In August 1862, after word reached Le Sueur that Dakota Indians Soldiers had attacked settlers near New Ulm and were threatening the town, militia volunteers quickly organized into two companies, the Le Sueur Tigers No. 1 and No. 2, under commanders William Dellaughter and Edwin C. Saunders, and went to New Ulm on August 19 and 20. During the Dakota's major attack on New Ulm on August 23, the Tigers were in the middle of the battle, with some fighting from the tall, strongly built Roebbecke Mill and others fighting outside the barricades to keep the Dakota at bay in a hotly contested fight. Le Sueur doctors William Worrall Mayo and Otis Ayer accompanied the companies and tended the wounded. Although the defenders of New Ulm prevailed, about 30 were killed, including six of the Tigers: Matthew Ahern, Monro Edwards, Washington Kulp, William Luskey, William Maloney, and Luke Smith. New Ulm was evacuated on August 25, the Tigers were mustered out on August 27, and most of the bodies of those Tigers who were killed were brought back to Le Sueur later that fall.