The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-02

hau 10 De made over. The horses of
tue mounted men and the men them
selves were utterly inexperienced, I'M
disciplined and practically unarmed. II
was the best the countrv afforded bu+
was probably about as poorly an equip
peu army as ever entered the field to
nace Whdt l regard as the best war
flors that ever fought on the North
american continent; but fortunately the
oltcerS and men We're all that could be
9eslreo- Col. Crooks. colonel Of the
SlEtn regiment, was educated at West
Point and IS a natural soldier and com
mander of men
These leaders We're seconded by sub
oiuii ates ana enthusiastic men, and soon
oEefcane their physical difficulties, but
| tney were IN utter ignorance of the
strength, position or previous movements
t o. the fr enemy no news having reached
them from RidgelY or New UIm A mis-
take resulting in defeat would have been
datai. me mistake was not made. Col
Sl6ley left St Peter on Tuesday, the
command under iCoLf McPhail with
Whom was company from Minneapolis
| uLder Arson Northrop an old frontiers
| man, arrived at the fort on the 9th and
were the frst relief that garrison re-
celvNd. The main command under Col.
| SIbley reached the fort on the 18th in
the morning. Intrenchrnents were thrown
| up around the fort cannon were nronev-
! ~ pldced ana strong guard maintained
| OE the 5lst of August detail of Capt
1[&nt company, of the Sixth regiment
! nHantry, seventy men of the Cullen
| Guard, under Capt. Anderson and some
citizens and other soldiers in all about
| l9o men: under command OF Mai Jo-
! seph X. Brown, with seventeen teams and
tednlSIefS, We're sent to the lower agency
TO feel the enemy bury the dead and
! perform any other service that might
! arise The first night the command was
eEca nped Opposite the agency. The next
! day crossed the river, went as far west
| as the Redwood river, and began a re-
turlt march to Fort Ridgely over the
| pralrle route and went into camp at the
| head of Birch Coolie, fourteen miles from
! the fort. on Sept. l.
Lulled into a sense of security by not
! having seen any signs OF Indians, the
camp was CHOSEN for its convenience to
| Wood and water, regardless of the ques-
! ton of defense,
It has been learned since from reliable
! 1nolah sources the hOstiles had gone
towards the upper agency after leaving
| New Ulm and the fort where they con
| centrated all their forces and raacared
fba pan Minn TO proceed down the valley o;
and attack Mankato and st. Peter sim
| ultaneouSly taking the risk of vadinG
| the troops behind them Had this pro-
gramme been carried out St Peter wul,id
certainly nave fallen, as it was entirely
| incapable of defense, and Mankato might
| nave shared the same fate
IN starting down the valley the atten-
| MAJ. Browns detachment going into
Blrch Coolie They stopped, and during
| the night surrounded the camp, and in
| the gray of the morning opened mur
oefous hre upon it, keeping cover in
/ some brush and timber behind rolls in
| the prairie, and in ravines
| r me Dght continued uninterruptedly On
duesday and Wednesday morning. the
| ma ana 81 of Sep tenlber the men suffer-
| ing dreadfully from want of water among
tnelr other miseries, but they neld the
| enemy OIL calamity all this time On
tuesday morning sentinels at the fort
! reported firing in the direction Of the
| agency. lay
Col. sibiey dispatched Col McPha,l
WIN hfty mounted men. Mai. McLaren
| WIN lOo infantry, and Capt Mark Hen
uT1cks with mountain howitzer to their
They reached that afternoon a point
ABOUT three miles from where Mai
! Browns party We're engaged Here thev
Were attacked by large party of IN
| Inducements
Lieut.. Sheehan, who, on hearing the
! 4HIlhE al the Tort, rode out in the direc-
iron TO reconnoiter, was nearly surround
wounded and died the moment he de-
IlEe1ed his rider at the fort. So great
! We're the numbers of Indians opposing
olle n, IHa r Tor the relief of the besieged
! a. the CooIle, messenger was dispatch
eu 70 the fort for further reinforce
ments, and the detachment went into
camp for the night.
| On the arrival of the uessanear froro
! Col. McPhail the whole remaining forca
| Oh the expedition were put under march
/ ing orders, Col Sibley in command. and
on the morning of Sept. they reached
| Blrch Coolie, when the Indians with
GREW and the camp that had been under
! Hre thirty hours relieved
! The casualties were twenty-three killed
! or mortally wounded, who afterwards
! dleG of their wounds. and fortv-five less
| severely wounded. Ninety horses We're
| killed i0
! There is probably no person in the
! state familiar with the circumstances
that does not commend Gov Ramsey for
the appointment of so distinguished and
! efficient an officer to the command of
THIS important expedition He had a longer
| and more Intimate acquaintance with
! Gen Sibley than with any other man in
Minnesota, and when we consider that
the emergency arose when the state was
! without means or material to resist it,
| the Civil war was at crisis. and we
! without soldiers. guns, ammunition. pro-
visions. camp equipage or transporta-
! ton.
| The result of the first seasons expedi-
| ton was all that the most sanguine could
! have anticipated. and fully justified the
| confidence reposed by the executive in
| Gen. SibIey's ability and fitness for the
command. B. H. Randall