New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1917-09-19
st, PETER PAPER
TOLD OF MASSACRE
EDITOR WAS ON GROUND DUR
ING FIRST DAY OF INDIAN i
BATTLE.
PROBABLY FIRST ACCOUNT
EVER PRINTED OF OUTBREAK
HERE.

Mrs. Gideon S. Ives of St. Paul has
sent to the Review the story of the first
DAYS battle between the settlers and the
Sioux Indians, as pliated in the st. Peter
Tribune during the week of the uprising
and the attack on New Ulm in August,
1862. The editor Ct the St. Peter paper
had come here to make personal in
vestigation of the situation, and ar
rived just about the time of the attack.
Mrs. Ives is daughter of the late Henry
A. Swift, who at one time was governor
of Minnesota. Governor Swift was here
at the time of the outbreak, having come
from Nicollet county with eighteen
other citizens of the county in defense of
their neighbors here. Mr.. Swift came
shortly in advance of the late Judge
Flandrau and 1875 St. Peter. citizens.
The story, which probably is the first
one ever printed of the uprising, is as
follows:
.sHaving been DESTROYS of obtaining
as correct information as possible, in
rel ation to the terrible Indian war
now raging only thirty or forty miles
from St. Peter, on Wednesday we
started for New Ulm, on the Minnesota
river, about twenty Eight miles from
here and arrived there in the forenoon.
Relief Party Arrives.
'sThe first approach of the Indians to
New Ulm was about 4 o'clock in the
afternoon, when party OF mounted
warriors dismounted in the rear Of the
first table-land, running parallel with
the river, in the outskirts of the town,
about three squares from the Dakota
Hotel, on Main minnesota street.
They Immediately advanced to the top
of the first table-land and commenced
firing with long range guns. Fortunate
ly a party Of eighteen men: T. B..
Thompson, James Hughs $, Charles
Wetherall, Samuel Coffir, Merrick
Dicksenon, H. Caywood, A. M. Bean,
James Parker, Andrew Friend, Henry
and Fred Otis, c. A. Stein, E. G. Corey,
Frank Kennedy, Thomas and Gufin
from the vicinity of Swan Lake and
Nicollet in the central part of this
county, and included Hon. H. A. Swift
and William C. Hayden, county
auditor, from St. Peter, had arrived in
New Ulm, reaching there about 1
o'clock. The men from this county
organized themselves by selecting A.
M. Bean captain, and Samuel Coffin,
first lieutenant.
Advance on Indians.
s'The party advanced on the Indians,
who we're behind a couple of houses
sending their murderous volleys into
the town. The men reached the house
on the edge of the table-land, from
which they threw an effective fire into
the Indians, holding them in check
until four or five of the party advanced
still further to another house, within
a very few rods of the Indians, but the
fire was so hot in this advanced position
that the men were obliged to fall back
on the position first taken. Here is
where T. B. Thompson, James Hughes,
Charles Wetherall, A. Friend, G. A.
Stein and Thomas Williams, the only
men in our party who had good guns,
made their fire tell on the Indians.
Indians Retreat.
"After several of their members had
fallen dead on the ground, the Indians
began to retreat. just at this time L.
M. Bardman, J. B. Trogden, J. K. Moore
Horace Austin, p. M. Bean, James
Horner, Jacob and Philip Stelzer,
William Wilkinson. Lewis Patch, S. A.
Buell. and Henry Snider all from this
town and a few from the country were
seen riding into town. Feeling the
determined fire of our men and seeing
reinforcements of cavalry coming in,
the Indians continued their flight, and
have not appeared there since.
1.-THE firing, which lasted between four
and five hours, during which several Of
the inhabitants of the town, including
one woman, who was on Minnesota
street, near the Dakota House, and a
butcher named Pfeiffer, who was near
the old postofice building, were shot
dead,
''None of the the men from this county
were killed or wounded. At least
twenty five Indians were engaged in the
fight,
There were, on Thursday morning,
when we left, $50 to 500 armed men in
the town. One hundred and twenty