Alexander Cox

The Wounded Knee Massacre

October 28, 2014

F Block History

    The massacred Native Americans at Wounded Knee were more terrified than angry; they felt lost and hurt and did not want any trouble. But because what seemed to be a simple misunderstanding between a tribesman and a soldier it caused the deaths of about 350 Native Americans and 230 of them were women and children.

Before the Sioux were massacred at Wounded Knee their chief, named Big Foot, wanted to flee from the white soldiers, especially since he found out that Sitting Bull had been assassinated. They wanted to flee to Pine Ride in hope of gaining some type of protection by red cloud’s troops from the white soldiers. But while they were fleeing to Pine Ridge Big Foot was struck with pneumonia. His pneumonia slowed the tribe down greatly because they always had to look after him. So while the Sioux were traveling they saw scouts from a US cavalry, when this got to Big Foot he immediately told them to put a white flag up. He put the white flag up because he knew that the majority of his people were children and women and that they would all be killed if they were to try and fight.

After Big Foot sent up his flag, Major Samuel Whitside came up to the tribe with his cavalry. Samuel Whitside had said that he had orders to bring them to a camp at Wounded Knee Creek. But before they were to move to Wounded Knee Creek, the Native Americans were to be disarmed and dismounted, well one of  the Major’s subordinates who was a half breed named Shangreau said that it would not be wise to take their weapons and horses, because it would surely cause fighting and all the children and women would die. Even though Whitside knew this, he said that he had orders to disarm and dismount, but it had gotten too late for him to do it so he decided to wait until the next day. When Samuel Whitside had noticed that Big Foot had pneumonia he sent for his ambulance to take care of Big Foot. This showed that he did care for the Native Americans but that he was just following orders.  Later on that night, the rest of the 7th cavalry came in and added two more Hotchkiss guns to the two that Major Whitside already had. All four of these guns were placed on top of a hill at the creek and were positioned to cut through the rows of teepees that were there for the Native Americans.

On the next day December 29, 1890 Samuel Whitside thought it was time to disarm all the Native Americans, now while they were disarming, the other white soldiers were terrified of the Native Americans and were on guard the entire time. During the disarming Black Coyote, who was considered to be a bad influence amongst the tribe did not immediately put his gun with the pile of other guns; this freaked out the soldiers so they attacked him and forced him to drop the gun. But in the process of doing this something had made a loud noise and it startled all of the soldiers. When they heard this noise they started shooting indiscriminately. The soldiers on the Hotchkiss Guns started shooting killing friends and foes alike. The Native Americans had started to flee from Wounded Knee and those that weren't killed at camp were killed while fleeing. The ones that made out of camp felt that they were being “hunted like buffalo” and thought that the white man is mean because they killed women and children and even the Native Americans don’t do that.

    Works Cited

Brown, Dee. "19." Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee; an Indian History of the American West. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1971. 413-17. Print.

Wilson, James. "Wounded Knee." The Earth Shall Weep: A History of Native America. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 1999. 284-85. Print.

Indians being buried after Wounded Knee Massacre.

This is the medicine man who told the Native Americans that they would be okay and no harm would come to them. 

                                                   

Sitting Bull was assassinated when he was confronted by the police at his home.

                                               

This is Red Cloud that Big Foot wanted to flee to. 

                                                   

Most of those that were killed were frozen before they were even buried. Some of the positions were grotesque and disturbing.                                                    

Big Foot a.k.a. Spotted Elk laying dead in the snow after the Wounded Knee Massacre