The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-05
INDIAN FIGHTERS
REVIVE Old DAYS
SURVIVORS OF HATCH's BATTAL-.
ION MEET IN REUNION.
But a. Handful Remain Of the Men
Who Made the Long Winter March
to Pembina and Captured Leaders of
the Massacre Storms Added to Or
deal.

the Massacre-Storms Added to Or
deal.
A little band Of grizzled Indian fight
ers, bound together by the ties which
unite men who have gone thru hard
ship and privation and braved death to-
gether, gathered this morning in Nor
gan post hall at the tenth annual re-
union Of Hatch IS independent Battalion
OF Cavalry, Minnesota volunteers.
Hardly more than a dozen Of the sur
vivors Of that gallant band were pres
emit. There was many a vacant chair
and some were filed by the widows and
sons and daughters Of those who have
departed. Veterans Of the battalion
ted out again, so that it is impossible
to state lust how many attended the
reunion. @.5. ..--... -.
During the forenoon the former Of
fcers were all reelected, as follows:
President, Hugh E. Craig, Orrock,
Mimi; vice presidents, J. Bushke: Glen
zee, MINI; A. +. spesrry, Will4ma1TT'
Craig, J. E. Flynn, Little Falls, MINI,
and James A.. Hartig; secretary. and
treasurer, George B. Bradbury, Mime
apolis.
Next years reunion will be held at
ST.. Paul.
Addresses were delivered by num-
per Of those present ana P lev LII L. Long
as did several Of the other speakers,
interesting "reminiscences Of the stir
ring days Of wartime. The members Of
the battalion who were present were
pleasantly surprised, by the ne appearance
NOUS Indian scout, whom many Of the
members had believed dead.
They are quiet, modest men, these
old Indian fighters. They do not talk
Of their services to their country and
they shun any notoriety; but if they
would tell of the severe hardships and
stirring adventures Of the days of '63,
it would make interesting reading.
Battalion's Record.
Hatch's Independent Battalion of
cavalry, MINI esota volunteers, was or,
gained in July, 1868, under command
Of Major E. A. G. Hatch Of st. Paul,
to drive the murderous Sioux across the
border. The horrible Sioux Indian
massacre on the frontier of Minnesota
in the summer of 1862, when the whole
country was aroused by the brutal mas
sacre Of hundreds of defenseless women
and children, led to the formation Of
the battalion.
United States troops, under command
of General H. H. Sibley, succeeded in
driving the Sioux in 1868 across the
Minnesota border, where they gathered
together in a large band in the vicinity
Of st. Joe, in what is now North Da'
kota, some forty miles west and north
west of Pembina. Among the Indians
were number Of the most notorious
murderers and cut-throats in the Sioux
nation, among them the famous Little
Six (Shakopee) and Medicine Bottle
ranking chiefs of the Sioux nation and
arch enemies of the whites.
AS originally organized, there were
four companies in the battalion: Com
lpany A, under command Of Captain A
T. Chamblin; Company B, Captain
tain Abel Grovenor, and Company D
TALON was accompanied on the expedi
| ton by one section Of the Third bat
terry, Minnesota Light Artillery, and by
number Of Indian scouts.
The start was made from ST. Paul or
Oct. s, 1868. The weather was raw
and severe. Storms, both Of rain ant
snow, drove over the prairies with fear
full force, cutting the faces of the
troopers like knife. The wagon trail
mules made little more than ten o.
twelve miles day. 1t was fearful
march and it's hardships will never b.
forgotten by those who participated il
it. One detachment, under command
of Lieutenant Mix, became lost in .
binding storm on the prairie and it wa
some time before the battalion wa
united at Fort Abercrombie.
At this rest station Major Hatch
found it necessary to combat the deep
= est Encouragement on the part of hi
men. Many urged the major to renal,
there for the remainder Of the white
and push on to st. Joe when the win
ter had broken. All were discourage,
and depressed, but Major Hatch wa
4 resolute, and on Nov. the start wa
made for Pembina.
Picked Men Struck Blow.
The snow was from eight to lively
inches deep and the bleak and desolat
binding billiards.. Making their wa
over the frozen ground in force
marches, half frozen and blinded by tn
pitiless storm, the little band reache
Pembina on Nov. 10, 1868. It was nc
until the middle Of December, in 1876;
that little detachment of picked me
started out to effect the capture Of tn
murderous Indians. Two of those VIII
were in that little company were pre-
. i
Craig, president of the battalion, an
James W. Hankinson of Minneapoli
the veteran detective. The start we
made at O clock in the morning.
The story of: the early morning a
4 tack on the Ind ian camp, the shootin
and confusion in the darkness, tt
4 stampede of the Indians and the ca
h ture of Little Six and Medicine Bot
, is one of the most stirring in the anna
of Indian fighting. Little Six an
Medicine Bottle were brought und,
heavy guard to Fort Smelling, and
October, 1865, were executed in the pr
sence Of large crowd of spectator
Soon afterward the commander at Fo
Garry, now Winnipeg, sent word til;
he had been notified by the remaind'
Il Of the renegade Indians that they WEI
/ willing to surrender.
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