palling, and many of our
citizens were predicting the most direful results should the army fail
to check the savage hordes in their work of devastation and ruin.

Every boat from the Minnesota river would be crowded with refugees,
and the people of St. Paul were often called upon to assist in
forwarding them to their place of destination.

Home guards were organized in almost every village of the threatened
portion of the state, but the authorities could not furnish arms
or ammunition and their services would have been of little account
against the well-armed savages in case they had been attacked.

Advertisements appeared in the St. Paul newspapers offering rewards of
$25 a piece for Sioux scalps.

* * * * *

Gov. Ramsey endeavored to allay the apprehensions of the people and
published in the papers a statement to the effect that the residents
of the Capital City need not be alarmed, as the nearest approach of
the Indians was at Acton, Meeker county, 80 miles away; Fort Ripley,
150 miles away, and the scenes of the tragedy in Yellow Medicine
county, 210 miles distant. This may have been gratifying to the
residents of the Capital City, but was far from reassuring to the
frontiersmen who were compelled to abandon their homes and were
seeking the protection of the slowly advancing militia.

* * * * *

About 12 o'clock one night during the latter part of August a report
was circulated over the northern and western portion of St. Paul that
the savages were near the city, and many women and children were
aroused from their slumber and hastily dressed and sought the
protection of the city authorities. It was an exciting but rather
amusing episode in the great tragedy then taking place on the
frontier. Rumors of this character were often circulated, and it was
not until after the battle of Wood Lake that the people of St. Paul
felt that they were perfectly safe from raids by the hostile Sioux.

* * * * *

As soon as Gen. Sibley had collected a sufficient force to enable
him to move with safety he decided upon offensive operations. He had
collected about 2,000 men from the regiments then forming, including
the Third regiment, recently paroled, and a battery under command of
Capt. Mark Hendricks. The expedition marched for two or three days
without encountering opposition, but on the morning of the 23d of
September several for