1862 Minnesota Massacre

[Music] [Applause] [Music] the soft green hills of minnesota laid placid in the august sun oak and birch and pines scarcely stirred in the breeze which brought a hint of coolness to the drowsy atmosphere [Music] quiet was the forest which stretched its leagues and leagues of feathery tops to the north even the birds were silent for this was august in the few small fields which the industry of the woodsmen had cleared out of the woods no farmer moved sad and ho hung idle on her hooks it was sunday at the lower sioux agency near fort ridgely the morning of august 17 1862 services were held as usual in the little episcopal church the rector addressed his simple words of faith to a mixed congregation english and german farmers a few agency employees and traders and a handful of converted sioux indians but his eyes probably wandered most frequently to a single dark figure which sat moroson alone in the shadows of the back of the church with a photograph of him as he must have looked then that silent communicant he was a tall and splendid figure in his neat black broadcloth with white collar and dark cravat dressed as well as the best garbed white man among them [Music] only his head and feet were in sharp contrast his feet were covered with the dough-skinned moccasins beaded according to the highest art of the indian race his head was bare and the swarthy browns of his face framed two gleaming black braids of hair which swept downward over his shoulders to fall across his broad chest in front if anybody in the church felt like shrinking from his dark presence they gave no sign for they all knew him he was little crow the great chief of the song te taisu the steadfast friend of the white man their guarantee of peace with the dark people of the forests the service ended with the perfect courtesy he greeted the white men and women assembled suavely he complimented the rector's eloquence shook hands with everybody strode out mounted his horse and rode off never to return the lucrow attended church that sunday morning by the evening of the next day he was elbowed deep with the blood of those with whom he had worshipped why did little crow attend that last service nobody will ever know many have held that it was for the purpose of cloaking the treachery which must have been planned and ordered but the reason may have been more human perhaps the dark chief came to be once more with the friends with whom he was to part with forever little crow was an unusual indian he affected the white man's garb and ways but was at heart an utter barbarian his manners were those of a refined gentleman his diplomatic talent and oratorical ability were very marked and the events were to prove him a patriot for his people his friendship with the whites had once been genuine but it was blasted long ago an endless list of his people's grievances cried out to him rascally traders using government red tape to withhold food from his starving red men to sell them wormy flower and spoiled bacon at exorbitant prices the seduction of indian women by degenerate white men and the multiplication of half-breed children her approach and an indignity to every honorable sioux in the north counting the spoils of his spirit lake raid and siding to the warpath these and many other reasons fanned the smoldering flame above all his tribe little crow felt the wrong and the dishonor as son and grandson of chiefs he had known the days of his people's glory then came the shameful mendota treaty of 1851 when the sioux seated most of their hunting grounds he played his own part when after a drunken fat with his brother he nursed a crippled wrist and swore to banish fire water from his trap he sent for a christian missionary to teach the people the white man's way reverend williamson the man of god won a place in little crow's heart but now his goodness was all forgotten in the degeneracy he attributed to all white only a week before the sioux received the final insult their chiefs sent to the agency to plead for long promised government stores andrew gamerick a trader listened with a sneer if they're hungry let them eat grass for all i care was his callous reply the sue heard the sioux remembered 40 miles from the agency three german farmers in the wife and daughter of one of them said at sunday dinner four indians entered the cabin a crash of rifles and a flurry of knives the happy dinner party laid dead the indians rode into the forest there was the signal up and down the minnesota river stealthy bands of warriors set forth monday dawned with the first peep of sun the little community of traitors at the lower agency was awakened by a gunshot followed by a hideous war whoop the people ran out of their homes into the streets to be shot down at their doors by sioux posted an ambush merrick whose cruel tome had stirred the indian's hatred was killed in front of his storm when his body was found days later the mouth was stuffed with grass other traders met ends as bloody francola bach was slain on his counter henry bellen james w lindy and five other traders and clerks died similarly every soul in the agency would have perished but the sioux began looting the ammunition stores and food boxes permitting about 50 to reach the river their heroic ferryman hubert milier class boat until as he returned for the last load he was cruelly shot those cut off from the crossing were slain and the indians pursued the refugees slaying seven more in the terrible 15-mile foot race to fork ridgely the arrival of the haggard vanguard of that fleeting band must have been a terrific shock to the people of the fort the whole nation would be shocked by the events which followed the agency massacre was not the only tragedy that morning while the two were killing the traitors smaller parties swept through the surrounding settlement the country was bleeding and on fire the indians took the farms as they came slaughtering the men carrying the women off its captives and butchering the children or allowing them to follow their mothers according to the whim of the moment lake chatek in renville county was especially bloody in the first day alone more than 200 white persons were killed in the vicinity of the lower agency some of the experiences of the refugees are almost unbelievable tales of heroism also come down to us from that massacre men and women and even children sacrificed themselves to save their friends the story of eleven-year-old merton eastlick and his devotion to his baby brother johnny is worth retelling when the indians struck lake chatek settlement the east look family hid with other settlers in the rushes of the stream bed the sioux found them and killed johnny smith the father and three of the five boys mrs e slick was captured but before they found her she hit her baby johnny and charged his only surviving brother merton never to leave him until he died mrs eastlick eventually escaped from the indians and was found by augustus garzang a mail carrier and was crazed with belief that her whole family was dead he took her to the town of new all on the way 40 miles from the scene of the massacre they found merton and johnny the ladder carried the baby on foot and was hiding from the indians and subsisting on berries he was an emaciated skeleton with the flesh worn off his bare feet and was unable to speak for days but the baby and the boy were safe the exact number of massacred probably will never be known minnesota state records list 644 but there were hundreds of women and children unaccounted for taking capture after the battle of wood lake 269 of these were recovered scores were rescued at other times and the record of those never heard of again will never be complete [Music] and what of the soldiers at fort ridley 15 miles from the lower agency captain john s marsh of the fifth minnesota was in command as the first of the refugees burst into the fort with their frightened story marsh acted quickly sending a courier to fort snelling for help he started promptly for the agency with four to six men and the post interpreter peter quinn leaving only a skeleton guard behind they went on wagons but dismounted a mile from their destination on the way they met a stream of refugees here and there they passed dead bodies they began to realize that they were in the midst of a great disaster an indian uprising of nightmare proportions when used to indian fighting but supremely confident young marsh led his men down to the ferry the agency opposite was inflamed and not a soul could be seen had the sioux left no at the very moment more than 200 warriors were hiding behind saw logs and bushes with rifles cocked and aimed ready to pull the triggers at the signal now an indian appeared among the burning buildings walking toward the ferry the soldiers recognized him white dog self-chief and frequent visitor at the fort he motioned them to come across marsh hesitated while he parlied a party of sioux crossed unobserved farther down the river and crept up on his flank then white dog made a gesture clouds of smoke sprang up from 100 hidden in places marsh and his men found themselves suddenly fighting for their lives half a dozen soldiers were killed in the first valley including quinn who was pierced by at least a dozen bullets at the same time the indians on the flank opened fire marsh tried to charge into the thicket saw it was useless and ordered a volley fired instead his men were falling fast a retreat was ordered they threw themselves into the timber near the river and for an hour fought an unequal battle with overwhelming numbers of suit gradually retreating down the stream at length the captain decided to cross over the show was meant it was feasible he tried to swim the swift current himself the eddies caught him and he drowned youthful gallant but utterly unfit to cope with indian warriors the zoo harried the rest of the soldiers almost to the fort of the 48 who started exactly half including the captain or dead that was a night of terror at fort ridgely lieutenant thomas p gere now commanding had only a handful of soldiers left and scores of women and children to protect the women hysterically begged their friends to shoot them rather than let the indians get them there were a dozen alarms which set the post frantic with fear but nothing happened that night next morning refugees still poured in demoralized with fright should little crow attack now nothing could prevent the massacre of every soul in the fort but for some reason the attack was delayed the nervous young lieutenant paced the fort with anxious steps about noon the challenge from a century changed to a shout of joy coming down the road from the north at the doubleclick was a detachment of soldiers lieutenant timothy j sheehan was the first reinforcements five hours later a second detachment came in from the south after an all-night march of 40 miles there were more than 250 refugees at the port now among them were some resolute men who would make good fighters including these settlers sheehan now the senior officer marshaled about 180 men still the indians did not attack every moment was used in strengthening the defenses without warning on the morning of the 20th a tall warrior mounted on the splendid horse rode up from the west and demanded a conference it was little crow himself he wanted to divert the attention from his attack which was forming on the opposite side a sudden burst of fire announced the onslaught and the sioux leader rode for cover with wild yells the indians stormed the first line of defenses outside the regular limits of the fort elter skelter fled the soldiers for safety with soon tomahawks flashing in their rear so fierce was the charge that the redskins actually burst through the second line of defense a row of log houses which formed the north wall of the port and took possession of these barracks still the defense reeled working like men she had rallied his men on the parade ground if he did not hold fast here the fort was doomed two or three soldiers hit fell thrashing on the ground the undisciplined troops began to waver simultaneously sue came out from the buildings and formed for another charge sheehan's men began to retreat then came a age someone expected it seemed miraculous among the few veteran soldiers at the fort was an old artillery sergeant with an unromantic name of jones fort ridgely had once been an artillery post and a few old cannon of various patterns and calibers were still parked there like all old gunners sergeant jones loved his field pieces to vary the monotony of garrison life he had asked and received permission to drill some of the infantrymen in the principle of artillery practice the soldiers took it up for fun none of them had any idea that their lives and the lives of others would ever hang upon their skill at this critical moment of the sioux attack jones be thought himself of his amateur artillerymen and his rusty old cannons here and there he hastily collected members of his gun squads and ran to where the ancient field pieces stood there was some delay in getting things ready the men were after all only infantrymen and the old sergeant probably had some royal swear words before those three guns were loaded this was finished just as sheehan's land began to melt before the sioux fire and the threatened next attack now was the time everything depended upon the old artillery man his wife and children were among the helpless non-combatants crowded in the south buildings of the fort aiming their center and fire as rapidly as possible was the order just as she had in despair saw his recruits breaking for cover just as little crow's warriors with triumphant yells began their final advance just as the women in the south fork gave a concerted cry of terror the ancient cannons spoke across the parade ground hurdled a heterogeneous collection of misfit cannonballs canister and solid shot working like mad the sergeant and his men rammed home a second round again the rusty field pieces spoke it was too much for the suit they could stand raffle fire and they had done so rap raven but the wagon guns appalled them they wavered and began to retreat and as the third discharge thundered among them they fled in panic and were followed by the hysterical cheer of the soldiers fort ridgely was saved and sergeant jones was the hero of the day the sioux kept the forts around it and even attempted another attack the following morning but the age-born cannon were now masters of the situation before the charge was well started sergeant jones sent several shots among the hostiles and scattered them little crow had been wounded the first day the sub chief mankata led the final abort of assault but the indians quickly withdrew the defeat at fort ridgely was a blow to the indians hope of sweeping the white man out of minnesota they had suffered serious losses and the moral effect had been most discouraging sharing the post of the greatest danger with fort ridgely was the little german frontier town of new home a few miles down the river the morning after the agency massacre a small party of indians were seen near the town but were driven off in a brief skirmish not much damage was done on either side but it through new home already panic stricken into a still greater terror judge charles e flandrio of the supreme court and ex-sheriff boardman of saint peter's rode with the company of volunteers to the threatened settlement the indians had gone when they arrived and the next day the town was not molested for little crow was busy with his attack on fort ridgely but the sioux had by no means forgotten new all in spite of their defeat at the fort they moved toward it early saturday the smoke of burning buildings up the river show that they were on their way judge flandreal a man of great force of character was elected commander of the defending forces at the approach of the sioux he formed his 250 fighting men on the prairie half a mile west of the town by 10 o'clock they were skirmishing with little crow's advance guard suddenly a brilliant spectacle unfolded itself 500 sioux warriors in all the color and movement of feathered headdresses war paint and brilliant beadwork rode out of the woods and spread like a giant fan over the prairie as they reached long raffle shot they charged the sioux yelling like fiends looked so horrible that flandreal's rookies began to retreat a few more whoops and in spite of the judge's efforts the whole line fell back even the outer tiers of houses of the town undefended the indians were soon shooting at new home citizens from the shelter of their own homes flangero rode wildly up the hill and succeeded in rallying his men the crackling of rifle fire became incessant the white men were hard-pressed but they helped then smoke came floating up from the lower end of the town the indians had slipped behind the defense and set some buildings ablaze now they advanced through the smoke in a few minutes the whole lower part of new almost burning bullets whined in ever-increasing course of the streets captain william dot flandreau's second in command was killed captain saunders was critically wounded with a ball through his body under the cover of the smoke little crow masked his warriors in the shelter of some houses near the river the charge in the morning had been so nearly a complete success that the sioux believed a second attack would crush the whites but by now new home had been under fire for several hours and the men were steadying down the zoo charge came but a withering fire drove them back then as the indians withdrew flandreal led a fiery counter charge they caught the indians by surprise and drove them clear out of the city limits evening was falling and the firing shortly stopped [Music] during the night landrieu ordered more than 40 outlying buildings on the outskirts burned to the ground to prevent them from becoming rallying points for the savages on the morrow the system of trenches was dug and a large brick house was made into a rita garrisoned and munitioned but there was no battle on sunday the suit contented themselves with some long-range shooting by noon little crow's warriors were in retreat fort ridgely and new ulm definitely ended any probability that the sioux would push the settlers out of eastern minnesota but little crow was not discouraged the north and even the south down into iowa where the inc paduta had left a trail of blood years before at the spirit lake massacre offered an unlimited field for his operations he withdrew his warriors into the wilderness for the present content for the time to count his scalps and gloat over his booty they had been repulsed it is true but even so the success of the week's raid exceeded the indians most sanguine dreams at one swoop the zoo had won back much of their richest hunting country their camps were full of prisoners in plunder little crow was a bigger man than ever among his people [Music] but a new figure was entering the picture colonel henry h sibley an old soldier in middle life took command of the minnesota troops he had had wide experience spoke french in the dakota tongue and possessed a profound knowledge of the indian character sibley reached the frontier in three days and in four more his call for volunteers was answered by 1400 men they were wrong undisciplined and ill-equipped but they were the only force on which shibley could lay his hand with them he marched toward fort ridgely on the way he kept his fatigue details busy burying the bodies of the slaughtered settlers he reached the fort on the afternoon of august 28th to be received with transports of joy by the people who he said seemed mad with excitement next day he moved towards the lower agency reaching it in the last of august his men buried marsh's soldiers together with more than 20 dead citizens traces of the handiwork of the sioux were plentiful but thus far not an indian had been seen major j.r brown with 200 men moving west along the river looked for hostiles and buried the dead they camped at birch cooley the night of september 1st little crow was not asleep his scouts watched unseen every movement of the army brown's movements was a beautiful opportunity for the sioux as dawn broke there was a war rule followed by a sudden volley which swept into camp from the birch woods near at hand dead and dying men kicking and screaming horses littered the ground the survivors of that deadly volley threw themselves behind their wagons and fought back it was a short but terrific little battle the zoo poured into camp such a storm of bullets that nearly killed every horse and annihilation threatened the whole command but sibley at the agency heard the distant firing and marched immediately to brown's assistance their reinforcements reached birch door lee in the nick of time as sibley's column appeared the sioux withdrew up the valley a picture of bloody wreckage was presented by brown's king it was strewn with the dead and the dying some of the wagons were even riddled like sieves of brown's 200 soldiers 24 were dead and 67 were wounded nearly 50 percent sibley retreated to fort ridgely to care for the wounded birch cooley wiped out the sting of new home in fort ridgely for the sioux sibley on the other hand saw that his raw levees were not ready for the job before them and went into camp to drill them into some sort of coherent military body it was a big task and took time meanwhile little crow ranged far and wide he led one marauding expedition deep into the northeastern minnesota with hutchinson as its objective captain richard strout and the company of soldiers met him and were chased for miles the zoo almost riding into cedar mills on the strength of the wild retreat but hutchinson now a fortified post like every frontier town was too strong for the indians little crow with more scalps and loot returned to the old reservation camp while sibley's army was learning its business its commander took up the wearisome days in a long drawn negotiation with little crow hundreds of prisoners mostly women and children were in the hostile camp and great fear was held for their safety sibley knowing the indians feared that these helpless hostages would be murdered wholesale should he march against the sioux the wily redchief proved more than his matching diplomacy and sibley finally gave up the negotiations [Music] little crow was making constant rates and keeping all minnesota in an uproar finally on september 18th with sixteen hundred men and two pieces of artillery sibley marched northwest toward yellow medicine river where the hostile village was reported to be little crow knew this march was in deadly earnest he felt his handicaps his warriors were fine natural fighters but they completely lacked organization they would not stand up to artillery fire to maneuver them in battle was practically impossible on the other hand they were superior in mobility and were expert in scouting and ambush in planning the fight with sibley the chief kept all of these things in mind the road to the sioux village laid through the deep timbered gorge of the yellow medicine sibley had to pass through it as he marched past wood lake down into this canyon a volley of shots rang out half a mile ahead indians had fired into a party of foragers three men were down one mortally wounded major welsh's command went at the double quick to the rescue the foragers were saved but every firing which broke out from the woods ahead showed that they were swarming with soup little crow had thrown a cloud of warriors across the road in front although the whites did not yet know it two other large bodies of indians lay hidden in ambush one along the east side of the road and the other in a ravine to the right it was strange for sibley's men the woods ahead looked deserted except for the spurts of rifle smoke and the side of an occasional flitting figure the constant piping of bullets overhead and the occasional smack as one found its mark made the raw troops nervous welsh decided to charge into the woods went his men but the foe they expected to meet had already disappeared using the same tactics which were so fatal to braddock 100 years before the sioux slipped away from the direct front and poured in their fire from the flank welsh was forced to halt the staff officer came riding like the wind across the field with an order from sibley to retire but the stubborn major did not at once comply sibley sent another message to fall back at once only then did welsh order the retreat sibley's main body was formed on a low hill toward it welsh started carrying his wounded the sioux leaped in pursuit there was a moment of hand-to-hand fighting then the soldiers began to run here was little crow's big chance had he been able to press home at charge at the backs of the fling troops he might have cut sibley's line right in two but sibley rushed forward five companies under colonel marshall and the indians were beaten back then too late after the soldiers were formed and ready the zoo attacked in deadly earnest for two hours they tried battlelessly to take the hill a headlong charge on the extreme left came very near to carrying home the victory but major rn mclaren with two companies of recruits repulsed it just then indians in the ravine were discovered backed by shells from two guns marshall charged and drove them out the zoo had been roughly handled and were losing their zest for the fight as the day wore on the fire from the woods slackened as if at a signal the indians disappeared sibley hampered by his wounded camped where he was there must have been a gloomy night in the sioux village little crow recognized the completeness of his defeat in the final stand on the chosen battleground he could no longer hold his people together the zoo broke up their great camp and scattered all over the plains sibley said he permitted their escape because he knew that if he pressed too closely they would slaughter their white captives little crow did try hard to have the prisoners killed after the battle but the chiefs saw their doom and wanted to soften the punishment they refused little crow's influence had ended days passed through friendly indians probably the yejibwa sibley got in touch with three trustworthy chiefs offering amnesty and pardon if they would bring the prisoners to him the offer was accepted on the afternoon of september 26th 269 captors were delivered most of them women and children all wore indian clothing there were some refined and educated women among them others were ignorant immigrant settlers but their consideration for each other was beautiful to see as they helped the sick and assisted with the young children most of them cried with joy and relief but some merely gave vacant stares the scenes and experiences through which they had passed and left them dazed and stalled that night the rescued captives slept in the tents of the soldiers and the men taking the hard ground outside they were sent down to fort ridgely the following day and their relatives if any were left living claimed them the war in minnesota was over but there still remained to be written the punishment of its chief figures sibley rounded up 1500 of the sioux and placed them in prisons at fort snelling and cattle the rest scattered far and wide over the plains carrying the seeds of their grievance to other tribes at the great court martial 392 prisoners accused of extreme barbarity were tried 307 were sentenced to death and 16 to prison president lincoln commuted the death sentences of all but 39 whose cruelties had been too clearly shown and on december 28th a great concourse witnessed the execution of these unfortunates on the special gallows built for the purpose it was the largest mass execution in u.s history little crow was still at large although his followers had deserted him there were reports that he was gathering new strength and preparing for another invasion every day as fresh rumors were printed in the newspapers so much fear was attached to his name that it was practically impossible to get the settlers to return to their homes nathan lapsen and his son chauncey were deer hunting in the north woods on july 3 of 1863. stealing through the thickets they surprised two indians picking berries hostiles were scattered all over the country and no sioux was a friend the elder lapsen fired wounding one of the indians the other tried to help him on a horse as the wounded sue attempted to fire at his father chauncey lamson shot and did the other indian mounted and fled the lamson scalped the body and carted it to the neighboring town of hutchinson nobody could identify it some claim they noted a resemblance to little crow but the complexion seemed too light the mortifying corpse was thrown into an awful pit of a slaughterhouse then came an unexpected revelation a party of indians was captured on devil's lake among them was a sixteen-year-old boy he said he was a chief and asking for the commander of the troops by whom he was captured made a statement of which the following is a part i am the son of little crow my name is warwin napsa i am 16 years old father hid after the soldiers beat us last fall he told me he could not fight against the white men but would go below and steal horses from them then he would go away off father wanted me to go with him to carry his bundles there were no horses we were hungry father and i were picking berries near scattered lake it was near nine he was hit the first time in the side just above the hip he was shot the second time in the side near the shoulder this was the shot that killed him he told me he was killed and asked me for water he died immediately after sibley read the statement and at once concluded that the indian killed by the lamsons was little crow the corpse was hauled out of its noisome resting's place and there was observed a mark of identification which could not be mistaken a deformity of his right wrist caused by a gunshot wound received in the family feud when he was a youth so died little crow at the height of his power the most feared red man in america leader of the greatest massacre in american history up to that point a scholar a gentleman after his way he started on the white man's path but left it when his people's wrongs cried out to him reduced to stripping red berries to keep life in his frame he was at last shot by wandering hunters in his body thrown into a stinking awful pit of a slaughterhouse [Applause] [Music] you

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Keywords: History, Little Crow, Sioux, Frontier, 1862 Sioux Uprising, Dakota 38

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Length: 35min 30sec (2130 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 31 2020