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044 - The Indian Battle of Leech Lake Population · History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier, Part 1

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  Speaker 1: Section forty four of the History of Minnesota and Tales
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  Speaker 1: of the Frontier, Part one. This is a LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
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  Speaker 1: by Wayne Sailor. The History of Minnesota and Tales of
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  Speaker 1: the Frontier, Part one by Charles E. Flandrau, Section forty
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  Speaker 1: four The Indian Battle of leech Lake. Early in October
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  Speaker 1: eighteen ninety eight, there was an Indian battle fought at
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  Speaker 1: Leech Lake in this state, the magnitude of the result
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  Speaker 1: of which gives it a place in the history of Minnesota,
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  Speaker 1: although it was strictly a matter of the United States
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  Speaker 1: cognizance and jurisdiction. In Cass County there is a Chippewa
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  Speaker 1: Indian reservation, and like all other Indian reservations there are
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  Speaker 1: to be found there are turbulent people, both white and red.
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  Speaker 1: There is a large island out in Leech Lake called
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  Speaker 1: Bear Island, which is inhabited by the Indians. On October first,
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  Speaker 1: eighteen ninety seven, one Indian shot another on this island.
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  Speaker 1: A prominent member of the tribe named Puganaga Shig was
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  Speaker 1: present and witnessed the shooting. An indictment was found in
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  Speaker 1: the United States District Court against the Indian who did
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  Speaker 1: the shooting, but before any trial could be had, the
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  Speaker 1: matter was settled among the Indians in their own way,
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  Speaker 1: and they thought that that was the last of it.
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  Speaker 1: A subpoena was issued for Puganagaeshig and a Deputy marshal
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  Speaker 1: served it. He disregarded the subpoena. An attachment was then
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  Speaker 1: issued to arrest him and bring him into court. A
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  Speaker 1: deputy United States Marshall tried to serve it and was
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  Speaker 1: resisted by the Indian and his friends on three different occasions,
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  Speaker 1: and once when the Indian was arrested, he was rescued
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  Speaker 1: from the custody of the marshal. Warrants were then issued
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  Speaker 1: for the arrest of twenty one of the rescuers. This
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  Speaker 1: was in the latter part of August eighteen ninety eight.
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  Speaker 1: Troops were asked for to aid the Marshal in making
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  Speaker 1: his arrests, and a lieutenant and twenty men were sent
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  Speaker 1: from Fort Snelling for that purpose. There was simply a
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  Speaker 1: repetition of the many stakes made by the military authorities
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  Speaker 1: in such matters. If troops were necessary for any purpose,
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  Speaker 1: twenty men were simply useless and worse than none, and
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  Speaker 1: when the time came for the application and military force
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  Speaker 1: would of course have been annihilated. The United States Marshall,
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  Speaker 1: with a squad of deputies, accompanied the troops. It soon
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  Speaker 1: became apparent that there would be trouble before the Indians
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  Speaker 1: could be brought to terms, and General Bacon, the officer
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  Speaker 1: in command of the Department of Dakota, with headquarters at
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  Speaker 1: Saint Paul, ordered Major Wilkinson of Company E of the
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  Speaker 1: third Regiment of the United States Infantry stationed at Fort Selling,
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  Speaker 1: with his company of eighty men, to the scene of
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  Speaker 1: the troubles. General Bacon accompanied these troops as far as
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  Speaker 1: Walker on the west bank of Leech Lake, more in
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  Speaker 1: the capacity of an observer of events and to gain
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  Speaker 1: proper knowledge of the situation than as part of the force.
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  Speaker 1: On the fifth of October eighteen ninety eight, the whole
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  Speaker 1: force left Walker in boats for a place on the
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  Speaker 1: east bank the lake called Sugar Point, where there was
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  Speaker 1: a clearing of several acres analog house occupied by pugana
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  Speaker 1: Agasheg and they were accompanied by Rt. O'Connor, the United
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  Speaker 1: States Marshall of Minnesota, and several of his deputies, among
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  Speaker 1: whom was Colonel Timothy J. Shehan, who knew the Indians
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  Speaker 1: who were subject to arrest. This officer was the same
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  Speaker 1: man who, as Lieutenant Shean, had so successfully commanded the
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  Speaker 1: forces at Fort Ridgely during the Indian War of eighteen
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  Speaker 1: sixty two, since when he had fought his way through
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  Speaker 1: the Civil War with distinction. When the command landed, only
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  Speaker 1: a few squaws and Indians were visible. The Deputy Marshalls
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  Speaker 1: landed and with the interpreters went at once to the house,
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  Speaker 1: and while there discovered an Indian whom Colonel Shean recognized
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  Speaker 1: as one for whom a warrant was out, and immediately
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  Speaker 1: attempted to arrest and handcuff him. The Indian resisted vigorously,
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  Speaker 1: and it was only with the aid of three or
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  Speaker 1: four soldiers that they succeeded in arresting him. He was
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  Speaker 1: put on board of the vote. Whole force then skirmished
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  Speaker 1: through the timber in search of Indians, but found none,
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  Speaker 1: and about noon returned to the clear and were ordered
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  Speaker 1: to stack arms preparatory to getting dinner. They had scouted
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  Speaker 1: the surrounding country and had seen no Indians or signs
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  Speaker 1: of Indians, and did not believe there were any in
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  Speaker 1: the vicinity, when in fact, the Indians had carefully watched
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  Speaker 1: their every movement were close to their trail, waiting for
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  Speaker 1: the most advantageous moment to strike. It was the same
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  Speaker 1: tactics which the Indians had so often adopted with much
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  Speaker 1: success in their warfare with the Whites. While stacking arms,
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  Speaker 1: a new recruit allowed his gun to fall to the
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  Speaker 1: ground and it was discharged Accidentally. The Indians, who were
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  Speaker 1: silently awaiting their opportunities, supposing it was a signal of attack,
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  Speaker 1: opened fire on the troops and a vicious battle began.
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  Speaker 1: The soldiers seized their arms and returned the fire as
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  Speaker 1: best they could, directing it at the points whence came
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  Speaker 1: the shots from the invisible enemy concealed in the dense thicket.
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  Speaker 1: The battle raids for several hours. General Bacon, with a
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  Speaker 1: gun in his hand, was everywhere encouraging the men, and
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  Speaker 1: Major Wilkinson, as cool as if he had been in
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  Speaker 1: a drawing room, cheered his men on was thrice wounded,
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  Speaker 1: the last hit proving fatal. Colonel Sheehan instinctively entered the
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  Speaker 1: fight and took charge of the right wing of the line,
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  Speaker 1: charging the enemy with a few followers and keeping up
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  Speaker 1: rappid fire. The colonel was hit three times, two bullets
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  Speaker 1: passing through his clothes raising the skin without serious injury,
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  Speaker 1: and one cutting a painful but not dangerous wound across
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  Speaker 1: his stomach. The result of the fight was six killed
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  Speaker 1: and nine wounded on the part of the troops. One
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  Speaker 1: of the Indian police was also killed and seven citizens wounded,
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  Speaker 1: some seriously. No estimate has ever been satisfactorily obtained of
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  Speaker 1: the loss of the enemy. The most reliable account of
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  Speaker 1: the number of his forces engaged is from nineteen to thirty,
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  Speaker 1: and if I should venture an estimate of his losses,
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  Speaker 1: based upon my experience of his ability to select a
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  Speaker 1: bandage ground and to take care of himself, I would
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  Speaker 1: put it at practically nothing. The killed and wounded were
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  Speaker 1: brought to foresnelling, the killed buried with military honors, and
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  Speaker 1: the wounded properly cared for. This event adds one more
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  Speaker 1: to the long list of fatal air committed by our
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  Speaker 1: military forces in dealing with Indians of the Northwest. They
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  Speaker 1: should never be attacked without a force sufficient to demonstrate
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  Speaker 1: the superiority of the whites. In all cases, and under
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  Speaker 1: all circumstances. Many a valuable life has been thus unnecessarily lost.
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  Speaker 1: Major Wilkinson, who lost his life in this encounter, was
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  Speaker 1: a man who had earned an enviable record in the army,
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  Speaker 1: and was much beloved by his many friends and acquaintances
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  Speaker 1: in Minnesota. The principal Indian engaged in this fight has
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  Speaker 1: been called in every newspaper and in other reports of
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  Speaker 1: it Pugamageshig, But I have succeeded in obtaining his real
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  Speaker 1: name from the highest authority. The name pug and Ageshig
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  Speaker 1: is the Chippewa for hole in the day. Shortly after
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  Speaker 1: the return of the troops to Fort Snelling, the settlers
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  Speaker 1: about cass and Leech Lakes became uneasy and deluged the
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  Speaker 1: governor with telegrams for protection. The National Guard or state
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  Speaker 1: troops had nearly all been mustered into the United States
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  Speaker 1: Service for duty in the war with Spain, but the
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  Speaker 1: fourteenth Regiment was in Saint paul A waiting muster out,
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  Speaker 1: and the governor telegraphed to the War Department at Washington
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  Speaker 1: to send enough of them to the front to quiet
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  Speaker 1: the fears of the settlers. This was declined, and the
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  Speaker 1: governor at once ordered out two batteries of artillery, all
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  Speaker 1: the state troops that are available, and sent them to
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  Speaker 1: the scene of the troubles, and then sent his celebrated
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  Speaker 1: telegram to the War Department, which may be called the
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  Speaker 1: Minnesota Declaration of Independence. It ran as follows, October eighth,
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  Speaker 1: eighteen ninety eight. H. C. Corbyn, Adjutant General Washington, D C.
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  Speaker 1: No one claims that reinforcements are needed at Walker. I
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  Speaker 1: have not been asked for assistance from that quarter. Although
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  Speaker 1: I do not think General Bacon has won the victory
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  Speaker 1: he claims. Other people do not say so. The Indian
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  Speaker 1: claims to have won, and that is my opinion. The
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  Speaker 1: people all along the Foston branch of the railroad are
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  Speaker 1: very much alarmed and asking for protection, which I have
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  Speaker 1: asked of the War Department. The soldiers are here and
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  Speaker 1: ready and willing to go. But as you have revoked
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  Speaker 1: your order of yesterday, you can do with what you
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  Speaker 1: like with your soldiers. The state of Minnesota will try
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  Speaker 1: to get along without any assistance from the War Department
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  Speaker 1: in the future. D. M. Klow Governor. Rumor says that
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  Speaker 1: the telegram which was forwarded is very much modified from
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  Speaker 1: that originally dictated by the governor. The United States Government
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  Speaker 1: concluded to withdraw its refusal and send troops to the front,
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  Speaker 1: and several companies of the fourteenth were dispatched to the
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  Speaker 1: line of the Foston Branch Railroad and distributed along the
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  Speaker 1: line of that road. In the meantime, the Commissioner of
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  Speaker 1: Indian Affairs had arrived at Walker and was negotiating with
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  Speaker 1: the Indians. And when it became known that matters were
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  Speaker 1: arranged to the satisfaction of government and the Indians, and
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  Speaker 1: no outbreak was expected, the soldiers were all withdrawn and
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  Speaker 1: the incident, so far as military operations were concerned, was closed.
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  Speaker 1: There were some surrenders of the Indians to the officers
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  Speaker 1: of the court, but nothing further of consequence occurred.
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  Speaker 2: Population the most interesting features of a new country is
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  Speaker 2: the character and the nativity of its population. The old frontiersman,
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  Speaker 2: who has watched the growth of new states and fully
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  Speaker 2: comprehended the effect produced upon their civilization and character by
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  Speaker 2: the nativity of their immigrants, is the only person competent
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  Speaker 2: to judge of the influences exerted in this line. It
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  Speaker 2: is a well known fact that the emigration from Europe
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  Speaker 2: into America is generally governed by climactic influences. These people
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  Speaker 2: usually follow the line of latitude to which they have
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  Speaker 2: been accustomed. The Norsemen from Russia, Sweden, Germany, and Norway
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  Speaker 2: comes to the extreme northwestern states, while the emigrants from
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  Speaker 2: southern Europe seek the more southern latitudes. Of course, these
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  Speaker 2: are very general commons and only relate to emigration in
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  Speaker 2: its usual directions. As the people of all parts of
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  Speaker 2: Europe are found in all parts of America, it is
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  Speaker 2: generally believed that the emigrants from northern Europe are more
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  Speaker 2: desirable than those from further south, and a presentation of
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  Speaker 2: the status of our population in point of nativity will
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  Speaker 2: afford a basis from which to judge of their general attributes,
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  Speaker 2: for good or bad. There is no nation on earth
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  Speaker 2: that has not sent us some representative the following table.
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  Speaker 2: While it will prove that we have a most heterogeneous
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  Speaker 2: polyglot population, will also prove that we possess vast powers
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  Speaker 2: of assimilation, as we are about as harmonious a people
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  Speaker 2: as can be found in all the Union, our governor
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  Speaker 2: is a Swede, one of our United States senators is
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  Speaker 2: a Norwegian, and our other state officers are pretty generally
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  Speaker 2: distributed among the various nationalities. Of course, in the minor
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  Speaker 2: political subdivisions such as counties, cities, and towns, the office
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  Speaker 2: holding is generally governed by the same considerations. I give
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  Speaker 2: the various countries from which our population is drawn, with
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  Speaker 2: the numbers from each country and the number of native
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  Speaker 2: born and foreign born, which aggregated constitute our entire population.
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  Speaker 2: These figures are taken from the state census of eighteen
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  Speaker 2: ninety five. England twelve thousand, nine hundred forty one, Scotland
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  Speaker 2: five thousand, three hundred forty four, Germany one hundred thirty
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  Speaker 2: three thousand, seven hundred sixty eight, Norway one hundred, seven thousand,
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  Speaker 2: three hundred nineteen, Denmark sixteen thousand, one hundred forty three,
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  Speaker 2: Canada forty nine thousand, two hundred thirty one, Poland eight thousand,
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  Speaker 2: four hundred sixty four, Iceland four hundred fifty four, Ireland
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  Speaker 2: twenty six thousand, one hundred six, Wales one thousand, two
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  Speaker 2: hundred forty six, France one thousand, four hundred ninety two,
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  Speaker 2: Sweden one hundred, nineteen thousand, five hundred fifty four, Russia
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  Speaker 2: six thousand, two hundred eighty six, Bohemia ten thousand, three
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  Speaker 2: hundred twenty seven, Finland seven thousand, six hundred fifty two,
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  Speaker 2: All other countries eleven thousand, two hundred five. Total native
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  Speaker 2: born one million, fifty seven thousand, eighty four. Total foreign
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  Speaker 2: born five hundred seventeen thousand, five hundred thirty five. Total
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  Speaker 2: population one million, six hundred seventy four thousand, six hundred nineteen.
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  Speaker 2: The total native born of our population is very largely
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  Speaker 2: composed of the descendants of foreign emigrants. These figures afford
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  Speaker 2: a large field for thought and future consideration when emigration
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  Speaker 2: problems are under legislative investigation. The census from which these
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  Speaker 2: figures are taken being five years old, I think it
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  Speaker 2: is safe to add a sufficient number of increase to
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  Speaker 2: bring our population up to two millions. The census of
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  Speaker 2: nineteen hundred will demonstrate whether or not my estimate is correct.
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  Speaker 1: This is the end of Section forty four. Ass