The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-08-29
the GREAT INDIAN MASSACRE
THOUSANDS GATHER IN THE CITY
TO WITNESS THE CERE-
MONIES.
DAYS THAT TRIED MEMS SOULS
FEATURES AND INCIDENTS OF BAT
TIE OF LONG AGO ARE
LIVED OVER.

Saturday and Sunday the city Of New
Ulm was gaily attired for the fortieth
anniversary of the great Indian mas
sacre. All trains into the city were
packed and visitors from the surround
Ing country swelled the number OF
sightseers into the thousands. An ap-
propriate program had been prepared
and was carried out to the letter.
The program for Saturday was as
follows:
$3.50 a. m.-Grand historic, military
sant and staff (mounted). defenders.
the Second regiment, N. G. s. NJ, Capt.
Burg's battery, twenty historical floats,
New Ulm fire department and apparat-
us and all civil societies OF New Ulm
participated.
1880 a. m.-Speeches, vocal music at
German Park: address Of welcome by
Mayor Charles Weschcke; orator Of the
day. Moses E. Clapp. Addresses were
also made by Gov. Van SAINT, ex-Gov.
John Lind and Others.
2 p. m.-Speeches in German by Rev.
Alexander B%erghold and Col. Pfaender
at German Park.
$3.50 p. m.-Sham battle by the Second
&c giment and Capt. Berg's battery.
s p. m.-Review and parade.
$3.50 p. IN. - Reception to Gov. Van
SAINT and staff, defenders. officers Of
and invited guests at Turner hall
Band concerts IN Minnesota street.
Sundays program was as follows:
l p. m.-Grand picnic at Hermann's
Heights.
$3.50 p. m.-Review and parade ny Sec
ond regiment and Berg's battery.
Visitors appreciated a plan to portray
the great battle Of 1862 by a series OF
descriptive tablets. At every point
where important battles were fought.
t%arricades erected or the slaughter
great . these placards. whose inscrip-
tions deal fully with details. were
placed. The positions occupied by the
defenders and by the Indians were in
dicated in full, and in this way strang-
ers In the city were able to secure q
good impression Of the great conflict.
A band Of Sioux Indians. descendants
OF the once famous nation which ter
rorized the Minnesota valley in the year
1862, camped on the principal street of
New Ulm.
Battle OF New U1m.
Much has been written of the battle
OF New Ulm and the credit of h sue
cessful resistance Of the Indians has
been largely given to the soldiers who
~,-no Fror~ c. Dafcr h,,f thic &c nm f1ct
for the light was over when the troops
arrived, and though they took no part
in the first battle they relieved tn.
anxiety, and when the second fight took
place a week later they were on hand
and did good work. Had New Ulm
fallen on the first day the butchery that
would have resulted would have been
indescribable.
The Indians in the attack on New
Clm have been estimated in numbers at
600. They advanced Upon the city in a
solid body until within about a mile,
when the mass began to spread out like
q far and come on with increasing
rapidity until the horde Of savages were
within rifle shot, when they covered the
entire front of the village. Then. as
With one accord. they uttered a ter
rifle yell and charged like the wind.
The vel: unsettled the men, and before
a shot was fired they made the mistake
Of falling back, which allowed the In
dams to occupy the buildings In the
outskirts of the village. The men then
rallied, and the firing on both sides be-
came general, every man doing his W
work in his own fashion.
The fight was waged for two hours
with very little loss to the town people.
while the Indians suffered heavily. The
rife men sought good positions from
which they could keep the enemy at a
distance, and only three houses, Crop
per's, Belm's and Steinhauser's, were
fired during the attack. Luckily 1t COM
menced to rain after the fight had ragged
about an hour, and the burning OF
buildings was thus hindered to a great
degree. During this rain the squad that
had gone to Leavenworth in the morn
ing returned. They were attacked with
in hearing distance Of the town by the
f~erocious Indians and nine of them were
killed. Coming In two squads they fell
easy victims to their red-skinned enc
mics, and the names OF Carroll, Lemon.
the LOOMS brothers, Lamb, Ryan and
futile appear among the slaughtered.
In the town the fighting continued
slowly. Both whites and reds sought
cover as much as possible, M the res
idents soon gained courage. Between
4 and S o'clock seventy men under COM
mand of A. M. Bean and Samuel Coffin
arrived from Nicollet. Some OF these
were in favor of an immediate attack
on the part of the besieged forces so as
to obtain additional ground and re-
strain the Indians from burning any
more buildings. Twenty men volun-
teered to undertake this. and running
from house to house they soon reached
the home of Mr.. Rehfeld. This was at
once garrisoned so that further advance
from that section Of the town was pre-
vented. Ten men remained there till
night, exchanging shots with the In
dams at every opportunity. The enemy
soon disappeared from view. and a fear
full anxiety as to the future settled over
the town until a clornor was heard In
the lower part of the village. Every
body was at ono possessed with the
idea that an attack was being made on
the rear. and those stationed In the