The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-08-31
STORY OF FORT RIDGELY--rTS GRAND HISTORIC SETTING
9@daAc LIBERATION Y@ayB yAamyn ansha~ aMnhn]

the noted, lieutenant general of the Con-
federate army, who fought against Gen
eral Grant at Vicksburg. and Lieutenant
Hill and two or three others became
generals in the same army. In all, over
thirty officers of the regular army sta
toned at Fort Ridgely, rose to the rank
of generalA in the Civil war. While
seven or eight officers of our Minnesota
volunteers were promoted to the same
distinction, among them being Generals
James George Samuel p Jennison, John
I; Averill, H: II. Sibley, Minor T: Thomas,
and maybe others.
During the winter of 1860 and 1861,
1851 Fort Ridgely was forum Of hot
debate over the questions of slavery and
state rights which had just brought our
government to the greatest crisis in its
history, as the personnel of the garrison
was about equally divided between the
north and south.
During April, 1861, the artillery com
panies were all ordered to Washington
and vicinity-the last under Major Nor
rls leaving the fort on April 25, being
renewed by two companies of the Sec
ond United States infantry, under Cap
tain George W. Patten from Fl Ripley.
Captain, afterwards Colonel Patterns com
mand was the last of the United States
regulars at the fort in the antibellum
days. The colonel was a scholarly man,
who had lost his left hand in the Mex
lean war He was the author of a number
OF books on military topics. On the 30th
OF May. 1851, he and his command de-
parted south and the fort was turned
over to the state troops and first occu-
pied on that date by companies B and
g of First Minnesota volunteers under
Major William H, Dixie. These were re-
heved on July 5. 1861, by successive COM
panies of the Second Minnesota, under
Captain H. H. Wester, Lieutenant Col
S Sa,,ei Iame sonn George and Lieutenant
succeeded on October 10, 1851 by COM
panies of the Fourth Minnesota, under
captain l.. L.. Baxter and Lieutenant
r. A. Judd. On March %, 1862 Com
m ma OF Sergeant T: P. -Gere reached
the fort, and on April IL, John S. Marsh,
the captain of the company, arrived and
assumed command. Then on August 1S,
1862, came the awful cataclysm of the
sioux massacre and the tragic disaster
at Red Wood ferry. But of these most
momentous days in the history of our
tort another. more able than I, will
speak. Sufflce it to say that it is the
oily fortress in the state that has real
battle record. We might suggest that if
the fort had been put on the same side
or the river as the agency and in closer
proximity to it; that if the habits of the
Indian agent had been more temperate
and his conduct toward the Indians had
been wiser, ad the cateen had been ban
lshed from the army, (for when the Sc
cause of many a disaster will be found
due to John Barleycorn), the terrible
calamity of the Sioux massacre might
nave been averted or at least greatly min
kow that our fort stood the test and by
SO standing saved the catastrophe from
being infinitely greater than it was For
II, Fort Ridgely and New Ulm had fallen,
niCrIn& I.Dr-
the straw to change our whole national
history. Just then the great struggle
fr the Union almost hung in balance, and
OF the Siux had captured these two
strategic points, doubtless the Winneba-
goes and Chippewas would have Joined
with them and with the aid the confed-
eracy might have given them, we can
imagine naa how such a formidable drive
sarily greatly weakened the souther-
front of our Union forces and thus per-
maps resulted in a confederate victory.
west: 1t was the base of all our frontier
SO far reaching. still we shudder to
think what might have been the fate
OF many of us here today. During the
Sioux war Fort Ridgely became the most
military, post in the north
west 1t was the base f all our frontier
defences and of all the expeditions against
the hostile foe. From the last of Aug
ust, 1862, until the autumn of 1865, our
tort was strongly garrisoned by various
Minnesota infantry and by the Mounted
Hangers and Second Minnesota cavalry,
. n Il ne viii not permit me to speak of
witnessed in those pioneer days of saw
age warfare. We will simply glance at
the military expedition of 1854 as IT
leaves the fort. 1t is the 9Th of June
and for two. months the troops and sup
pnes nave been gathering At last ev-
erything is ready for the start and at
the sound of the bugles the columns
or mounted men. POO strong, consisting
Of the Eighth Minnesota Infantry
Minnesota Mi cavalry, two sections of ar
tillery and a company of half breed
scouts, fall into their positions. The
long train of IL ambulances and 1O6 gov
vernmem wagons loaded with supplies
and equipment and each drawn by
string of mules, together with 12O OK
teams loaded with emigrants (mostIy
m1nersl bound for Idaho fall into line.
General Sibley and Colonel M. T. Thorn
as who is to command the expedition
nave ridden out to the rise of ground
Just west of the fort to review the pro-
cesslon as 1T passes. First came the
scouts in their picturesque CARDS, brill
iantly bedecked with beads, fringes and
color, riding on ponies carrying Weanons
in hand and belt. Next comes the adj
vance guard, followed by the Second cav
airy, headed by splendid band mounted
pm Wnite horses. Then come artillery
train OF baggage, supplies and emigrants
and on either flank column of troons
covering the train from front to rear
The martial music, the long line, the
soldiers i'm bright uniforms the ciatter
Of swords and carbines, the glistening in
the the sun of the polished rifles the officers
galloping hither and thither in hand
some uniforms covered with gold braid
md epaulets dand hedecked with the pol
shed brass buttons stamped with the
'ampant eagle, make scene never to !
De forgotten. But ere long the pageant
disappears into the west and our fort |
which few hours before had been the
center of great city of white tents. |
active and noisy with the hustle of a |
lost. looms silent and solitary. The ac- |
,lv1tles of the two or three hundred left |
rast
The last of the State Troops to occupv |
the fortress was a company of tho Sec |
md Minnesota Cavalry in command of |
coionel William PfaendAr They were |
'elieved on November 18th, 1855, by a |
company of the Tenth United States in |
antry under Major w. l.. kellogg.
The only event of this last period to |
Freak the humdrum of garrison life I |
AVE hapn a "a And l