warrant was out, and immediately attempted to arrest and handcuff him.
The Indian resisted vigorously, and it was only with the aid of three or
four soldiers that they succeeded in arresting him. He was put on board
of the boat. The whole force then skirmished through the timber in
search of Indians, but found none, and about noon returned to the
clearing and were ordered to stack arms preparatory to getting dinner.
They had scouted the surrounding country and had seen no Indians or
signs of Indians, and did not believe there were any in the vicinity,
when in fact the Indians had carefully watched their every movement, and
were close to their trail, waiting for the most advantageous moment to
strike. It was the same tactics which the Indians had so often adopted
with much success in their warfare with the whites. While stacking arms,
a new recruit allowed his gun to fall to the ground, and it was
discharged accidentally. The Indians who were silently awaiting their
opportunity, supposing it was the signal of attack, opened fire on the
troops, and a vicious battle began. The soldiers seized their arms, and
returned the fire as best they could, directing it at the points whence
came the shots from the invisible enemy, concealed in the dense thicket.
The battle raged for several hours. General Bacon, with a gun in his
hands, was everywhere, encouraging the men. Major Wilkinson, as cool as
if he had been in a drawing room, cheered his men on, but was thrice
wounded, the last hit proving fatal. Colonel Sheehan instinctively
entered the fight, and took charge of the right wing of the line,
charging the enemy with a few followers and keeping up a rapid fire. The
colonel was hit three times, two bullets passing through his clothes,
grazing the skin, without serious injury, and one cutting a painful but
not dangerous wound across his stomach. The result of the fight was six
killed and nine wounded on the part of the troops. One of the Indian
police was also killed, and seven citizens wounded, some seriously. No
estimate has ever been satisfactorily obtained of the loss of the enemy.
The most reliable account of the number of his forces engaged is from
nineteen to thirty, and if I should venture an estimate of his losses,
based upon my experience of his ability to select a vantage ground, and
take care of himself, I would put it at practically nothing.

The killed and wounded were brought to Fort Snelling, the killed buried
with