Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1905-12-01

varying success. Fremont routed the
Confederates in Missouri, Butler had
taken the City Of New Orleans and
the little Monitor had driven the
rebel ironclad Merrimac out of Hamp-
ton Roads while Mcclellan was march
ing to Richmond with an army of two
hundred Thousand men, and the boys
in blue were rejoicing over the pros
pective ending of the war, and in glad
anticipation of their return home,
were already singing that popular
song, entitled: "When This Cruel
War is Over"
Vain hope!
Mcclellan was defeated before Rich
mond, Lee threatened Washington,
and the war was prolonged. In those
gloomy September days in 1862, the
union men silently waited and
watched Lees advance into Maryland
with shuddering nerves and sickening
dred. The great rebel general pushed
on with sixty-five Thousand men,
while McClellan's divisions were hur-
rying up in the direction Of Antietam
creek to oppose him. .... r.
The great battle of Antietam was
to be fought, and on every line con-
verging toward the scene Of destined
action, batteries were rumbling,
cavalry was galloping, and great
masses of infantry, with bayonets
sparkling in the pale autumnal sun
light, were pressing forward eager to
participate in the coming struggle.
But tragic events more startling in
the northwest than defeats or victor
les on the Potomac, were being enact
ed on the frontier settlements of Min
nesota and Dakota.
Swift footed couriers carried the
sad intelligence of the uprising of the
Sioux Indians, and that horrible
massacre had been committed by
them. ''.-
Long professions of carts and wag-
ons bearing the families Of settlers
who had escaped from the Indians,
filed past the frontier villages, while
by night the red glare Of burning
buildings could be seen reflected on
the pail of overhanging clouds in the
west.
Hour after hour, the deep mourn
ful tolling Of alarm bells, moaning for
help which never came, was heard in
the distance, tolling the sad requiem
OF death and desoiation, while snok-
ing ruins and wrecks Of mortality
marked the trail of the savages!
The battles of New Ulm, Birch
Coolie, Fort Ridgely and Wood Lake
were fought in the fall of 1862, and
the Indians were driven on to the
plains of Dakota. Fifteen hundred
prisoners were captured at "Camp
Release" in November, and one hun
dred and twentysix white women and
children were taken from their savage
captors, sad wrecks OF mortality.
Thirtyeight Indians were hung at
Mankato on the Goth Of December,
and during the long winter months
Of 1863, preparations were made for
the starting out of two expeditions in
pursuit of the hostile savages on the
wild Dakota plains.
The forces of Gen. Sibley's Expedi-
tion fought the Sioux Indians on the
plains Of North Dakota, in the bat
ties OF Big Mound, Dead Buffalo lake
and Stony Lake, on the oath, 25th,
and 28th of July, 1868, driving the de-
feated Indians across the Missouri at
Sibley Island, near the present city
of Bismark. The defeated warriors
recrossed the Missouri to hunt buffalo
in the James river valley and were
again attacked and defeated by Gen.
Sully's troops at the battle of White
Stone hills, on the 3rd of Sc ptember.
During the year 1884, lone hunter
discovered the battlefield of White
Stone hills, where he found the
skeleton remains of twentysix horses
and eight white men, the slain in
that battle
Whose bones lay bleaching where they fell.
The VOLTS wild cadence their lonely knell!
At the close of the war the settle
ment of South Dakota was rapid,
soon becoming prosperous territory.
My recollection of the first court
held at Yankton was in the winter OF
1865, with Judges Asa BARTLETT as
chief justice and w. w. Brookings,
associate judge. 1t convened in the