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 unbellev-
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 actualltles
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
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
y IL h. fnr% of
now.
Enlisted at Seventeen
A member of the Fifth Minnesota
under the command of the late Lieut.
Sheehan, Mr.. Rose enlisted when only
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 ur
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 IL
it during the entire war.
EulOgizes Brave Women
In speaking of Mrs. Schmahl TO,
whom he had the greatest respect ant
admiration, Mr.. Rose told of how sh'
came to Fort Ridgely with her hus
\ band and family, and rose from he
sick bed to help the men make tn
necessary ammunition when the maya
zine gave out, she and Mrs. Reynolds
another of the big women of tina
time, making the cartridges by hand
filling them with powder, crnapinl
the tops after the men had meltet
and run the bullets. MEN talk @
what they endured at that time sal
Mr.. Rose feelingly, and of Drawer,
and courage and achievement. W
don't hear much of the women's sid
of it. But without them or had the
been weaklings, the men would hav
beeen terribly handicapped, and i
many cases have failed. They suffere
and saw their children suffer an
yet they stood straight and unfineh
ing bearing more than their half Q
the big BURDEN
Mr.. Rose then told of one woma
who saw her husband killed, her so
wounded and her daughters carrie
into captivity. Escaping with he
Youngest child, babe in arms, sh
hid for three days in the brush, hay
ing absolutely nothing to eat FINAL
being literally starved out of hiding
she made her way to an apparent
deserted farmhouse where she foun
her wounded son. After dressing h
wound and cooking what food Wa
available, she yoked a team of oxe
to sled, all wagons having bee
burned or carried off. On this vehic
they started on their slow way
safety, seeking the nearest fort. Q
their way they heard cries for hel
issuing from an old house and upc
investigation found two men impri
oned in the loft, too badly wounde
to assist themselves in any way. tt
only way of getting these men fro
the loft was by means of an outsiC
ladder down which this woman, III
aided. carried the men in her arm
and placing them on the sled, carrie
them to the fort, saving their live
1t was in this heroic mold the wome
of 90 were cast.
Recalls Fort Ridgely Siege
During the famous siege of Fo
Ridgely Mr.. Rose states that the
n were about so soldiers and 20 cit
zens, the latter armed with anythir