SKETCHES OF THE HISTORY OF HUTCHINSON By Hon. William W. Pendergast, McLeod Co., MN
http://ftp.rootsweb.ancestry.com/pub/usgenweb/mn/mcleod/history/penderga.txt
THE SIOUX OUTBREAK.
On Saturday, the 16th day of August, 1862, nine men, including myself,
set out for Fort Snelling to enlist. Their names were G.T. Belden,
William Gosnell, W.H. Harrington, John Hartwig, J.T. Higgins, Andrew A.
Hopper, Charles M. Horton, Charles Stahl, and W.W. Pendergast. The next
Monday Capt. George C. Whitcomb arrived in town from Forest City, with
the startling news that the Indians were "on the rampage," that Robinson
Jones and Howard Baker and their families had been killed at Acton the
day before, and that all the settlers west of us were likely to be
massacred. Tuesday morning the captain was in St. Paul, laying the fac
before Governor Ramsey and Adjutant General Malmros, both of whom we
once to Fort Snelling. The governor inquired of me about the danger of
an Indian outbreak, but I could not confirm the report from Acton, a
fact did not believe it. Soon, however, a courier from the upper
Minnesota river came in with the news that Capt. John S. March and more
than half his company had been killed while crossing the river. There
was no longer room for doubt.
Our Hutchinson boys had not enlisted, so we all determined to go back a
defend our own hearthstones. Captain Whitcomb came with us, having
succeeded in getting seventy-five Springfield muskets and three boxes of
cartridges, amounting to 3,000 rounds of ammunition. We reached Glencoe
the second night, having impressed three teams and two men at Shakop
haul us and the ammunition. It was seventeen miles from Glencoe to
Hutchinson. I determined to walk home that night and Mr. Gosnell offer
to come with me. The offer was gladly accepted.
. . .
THE KILLING OF LITTLE CROW.
On the morning of July 3, 1863, Nathan Lamson and his son Chauncey left
Hutchinson for their home in the north part of the town, about five mil
away, to look after their stock. All being found as they left it a few
weeks before, they started out near evening to hunt for a deer. While
they were stealing carefully along a dim path or trail, leading
northwestward, the old man's quick eye caught sight of something moving
in the bushes a few rods beyond them. Peering through the thicket, he
saw two Indians, a middle-aged man (afterward ascertained to be Little
Crow) and a boy (his son Wowinapa) of about sixteen years, picking
raspberries which were abundant and ripe. Mr. Lamson thought this too
good a chance to lose. Creeping to a poplar tree which stood near, he
rested his gun against the trunk and fired wounding Little Crow in the
side. He did not fall, but, looking around, saw his assailant, a
instant sent a bullet through the fleshy part of Mr. Lamson's left
shoulder. Chauncey then advanced toward Little Crow, following the
rather blind trail around the raspberry patch toward the northwest, whi
his father dropped to the ground to reload. Little Crow, evidently
thinking him killed, seized his son's rifle and moved along the bush-
skirted path toward Chauncey. They saw each other and fired at the same
moment. Only one report was heard by either Chauncey or his father,
Little Crow fell mortally wounded by a bullet through his breast, and
Chauncey felt the wind upon his cheek as the other ball passed harmless
by.
Supposing his father to have been killed, and fearing lest other Indians
might be near, Chauncey hurried to give the alarm in Hutchinson, and
reached there about ten o'clock that evening. His mother, nearly
distracted, begged the men at the fort to go in search of her husband.
William Gosnell was the first to volunteer.
. . .

• Married: BEF 1868

1. David A. Gosnell b: 1868 in Minnesota
2. Fred A. Gosnell b: 1870 in Minnesota
3. Mary Gosnell b: 1873 in Minnesota
4. John Gosnell b: 1875 in Minnesota
5. Samuel Oliver W. Gosnell b: BET 1 DEC 1877 AND 1878 in Minnesota
6. James William Gosnell b: BET AUG 1880 AND 1881 in Minnesota
7. George Gosnell b: 27 JAN 1883 in Minnesota
8. Fred E. Gosnell b: 28 DEC 1888 in Minnesota

1. 1880 Census, Acoma, Mcleod, Minnesota, page 4C
   William GOSNEL Self M Male W 53 IRE Farmer IRE IRE
   Olive GOSNEL Wife M Female W 29 OH PA PA
   David GOSNEL Son S Male W 12 MN IRE OH
   Mary GOSNEL Dau S Female W 7 MN At School IRE OH
   John GOSNEL Son S Male W 5 MN IRE OH
   Samuel GOSNEL Son S Male W 2 MN IRE OH
   Albert STRAW Other S Male W 21 MN Servant IRE OH.
2. PERHAPS HIS IMMIGRATION RECORD
   Irish Immigrants: New York Port Arrival Records, 1846-1851
   Name: Gosnell, WM.
   Age: 21
   Gender: Male
   Embarkation: Liverpool
   Ship: Philadelphia
   Occupation: immigrant
   Passengers: 565
   Native Country: Ireland
   Destination: USA
   Arrival Date: 31 Dec 1849.
3. 1885 Minnesota State Census, Acoma, Mcleod, Minnesota
   Wm Gosnell 57 (?) Ireland
   Olive Gosnell 33 Ohio
   David Gosnell 17 Minn
   Mary Gosnell 12 Minn
   John Gosnell 10 Minn
   Samuel Gosnell 7 Minn
   Wm Gosnell 4 Minn
   George Gosnell 2 Minn.
4. 1870 Census, Acoma, McLeod, Minnesota
   Gosnell, W. S., 42, farmer, Ireland
   Olive Jane, 19, keeping house, Ohio, page 131
   David A., 2, Minnesota
   Fred A., 11/12, Minnesota.