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031 - Protection of the Southern Frontier · History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier, Part 1

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty one 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 republic domain. For more information
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  Speaker 1: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
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  Speaker 1: Elijah Fisher. The History of Minnesota Entails of the Frontier,
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  Speaker 1: Part one by Charles E. Frondras, Section thirty Protection of
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  Speaker 1: the Southern Frontier. On the twenty ninth of August, I
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  Speaker 1: received a commission from the Governor of the state instructing
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  Speaker 1: and directing me to take command of the Blue Earth contrary,
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  Speaker 1: extending from New Ulm to the north line of Iowa,
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  Speaker 1: embracing the then western and south northwestern frontier of the state.
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  Speaker 1: My power, general to raise troops commission officers, is subsist
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  Speaker 1: upon the country and generally do what, in my judgment
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  Speaker 1: was best for the protection of this frontier. Under these powers,
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  Speaker 1: I located my headquarters at South Bend, being the extreme
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  Speaker 1: southern point of the Minnesota River, thirty miles below nu Ulm,
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  Speaker 1: four from a man and about fifty from the Iowa line.
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  Speaker 1: Here I maintained a guard of about eighty men. He
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  Speaker 1: threw up some small entrenchments, but nothing worthy of mention.
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  Speaker 1: Enough citizens of New Ulm had returned home to form
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  Speaker 1: two companies at that point. Company E of the Ninth Regiment,
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  Speaker 1: under Captain Jerome E. Dayne, was stationed at Crisp's Farm,
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  Speaker 1: about half away between nu Ulm and South Bend. Colonel
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  Speaker 1: John R. Jones of Chatfield collected about three hundred men
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  Speaker 1: and reported to me at Garden City. They were organized
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  Speaker 1: in two companies under Captains N. P. Colburn and Post,
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  Speaker 1: and many of them were stationed at Garden the city,
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  Speaker 1: where they erected a serviceable port of sawlogs. Others of
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  Speaker 1: this command were stationed at points along the Blue River.
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  Speaker 1: Captain Cornelius F. Buck of the Winona raised a company
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  Speaker 1: of fifty three men, all mounted, and started west. They
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  Speaker 1: reached a Weenebago city in the country in the county
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  Speaker 1: of a Fair Revault on the seventh of September, where
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  Speaker 1: they reported to me and were stationed at Chain Lakes,
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  Speaker 1: about twenty miles west of Winnebago City, and twenty of
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  Speaker 1: this company were afterwards sent to Madelia. A stockade was
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  Speaker 1: erected by this at Martin Lake in the latter part
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  Speaker 1: of the August, Captain A. J Ethedegerton of Company B,
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  Speaker 1: tenth Regiment, arrived at South Bend, and, having made his report,
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  Speaker 1: was stationed at the Window Agency to keep watch on
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  Speaker 1: those Indians and cover man Cato from that direction. About
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  Speaker 1: the same time, Company F of the eighth Regiment, under
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  Speaker 1: Captain l Aldridge reported and was stationed at New Ulm. E.
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  Speaker 1: Saint Julian Cox, who had previously reinforced me at New Ulm,
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  Speaker 1: was commissioned a captain and put in command of A
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  Speaker 1: four which was stationed at Medellia in Waton Juan County,
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  Speaker 1: where they erected and quiet at fortification of logs with bastions.
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  Speaker 1: While older, an attack was made upon some citizens who
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  Speaker 1: had ventured beyond the safe limits, and several whites were killed.
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  Speaker 1: It will be seen by above the statement that almost
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  Speaker 1: immediately after the evacuation of New Home on the twenty
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  Speaker 1: fifth of August, the most exposed part of the southern
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  Speaker 1: frontier was occupied by quite a strong force. I did
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  Speaker 1: not accept that any serious incrusions would be made along
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  Speaker 1: this line, but the state of alarm and panic that
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  Speaker 1: prevailed among the people rendered it necessary to establish this
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  Speaker 1: curtain of military posts to prevent an exodu of the inhabitants.
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  Speaker 1: No one who has not gone through the ordeal Canadian
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  Speaker 1: insurrection can form any idea of the terrible apprehension that
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  Speaker 1: takes a possession of a defenseless and uncombatant population under
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  Speaker 1: such circumstances. There is an element of mystery and untie
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  Speaker 1: about the magnitude and movements of this enemy, and a
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  Speaker 1: certainty of the zabualty that inspires ze terror the first
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  Speaker 1: notice of his approach in the crack of his rifle.
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  Speaker 1: And no one with the experience of such a struggles
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  Speaker 1: ever blames the timidly of citizens in exposed positions when
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  Speaker 1: assailed by these savages. I think all beings being considered,
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  Speaker 1: that people generally behave very well if they may of
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  Speaker 1: the state is they consulted. Taking New Ulm as the
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  Speaker 1: most northern point on the Minnesota River, it will be
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  Speaker 1: seen that the line of my post covered at the
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  Speaker 1: frontier from that point down at the river to the
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  Speaker 1: south bend, and up the Blue River southernly to a
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  Speaker 1: Winnebago city, and thence to the Iowa line. These stations
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  Speaker 1: were about sixteen miles apart, with two advanced said posts
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  Speaker 1: at Meldelia and Chain Lakes to the west. A system
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  Speaker 1: of couriers was established, starting from each end of the
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  Speaker 1: cordon every morning with dispatches from the commanding officer to headquarters,
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  Speaker 1: stopping at every station for an end norsement of what
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  Speaker 1: was going on, so I knew every day what had
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  Speaker 1: happened at every point on my line. By this means,
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  Speaker 1: the frontier pop population was pacified and no general exodus
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  Speaker 1: took place. Its September, Major General Pope was ordered to
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  Speaker 1: Minnesota to conduct the Indian War. He made his headquarters
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  Speaker 1: at Saint Paul, and by his hunt took command of
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  Speaker 1: all operations, though not exerting any visible influence on them,
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  Speaker 1: the fact being that all immediate danger had been overcome
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  Speaker 1: by the state and its citizens before his arrival in
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  Speaker 1: the latter part of September. The citizen under my command
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  Speaker 1: were anxious to return it to their homes, and on
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  Speaker 1: presentation of the situation to General Pope, he ordered into
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  Speaker 1: the state. A new regiment just mustered into the service
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  Speaker 1: in Wisconsin, the twenty fifth, command by Colonel M. Montgomery,
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  Speaker 1: who was ordered to relieve me. He appeared at South
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  Speaker 1: Bend on the first of October and after having fully
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  Speaker 1: informed him of what had transappired and given him my
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  Speaker 1: views as to the future, I turned my command over
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  Speaker 1: to him in the following order. I give it as
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  Speaker 1: its socially the situation of the affairs at that time,
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  Speaker 1: head Quarters, Indian Expedition, Southern Frontier, South Bend, October fifth,
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  Speaker 1: eighteen sixty two. To the soldiers and citizens who have
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  Speaker 1: been and are now engaged in the defense of the
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  Speaker 1: Southern Frontier. Einteenth day of August last year, frontier was
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  Speaker 1: invaded by the Indians. You promptly willed for its defense.
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  Speaker 1: You checked to the advance of the enemy and defeated
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  Speaker 1: him in two serveror battles at New Home. You have
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  Speaker 1: held a line of the frontier of post extending over
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  Speaker 1: a distance of one hundred miles. You have erected six
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  Speaker 1: substainial fortifications and other defensive works of less magnitude. You
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  Speaker 1: have desprised their murdering grabands of savages that have hung
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  Speaker 1: upon your lines. You have been uninformally brave, very manignolent,
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  Speaker 1: and obedient to orders. But your efforts the war has
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  Speaker 1: been confined to the border. Without them, it would have
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  Speaker 1: fair penetrated into the heart of the state. Major General
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  Speaker 1: Pope has assumed command of the Northwest and will control
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  Speaker 1: future operations. He promises a vigorous prostitution over the war.
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  Speaker 1: Five companies of the twenty fifth Wisconsin Regiment and five
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  Speaker 1: hundred K from Iowa are ordered into the region now
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  Speaker 1: held by you, and will supply the places of those
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  Speaker 1: whose the terms of alistments shortly expired. The Department of
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  Speaker 1: the Southern Frontier, which I have had the honor to command,
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  Speaker 1: will from the date of this order be under command
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  Speaker 1: of Colonel M. Montgomery of the twenty fifth Wisconsin, whom
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  Speaker 1: I take pleasure in introducing to the troops and citizens
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  Speaker 1: of that Department as a soldier and a man to
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  Speaker 1: whom they made their interests and the safety of their country,
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  Speaker 1: with every assurance that they will be protected and defended.
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  Speaker 1: Pressing public duties of a civil nature demand my absence
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  Speaker 1: temporarily from the border the Armenia to end agreeable relations
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  Speaker 1: we have sustained dead toward each other. Our union in
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  Speaker 1: danger and adventure caused me regret in leaving you, but
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  Speaker 1: were hastening in my return. Chas E. Plandre, Colonel commanding
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  Speaker 1: Southern Frontier. This particularly terminated in my connection with the war,
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  Speaker 1: all matters yet to be related, took place in other
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  Speaker 1: parts of the state under the command of Colonel Sibley
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  Speaker 1: and others, and of Section thirty one