The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1914-12-02
Indian Troubles
Are Recalled by
An Old Soldier
Chas. A. Rose Tells Thrilling Tales of
Warfare at Historic Fort Rldgely
And in This Locality
HONORs WOMEN OF '62
Still Sees Vivid Pictures of Indian
Brutalities, Discomforts, Dangers
and Bravery of Men and Women

Chas. A. Rose of ST. Paul, who re-
Gently spent day in Redwood Falls,
when he came to attend the funeral
of Mrs. Reset Schmahl, is a fund OF
Renaissance of the terrible days of
the Indian outbreak of '62. To the
younger generation many of the trag-
edies lived through at that time by
women like Mrs. Schmahl and men
like Mr.. Rose, are not only unbeliev-
able and unthinkable, but so remote
as to be as though they had happened
in another world. Even living so close
to the historic Fort Ridgely and on
the grounds over which the Indian
hordes travelled and committed their
hideous crimes, does not make those
dreadful days seem either possible or
probable. Only when strong man
who has faced the awful actualities
paints the picture of those happenings,
is their true meaning felt.
A young boy of seventeen at the
time of the outbreak, Mr.. Rose re-
lives today many of the events which
printed those dates in red on the
history of Minnesota. Out of the
2 wealth of his memory he tells of brave
deeds of men and women, of coward
ice of those who should have led, of
atrocities which not even the years
have been able to soften, of hardships
unbelievable in the comfort of the
now.
Enlisted at Seventeen
A member of the Fifth Minnesota,
under the command of the late Lieut..
Sheehan, Mr.. Rose enlisted when only
a mere boy. His recruiting officer
coached him to tell the general when
inquiry was made as to his age, 81
am going for nineteen" Young Rose
obeyed literally and was looked up
and down by the enlisting officer who
finally remarked "Well, you may be
going for nineteen, but you look -
young to me-" But he was allowed
to enter the service and continued in
III curing CIle enLlTe war.
Eulogizes Brave Women
In speaking of Mrs. Schmahl fol
whom he had the greatest respect anc
admiration, Mr.. Rose told of how she
came to Fort Ridgely with her hus-
band and family, and rose from hel
sick bed to help the men make the
necessary ammunition when the maya
4. zine gave out, she and Mrs. Reynolds
another of the big women of that
time, making the cartridges by hand
filling them with powder, crilnping
the tops after the men had melted
and run the bullets. "Men talk Of
what they endured at that time sale
Mr.. Rose feelingly, 'and of bravery
and courage and achievement. VIZ
don't hear much of the women's side
of it. But without them or had they
been weaklings, the men would have
beeen terribly handicapped, and il
many cases have failed They suffered
and saw their children suffer ant
yet they stood straight and unfiinch
ing bearing more than their half o.
the big BURDEN
Mr.. Rose then told of one woma:
who saw her husband killed, her sol
wounded and her daughters carried
into captivity. Escaping with hel
youngest child, babe in arms, sh.
hid for three days in the brush, hay-
ing absolutely nothing to eat Finally
being literally starved out of hiding
she made her way to an apparent,
deserted farmhouse where she foun,
her wounded son. After dressing hi
wound and cooking what food wa
available, she yoked team of oxel
to a sled, all wagons having beel
burned or carried off, On this vehicl
they started on their slow way t
safety, seeking the nearest fort. Oh
their way they heard cries for hell
issuing from an old house and upol
investigation found two men impris
oned in the loft, too badly wounde,
to assist themselves in any way. TIL
only way of getting these men from
the loft was by means of an outsid
ladder down which this woman, un
aided, carried the men in her arms
and, placing them on the sled, carrie,
them to the fort, saving their lives
1t was in this heroic mold the womel
of go were cast.
During the famous siege of For
Ridgely Mr.. Rose states that Their
N were about so soldiers and 20 citi
zens, the latter armed with anythin.