The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-06-28

gins to ascend towards the lake.
| 1t was constructed of large, long
logs, and was about eight feet high
and one hundred and fifty feet
square; it enclosed the first Martin
county court house, which was used
by us as a mess room. This court
house was about 10 by "a, built Of
boards, one story high, and is there
yet, just to the south of the court
house grounds, and should be pre-
served.
This fort had just been vacated by
a company of Wisconsin cavalry in
anticipation of our arrival. A draft
of this fort made by government
engineers is now in the files of that
society. We found Oh investigation
that we had inherited from the
cavalry company two canoes and
small fiat boat, which were lying at
what is now the boat landing on
| Sisseton Lake.
These boats furnished us with
very much amusement. 1t was a
| favorite pastime to engage in naval
battles, the two canoes against the
! fiat boat, and more than once I
found myself and canoe tipped over
in the middle of the lake, my paddle
captured, and | left to get ashore
as best I could
The platoon ordered to Chanyaska
Lake under command of Lieutenant
Patton, arrived there about the time
that we reached Fairmont. This
lake was a shallow prairie lake
with heavy marsh grass all around
it, and was literally alive with
geese, brant and ducks, and quite
frequently, large swans could be
seen upon its waters.
Constructed a Fort.
This platoon constructed a sod
fort near the shore of this lake
much like the fort we had built at
Judson About once in each month
our platoons changed locations, so
that each platoon was in each fort
about an equal length of time
Our duties consisted of scouting
the praires to the west of US for
Indians. Not an Indian was seen by
us that summer.
A line of forts was constructed
and occupied that summer, extend
ing from the Iowa line, northerly to
Fort Abercrombie, and cavalry
scouts frequently passed along this
line, carrying our. mails, and keep
ing us posted as to Indian disturb
ances. Captain Mcleod, General
Sibley's chief of scouts. and a very
congenial man, frequently visited US.
We had a few good musicians in
our company and we determined to
have a celebration at Fairmont on
July 4, and dance in the evening.
We invited our friends and relatives
all along the line from Blue Earth
City to st. Peter and | think that
about every one came. Our bar
racks, which we surrendered to the
ladies, were filled to overlooking.
We soldiers slept upon the stable
roofs, the ground, in our boats,
everywhere and anywhere, and be-
cause of the mosquitoes, the most of
us, nowhere. The platoon from
Chanyaska came over and we had a
royal time, rounded out with an all
night dance.
The day before the Fourth, six Of
us went out on Sisseton and George
lakes with our three boats and kill
ed thirty-sx geese; another detail of
men caught fish in abundance, and
on the 4th our meals were mostly
fish and goose, goose and fish, boil
ed. fried, stewed, broiled, and raw.
The unusual movement of Indians
and troops on the western plains
that summer seemed to disturb and
break up the usually large herds OF
buffalo which roamed there, into
smaller herds which wandered in
many directions On two occasions
in the early morning, our pickets
discovered buffalo across Sisseton
lake to the west of us. On one &C.
casion, two, and on another, three.
We Immediately organized hunting
parties and succeeded in killing all
of them, enjoying the novelty OF
buffalo steak very much.
We had one horse which belonged
to one of our officers, and on one of
these occasions there was peddler
at our fort who drove an old and
somewhat crippled horse. These
horses were both taken by the
soldiers on the buffalo hunt.
The man riding the peddler's
horse approached quite near buff
falo after we had surrounded him,
and fired, wounding the buffalo,
which quickly lowered his head and
charged directly at him, and it was
with the greatest effort that this
nan succeeded in getting the
machinery of that horse in motion
luick enough to escape being caught;
both man and horse then and there
'etired from the field.
Caught Game Alive.
We succeeded at both of our forts.
n catching alive foxes, prairie
chickens, quails, cranes, geese, and
IN endless variety of ducks, making
eally an interesting collection, which
We kept in cages and pens, cared
or and fed, until we turned them
,ver to our successors.
We also had a tame hawk at each
ort. wings entirely uncut, at liberty
O come and go as they would, but
hey were the most tame of any of
ur collection, and came long dis
ances to answer the bugle call for
meals.
At our fort at FairmOnt we learn
d lesson in order which l think
one of us have ever quite forgot
en-. One dark night after midnight
he drum sounded the long roll,
,hich means IAN attack, get into
me quick" Things had been going
and we had gotten extreme
Y careless in the location of our
lothing on retiring to bed. and
UGH confusion as this call caused,
an hardly be imagined.
7 iumped from the INNER hunk