The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-21
BATTLEFIELD IN \. OAK.
MEMORABLE FIGHT I'm DrCKEY
COUNTY, WHERE GEN. SULLY
MET THE SIOUX
BATTLE OF wH1TEsToNE HILL
Movement to Erect Suitable Monu-
ment in COmmemOrAtiOn of
the Event-Slaughter
In u Ravine.
The Northwest MAGAZINE,

ne northwest Magazine.
The announcement that the authorities
or Dickey county, North Dakota, are
moving in the matter of securing suit
able monument to commemorate the
battle of Whitestone Hill Is received
with pleasure by the survivors of the
Sixth and Seventh Iowa and the Second
Nebraska cavalry, who participated Ill
that bloody ARRAY, and many OF whom
are now residents of the Dakotas
Little has been written about this bat.
tie, says correspondent, because 1t oc-
Cured at time when public attention
was directed to the larger affairs of the
Rebellion; but as compared with the bat,
ties of the Spanish war it was a ter
rife engagement and of the first i'm.
portance to the frontier
In the Indian campaign of 1863 it was
planned by Gen. Pope, in command of
the department of the Northwest, to
have Gen. Sibley cross from Big Stone
lake to the Missouri by way of Devils
Lake, while Gen. Sully should move up
the Missouri to make a junction with
Sihley in the neighborhood of Bismarck,
believing that thereby the hostiles would
be caught between the two armies and
crushed, thus ending the war in a sin
gle campaign. But the best laid plans
miscarry particularly when success de-
pendS upon moving two armies from diff
ferent directions, a distance Of 5u0 miles
to meet in the wilderness at an indie
terminate point. Sibley reached the Mis-
souri, before Sully got up the river, found
the savages at about the point Gen. Pope
had anticipated, and fought them at
Apple Creek and drove them across the
Missouri. He then retired to the Min
neSota border. A few days later SulIy
came up-to learn that the hostiles had
recroSsed to the east side of the river
and passed down to the buffalo country
in the James valley. Sully followed.
and by the morning of the Sd of Sep
TENDER had, by the clear indications OF
the trail. come close upon the fugitives.
The brigade remained in damp, and the
Third battalion, consisting of Companies
G, F, I and M. of the Sixth Iowa, I'M
der command of Maj A. E. House, was
sent out on a scout, guided by a well
known frontiersman, Francois La Fran
boise, who kept several miles in ad-
vance, and signaled the battalion from
the hilltops, which were numerous. The
prairie was strewn with tho remains OF
recently slaughtered buffalo. At noon
while the detachment was resting and
grazing their horses, La Frambo1se came
in and reported twenty lodges of hos
tiles five miles to the southeast NAL
House at once ordered his attachment
forward, keeping in the low grout1a and
valleys, out of sight Of the Indians They
of what is now western Dtckey county,
North Dakota, about six miles north Of
the South Dakota line. The hills were
covered with white stones, hence the
name which has attached to the battle
field.
Gen. Sully and the main force were
twelve miles away. Maj. House approach
ed the camp on a sharp ganop, when,
as they turned into the valley Of the
lake, they were startled to find that they
were directly upon the entire band Of
the enemy. fully 5000 savages. The COL
umn halted sharply, and the men sprang
to the ground, guns in hand. The In
zdians. though likewise surprised, prepar-
!. ed for action, but did not attack, crying
out: They are but few; we will wait and
kill them at sunset" Upon first sight Of
the enemy, La Framboise had been dis
patched to notify Gen. Sully, and Nal
House realized that all he could hope for
was to hold the Sioux in check until the
main body came up. Rarely h,@ a body
of unframed troops been placed in a more
trying position. There were but 800 Of
the soldiers, while a few yards distant
were 5000 warriors, who hawled and
jeered in the most threatening manner
delaying an attack only, as~% y suppos
ed to better enjoy the torture Of their
enemies, and capable at any moment Of
utterly destroying the little battalion.
Fully two hours of suspense wore away.
while the howl of the wolf blended with
the War-whoop Of the Indians as they
prepared for a carnival of death, mean
| while cautiously guarding the position
! of the soldiers, lest they should escape.
| On the other hand Major House was en-
| gaging in every diversion which was cal
| culated to kin time and delay the at
| tack AS the sun was setting, the noise
and confusion of the Indian camp chang
| ed to the monotonous chant of the death
song. and the warriors came out piano.
! piled for the massacre. Unable to secure
the usual war-paints, they had bedaubed
| their bodies with a blush mud from the
| lake shore, and they presented a hideous
aspect. To the Indian mind it was to
be an execution of prisoners not a battle:
for from the moment Major House came
upon tho camp his force had virtually
been prisoners
Scarcely was the first shot fired when
General Sully and his comand appeared
upon a hilltop less than a mile away,
coming at the topmost speed. His ap-