The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-08-08
From Tuesdays Daily.

From Tuesdays Daily.
Curator H. C. Fish of Bismarck
and L. C. Ives of Veblen, S. D., in
company with w. L. Richards of this
city, made a very interesting trip
to the Kildeer mountain country on
Wednesday, says The Dickinson
Press The trip was made in the in
terests of the State Historical soci-
ETY., Mr.. Richards very kindly donat-
ing the use of his automobile, in
order to secure more definite. data
of the Indian battle fought on the
28th day of July, 1864, at the present
site of the Diamond c ranch.
After two and one-half days
march from near the T. S. Underhill
place south of Antelope, in north
and northwesterly direction, the q
200 United States volunteers of
mounted infantry and cavalry reach.
ed the Kildeer country late the morn
ing of July %. The Indians, mum.
bering about 10000, were formed, in
their war paint and feathers, in a
semi-circle, just back of the oak
thicket south of the present Diamond
&c buildings. The cavalrymen form
ed in line back of Crosby butte, ad-
east Fire as opened at two O'Clock
in the afternoon and continued until
dark. The army had eight cannon.
! Brackets battalion and the sixth
and seventh Iowa and Dakota cav
airy took the brunt of the battle.
/ Indians FnaIsy Driven.
The Indians were finally driven up
through the gap in northwesterly
direction from the Diamond C ranch
i The soldiers did some heavy charg-
| ing along Dead Mans gulch, but
only two of their number fell in bat
tile. 1t was estimated that 300 In
dians fell.
| On the night of the 2Sth the sec
ond brigade rested on the fiat south
lof the Diamond c buildings the
present site of a large cornfield.
The first brigade rested on the fiat
! below, just northeast, and where Mr.
Ives definitely located the graves of
George w. Northrop, orderly SER
ijgeant, and Private Austin
For the night of July 20, 1864, the
UNITED States army camped at the
Craig springs, six miles east of the
battlefield Here two privates OF
Company D, second Minnesota cav.
airy, were killed by Indians while on
picket duty. AS near as Mr.. Ives
can calculate the bodies of these
men are resting on the fiat a mile
west of the springs. 1t will be i'm
possible to mark the exact. spot. II
was estimated that 500 Indians were
fcrowding the picketmen that night
probably with a/view of causing a
stampede and getting horses. But in
this they failed.
CavaIrymen Advanced.
During the moring of the 10Th
our cavalrymen advanced some six
miles in a westerly course from
/ their first camping spot, in an at
tempt to again engage the indians
who had retreated in that direction
but the redskins could not be 10
Gated. Returning to the battle field
the soldiers set fire to the 1900 OF
1000 tepees. This was about ter
O'Clock the morning of the 10Th
Strange to say, on the trip Wed
nesday, Messrs. Ives and Fish found
many of the ends of tepee poles tina
were not burned. They are lin /;
fairly good state of preservation l
!, is believed that white cedar from
! the Black Hills. country was tn,
timber used by Indians in those day
for tepee poles.
4 The Kildeer battle was fought jus
forty-nine years ago Monday, Jul,
= %. The Indians had few guns an,
!, more bows and arrows. They ha,
! the advantage of knowing the cour
try.
Mr.. Ives visited the battle groun
three years ago but he was alon
! and did not have. an opportunity O
!, locating things accurately as on tn
trip this week. On Thursday. jul
!, 81, 1913, he rested by the sido Q
: and drank at the Craig springs, tn
: same as he and his comrades di
: forty-nine years ago Tuesday.
The soldiers were out six, day
from their base of supplies south {
Antelope, the distance being RECORD
ed in the government records a
: eighty miles each way
Guarding the immigrants.
r This was SuIly's expedition, guar,
a ing eighty immigrant wagons e
T. route to Idaho. The march was col
t tinued westerly UP Heart river an
e on the 5th of August, 1864, the car;
It van saw for the first time the Ba
S Lands. The night of the 9Th the
v camped on the east bank of IL
s Little Missouri river. some distane
g south of the present site of Medor
@ The Indians were continually haras
d ing the troops and stampeding tt
v horses.
10 At Sentinel Butte (some anthol
i ties say Flat Top butte) occurred