Saint Paul. It consists of four
blockhouses, namely, two boarding-houses, and
two pioneer-stores, situated side by side, in a
deep and wild, but very charming valley. The
whole male population of the place—twelve
in number—is capable of bearing arms. On
the tenth of April last year, however, the
backwoodsmen, for twenty miles round, had
sought shelter there, together with their
women and children, thus raising the
defensive force to six-and-thirty muskets.

Now, let me relate how the war began.
Some fifty miles westward from Jordan
there lived an Irishman named Radcliff. A
few days before the general alarm of the
country, he had met with a gang of Indians
on his hundred and sixty acres, and had told
them to take to their heels, because he
would have no vagabonds upon his land.
The Indians did not heed him, and he therefore
set his bloodhound on them. Still the
descendants of the Warpekuteys remained
motionless, smoking their pipes as
unconcernedly as if they were the last persons in
the world who had anything whatever to do
with the matter. One only had started up
and shot the dog. Almost at the same time
came the report of the Irishman's rifle, and
the Indian, shot through the heart, fell dead.

Were these the men, so mute and motionless
but half a minute since, now starting up,
descending with a swoop upon the Irishman,
felling him to the ground, dashing his
brains out, tearing off his scalp, and howling
the while, like so many devils? And within
an hour there was an awful cry resounding
through the silent woods—the war-whoop
of the Warpekuteys! They murdered the
dead man's wife and his two little children;
they set fire to his blockhouse; they pounced
upon the next settlements, which they took
by surprise, and there too they slew mother,
child, and sister. During the night they
were joined by others; when they continued
next day to attack the settlements,
massacring inhabitants and burning dwellings,
they numbered about fifty men. On the day
following, they rested and enjoyed the liquors
they had found in the homes of their victims.

Matters stood thus, when the alarm spread
round the country. The intelligence of these
outrages assumed, of course, with every mile
of distance from the scene, more frightful
proportions, and a general decampment of
the backwoodsmen south of the Minnesota
river was the consequence. When the
Indians, after their day's rest, again set
out on their expedition of vengeance, they
found all the settlements abandoned, so they
halted opposite Jordan, in the woods of the
small valley, and took counsel together on
their further operations.

In Jordan were made hasty preparations
for defence. The blockhouses were strengthened,
doors barricaded, windows blocked
with mattresses, walls pierced with loop-
holes; on the roofs, water-pails and wet
blankets were kept ready. A courier had
been dispatched already to Fort Snelling, to
apply for military help.

The Indians were quiet during day, well
knowing there was but a poor chance for
them. At a late hour of the night, however,
they broke forth with savage cries, and
discharging their guns towards the blockhouses,
tried the chance of an assault. Fortunately,
the night happened to be clear; the
backwoodsmen stood upon their guard, and their
aim was sure. There was not even hand to
hand encounter. The Indians drew back as
suddenly as they advanced, dragging along
with them five dead bodies. In the houses,
no one had been hurt.

The three following nights passed quietly
away, but the men did not yet venture to
quit the houses, for they dreaded an ambuscade.
On the afternoon of the fourth day,
two volunteer companies of sharp-shooters
arrived from Shakopee, and pitched a flying
camp close to the battle-ground. Then, the
men thought themselves strong enough to
act on the offensive, without waiting for the
military force; and it was resolved to beat
cover in the surrounding woods on the next
morning. The woods were empty; the
Indians gone. The glorious days of old, had
passed with the Warpekuteys!

On the sixteenth of April the two military
companies of Fort Snelling arrived, and
continued their march—after a day's rest—to
the south-west in two different detachments,
for the pacification of the country.

The inhabitants of Jordan had already
gone back to their peaceable occupations,
when, two days after the departure of the
military, they were roused out of their morning
sleep by the sound of a trumpet. The
light dragoons of Saint Paul—twenty-five
horses in all, the rest having fallen off on the
way—made their public entry into the forest
city. The commander shook his head
incredulously when he was told of the conclusion
of hostilities. He wanted to shed Indian
blood, he said, even if he was obliged to march
as far as the Red River. His twenty-five
men said that he might march even to
California if he chose to do so, but as far as
they were concerned, they would have breakfast
and go home. The commander yielded,
the trumpet sounded a retreat. But, when
his squadron, after a difficult march of two
days through thick forests, set foot at last
upon the large plain which extends to Shakopee
on the Minnesota, the dragoons perceived
two Indians coming from the town, and
travelling along the road quite inoffensively.
The eagle-eye of the triumphant
watch-maker flashed fire. The decisive
moment had arrived.

He drew his sabre, and therewith pointed
to the double reinforcement which the enemy
was upon the point of getting, and which,
they were bound to intercept. Charge! His
trumpet sounded the alarm. The two Indians