 | CHAPTER XXVIII. Narrative of my captivity among the Sioux Indians. |  |
CHAPTER XXVIII.
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
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
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 buffalos, 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
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
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 north-west,
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
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
and that night, being within sight of the battleground,
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 south-west, 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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
'T was there, 'neath yonder glorious westernsky,
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.
'T was 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.
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.
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
chattles 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.
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 Ogallala 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
aud that the same was fully explained to them by
Bazel his × mark. Clemens,
Interpreter.
Witness:
F. D. Curtis.
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.
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
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.
have killed many whites. Help me if you can.
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:
"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
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,
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 Chatvanco 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
anxious for you to move now. Do not, I implore you
for your life's sake.
Kansas."
I returned by the Indian the following reply:
"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,
"Capt. and A. Q. M. U.S.A."
* * * * * * *
With high regard, I have the honor to be,
Capt. and A. Q. M. Commanding Expedition.
Washington, March 17, 1870.
Official Extract.
Assistant Adjutant General.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT G. A. HESSELBERGER.
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 do n'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
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.
First Lieutenant U. S. Army.
Res. Leavenworth City.
Second Auditor's Office, June 3, 1870.
Lieutenant Hesselberger on file in this office.
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
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.
Signed.
John Logan, Capt. Co. K, Sixth Reg. Iowa Cavalry.
Dean Cheadle, O. S. " " " "
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. MoKean,
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.
| CHAPTER XXVIII. Narrative of my captivity among the Sioux Indians. | |