The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1909-10-21

NTY, NORTH DAKOTA, THU
the dead but even yet the country's
obligation remains perpetual. The
debt to the soldier can never be paid.
"To the survivors of this battle and
to the relatives of those who died here
this monument will. be e;.aecially graft
flying as we'll as sacred Though near
ly half century has passed, the men
that fell here still live in the affections
of those who, SO many years ago,
parted with them in tears and who
later were called upon to bear the bur-
den of that grief, so common then,
which almost daily filled some house,
hold with mourning.
1.-The territory comprising North
Dakota was not great battle-ground.
The battle of Whitestone Hill was one,
however, of several severe engage
ments with the Indians, originally in
spired by that willy chieftain, Little
Crow, who for deep cunning and un-
usual sagacity easily takes rank with
the greatest of Indian leaders. To
avenge wrongs, real or fancied, he
formulated schemes and effected COM
binations among the Santees, Cut
heads, Yanktonais, Blackfeet and Hun
capa-pas that would do credit to the
genius of Napoleon, for the avowed
purpose of exterminating all whites
living west of the Mississippi river.
In this he did not succeed, but the ter
rible massacres that resulted from the
Indian uprisings of 1862 and 1863, the
bloody tragedies that were enacted in
the frontier villages and pioneer homes
of Minnesota and along the border of
the Dakotas are evidences of his saw
age intentions.
1.-The massacre at New Ulm and
numerous other atrocities made it nec-
essary to invoke the strong arm of the
federal government, before which
Little Grow and his hostiles fled west
ward to the Red river and beyond.
"Foiled at last by the brave resist
ance of the settlers and troops at Fort
Abercrombie, the Indians scattered in
warlike bands over the territory now
comprising North Dakota, where the
commands of General Sully and Colonel
Sibley marched over rnany hundreds of
weary miles to chastise them for their
savage deeds and to forestall further
acts of violence on the part of
the hostiles. The final chapter of
the Indian uprising of 1862 was written
when darkness ended the battle of
Whitestone Hill on September 3, 1863.
"We can scarcely realize that where
we now stand, in the midst of peaceful
and prosperous homesteads, in a land
of schools and churches there was on
September 8, 1868, a village of some
600 lodges which sheltered l 800 hostile
Indian warriors. Here Major House in
command of battalion of the Sixth
Iowa consisting of 300 men, while
scouting, came upon this Indian camp
and engaged the Indians while his
faithful guide, LaFrambois, hastened
at breakneck speed to carry the news
to Sully's camp, ten miles away. Cen
eral Sully acted with commendable
promptness. Within an hour Colonel
Furnas in command of the Second
Nebraska, Colonel Wilson in command
of the Sixth Iowa, Lieutenant Colonel
Patter and Major Ten Brook in COM
mand of two companies of the Seventh
Iowa were here, and the battle was
general. Darkness soon put an end to
hostllities, but while the battle lasted
it was fierce and decisive. The troops
were raw but brave and fought like
veterans. Every man played his part
like hero. Not man fiinched under
the Indians murderous fire. Had day.
light lasted two hours longer the In
dians would have been annihilated. AS
it was the chastisement was so severe
that it practically ended the campaign,
the Indians having lost in the neigh.
borhood of $50 killed, 300 wounded and
156. prisoners, besides about 500 tons OF
dried buffalo meat together with their
lodges, many of their ponies, theil
cooking untensils and other supplies.
The battle Of Whitestone Hill left the
Indians practically bankrupt at the be-
ginning of a northern winter which
rendered the victory still more decisive
and lasting.
General Sully's command lost TWEEN
ty men killed and 80 wounded, accord
ing to his report to Major j. F. Meline
Acting Assistant Adjutant General
Department of the Northwest, unde
date of September II, 1868.
''This monument will long remind us
among other things, that some of tn