Massacre of Wounded Knee
Frozen corpses twisted into grotesque shapes. Women with little children strapped onto their backs. Mothers futilely protecting their babes in their arms. Young boys filled with bullets. This is how the Indians were found. Death and destruction reigned everywhere on the banks of Wounded Knee Creek. On December 29, 1890, after disarming the Sioux Indians, the rapid fire Hotchkiss mountain cannons were used on them. These guns fired explosive shells weighing two pounds ten ounces at the rate of fifty per minute and had an effective range of 4, 200 yards. As the defenseless Indians fled, they were shot right through and killed. Then a cry was made that those who were not dead should come forth and they would be safe. Little boys who were not wounded came out of their places of refuge. As soon as they came in sight, a number of soldiers surrounded them and butchered them. Before the incident, a careful roll was taken among the Sioux - 120 men and 230 women and children. The next morning, over 300 lay dead. Gone was the Indian dream, pride, and spirit. This so-called battle marked the great last effort of the Indians' struggle to maintain their own culture and identity. The end of Indian America is marked by what can on
After their final true last stand, the Sioux never rose again. Wounded Knee was the last major engagement in American history between the Plains Indians and the United States Army. The horror of Wounded Knee was a harsh lesson for all of the Indians that portrayed the finality to all Native American dreams. It made them realize that any hope of escape into the past could never be. The nation's hoop had been broken and scattered into irretrievable fragments. Years afterwards, an old Sioux brave named Black Elk recalled the slaughter and said, "I did not now then how much had ended. When I look back now from this high hill of my age, I can still see the butchered women and children lying heaped and scattered along the crooked gulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud and was buried in the blizzard. A people's dream died there. It was a beautiful dream . . . " Colonel Forsyth had charges brought against him for allowing his men to fire on women and children. Later, however, the War Department dismissed these charges and he was never punished. About twenty medals of honor were also granted for the massacre. From 1891 to 1895, these medals were awarded to soldiers of the Seventh cavalry for their valiant efforts in defense of the great American way. After a few days, on the morning of December 20, Colonel Forsyth demanded the immediate surrender of all of their weapons. When only two or three broken carbines were handed over, the troops began to search throughout the Indian shelters. Soldiers disarmed the Indians of any guns, knives, axes, and stakes which could be construed to be a weapon. A medicine man named Yellow Bird began chanting and danced a few steps of the Ghost Dance. When no weapons were found, Colonel Forsyth ordered a body search of each warrior. The soldiers could not understand the Sioux language and the medicine man began chanting that they had nothing to fear and that the Ghost Dance would protect them. never truly belonging to either. In an interview with American Heritage, Clara Colby, Lost Bird's adopted mother said: "She has been sinned against in being taken from her proper surroundings." The soldiers fired straight into the Indians, keeping up a continuous fire. The deadly Hotchkiss guns were even opened up on the Indians. Within minutes, all active resistance from the Indians was over, yet the troops continued firing. The Indians tried to escape by running into the ravine, but they were still unmercilessly shot upon.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Black Coyote, Sioux Indians, Sioux Reservation, Ghost Dance, Colonel Forsyth, Indian Affairs', Sitting Bull, Lost Bird, Wounded Knee, Wovoka Pauite, wounded knee, ghost dance, lost bird, ghost dancers, women children, sitting bull, knee creek, colonel forsyth, wounded knee creek, brave named black, seventh cavalry, indians dancing,
Approximate Word count = 1733
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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