spring our company was ordered to go to Fort Ripley, nobody ever
knew what for. We stayed there until sometime in May when we were
ordered to Fort Ridgely, to get ready for an expedition across the
plains after the Indians who were somewhere between Minnesota and the
Bad Lands of Dakota and Montana.

In the June battle of Killdeer Mountain '64, a cavalry boy sixteen years
old, as soon as the Indians were in sight, put spurs to his horse. He
rode in among the Indians, killing two with his sword, picked up the
lariat ropes of their ponies and returned to our firing line leading the
ponies, and never received a scratch of injury to himself. The boy hero
said the Indians had killed his father and mother and he enlisted on
purpose to avenge their death.

On August 8, 1864, General Sully was sick and turned the entire command
over to Colonel Thomas. Before noon Indians were reported all around us.
Colonel Thomas put strong guards in front, rear and on the flanks.
Firing soon commenced on all sides, the soldiers having orders to fire
at an Indian whenever one was in sight. The Indians always appeared
singly or in small bands on the hills and higher ground. This mode of
battle was continued until dark, when we were obliged to stop and go
into camp with a strong guard all around. In the morning not an Indian
was in sight. It was learned afterward that there were some eight
thousand warriors engaged and that they lost three hundred and eleven
killed and six hundred or seven hundred wounded. Our losses were nine
killed and about one hundred wounded. The battle was named
"Waho-chon-chaka" and was the last fighting we had with the Indians for
that summer.

Mrs. Arabella Merrit--1859.

My father's family were among the early pioneers in Martin county,
Minnesota. I well remember an emergency that tried our wits and I
suppose was equal to golf for developing arm muscle in a young girl--it
certainly developed patience.

Much snow had fallen during the winter of 1858-9 and the sloughs of
which there were legions in that country, had frozen up in the fall,
full of water. Toward the last of February, the snow began to melt. A
heavy rain setting in on February 28th caused it to melt very rapidly
until at last the whole prairie was flooded, making it impossible for us
to leave our homes for any great distance. It was during this time that
the flour and meal gave out. What could we do? Bread we must have! At
last I thought of the cof