New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1902-07-16

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Yellow Medicine and the mouth of the
Chippewa.
Another Campaign Planned.
Our scouts brought word that our old
friends, Wapetonhonske (the long trader),
as we called Gen. sibley, was coming up
against US, and in few days we learned
that he had come to Fort Ridgely with a
large number of soldiers. Little Crow
with strong party went over into the
Big Woods, towards Forest City and
Hutchinson. After he had gone l and
the other subchief concluded to 60 down
and attack New Ulm again and take the
town and cross the river to the east, or
in the rear of Fort Rdgely, where
Sibley was, and then our movements
were to be governed by circumstances.
We had left our villages near the Red
wood in some haste and alarm, expect
ing to be followed after the defeat at
Ridgely, and had not taken all our prop
erty away. So we took many of our
women with us to gather up the property
and some other things, and we brought
along some wagons to haul them off.
Birch coulie. >~
We came down the main road on the
south side of the river, and we're several
hundred strong. We left our camps in
the morning and got to our old villages
in the afternoon. When the men in adj
vance reached Little Crows village
which was on the high bluff on the south
side of the Minnesota, below the mouth
of the Redwood-they looked to the
north across the valley and up on the
high bluff on the north side, and out on
the prairie some miles away they saw
column of mounted men and some
wagons coming out of the Beaver creek
timber on the prairie and going east
ward. We also saw signs in Little Crows
village that white men had been there
only few hours before, and judging
from the trail they had made when they
left these we're the men we now saw to
the northward. There was, of course, q
little excitement, and the column halted.
-Four or five of our best scouts were sent
across the valley to follow the move
ments of the soldiers, creeping across
the prairie like 50 many ants. 1t was
near shutdown, and we, knew they would
soon 60 into camp, and we thought the
camping ground would be somewhere on
the Birch Coulie, where there were wood
and water. The women went to work to
load the wagons. The scouts followed
the soldiers carefully and little after
sundown returned with the information
that they had gone into camp near the
head of Birch Coulle. At this time we
did not know there were two com panies
there. We thought the company of
mounted men (Capt. Anderscn's) was all,
and that there were not more than
seventy-fve men.
1t was concluded to<asurround the
camp that night and attack=it at day
light. We felt sure we could capture it,
and that 900 men would be enough fol
the undertaking. So about that number
was selected. There were four bands
my own, Hu-sha- sha's (aRed Legs')
Gray Birds and Mankato's. I had about
thirty men. Nearly all the Indians had
double-barrelled shotguns, aud we load
ed them with buckshot and large bullets
called "traders' balls" After dark We
started, crossed the river and the valley
went up the bluffs and on the prairie
and soon we saw the white tents anG
the wagons of the camp. We had nc
difficulty in surrounding the camp. The
pickets were only little way from it.
led my men up from the west through
the grass and took up a position zoe