to retreat toward St. Peter. It was simply a
mistake of judgment to put the river between himself and the main force,
but in his retreat he met Capt. E. St. Julian Cox, with reinforcements
for New Ulm, joined them, and returned the next day. He was a brave and
willing officer. The company I mentioned as having arrived from South
Bend, having heard that the Winnebagoes had joined in the outbreak, left
us before the final attack on Saturday, the 23d of August, claiming that
their presence at home was necessary to protect their families, and on
the morning of the 23d, when the enemy was in sight, a wagon load of
others left us and went down the river. I doubt if we could have
mustered over two hundred guns at any time during the fight.

The enemy, seeing his advantage in firing the buildings in the lower
part of the main street, and thus gradually nearing our barricades with
the intention of burning us out, kept up his work as continuously as he
could with the interruptions we made for him by occasionally driving him
out; but his approach was constant, and about 2 o'clock a roaring
conflagration was raging on both sides of the street, and the prospect
looked discouraging. At this juncture Asa White, an old frontiersman,
connected with the Winnebagoes, whom I had known for a long time, and
whose judgment and experience I appreciated and valued, came to me and
said: "Judge, if this goes on, the Indians will bag us in about two
hours." I said: "It looks that way; what remedy have you to suggest."
His answer was, "We must make for the cottonwood timber." Two miles and
a half lay between us and the timber referred to, which, of course,
rendered his suggestion utterly impracticable with two thousand
noncombatants to move, and I said: "White, they would slaughter us like
sheep should we undertake such a movement. Our strongest hold is in this
town, and if you will get together fifty volunteers, I will drive the
Indians out of the lower town and the greatest danger will be passed."
He saw at once the propriety of my proposition, and in a short time we
had a squad ready, and sallied out, cheering and yelling in a manner
that would have done credit to the wildest Comanches. We knew the
Indians were congregated in force down the street, and expected to find
them in a sunken road, about three blocks from where we started, but
they had worked their way up much nearer to us, and were in a deep swale
about a block and a half from our bar