Evening journal., 1913-06-20
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
An Example Of John c. Cal
hOun'S Coed Judgment
b. uOilsnd.

"I sometimes have the harmless
vanity of thinking that my appoint I
ment as a lieutenant in the United
States Army by John c. Calhoun
when he was secretary of war in the
administration of President Monroe,
made possible the saving of Fort
Smelling from a preconcerted attack
by the Indians of the Northwest in
the year 1885. If you trace directly
from cause to effect. Calhoun's choice
of me as lieutenant did result In the
saving of Fort Smelling"
1t was the late General James Wat
son Webb who died in 1874 at the
age of 50, narrating to some members
of his family an incident in his mil
itary life associated with the rescue
OF Fort Smelling.
Calhoun appointed me as a lieuten-
ent in the army, although | had no
political backing and no one to say
word for me. ] had a brief inter
view with Calhoun, and ! now realize
that in that interview he studied me
SO that he might know whether he
would be justified in appointing RE
lieutenant. ! told him that my father
was a commanding officer in the Rev
olutionary War and on the stan OF
General Washington.
Without any other communication
than the one | personally made TO
him he appointed me a lieutenant
and made out my commission. ] was
sent to Fort Dearborn as post-adiu-
I hr-
of the secretary OF war. Mr.. Calhoun.
There I remained for some eight or
ten years.
"One day in midwinter. I think II
was in 1884. the commanding officer
at Fort Dearborn received an intima-
ton. probably from some friendly m
dian. that the Indians in the north
west. including some Of the fercest
and most vindictive of the tribes,
were planning a concerted assault
upon Fort Smelling. That fort was
built at the headquarters OF the Mis-
sissippi river, precisely at the point
where the city of St Paul now stands
It was the main defense of the rap
idly growing territories of the East
against the warlike Indians.
"The commander of Fort Dearborn
asked for a volunteer to 60 al once
TO Fort Smelling and inform the com
mander there of the Indian plot. I
at once volunteered. The commander
told me that there would be many
dangers. some of them of attack by
Indians and some of them due 10 the
frightfully cold weather. for the win
ter was one of unusual severity.
II asked for two horses. and one
died One of the horses was to be
used as a packhorse for provisions.
The guide was found the horses were
procured and a substantial pack was
made up, containing provisions
enough to last us for some weeks.
I'VE started out through the wilder
ness After a while we got on to the
open prairie. The themormeter was
never higher than 20 degrees below
zero. On the open prairie, where we
had no shelter. the winds cut like a
dagger. Ny guide and 7 at regular
intervals exchanged places. he riding
my horse. and I riding the pack
horse. To ride the packhorse in that
bitter wind was a frightful test Of en-
durance.
at last we got to the log hut Of
French fur trader He gave us
shelter and warm food. In the night
we heard yells. and I knew them to
he war cries OF the Indians. | asked
the trader what the Indians were
doing there. He told me that they
were preparing to make a great at
tack on Fort Smelling and to take the
fort by surprise. They expected to
kill every soldier in the fort. As soon
as ] heard this ! told my guide to
bring the horses out from the little
shack and put on the pack FOR we
were to start on a night ride that
would be dangerous. The ther-
mometer must have been 35 degrees
below zero but we pressed on and on,
occasionally hearing the distant war
whoops. Fortunately. we were un-
detected
when we got inside of the fort we
were completely exhausted. 7 was
frost bitten, and as | stood before
the great fire the skin actually
peeled off my cheeks. The COM
mander of the fort. having received
my message, set out Immediately
and asked the chiefs of the tribes
which had gathered near, to come
into the fort for a conference. These
chiefs. never dreaming that the
commander had heard of their plot
accepted the invitation AS soon as
they were inside the fort they were
made prisoners, and when the tribes
outside learned that their chiefs were
prisoners and that the commander
was ready to fire upon them they
consulted for a while and then went
away.
"The commander confessed to me
that If he had not been forewarnet
the fort would probably have beer
captured by the Indians and every
soldier in it scalped
"Tf 7 ACCOMPLISHED nothing else