The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1924-08-27
RidgeIy Defenders
Hold Reunion
RELIVE MASSACRE DAYS HI. M.
HITCHCOCK DELIVERS
ADDRESS.

southern Minnesota looked as the de-
tenders of Historic Fort Ridgely met
for their annual get-together near
here last Friday.
1t was on the site of the old fort,
where in 1862 handful of defenders
held out against a terrific Indian on
Taught, that Fridays gathering was
held, with members of the Sioux His
toric Trail association joining the
Ridgely association.
Tracing the development of the
state from the 1862 massacre, speak
ers told of the hardships pioneers had
overcome, painting in glowing strokes
the great good those brave hearted
men and women had accomplished in
the face of tremendous odds.
Recount Indian Sieges.
Frank Hopkins of Fairfax told of
the nine days siege at Fort Ridgely;.
Albert Pfaender of New Ulm spoke on
the siege of New Ulm; ]. F. Jacobson
of Madison recounted the work Of
the "Old Lac qui Parle Mission"
where the first weaving of cloth was
done in this state, and other speak
ers discussed topics appropriate to
the occasion.
Furnishing music for the event
was the Sioux Indian band of Nor
ton, Mimi, and another point of un-
usual interest was the appearance of
Rebecca Blue Cloud, granddaughter
of Chief Little Grow.
1t was Chief Little Grow, described
by Mr.. Hopkins as "the most crafty,
willy and competent war chief of all
the tribes" who led the massacre that
started at the Lower Sioux agency
and ended with the unsuccessful at
tack on Fort Ridgely.
Gettysburg of Sioux War.
This fort, Mr.. Hopkins said in his
address, "was the Gettysburg of the
Sioux Indian outbreak of 1862. Had
this fort been captured, all settlers
east to the Minnesota river and pos
sibly to the Mississippi river would
save felt the savage massacre"
The Sioux Indians Of western Min
nesota were Sin bad mood" the
speaker said, explaining the delay in
payment to them of the amounts due
under the terms Of the cession by
them of an immense tract or land
west of the Minnesota river. They
had been further incensed by the
sharp practices of traders, and at a
. council, August II, 1862, decided to
send a delegation to Fort Ridgely to
demand redress.
At early dawn the next day, four
Rice Greek tribe braves rode into
camp on stolen horses and reported
that they had killed some settlers in
Action township near Glencoe. Rath-
er than surrender these braves to the
government, the Indians took to the
war path, led by Chief Little Grow.
Traders Fell First.
The massacre was on. The "hated
traders fell first" Mr.. Hopkins said,
''but none were spared. The mass
acre spread on both sides of the river
toward Fort Ridgely."
Delaying their attack on Fort Rid
gely for two days, the Indians lost
an opportunity to effect capture of
the post, as it was, held by only few
men when the massacre started
However, messengers sent out fo1
troops who had left the fort only the
day or two before, resulted in the re-
turn of these men and when the at
tack was made August 20, the gar
rison consisted Of 100 armed men and
some thirty citizens.
about 500 braves took part in the
attack" the speaker said, but "the
howitzers, loaded with canister or
grape, and the rifle fire supporting
the guns, kept the Indians back
Repulsed the first day, they continued
the attack the next day, but the gal
liant defenders of the fort held them
off until nightfal of August %, when
the Indians withdrew, and the Mime
sofa valley was saved.
Didn't Believe They Would Kill.
si Mr.. Pfaender, who spoke on the
siege of New Ulm by the Indians
on August 21, is the son of Colonel
William Pfaender, later state trea-
surer, who at the time of the attack
was in the Union army in the south
His mother was on farm near New
Ulm with a family of five children.
The speaker said he could state
nothing new about the main facts OF
the Indian attack, but would give
some incidents that had come to him
in the nature of tradition.
at is probably true that many set
tiers came to their death because they
refused or were slow to believe that
the Indians would actually kill the
white people," he said.
The speaker cited the incident ol
his mother being informed by two
different neighbors of the uprising
and told to go to New Ulm for safe
ty.
She refused to believe there was
any danger and stayed on the farm
Later in the day, Jacob Nix, friend
of the family, came down from Fort
Ridgely where the alarm had beer
given, and insisted on taking the fam
lily with him.
Saved by Delay at Milford.
sIt may be truly said that New
Ulm owed its deliverance to the pre-
sence of the little settlement of Mil
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