that the Indians were approaching in force, burning every building and
grain or hay stack they passed. The settlers had either all been killed,
or had taken refuge at the fort or New Ulm, so we had no anxiety about
them. About 9:30 a. m. the enemy appeared in great force, on both sides
of the river. Those on the east side, when they reached the neighborhood
of the ferry, burned some stacks as a signal of their arrival, which was
responded to by a similar fire in the edge of the timber, about two
miles and a half from the town on the west side. Between this timber
and the town, was a beautiful open prairie, with considerable descent
towards the town. Immediately on seeing the smoke from the ferry the
enemy advanced rapidly, some six hundred strong, many mounted and the
rest on foot. I had determined to meet them on the open prairie, and had
formed my men by companies in a long line of battle, with intervals
between them, on the first level plateau on the west side of the town,
thus covering its whole west front. There were not over twenty or thirty
rifles in the whole command, and a man with a shotgun, knowing his
antagonist carries a rifle, has very little confidence in his fighting
ability. Down came the Indians in the bright sunlight, galloping,
running, yelling, and gesticulating in the most fiendish manner. If we
had had good rifles they never would have got near enough to do much
harm, but as it was we could not check them before their fire began to
tell on our line. They deployed to the right and left until they covered
our entire front, and then charged. My men, appreciating the inferiority
of their armament, after seeing several of their comrades fall, and
having fired a few ineffectual volleys, fell back on the town, passing
some buildings without taking possession of them, which mistake was
instantly taken advantage of by the Indians, who at once occupied them,
but they did not follow us into the town proper, no doubt thinking our
retreat was a feint to draw them among the buildings, and thus gain an
advantage. I think if they had boldly charged into the town and set it
on fire, they would have won the fight; but, instead, they surrounded it
on all sides, the main body taking possession of the lower end of the
main street below the barricades, from which direction a strong wind was
blowing towards the center of the town. From this point they began
firing the houses on both sides of the street. We soon rallied t