort Sumpter had
fallen rang through the land3
All work, all business seemed
to come to a dead halt with hush
like that which precedes a storm.
The long threatened, much dreaded
step had been taken. The stars and
stripes had been trailed in the dust.
How many brave men sprang to the res
cue at the presidents first call. There
were thirteen men from Mankato in
the Minnesota first, two of whom were
known to you ALL James Cannon
and Charles Mansfield. Both sleep in
Glenwood cemetery Mr. Cannon was
badly wounded and taken prisoner at
Bull Run, and two others, Henry
Wykoff and Fred Deer, were killed
at Getty sburg. One other was Win
nebago half breed, David Twigs, a son
of Brigadier General David Twigs, of
the United States army, who deserted
and joined the rebel army. Swiftly
following Bull Run came the call for
three hundred thousand more men.
In this call Mankato and vicinity had
a company in the Second Minnesota
under Captain Dickerson and the
Third, another under Captain Rice,
a lawyer of this place, and the Fourth
till another, under Captain Tourtel
lotte, also lawyer of this place. Of
the company in the Second there are
nine names on the roll here. Of the
one in the Third not a name and of
the one in the Fourth just one.
Captain Turtellotte, of the Fourth,
was the one who gave Tourtellotte hos
pital to the city, and for whom this
post of Sons of Veterans is named,
and who gave them their silken flag.
He achieved considerable distinction
during the war; being the hero of
Altoona, flag message to him at that
place from Gen. Sherman giving rise
to the hymn, "Hold the Fort For l
Am Coming" He was breveted
brigadier general and was ON General
Sderman's staff for fifteen years after
the war. He is buried at Arlington.
I'm '62, at the call for five hundred
thousand more men, there was an en-
tire company recruited in Mankato by
Captain Dane for the Ninth regiment
They left here on Friday, August 10th
for Fort Smelling and on the same
day company recruited from the
employees and hangers on about the
Sioux agencies, under Major Gill
braith, started for the fort, too. On
Monday, the 18th. the Indians rose
and swept what there was of civiliza-
ton west of here from off the face of
the earth. They thought all the
white men had gone south and con-
cluded they could do what years before
they had said they would sometime
do-drive all the whites across the
Mississippi river. 1 remember of an
Indian named Kokepapa, the orator
of his tribe, coming to our new house
when we had first moved in. Mother
asked him how he liked it, and he
said Washtado. We want all the
white men to build big tepees, and
raise many horses and cattle, and then
we are going to drive you all on the
other side of the big river. Mother
told him they could mt do it. There
were the forts and too many soldiers.
With most contemptuous toss of his
head, he said We will take the forts
first thing. He then proceeded to
show how they would take Fort
Ridgley. They would wait until the
grass was long then tie some of it
around their heads, lie down in it,
creep up close, firing burning arrows
into the fort, when close enough so
the big guns would fire over them.
Then when the soldiers came out,
spring up and kill them all He
showed how long he could feign
death Tying handkerchief round
his neck, till eyes and tongue protrud-
ed he fell from his chair, jerked and
quivered like one being strangled and
at last lay like one dead. So horribly
real did it seem that mother was
frightened and told him to get up. but
he never moved or seemed to breath.
She then took broom stick to him in
no very gentle manner either, but he
was a dead Indian. We had one ar
gument which never failed to bring
the Indians to terms. That was a big
mastiff chained to the other side of
the room, very excited spectator of
this drama. Mother said Shunka,
and to me let Ring loose and the
Indian needed no other invitation to
arise for they all stood in awe of this
canine protector of ours.
"What that Indian said they would
do about Fort Ridgley they undertook
IN do on the I'd of August. Is DAYS be-
fore the outbreak at the agencies
Ninety six warriors appeared at the fort