The Wounded Knee Massacre

The Wounded Knee Massacre or the Battle of Wounded Knee was the last armed conflict between the Great Sioux Nation and the United States of America On December 29, 1890, 365 troops of the US 7th Cavalry, supported by four Hotchkiss guns, surrounded an encampment of Miniconjou (Lakota) and Hunkpapa Sioux (Lakota) near Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. The Army had orders to escort the Sioux to the railroad for transport to Omaha, Nebraska. One day earlier, the Sioux had been cornered and agreed to turn themselves in at the Pine Ridge Agency in South Dakota. They were the very last of the Sioux to do so. They were met by the 7th Cavalry, who intended to disarm them and ensure their compliance. During the process of disarming the Sioux, a deaf tribesman named Black Coyote could not hear the order to give up his rifle and was reluctant to do so. A scuffle over Black Coyote's rifle escalated into an all-out battle, with those few Sioux warriors who still had weapons shooting at the 7th Cavalry, and the 7th Cavalry opening fire indiscriminately from all sides, killing men, women, and children, as well as some of their own fellow troopers. The 7th Cavalry quickly suppressed the Sioux fire, and the surviving Sioux fled, but US cavalrymen pursued and killed many who were unarmed. By the time it was over, about 146 men, women, and children of the Lakota Sioux had been killed. Twenty-five troopers also died, some believed to have been the victims of friendly fire as the shooting took place at point blank range in chaotic conditions. Around 150 Lakota are believed to have fled the chaos, with an unknown number later dying from hypothermia. Following the Massacre that day, U.S. soldiers left the wounded Native Americans to die in a three day blizzard They later hired civilians to remove the bodies and bury them in a mass grave. It was said that some of the Americans stripped the corpses of their clothing and collected some of their personal items as mementos of the occasion. Following the burial, the Americans lined up and took their picture beside the mass grave and twenty medals of honor were later given to honor the U.S. soldiers who participated in the massacre. In 1903, a monument was erected at the site of the mass grave by surviving relatives to honor the "many innocent women and children who knew no wrong..." who were killed in the massacre. Today, some family members are still seeking compensation from the U.S. government as heirs of the victims but they have been unsuccessful in receiving any monetary settlement so far. The incident is considered noteworthy by the United States Army as the engagement in military history in which the most Medals of Honor have been awarded in the history of the US Army. The site has been designated a National Historic Landmark

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dynasoar (2010-01-18)

Although the site is listed as a National Historical Monument there is very little to indicate its presence. You can drive right past it and not notice it. And if you do happen to know how to find it from a map, do not go after it has rained. The National Park Service has not seen fit to pave access drive at the foot of the hill and the dirt road there is often inches deep in mud. You'll need to park at the road near the sign describing the site and walk in. The site of the massacre of hundreds of Lakota doesn't rate asphalt, but the site of Custer's massacre has not one but two prepared sites, a visitor's center and the 7th Cavalry monument, both of which have improvements planned for the near future. Indians killed Americans? Let us tell you all about it. Americans killed Indians? Who cares, go get your shoes dirty if you can find it.