Thrilling incidents of the Indian war of 1862 : being a personal narrative of…
"Thrilling incidents of the Indian war of 1862 : being a personal narrative of…" by Mrs. L. Eastlick is a first-person historical account written in the mid-19th century. It recounts a Minnesota settler’s ordeal during the Dakota War, focusing on the Lake Shetek attacks, her desperate flight, and the devastation visited on her family and neighbors. The work aims both to bear witness to what she saw and to solicit sympathy and
support as she struggles to rebuild after the catastrophe. The opening of the narrative sets out the author’s purpose and need, then follows her family’s westward move to Lake Shetek, early cordial contacts with nearby Dakota, and the sudden eruption of violence. As the settlers attempt to flee together, they are overtaken on the prairie; she is wounded, her husband is killed, and children and neighbors are slain or taken, while she hides and then wanders injured for days. She eventually reconnects with survivors, learns that her son Merton has carried the baby Johnny many miles, and, with the help of a passing mail carrier, reaches an abandoned farm where they hide until a small detachment rescues them and takes them to New Ulm. There she receives hospital care and aid from soldiers and townspeople. The excerpt closes with her efforts to obtain official passes and assistance from state authorities to continue eastward to friends. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
