Question

What events led to the Battle of Wounded Knee?

Answer 1

The events leading up to the Wounded Knee Massacre need to only be prefaced that tension was running high due to the murder of Sitting Bull on December 15 which caused some of the Miniconjou Sioux Indians and Hunkpapa Sioux Indians to leave the reservations and head toward the Badlands

On December 28, the 7th U. S. Cavalry had arrested a village led by Big Foot of the Hunkpapa Sioux Indians. The count arrested was 230 Sioux Indian women and children with only 120 Sioux Indian men. Early in the morning on December 29th 1890, four Hotchkiss guns were aimed on the Wounded Knee Village. 500 Cavalry Troops under the command of Colonel James W. Forsyth began the process of disarming the Indians of any guns, knives, axes and stakes which could be construed to be a weapon. These were placed in a guarded pile

No one knows what caused the disturbance, no one claims the first shot, the Wounded Knee Massacre began fiercely with the Hotchkiss guns raining fragmentation shells into the village at a combined rate of 200 or more rounds a minute. The 500 well armed Cavalry Troopers were well positioned using crossing fire to methodically carry out what is know as the Wounded Knee Massacre

Almost immediately most of the Sioux Indian men were killed. A few Sioux Indians mustered enough strength barehanded to kill 29 soldiers and wound 39 more. The bravery of these people was to no avail for as long as an Indian moved, the guns kept firing. Unarmed Sioux Indian Women and children were Mercilessly Massacred. A few ran as far as three miles only to be chased by the long knives of the Cavalry and put to death

Of the original 350 Indians one estimate stated that only 50 survived. Almost all historical statistics report over 200 Indians being killed on that day but government figures only reported the Indian dead as 64 men, 44 women and girls, and 18 babies. All of the bodies were buried in one communal grave :)

Answer 2

In the last days of December 1890, the Miniconjou tribe led by Spotted Elk, at the news of Sitting Bull's assassination, left the camp on the Cherry stream to go to Pine Ridge, hoping for the protection of Red Cloud.

On December 28th they were intercepted by four squadrons of the Seventh Cavalry Regiment led by Major Samuel Whitside, who had orders to lead them to a cavalry camp on the Wounded Knee. 120 men and 230 women and children were taken to the bank of the stream, camped and surrounded by two squadrons of cavalry.

The command of the operations was taken by Colonel James Forsyth and the next day Spotted Elk's men, seriously ill due to pneumonia, were disarmed. Black Coyote, a young deaf Miniconjou, delayed deposing his Winchester rifle, was surrounded by soldiers and, while deposing his weapon, a blow started and an indiscriminate massacre followed. The field was mowed by machine guns and the confirmed deaths were 153. According to a later estimate, of the 350 present Miniconjou nearly 300 died.

Twenty-five soldiers were killed, some perhaps accidental victims of their comrades. After rescuing the wounded soldiers, a detachment returned to the field where 51 Indians were still alive, 4 men and 47 women and children.