The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-07-31
Judge Cray Writes of Experiences as
a Soldier in 1923.
He Recalls Many Interesting Incidents
That Occurred Hereabouts.
Part His Company Took During Indian
Outbreak of 1862.
Fought Down South During Rebellion
Tribute TO Fairmont.
From Mondays Daily.

FROM Mondays Daily.
Judge Lorin Cray writes the followin.
interesting communication, relative t,
early history in southern Minnesota. t,
The Fairmont Sentinel:
In the spring of 1896 / promised TIL,
Sentinel that | would write for publica
ton some recollections of my experienc,
as a soldier at and in the vicinity o.
Fairmont during the Indian war of 1856:
and 1868
L am very prompt in keeping my en-
gagements, and | now proceed to keeI
my promise then made.
In Aug. 1862, | lived in Blue Eartl
county, about one mile from the north
east corner of Martin county, and on the
18th day of that month, at the age OF
seventeen years, | enlisted in the United
States service for three years. We ar
rived at Fort Smelling on the 18th, and
on the 10Th a company was organized
consisting of fourteen men from Blue
Earth county, about forty from Fari-
bault county, fifty from Nicollet county
with few from other localities, making
a sufficient number to organize a COM
pany. We were assigned as Co. ID. Ninth
Minnesota Infantry, but we did not see
the other companies of our regiment for
more than a year thereafter. We elect
ed as company officers A. K Skaro of st.
Peter captain, George Patton and H. r.
Walker of Faribault county as first and
second heutenants, and also a full line
of non commissioned officers. On the
very day of our organization we learn
ed of the Indian outbreak at the lower
agency, and Jour company was ordered to
march at once for st. Peter Company ID
was made up very largely of farmer boys,
right from the harvesting fields, dressed
In denims and straw hats, and we were
not in first class marching order, nor in
very presentabe condition. More than
this, the only arms with which we could
then be furnished were old Austrian and
Belgian muskets. which had been stored
and poorly cared for since the war of
1872, and many of which were utterly
useless as firearms. Notwithstanding
this, we made a forced march for st.
Peter, looking more like squad of Mis-
souri, buchwhackerS than like union, sol
diers. We spent the winter at ST. Peter
in drilling, picketing the town along the
bluffs to the west, and scouting in the
country towards New Ulm and Fort
Ridgeley. While at st. Peter, and in the
early part of December, 1862, few of
us learned late one afternoon, that an
effort was to be made by the citizens of
Mankato and New Ulm and vicinity the
following evening to kill the Indian pris-
oners, three hundred and more, then in
o. fhn 70
of Sibley park. As no admission fee was
charged, few of us determined to attend
the entertainment. After dark we ap-
propriat0d team of government mules
and wagon and started for Mankato,
where we arrived about nine o'clock in
the evening The headquarters of the
bloodthirsty citizens was the old Manka-
10 House, where liquid refreshments were
being served literally, without money
and without price. A very large crowd
congregated there, and there seemed to
be no great haste to march on the Indian
camp. Several times a start was made
Ivy a squad of fifty or one hundred per-
sons, who would proceed for few hun
dped feet, and then halt, and finally re-
turn for more refreshments. Finally at
nearly midnight the supply of refresh
nlents must have become exhausted, for
the army moved. Several hundred of the
citizens started south along Front street
for the Indian camp, struggling for dis
lance of several blocks. When the head
of the column reached West Mankato it
halted until the rear came up, and while
a rambling discussion was going on as to
elo do how
should do it, Captain (since governor)
Austin, with his company of cavalry sur
rounded the whole squad and marched
them down to Colonel Miller's headquar-
tiers right at the Indian camp, where, at
this time, they seemed very reluctant to
90. The scene here was ridiculous in the
G, IRENE. Col. Miller came out and talk
ed to the citizens, and asked why they
had congregated in such large numbers,
everyone. who answered at all, insisted
that his mission was wholly peaceful.
and that he was ignorant of any evil
designs by any one, and finally the
colonel ordered their release, and suggest
ed that they go home, which they has
tened to do.
About two weeks afterward, and on
December Goth, 1862, my company came
to Mankato to act as guard upon one
side of the scaffold at the execution OF
the thirty eight Indians which were then
hanged, and OF which execution so much
has been written and said. In the very
early spring of 1863, my company was
ordered from ST. Peter to Judson on the
west side of the Minnesota rvier about
midway between Mankato and New Ilm
Here we built a sod fort about $50 feet
square and about ten feet high, making
ar excellent fort for resisting Indian at,
tacks, and here we remained until May
of that year, scouting the prairies and
timber. and bearing dispatches between
New Ulm, st. Peter, South Bend and
Mankato. The remains of this fort car
still be seen.
In the early part of May, 1868, one
platoon of our company was ordered to
Fairmont, and the other platoon to q
small prairie lake about eleven miles
northwest from Fairmont, and shor1
distance north of Elm Creek, then calleC
Chansaska lake. / was with the platoon
under command of Captain Skaro order
ed to Fairmont. We marched from Jud
son by way of Garden City. Vernon ant
Shelbyville to Winnebago City, and iron
there we marched across the prairie L
as nearly direct line as possible to Far