The Cook County herald., 1902-10-25


manding and within gunshot of the
corral. The Indians could are from
concealed and protected situations.
and nearly all 55of them had donnie,
sbarreled kshotguns loaded with buck
shot and large bullets called traders,
balls. .s%F e SS5 ~ n ~
a The. Indians under Red Legs occu-- !
pied the Birch Coulie,s east Of The,
camp. Some - Mankato's Warriors
were In the c0ulie and some in the
5swale to the south. - Big Eagles hand
was chiefly behind and about the knoll
to the west, and Gray Birds was in
the ravlne and on the prairie to the
north: While they were waiting to
begin the attack during the night,
some OF the warriors crawled through
the prairie grass unobseTved to with
in fifty feet of the sentinels, and it
was seriously proposed to shoot them
with arrows-making no noise-and
to rush the camp in the darkness.
In the dark hour just before dawn
Capt. Anderson's cook, who was early
astir, had his suspicious of danger
aroused by noting that some of the
horses with lifted heads were staring
intently toward the west, and mani
Testing indications of uneasiness.
Some fugitive cattle which had been
gathered up and driven along with the
command, and which had been lying
down south of the corral, rose one
after another and began TO move SLOW
ly towards the corral, as if retreating
from danger. The cook had quietly
awakened his captain and was talking
to him of what he had seen when the
alarm was given.
Sentinel William L. Hart of Ander-
sons company was on duty on the post
between the eastern border of the cor
sral and Birch Coulie. He was in con-
}versation with Robert Gibbons, a COM
|rade in his company. The dawn was
coming family from the east when,
looking in that direction across the
Birch Coulie, Hart saw what he at
first thought were two calves gallop-
ing through the tall grass of the
prairie toward the coulie. In another
moment he saw that the objects were
two Indians skulking along and trail
ing their guns at their Sides. "They
are Indians" cried Hart to his COM
paniOn, and instantly fired. AS if he
had given the signal, suddenly came a
deadly roar from hundreds of Indian
guns all about the camp, and the bat
tie had begun. In the rain of bullets
Gibbons was mortally wounded, but
Hart ran to the corral unhurt and
fought through the battle, living to be-
come an officer in the police force of
st. Paul, where he died in 1896.
The details of the battle belong to
bther publications and have been fire.
Quently given. At the first alarm
nearly all of the men instinctively
sprang to their feet. In obedience to
orders Capt. Grants company attempt
ed to fall into line, and the swift, well
delivered volleys of the Indians struck
down thirty men in three minutes.
The horses, too tied at the borders of
the corral, fell fast, and their bodies
were utilized as breastworks. The
fight lasted all of that day, all of the
succeeding night and until about noon
of Sept. 3, or thirty-six hours. All
this time the men on the firing line
were without water, the limited sup
ply in the camp being given to the
wounded. AS Big Eagle, one of the
chiefs who was in the battle, says:
sowing to the white mems way of
fighting, they lost many men; owing