GENERAL SULLY’S EXPEDITION.
During the summer of 1864, and while I was a prisoner with the Indians,
an expedition, composed of Iowa and Minnesota volunteers, with a few
independent companies of Nebraska and Dakota men, with one company of
friendly Indians of various tribes, started from Fort Sully, in Dakota,
with the double purpose, under instructions from the War Department,
of escorting a large emigrant train safely through the Indian country
on their way to Idaho, and, if possible, to inflict such punishment on
the hostile bands they might meet as would make them willing to sue for
peace.
The expedition was commanded by General Alfred Sully, of the United
States Army, a brave, skillful officer, and veteran Indian fighter,
having spent the best part of twenty-five years’ service on the
frontier. He was a captain of infantry under General Harney, in
his memorable campaign of 1857, and was present at the battle of
Ash Hollow, where Harney surprised a large band of Indians, with
their families, who were slaughtered indiscriminately, inflicting
such punishment as made the name of General Harney a terror to the
Indians, and, at the same time, brought upon his head the execration
of thin-skinned philanthropists, who thought savages—the “noble red
men” of their imagination—should be conquered only by a sugarplum and
rose-water policy.
For many interesting particulars of this expedition, and its bearing
upon some of the incidents of my captivity and final ransom, I
am indebted to the correspondence of one who was a member of the
expedition, written to his family during its progress.
The first day’s march carries the command to the Cheyenne River, where
the topographical engineer, to whom I have referred, was killed. His
fate was sad, indeed. An officer in the regular army, he served with
distinction in the South during the rebellion, participating in over
fifty battles, and passing through all without a wound. He was captured
by the rebels, paroled, and sent to join General Sully’s expedition, to
make a topographical survey of the country.
Having faced danger on many a well-contested field, he held the Indian
in utter contempt, and roamed the country along the line of march with
reckless indifference to danger.
A short time before reaching the place where the command intended to
go into camp, Captain Fielner started in advance, accompanied by only
one man, a half-breed. Reaching the river, they dismounted, and were
about fastening their horses to graze near a grove of wild plum-trees,
when two Indians stepped out, and one of them shot Captain Fielner,
the ball from his rifle passing through both arms and the breast. The
advance guard arriving soon after, word was sent back to General Sully,
who ordered the company of Dakota Cavalry to deploy and occupy so much
of the country as to make it impossible for the Indians to escape. This
was done, and, closing toward a center, the two savages were found in a
“buffalo wallow,” a depression in the ground made by the buffaloes, and
forming a very good rifle-pit. Being addressed in their own language,
they refused to surrender, and were shot. General Sully afterward had
their heads cut off: and when the command left camp next morning, they
graced two pointed stakes on the bank of the river, placed there as a
warning to all straggling Indians.
The feeling manifested by General Sully on the occasion of Captain
Fielner’s death was intense. A brave officer, a scientific scholar,
and a gentleman of rare social qualities, he had won upon the kindlier
feelings of his associates in rank, and was respected by all. His
untimely death was sincerely mourned by the whole command.
Death by the hand of the enemy had seldom touched that little army—so
seldom, that when a companion failed to answer at roll-call, his
absence was felt. The only other officer killed during the three
years of General Sully’s operations against the Indians was Lieutenant
Thomas K. Leavitt, of Company B, Sixth Iowa Cavalry. At the battle
of Whitestone Hill, in September, 1863, after the Indians had been
utterly routed, Lieutenant Leavitt went through their deserted camp on
foot, his horse having been shot under him; and, approaching a buffalo
robe, raised it with the point of his saber, revealing an Indian and
squaw, who sprang upon him so suddenly that he had no opportunity to
defend himself, and, with their knives, stabbed him in several places.
Darkness came on, and, separated from his companions, stripped of his
clothing, and wounded mortally, he was all night exposed to bitter
cold. Despite his wounds, he crawled over the ground fully a half mile,
was found next morning, and conveyed to camp, where he died soon after.
A young man of superior education, of a wealthy family, he relinquished
a lucrative position in a bank, and enlisted as a private, but was soon
promoted to a lieutenancy; and, at the time of his death, was acting
Adjutant-General on General Sully’s staff.
The emigrant train to be escorted by General Sully’s command came
across from Minnesota, and were met at a point on the Missouri River
about four hundred miles above Sioux City. Here the whole party crossed
to the west bank of the Missouri, where they went into camp, and
remained long enough to recruit their jaded animals, preparatory to a
long and fatiguing march into an almost unknown wilderness, jealously
guarded by a savage foe.
During this halt, Fort Rice, now one of the most important
fortifications on the Missouri River, was built, and, when the march
was resumed, a considerable portion of the command was left to garrison
it.
Here, also, General Sully learned that all the tribes of the Sioux
nation had congregated in the vicinity of Knife River, determined to
resist his passage through their country, and confident that superior
numbers would enable them to annihilate the whole expedition, and gain
a rich booty in horses and goods, to say nothing of the hundreds of
scalp-locks they hoped to win as trophies of their prowess.
About the middle of July the expedition took up its march westward, and
after a few days reached Heart River. Meantime, information had been
received, from Indians employed as scouts, that the enemy had gathered
in strong force at a place called Ta-ka-a-ku-ta, or Deer Woods,
about eighty miles to the northwest, and that distance out of the
proposed route of the expedition. Accordingly, General Sully ordered
the emigrant train and heavy army wagons corralled, rifle-pits were
dug, and, as the emigrants were generally well armed, it was deemed
necessary to leave only a small force of cavalry to protect them in
case of attack.
Putting the balance of the command in light marching order, leaving
behind tents and all other articles not absolutely necessary, the
little band of determined men started for the camp of the enemy.
Although the Indians were aware of the contemplated attack, such was
the celerity of General Sully’s movements, he came within sight of
their camp at least twenty-four hours sooner than they thought it
possible the distance could be accomplished, taking the Indians by
surprise, they not having time, as is their custom, to remove their
property and women and children beyond the reach of danger.
I was present with this body of Indians when the white soldiers—my
countrymen—came in sight. Alternating between hope and fear,
my feelings can be better imagined than described. I hoped for
deliverance, yet feared disaster and death to that little army.
At 1 o’clock in the afternoon the fight commenced, and raged, with
great fury, until night closed on the scene of conflict, leaving the
whites masters of the field and in possession of the Indian camp.
Early in the day, I, with the women and children and old men, and such
property as could be gathered in our hasty flight, was sent off so as
to be out of the way, not to impede the flight of the Indians in case
of defeat.
This was a terrible blow to the Indians. About eight thousand of them
were gathered there, and their village, with all their property
(except their horses and dogs), including all the stores of provisions
they had gathered for the winter, were lost. Without shelter, without
food, driven into a barren, desolate region, devoid of game, death from
starvation seemed inevitable.
Early next morning pursuit was commenced, but after a march of about
five miles was abandoned, as the country beyond was impassable for
cavalry. Returning to the scene of the previous day’s battle, General
Sully spent several hours in destroying the property abandoned by the
Indians in their flight. Lodge poles were piled together and fired,
and into the flames was cast furs, robes, tents, provisions, and every
thing that fell into the hands of the soldiers.
That night the command camped about six miles from, but within sight
of, the battle-ground, going into camp early in the afternoon. Picket
guards were stationed on the hills, three at a post, and soon after
the camp was thrown into commotion by the appearance of one of the
guard dashing toward camp, at the full speed of his horse, with Indians
in pursuit. His companions, worn out with the arduous service of the
preceding three days, had laid down to sleep, and before the one
remaining on guard could give the alarm, a body of Indians was close
upon them. Discharging his rifle to arouse his companions, he had
barely time to reach his horse and escape. The bodies of the other two
were found next day horribly mutilated; and that night, being within
sight of the battle-ground, the firelight revealed the forms of a large
body of savages dancing around the burning ruins of their own homes.
Returning to Heart River, General Sully took the emigrants again in
charge, and resumed the march toward Idaho.
Traversing a country diversified and beautiful as the sun ever shone
upon, presenting at every turn pictures of natural beauty, such as no
artist ever represented on canvas, the expedition at last struck the
“Mauvais Terra,” or Bad Lands, a region of the most wildly desolate
country conceivable. No pen of writer, nor brush of painter, can give
the faintest idea of its awful desolation.
As the command halted upon the confines of this desert, the mind
naturally reverted to political descriptions of the infernal regions
reached in other days.
The Bad Lands of Dakota extend from the confluence of the Yellow Stone
and Missouri Rivers toward the southwest, a distance of about one
hundred miles, and are from twenty-five to forty miles in width. The
foot of white man had never trod these wilds before.
The first day’s march into this desert carried the expedition ten miles
only, consuming ten hours of time, and leaving the forces four miles
from, and within sight of, the camp, they left in the morning. On the
7th of August, the advance guard were attacked in the afternoon by a
large party of Indians. After a toilsome march of many days, a valley
in the wilderness was reached, presenting an opportunity for rest, and
here the first vegetation was found for the famished horses. In this
valley the troops camped; the advance guard were brought back, having
suffered some from the attack of the ambushed savages.
Next day commenced one of the most memorable battles ever fought with
Indians in the whole experience of the Government. The whole Dakota
nation, including the supposed friendly tribes, was concentrated there,
and numbered fully eight thousand warriors. Opposed to them was a mere
handful, comparatively, of white men. But they were led by one skilled
in war, and who knew the foe he had to contend against.
For three days the fight raged, and, finally, on the night of the
third day, and after a toilsome march of ten days through the “Bad
Lands,” the command reached a broad, open country, where the savages
made a final, desperate stand to drive the invaders back. They were
the wild Dakotians, who had seen but little of the white settlements,
and had a contemptuous opinion. But a new lesson was to be learned,
and it cost them dearly. They had seen guns large and small, but the
little mountain howitzers, from which shells were sent among them,
they could not comprehend, and asked the Indian scouts accompanying
the expedition if all the wagons “shot twice.” Terrible punishment was
inflicted upon the Indians in that three days’ fight.
At the close of the second day, the brigade wagon-master reported that
he had discovered the tracks of a white woman, and believed the Indians
held one captive. This was the first intimation General Sully received
of my captivity, and, not having received from the western posts any
report of captures by Indians, thought it must be some half-breed woman
who wore the foot gear of civilization.
But the sympathetic nature of that brave, noble General was stirred to
its depths, when his Indian scouts brought in the report that they had
talked with the hostile foe, and they had tauntingly said, “we have a
white woman captive.”
The Indians were badly whipped, and having accomplished that portion
of his mission, General Sully went on with his emigrant train to the
Yellow Stone River, and beyond that there were long, toilsome marches,
but no battles.
Early in October the command arrived opposite Fort Rice, and went
into camp. The tents of the little band of white warriors were hardly
pitched before word came that Captain Fisk, with a large party of
emigrants and a small escort of soldiers, had been attacked by a large
party of Indians; had corralled their train, and could not move, but
were on the defensive, and were confident of holding out until relief
should come. They were distant about one hundred and eighty miles, and
the sympathetic nature of the veteran, while it condemned the action of
his junior officer, thrilled with an earnest desire to save the women
and children of that apparently doomed train.
A detail of men from each company of the command was made, and
Captain Fisk and his train of emigrants rescued from their perilous
situation. Here was received proof positive of the fact that a white
woman was held captive by the Indians; and while every man would have
been willing to risk his life for her rescue, and many applications
were made to the General for permission to go out on expeditions for
that purpose, he had already adopted such measures as must secure her
release.
Friendly Indians who had accompanied the expedition were sent out to
visit the various tribes, to assure them of an earnest desire on the
part of the whites for peace, and invite them to meet at Fort Sully to
make a treaty. The result was that about the latter part of October
the vicinity of the fort presented an unusual appearance of animation.
Several bands had come in, in anticipation of the big feast that had
hitherto preceded all talks. Their disappointment may be imagined when
they were told that no talk would be had, nor any feast given, until
they brought in the white woman. Their protestations, that she was not
their captive, and that they could not get her from the band who held
her, were of no avail, and, at length, Tall Soldier, who was thought to
be friendly, called for volunteers to go with him for the white woman.
About one hundred Indians responded, and the assurance was given that
they would get the captive, if even at the expense of a fight with
those they went to take her from.
Weeks of painful suspense passed, and then came a letter from the
captive woman, brought by an Indian, in which warning was given of
an intent to capture the fort and murder the garrison. The warning
was acted upon; and when, on the 12th day of December, a large body
of Indians appeared on the bluffs overlooking the fort, that little
band of not more than two hundred men was prepared to give them a warm
reception should they come with hostile intent. Not only were arms in
prime condition, but every heart beat with high resolve.
When the cavalcade drew up in front of the fort, and the captive woman,
with about twelve of her immediate savage attendants, had passed
through the gates, they were ordered closed, shutting out the main
body, and leaving them exposed to a raking fire from the guns in the
bastions.
But no attack was made. The Indians seemed to know that the little
band of soldiers were prepared, and went quietly into camp, on an
island opposite the fort. Next day a council was held, and the terms
of the captives surrender agreed upon. Three unserviceable horses,
to replace ponies left with the Ogalallas by the Blackfeet, as a
pledge for the captives return; also, fifty dollars worth of presents,
some provisions, and a promise of a treaty when General Sully should
return. The Indians remained about the fort nearly two weeks, and
during that time efforts were made to induce the captive woman to
leave the fort and visit them at their lodges, doubtless with the
design of recapturing her. After making the captive some presents,
they bade adieu. Two months later they returned, apparently very much
disappointed when they found the captive had left for her home. They
were soon again upon the war path.
DEDICATED TO MRS. FANNY KELLY.
BY A SOLDIER.
In early youth, far in the distant west,
With gentle steps the fragrant fields you pressed;
Then joy rebounded in thy youthful heart,
Nor thought of care, or trouble, bore no part.
The morn of life, whose sky seems ever bright,
And distant hills are tinged with crimson light,
When hope, bright hope, by glowing fancies driven,
Fill’d thy young heart with raptured thoughts of heaven
’Twas there, ’neath yonder glorious western sky,
Where noble forests wave their heads on high,
And gentle zephyrs, filled with rich perfume,
Swept o’er vast prairies in undying bloom;
And there where silvery lakes and rippling streams
Go murmuring through the hills and valleys green,
And birds sing gayly, as they soar along,
In gentle notes, their ever-welcome song.
’Twas there was passed thy youthful life away,
And all became a dread reality;
Then woo’d and wedded to the one you loved,
As partner of thy life all else above;
To share thy brightest hopes, or gloomy fears,
Or mingle in thy smiles, or gushing tears;
To be to thee a constant bosom friend,
Faithful and true till life’s last hours should end:
Those days and years so pleasantly passed by,
No tears of grief—thy bosom knew no sigh;
But, ah! those days, those halcyon days, are past,
Those sunny hours, they were too sweet to last!
For far out o’er the broadest prairie plain,
Onward you pressed a distant home to gain.
Days, even weeks, so pleasantly passed o’er,
That mem’ry brought back those sweet days of yore;
Those days of thy youth for which you did sigh,
But ne’er did ye think that some soon should die.
For days of sadness, those days that come to all,
From the humblest cot to the palace hall,
When gathering darkness cloud the clear, blue sky,
Our brightest prospects all in ruin lie.
While gathering round the camp at close of day,
As the sun shed forth her last but lingering ray,
The war-whoop of the Sioux Indian band
Was heard; “They come,” and all surrounded stand.
A moment more, and then around thee lay,
As the dark smoke had cleared itself away,
The lifeless forms of those in horror slain,
And thou, alas! the only one remain.
No bosom friend, no counselor is near,
To sooth thy troubled breast, or quell thy fear.
Those dearest by all earthly ties are fled,
And you, a captive, stand among the dead;
For months in bondage to this savage band,
With none to rescue from his cruel hand,
To rove with them o’er prairies far and wild,
Far from thy husband and thy murdered child.
No star of hope, nor sun’s resplendent light,
Sends down one gleam upon this fearful night;
No power to pierce the dark and hidden gloom,
That veils the heart while in this earthly tomb.
But, lo! a change, a wondrous change, to thee!
Once held a captive, but now from bondage free.
The great Jehovah reigns; His arm is strong,
He sets the captive free, though waiteth long,
And turns the darkest hours of midnight gloom,
Into the effulgent brightness of noon.
W. S. V. H.
CERTIFICATE OF INDIAN CHIEFS.
Personally appeared before me, a Notary Public for the District of
Columbia, Mrs. Fanny Kelly, who is at this time a citizen of the State
of Kansas, and being duly sworn, deposes and says:
That in the year 1864, she started from Geneva, Allen County, Kansas,
for the purpose of settling with her husband and family in Montana, and
for this purpose she with her husband took all the goods and chattels
they had, which are enumerated below, with amount and value.
She further says she is now a widow and has a family to support.
But she was for many months a prisoner, and taken captive by a band of
the Sioux Indians, at the time at war with the white people, and with
the United States, as follows: On the 12th day of July, 1864, while on
the usually traveled road across the plains, and west of Fort Laramie,
she, with her husband and family, with several other persons, were
attacked by these Indians, and five of the party were killed, while she
was taken captive. That the Indians took or destroyed all they had. She
was a captive for five months, suffered hardships and taunts, and was
finally delivered to the military authorities of the United States in
Dakota, at Fort Sully.
That the following is a statement of their goods and effects, including
stock, as near as she can remember. The whole account was made out and
placed, as she is informed, in the hands of Dr. Burleigh, late delegate
from Dakota, but which she can not find at this time. The amount and
the leading items she knows to be as follows:
• • • • •
FANNY KELLY
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 24th day of February, A. D.
1870.
JAS. H. MCKENNEY, Notary Public,
Washington County, D. C.
CITY OF WASHINGTON, }
District of Columbia, }
June 9th, 1870. }
We, the undersigned, chiefs and head men of the Dakota or Sioux
Indians, do hereby acknowledge and certify to the facts set forth
in the foregoing affidavit of Mrs. Fanny Kelly, as to her captivity
and to the destruction of her property by members of our nation. We
acknowledge the justness of her claim against us for the loss of her
goods, and desire that the same may be paid her out of any moneys
now due our nation, or that may become due us by annuity or by any
appropriation made by Congress; and we would respectfully request that
the amount as set forth in the foregoing bill be paid to Mrs. Fanny
Kelly by the Department, out of any funds that may now or hereafter
belong to us.
SPOTTED ✕ TAIL,
Chief of Brule Sioux.
SWIFT ✕ BEAR,
Chief of Brule Sioux.
FAST ✕ BEAR,
Warrior, Brule Sioux.
YELLOW ✕ HAIR,
Warrior, Brule Sioux.
I certify that I was present when the above statement was signed by
said Brule Sioux chiefs and warriors, and that the same was fully
explained to them before they subscribed to same by the interpreter.
CHAS. E. GUERU,
Sioux Interpreter.
WASHINGTON, D. C., June 9, 1870.
Witnessed by:
DEWITT C. POOLE,
Captain U. S. Army, and Agent for Sioux Indians.
RED ✕ CLOUD,
RED ✕ DOG,
ROCKY ✕ BEAR,
LONG ✕ WOLF,
SWORD ✕
SETTING ✕ BEAR,
LITTLE ✕ BEAR,
YELLOW ✕
I certify that I was present when the above statement was signed by the
Ogalalla chiefs and warriors, and that the same was fully explained to
them before they subscribed to the same by the interpreter.
JOHN RICHARD.
Witness:
JUELS COFFEY.
WASHINGTON, D. C., June 11, 1870.
LITTLE ✕ SWAN,
PRETTY ✕ BEAR,
BLACK ✕ TOMAHAWK,
RED ✕ FEATHER.
I certify on honor that I was present when the above statement was
signed by the said chiefs and warriors of the Minnicconyon and Saus
Arcs bands of Sioux Indians, and that the same was fully explained to
them by
his
BAZEL ✕ CLEMENS,
mark.
Interpreter.
Witness:
M. A. VAN ZANDT.
GEO. M. RANDALL,
Capt. and Brvt. Maj. U. S. A.,
Indian Agent.
NEW YORK, July 14, 1870.
CERTIFIED COPIES OF MY CORRESPONDENCE WITH CAPTAIN FISK.
WASHINGTON, D. C., January 13, 1865.
L. THOMAS, Adjutant General, U. S. A.,
Washington, D. C.
GENERAL:
• • • • •
We made our start from Fort Ridgley, where I had received the kindest
attentions and important favors from the officers in charge, on the
afternoon of the 15th of July.
• • • • •
THE TRUCE—A CAPTIVE WHITE WOMAN.
Soon there was a gathering of what appeared to be all the Indians
about, on an eminence of prairie one mile away, and in full sight of
the camp. There came from the crowd three unarmed warriors toward the
train, holding up a white flag which they planted in the ground about
seven hundred yards off, and then retired.
This was an unexpected phase to the affair. While we were making extra
preparations for war, there came a truce. I sent Mitchell, my brave and
efficient officer of the guard, with two Sioux half-bred interpreters
to ascertain the meaning of this overture. They found, on reaching the
ground, a letter stuck in a stick, and directed to me. Without pausing
to converse with the Indians, who were a few rods distant, my assistant
returned to camp with the letter. That letter appeared to have been
written by a white woman, a captive in the hands of the Indians, and
read as follows:
“Makatunke says he will not fight wagons, for they have been
fighting two days. They had many killed by the goods they brought
into camp. They tell me what to write. I do not understand them. I
was taken by them July 12. They say for the soldiers to give forty
head of cattle.
“Hehutalunca says he fights not, but they have been fighting. Be
kind to them, and try to free me, for mercy’s sake.
“I was taken by them July 12.
(Signed) “MRS. KELLY.”
“Buy me if you can, and you will be satisfied. They have killed
many whites. Help me if you can.
“Unkpapas (they put words in, and I have to obey) they say for the
wagons they are fighting for them to go on. But I fear the result
of this battle. The Lord have mercy on you. Do not move.”
I replied to this letter as follows:
“MRS. KELLY:
“If you are really a white woman captive in the hands of these
Indians, I shall be glad to buy you and restore you to your
friends, and if a few unarmed Indians will deliver you at the place
where your letter was received, I will send there for them three
good American horses, and take you to our camp.
“I can not allow any party of Indians, few or many, to come to my
train, or camp, while in this country.
“Tell them I shall move when I get ready, and halt as long as
I think proper. I want no advice or favor from the Indians who
attacked, but am prepared to fight them as long as they choose to
make war. I do not, in the least, fear the result of this battle.
“Hoping that you may be handed to us at once for the offer I have
made,
“I am truly,
(Signed) “JAS. L. FISK, Capt. Comd’g.”
The above letter was sent back by the Indian messenger, and we awaited
the result. In the afternoon we received the following reply:
“I am truly a white woman, and now in sight of your camp, but they
will not let me go. They say they will not fight, but don’t trust
them. They say, ‘How d’ye do.’ They say they want you to give them
sugar, coffee, flour, gunpowder, but give them nothing till you can
see me for yourself, but induce them, taking me first. They want
four wagons, and they will stop fighting. They want forty cattle
to eat; I have to write what they tell me. They want you to come
here—you know better than that. His name Chatvaneo and the other’s
name Porcupine. Read to yourself, some of them can talk English.
They say this is their ground. They say, ‘Go home and come back
no more.’ The Fort Laramie soldiers have been after me, but they
(the Indians) run so; and they say they want knives and axes and
arrow-iron to shoot buffalo. Tell them to wait and go to town, and
they can get them. I would give them any thing for liberty. Induce
them to show me before you give any thing. They are very anxious
for you to move now. Do not, I implore you, for your life’s sake.
“FANNY KELLY.
“My residence formerly Geneva, Allen County, Kansas.”
I returned by the Indian the following reply:
“DEAR MADAM:
“Your second communication convinces me that you are what you
profess to be, a captive white woman, and you may be assured that
myself and my party are eager for release, but for the present
I can not accede to the demands, or gratify the wants of your
captors. We are sent on an important trust and mission, by order of
the great War Chief at Washington, westward to the mountain region,
with a small party of well-armed and determined men, feeling
entirely capable of defending ourselves; but we are not a war
party, and our train is not intended for war purposes. Powder and
shot we have, but no presents for the hostile Indians.
“I am an officer of the Government, but am not authorized, by my
instructions to give any thing but destruction to Indians who try
to stop me on my march. However, I will, for your release, give
three of my own horses, some flour, sugar, and coffee, or a load of
supplies. Tell the Indians to go back for the night, and to-morrow
at noon, if they will send you with five men to deliver you to my
soldiers on the mound we occupied to-day, their main body not to
advance beyond their present position, I will hand over to them the
horses and provisions, which they will be permitted to take away to
their headquarters.
“Should there be occasion, the same opportunity for communicating
will be granted to-morrow.
“The Great Spirit tells me that you will yet be safely returned to
your friends, and that all wrongs that have been committed on the
defenseless and innocent shall be avenged.
“In warmest sympathy, I am, Madam,
“JAS. L. FISK,
“Capt. and A. Q. M. U. S. A.”
• • • • •
With high regard, I have the honor to be,
Yours, very truly,
JAS. L. FISK,
Capt. and A. Q. M. Commanding Expedition.
ADJUTANT GENERAL’S OFFICE, }
WASHINGTON, March 17, 1870. }
OFFICIAL EXTRACT. }
WM. BEECH,
Assistant Adjutant General.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT G. A. HESSELBERGER.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb’y 16, 1870.
To the Hon. JAMES HARLAN,
Chairman Com. Ind. Affairs, U. S. Senate.
SIR:
I have the honor to make the following statement in relation to the
captivity and release of Mrs. Fanny Kelly.
In the summer of 1864, an expedition under the command of General
Alfred Sully, U. S. A., started against the hostile Sioux in
Dakota Territory, of which expedition I was a member, being then
an officer, First Lieutenant, in the Sixth Iowa Volunteer Cavalry.
Whilst on the expedition, we ascertained that Mrs. Fanny Kelly was
a prisoner of the Indians that we were then engaged against. After
the command returned to Fort Rice, in Dakota Territory, news was
received from Captain Fisk, an officer of the Engineer Department,
U. S. A., that he was surrounded, and his train corralled by the
same Indians that we had been fighting. I, with others, saw Fisk,
and was personally told by him that he had received notes and
letters of warning from Mrs. Kelly, telling him that he must not
break his train, that the Indians intended to fall upon the two
portions, if he did, and to massacre his guard and the emigrants
and children with him.
In the fall, after the expedition had been abandoned, the troops
were scattered at different posts along the Missouri River, I,
with my company, being left at Fort Sully, Dakota Territory. About
the latter part of November, an Indian came inside the post. I,
being officer of the day, asked him what he wanted. He said he
came a long way, and wanted to know if I was the “big chief,” if
so, he had a paper for me to see. He gave it to me. It was a sheet
torn out of a business book, and numbered 76 in the corner. The
substance of the letter was as follows:
“I write this letter, and send it by this Indian, but don’t know
whether you will get it, as they are very treacherous. They have
lied to me so often; they have promised to bring me to town nearly
every day. I wish you could do something to get me away from them.
If they do bring me to town, be guarded, as they are making all
kinds of threats and preparations for an attack. I have made a
pencil of a bullet, so it might be hard to read. Please treat this
Indian well. If you don’t, they might kill me.” After having the
Indian remain for a few days, and giving him plenty to eat, he
was sent on his return with a letter to Mrs. Kelly. A short time
after this, one morning, we discovered, back of the Fort on the
hill, a large body of Indians. The commanding officer was notified
of the fact. He immediately gave orders to prepare the fort for
defense. Since the warning received from Mrs. Kelly, we had been
unusually watchful of the Indians. The fort was poorly constructed,
having been built by soldiers for winter quarters. The Indians
were notified not to approach the fort, and only the chiefs, who
numbered ten or twelve, were allowed to come inside the gates,
bringing with them Mrs. Kelly, and when inside the fort, the gates
were immediately closed, shutting out the body of the Indians, who
numbered about 1,000 to 1,200. A bargain was made for her, and the
articles agreed upon were delivered for her in exchange.
I believe, and it was the opinion of others, that the advice and
warning of Mrs. Kelly was very valuable to us, and was instrumental
in putting us on our guard, and enabled us to ward off the
threatened attack of the Indians. In my opinion, had the Indians
attacked the fort, they could have captured it.
The day that Mrs. Kelly was brought into the fort was one of the
coldest I ever experienced, and she was very poorly clad, having
scarcely any thing to protect her person. Her limbs, hands, and
face were terribly frozen, and she was put in the hospital at Fort
Sully, where she remained for a long time, nearly two months, for
treatment.
(Signed) G. A. HESSELBERGER,
First Lieutenant U. S. Army.
Res. Leavenworth City.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
Second Auditor’s Office, June 3, 1870.
The foregoing is a correct copy of the statement of Lieutenant
Hesselberger on file in this office.
E. B. FRENCH.
STATEMENT OF OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE SIXTH IOWA CAVALRY.
We, the undersigned, late officers and members of the Sixth Iowa
Cavalry, being duly sworn, do hereby depose and say that, during the
winter of the years 1864 and 1865, the said Sixth Iowa Cavalry was
stationed, and doing military duty, at Fort Sully, in the Territory
of Dakota; that we, in our respective military capacities, were
present during the winter stated at the aforesaid post of Fort Sully.
Deponents further say that, on or about the 6th day of December, in
the year 1864, an Indian appeared before the fort, and signified to
the officer of the day, Lieutenant G. A. Hesselberger, that he had
something to communicate to those within the fort; and the said Indian
was allowed to enter, and presented to the commanding officer, Major
A. E. House, of the regiment before stated, a note, or letter, which
letter we all thoroughly knew the purport of, and it was seen and read
by ——. It was written, or purported to be, by one Mrs. Fanny Kelly,
who represented herself as a captive in the hands of certain Blackfeet
Sioux Indians; and that, under a pretext of delivering her up to her
people, they intended attacking the town or village to which they
purposed going.
Deponents further say that, at the time of the receipt of this letter,
the said Fort Sully was not in such a state of defense as would have
enabled the garrison to hold it against the attack of any considerable
body of men; that, in consequence of the receipt of said letter, Major
House brought the cannon in position to bear on all sides of the fort,
and otherwise ordered and disposed of the garrison to withstand any
attempt to capture or destroy the fort.
Deponents further say that, on or about the 9th day of December, the
said Mrs. Fanny Kelly was brought in as a captive and delivered by
the Indians to the commanding officer at Fort Sully; that the Indians
came up to the fort painted in war paint, and singing their war songs;
that as soon as Mrs. Kelly was within the gates of the fort, they were
closed, and all the Indians save those who had her directly in charge
were shut out from entrance into said fort.
Deponents further say, that they verily believe, from information
then gained, and from that which they afterward learned, it was the
intention of the Indians to attack the fort, and they were only
prevented from doing so by the preparations which the letter of warning
from the said Mrs. Fanny Kelly had induced the commanding officer to
make; and they verily believe that, had the attack been made without
such preparations, it would have resulted in the capture of the fort
and the massacre of its inmates; and such was the expressed opinion of
nearly all the members of the said Sixth Iowa Cavalry then stationed
therein; and further deponents say not.
{ JOHN LOGAN, _Capt. Co. K, Sixth Reg. Iowa Cavalry_.
{ DEAN CHEADLE, _O. S._ 〃 〃 〃 〃
Signed. { JOHN M. WILLIAMS, _Q. M. S._ 〃 〃 〃
{ JOHN MAGEE, _Serg’t Co. H_, 〃 〃 〃
{ JOHN COOPER, _Corp. Co. K_, 〃 〃 〃
{ MERIT M. OAKLEY, _Corp. Co. H_, 〃 〃 〃
Personally appeared before me, A. J. McKean, Clerk of the District
Court, Linn County, State of Iowa, and made solemn oath that the
foregoing is true and correct in all particulars, and that neither of
the parties hereto subscribing is interested in any way in any effort
which the said Mrs. Kelly may make, or has made, for indemnity, on this
22d day of January, A. D., 1870.
[SEAL.] A. J. MCKEAN,
_Clerk District Court, Linn County, Iowa_.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT, }
SECOND AUDITOR’S OFFICE, _December_ 2d, 1870. }
I certify the foregoing to be a true copy of the original filed in this
office.
E. B. FRENCH,
_Second Auditor_.
[_The memoranda below are written with pencil._]
Captain Logan was the officer of the day when Mrs. Kelly was brought
into the fort (Sully).
John Magee, Sergeant Co. H. Sixth Iowa Cavalry, was sergeant of the
guard at the same time.
To HON. JAMES HARLAN, U. S. S., and HON. WM. SMYTH, M. C.,
Second Congressional District, Iowa:
GENTLEMEN:—
I was at Fort Sully when the arrangement was made for the capture of
this woman. Was not there when the Indians brought her into the fort;
but am satisfied that the above affidavit, in the main, is correct.
(Signed.) T. S. BARDWELL,
_Late Assistant Surgeon Sixth Iowa Cavalry_.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT, }
SECOND AUDITOR’S OFFICE, _December 24, 1870_. }
I certify the foregoing to be a true copy of the original filed in this
office.
E. B. FRENCH,
_Second Auditor_.
Transcriber’s Notes:
- Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
- Blank pages have been removed.
- Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected.