The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-08-31
THE BATTLE OF FORT RIDGELY
of

1t has been said that the average hz!
boy on a farm thinks of but two things
shutdown and Saturday night. / thinl
that this saving contains much truth.
At least l recall one shutdown and Sat
urday night, which is quite well i'm.
pressed on my memory.
This was shutdown and Saturday nigh
of the 18th day Of August. 1862.
Is. fourteen Of us. all farmer boys
started from the southwestern part O.
Blue Earth county, with farm teams an(
wagons for Fort Smelling, to enlist il
teen years of age. We drove all nigh
and at shutdown on Saturday night, Aug
ust 16, 1862, we arrived at Belle PLANE
all of us fresh from the harvest fields
and having driven seventyfive miles.
On the following afternoon, August II
we were sworn into the service of the
United States by an officer, who, com
Ing Ing from Fort Snelling met us there fo1
steamboat for Fort Smelling, which
we reached that night On the 18th we
We're duly mustered in
While this was going, on, and our mind:
were in the southland where we hoped
soon to be- other things were transpir.
ing nearer home. While we were being
sworn in. squad of young Indians
were numbering settlers at Acton il
mustered at Fort Smelling the Indian up
rising became general. But | want tC
speak more particularly of Fort Ridgely
where we now are
For some time prior to the outbreak
this fort was in charge of Company 3
of the Fifth Minnesota infantry, ir
command of Captain John S. Marsh.
about the time for the payment of an
nuities to the Indians and as at that
time many Indians usually gathered al
the upper and lower agencies, and as
this payment was, perhaps unnecessar-
lily. delayed, there were strong indica.
tions of disorder among the Indians
AS precautionary measure, on June
i, 1862, Lieutenant T. J. Sheehan OF
at Fort Ripley. was ordered to report
to Captain Marsh at Fort Ridgely with
fifty men. This, Lieutenant Sheehan did
and on the 2Sth of June after a march
at Fort Ridgely.
On the next day he was ordered to pro-
coed at once, with fifty men of Company
c, and fifty men of Company B of the
same regiment, to the Sioux agency at
Yellow Medicine, to preserve order and
protect government property during the
payment of the annuities to the Indians.
Lieutenant Sheehan with his men moved
rived at Yellow Medicine, fifty-two miles.
Captain Gere was in command of the
detachment from Company B. The In
dams were already arriving in great
numbers, and protesting at the delay, and
at the post traders being allowed to
sit at the table and take their money.
They clamored for beef and food and
the annuity money had not yet ar
rived.
There were then at the agency To
lodges ri Indians, five of which wera sud
to be .Vinr ebagoes from the res, IVA :
ton lear Mankato There were Int
$50 of these lodges who were entitled
to be paid annuities.
On July Is these Indians claimed that
they were starving.
While Major Galbraith, the Indian agent,
seemed to see no cause for alarm, Lieu
tenant Sheehan sent detail of men to
Fort Ridgely for a second mountain
howitzer. having brought one with him.
On July "a. about 1900 Sioux stripped
and painted passed by the agency in
pursuit of a party of Chippewas, who had
killed two Sioux a day or two before.
The Sioux and Chippewas, as most of
YOU know, were old time foes, and al
ways at war.
The Indians became more and more
turbulant, and as the annuity money had