BATTLE OF BIG MOUND.
A few days after leaving Camp Atchison scouts began to report to General
Sibley that Indians in large numbers were between us and the hills
beyond. Everything indicated this, and the evidences were that we were
soon to have a battle.
We came in sight of the Indians every day, but nothing decisive until
July 24th, when we overtook them. Scouts reported a large body of
Indians, with Red Plume and Standing Buffalo among them, encamped by the
very lake near which the General intended camping. Standing Buffalo was
not there as a hostile, and it was a surprise all around. The General,
satisfying himself that a determined resistance would be offered us,
corralled his train and made such disposition of the troops as he deemed
necessary. It was here where Dr. Weiser, of the First Minnesota Rangers,
was killed while parleying with a delegation from the hostile camp, and
it was treachery, pure and simple. The battle was opened by Whipple's
battery, and while the cannon boomed and sent leaden hail and death
among the fleeing Indians, the artillery of Heaven opened amid a furious
thunder storm, and a private of Colonel McPhail's command was killed.
[Illustration: Designed by A. P. Connolly.
Battle of Big Mound, Dakota.
Fought between General Sibley's forces and the Sioux, on July 24th, 1863.
The Indians were defeated.]
The Indians in this affair lost eighty-seven killed and wounded and a
vast amount of property.
A portion of our command made forty-six miles that day. My own regiment
was ordered in pursuit, and we followed them for ten miles, after having
already marched eighteen. An order had been sent by an aide for the
pursuing troops to bivouac where they were, but being misunderstood,
instead of camping, as it was intended, we returned, having been on the
march all night. As we came into camp we found that an early reveille had
been sounded, and the troops were about ready to march. The part of the
command that had joined in the pursuit and returned during the night was
so completely exhausted that the whole force was compelled to rest for
a day. This battle was a decided victory, counting heavily in the scale
of advantage, as it put the savages on the run to a place of safety and
materially disabled them from prosecuting further hostilities.
After the battle of the Big Mound, as narrated, the command was compelled
to take one day's rest on account of the over-taxed condition of the
troops. The next day we marched over the same ground, and it was a
comical yet interesting sight to witness the wholesale abandonment of
buffalo robes, camp equipage and "jerked" meat; robes by the thousands
and meat by the tons had been thrown away by the Indians in their hurry
to get out of harm's way. We found dogs that had been harnessed up and
loaded down with cooking utensils, dead;--they had died from sheer
exhaustion. The prairies as far as the eye could penetrate on either side
presented this condition of abandonment by the Indians, of their property
and winter's supply of food. As far as the eye could penetrate on either
hand were evidences of their hasty flight, as if swept with the besom
of God's wrath. The men would "right about" and fight the soldiers, and
then turn, and running towards their fleeing families, urge them to still
greater exertion to get away from the avenging army.
In the sand on the bank of the lake, I found a tiny papoose moccasin, and
could see the imprint and count each separate toe of the little foot in
the sand, as it probably was dragged along by the anxious mother, who was
too heavily laden to carry her little baby. I thought,--poor, helpless
child, not in the least responsible for its unhappy condition, and yet
made to suffer. So with all classes of God's humanity;--the innocent too
often made to suffer, not only with the guilty, but for the guilty, and
in our decisions we should be careful lest we injure innocent persons.
The fresh made graves we found on this trail told their sorrowful
story,--the little Indian spirit had taken its flight,--the body was
buried and the heart-broken mother hurried on to keep up with her people,
and get away from the army.
[Illustration: Ready to Go Into Action.]