Indian Rebellions & Battles On December 29, 1890, an incident occurred in So

On December 29, 1890, an incident occurred in South Dakota which is now known as the Battle at Wounded Knee. At that time, the United States government was using its army to control the Sioux population in the area. The white settlers and soldiers in the area were afraid of a possible Indian insurrection. The white authorities were particularly concerned about the Sioux Chief Big Foot. Big Foot had arrived in South Dakota with a band of followers for the purpose of attending a meeting with other Sioux leaders. On December 28, Big Foot and his band were captured by the 7th Cavalry and brought to a campsite at Wounded Knee for detention. The following morning, while the soldiers were disarming the warriors of the band, a fight broke out. This fight turned into a massacre when the soldiers started firing into the crowd. As the Indian women and children tried to flee the scene, the U.S. soldiers tracked them down and mercilessly killed them. At the end of this "battle," nearly three hundred Sioux Indians had been killed, the majority of them being innocent women and children. Of the sixty soldiers who died, it is assumed that most were killed by the indiscriminate shooting of their own men. The Battle at Wounded Knee was the last great effort of resistance on the part of the Sioux Indians. After that time, the Indian tribes around the country settled into their reservations and gave up their hope of ever winning their lands back from the white settlers. As such, th

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uch friction with Sitting Bull. However, McLaughlin failed to take into account the fact that the Indian police were especially hated by the traditional Sioux, because they had joined the whites and "accepted the white man's way completely." On the morning of December 15, 1890, Lieutenant Bull Head, the head of the local Indian police, arrived with his men at the house of Sitting Bull. When the chief was aroused from his sleep, he agreed at first to go peacefully with the officers. However, when Sitting Bull was escorted outside the house, some Sioux Indians watching the scene started deriding the chief for giving up so easily. When his own son called him a coward, Sitting Bull stopped in his tracks and refused to go any farther. While the police were trying to figure out what to do next, a follower of Sitting Bull named Catch the Bear suddenly ran up and fired a shot at Lieutenant Bull Head. As Bull Head fell, he turned and shot his gun at Sitting Bull. At the same time, another nearby officer shot Sitting Bull in the back of the head. At that point, all of the Indians who had been standing around joined in the fight. A bloody battle was waged for nearly two hours before cavalry troops could arrive and restore order. In

Category: History - I