river and Pine Ridge, were brave and loyal, as has been the almost
universal rule with Indians when enlisted in the government service,
even when called on, as were these, to serve against their own tribe
and relatives. The prairie Indian is a born soldier, with all the
soldier’s pride of loyalty to duty, and may be trusted implicitly after
he has once consented to enter the service. The scouts at Wounded Knee
were Sioux, with Philip Wells as interpreter. Other Sioux scouts were
ranging the country between the agency and the hostile camp in the Bad
Lands, and acted as mediators in the peace negotiations which led to
the final surrender. Fifty Cheyenne and about as many Crow scouts were
also employed in the same section of country. Throughout the entire
campaign the Indian scouts and police were faithful and received the
warmest commendation of their officers.
On New Year’s day, 1891, Henry Miller, a herder, was killed by Indians
a few miles from the agency. This was the only noncombatant killed by
the Indians during the entire campaign, and during the same period
there was no depredation committed by them outside of the reservation.
On the next day the agent reported that the school buildings and
Episcopal church on White Clay creek had been burned by hostiles, who
were then camped to the number of about 3,000 on Grass creek, 15 miles
northeast of the agency. They had captured the government beef herd
and were depending on it for food. Red Cloud, Little Wound, and their
people were with them and were reported as anxious to return, but
prevented by the hostile leaders, Two Strike, Short Bull, and Kicking
Bear, who threatened to kill the first one who made a move to come
in. (_G. D., 44._) A few days later a number of Red Cloud’s men came
in and surrendered and reported that the old chief was practically
a prisoner and wanted the soldiers to come and rescue him from the
hostiles, who were trying to force him into the war. They reported
further that there was much suffering from cold and hunger in the
Indian camp, and that all the Ogalala (Red Cloud’s people of Pine
Ridge) were intending to come in at once in a body.
On the 3d of January General Miles took up his headquarters at Pine
Ridge and directed General Brooke to assume immediate command of the
troops surrounding the hostile camp. Brooke’s men swung out to form the
western and northern part of a circle about the hostiles, cutting them
off from the Bad Lands, while the troops under General Carr closed in
on the east and northeast in such a way that the Indians were hemmed in
and unable to make a move in any direction excepting toward the agency.
On January 3 a party of hostiles attacked a detachment of the Sixth
cavalry under Captain Kerr on Grass creek, a few miles north of the
agency, but were quickly repulsed with the loss of four of their
number, the troops having been reinforced by other detachments in the
vicinity. In this engagement the Indian scouts again distinguished
themselves. (_War, 21._) The effect of this repulse was to check the
westward movement of the hostiles and hold them in their position along
White Clay creek until their passion had somewhat abated.
On January 5 there was another encounter on Wounded Knee creek. A small
detachment which had been sent out to meet a supply train coming into
the agency found the wagons drawn up in a square to resist an attack
made by a band of about 50 Indians. The soldiers joined forces with
the teamsters, and by firing from behind the protection of the wagons
succeeded in driving off the Indians and killing a number of their
horses. The hostiles were reinforced, however, and a hard skirmish was
kept up for several hours until more troops arrived from the agency
about dark, having been sent in answer to a courier who managed to
elude the attacking party. The troops charged on a gallop and the
Indians retreated, having lost several killed and wounded, besides a
number of their horses. (_Colby, 7._)
Amid all these warlike alarms the gentle muse Calliope hovered over
the field and inspired W. H. Prather, a colored private of troop I of
the Ninth cavalry, to the production of the ballad given below, one of
the few good specimens of American ballad poetry, and worthy of equal
place with “Captain Lovewell’s Fight,” “Old Quebec,” or anything that
originated in the late rebellion. It became a favorite among the troops
in camp and with the scattered frontiersmen of Dakota and Nebraska,
being sung to a simple air with vigor and expression and a particularly
rousing chorus, and is probably by this time a classic of the barracks.
It is here reproduced verbatim from the printed slip published for
distribution among the soldiers during the campaign.
+The Indian Ghost Dance and War+
The Red Skins left their Agency, the Soldiers left their Post,
All on the strength of an Indian tale about Messiah’s ghost
Got up by savage chieftains to lead their tribes astray;
But Uncle Sam wouldn’t have it so, for he ain’t built that way.
They swore that this Messiah came to them in visions sleep,
And promised to restore their game and Buffalos a heap,
So they must start a big ghost dance, then all would join their band,
And may be so we lead the way into the great Bad Land.
_Chorus_:
They claimed the shirt Messiah gave, no bullet could go through,
But when the Soldiers fired at them they saw this was not true.
The Medicine man supplied them with their great Messiah’s grace,
And he, too, pulled his freight and swore the 7th hard to face.
About their tents the Soldiers stood, awaiting one and all,
That they might hear the trumpet clear when sounding General call
Or Boots and Saddles in a’rush, that each and every man
Might mount in haste, ride soon and fast to stop this devilish band
But Generals great like Miles and Brooke don’t do things up that way,
For they know an Indian like a book, and let him have his sway
Until they think him far enough and then to John they’ll say,
“You had better stop your fooling or we’ll bring our guns to play.”
_Chorus._—They claimed the shirt, etc.
The 9th marched out with splendid cheer the Bad Lands to explo’e—
With Col. Henry at their head they never fear the foe;
So on they rode from Xmas eve ’till dawn of Xmas day;
The Red Skins heard the 9th was near and fled in great dismay;
The 7th is of courage bold both officers and men,
But bad luck seems to follow them and twice has took them in;
They came in contact with Big Foot’s warriors in their fierce might
This chief made sure he had a chance of vantage in the fight.
_Chorus._—They claimed the shirt, etc.
A fight took place, ’twas hand to hand, unwarned by trumpet call,
While the Sioux were dropping man by man—the 7th killed them all,
And to that regiment be said “Ye noble braves, well done,
Although you lost some gallant men a glorious fight you’ve won.”
The 8th was there, the sixth rode miles to swell that great command
And waited orders night and day to round up Short Bull’s band.
The Infantry marched up in mass the Cavalry’s support,
And while the latter rounded up, the former held the fort.
_Chorus._—They claimed the shirt, etc.
E battery of the 1st stood by and did their duty well,
For every time the Hotchkiss barked they say a hostile fell.
Some Indian soldiers chipped in too and helped to quell the fray,
And now the campaign’s ended and the soldiers marched away.
So all have done their share, you see, whether it was thick or thin,
And all helped break the ghost dance up and drive the hostiles in.
The settlers in that region now can breathe with better grace;
They only ask and pray to God to make John hold his base.
_Chorus._—They claimed the shirt, etc.
(W. H. Prather, I, 9th Cavalry).
APPENDIX—THE INDIAN STORY OF WOUNDED KNEE
[_From the Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for 1891,
volume 1, pages 179–181. Extracts from verbatim stenographic
report of council held by delegations of Sioux with Commissioner
of Indian Affairs, at Washington, February 11, 1891._]
+Turning Hawk+, Pine Ridge (Mr Cook, interpreter). Mr Commissioner, my
purpose to-day is to tell you what I know of the condition of affairs
at the agency where I live. A certain falsehood came to our agency from
the west which had the effect of a fire upon the Indians, and when
this certain fire came upon our people those who had farsightedness
and could see into the matter made up their minds to stand up against
it and fight it. The reason we took this hostile attitude to this fire
was because we believed that you yourself would not be in favor of this
particular mischief-making thing; but just as we expected, the people
in authority did not like this thing and we were quietly told that we
must give up or have nothing to do with this certain movement. Though
this is the advice from our good friends in the east, there were, of
course, many silly young men who were longing to become identified with
the movement, although they knew that there was nothing absolutely bad,
nor did they know there was anything absolutely good, in connection
with the movement.
In the course of time we heard that the soldiers were moving toward the
scene of trouble. After awhile some of the soldiers finally reached our
place and we heard that a number of them also reached our friends at
Rosebud. Of course, when a large body of soldiers is moving toward a
certain direction they inspire a more or less amount of awe, and it is
natural that the women and children who see this large moving mass are
made afraid of it and be put in a condition to make them run away. At
first we thought that Pine Ridge and Rosebud were the only two agencies
where soldiers were sent, but finally we heard that the other agencies
fared likewise. We heard and saw that about half our friends at Rosebud
agency, from fear at seeing the soldiers, began the move of running
away from their agency toward ours (Pine Ridge), and when they had
gotten inside of our reservation they there learned that right ahead of
them at our agency was another large crowd of soldiers, and while the
soldiers were there, there was constantly a great deal of false rumor
flying back and forth. The special rumor I have in mind is the threat
that the soldiers had come there to disarm the Indians entirely and to
take away all their horses from them. That was the oft-repeated story.
So constantly repeated was this story that our friends from Rosebud,
instead of going to Pine Ridge, the place of their destination, veered
off and went to some other direction toward the “Bad Lands.” We did not
know definitely how many, but understood there were 300 lodges of them,
about 1,700 people. Eagle Pipe, Turning Bear, High Hawk, Short Bull,
Lance, No Flesh, Pine Bird, Crow Dog, Two Strike, and White Horse were
the leaders.
Well, the people after veering off in this way, many of them who
believe in peace and order at our agency, were very anxious that some
influence should be brought upon these people. In addition to our love
of peace we remembered that many of these people were related to us by
blood. So we sent out peace commissioners to the people who were thus
running away from their agency.
I understood at the time that they were simply going away from fear
because of so many soldiers. So constant was the word of these good
men from Pine Ridge agency that finally they succeeded in getting
away half of the party from Rosebud, from the place where they
took refuge, and finally were brought to the agency at Pine Ridge.
Young-Man-Afraid-of-his-Horses, Little Wound, Fast Thunder, Louis
Shangreau, John Grass, Jack Red Cloud, and myself were some of these
peace-makers.
The remnant of the party from Rosebud not taken to the agency finally
reached the wilds of the Bad Lands. Seeing that we had succeeded
so well, once more we sent to the same party in the Bad Lands and
succeeded in bringing these very Indians out of the depths of the Bad
Lands and were being brought toward the agency. When we were about a
day’s journey from our agency we heard that a certain party of Indians
(Big Foot’s band) from the Cheyenne River agency was coming toward Pine
Ridge in flight.
+Captain Sword.+ Those who actually went off of the Cheyenne River
agency probably number 303, and there were a few from the Standing Rook
reserve with them, but as to their number I do not know. There were a
number of Ogalallas, old men and several school boys, coming back with
that very same party, and one of the very seriously wounded boys was a
member of the Ogalalla boarding school at Pine Ridge agency. He was not
on the warpath, but was simply returning home to his agency and to his
school after a summer visit to relatives on the Cheyenne river.
+Turning Hawk.+ When we heard that these people were coming toward our
agency we also heard this. These people were coming toward Pine Ridge
agency, and when they were almost on the agency they were met by the
soldiers and surrounded and finally taken to the Wounded Knee creek,
and there at a given time their guns were demanded. When they had
delivered them up, the men were separated from their families, from
their tipis, and taken to a certain spot. When the guns were thus taken
and the men thus separated, there was a crazy man, a young man of very
bad influence and in fact a nobody, among that bunch of Indians fired
his gun, and of course the firing of a gun must have been the breaking
of a military rule of some sort, because immediately the soldiers
returned fire and indiscriminate killing followed.
+Spotted Horse.+ This man shot an officer in the army; the first shot
killed this officer. I was a voluntary scout at that encounter and I
saw exactly what was done, and that was what I noticed; that the first
shot killed an officer. As soon as this shot was fired the Indians
immediately began drawing their knives, and they were exhorted from all
sides to desist, but this was not obeyed. Consequently the firing began
immediately on the part of the soldiers.
+Turning Hawk.+ All the men who were in a bunch were killed right
there, and those who escaped that first fire got into the ravine, and
as they went along up the ravine for a long distance they were pursued
on both sides by the soldiers and shot down, as the dead bodies showed
afterwards. The women were standing off at a different place from where
the men were stationed, and when the firing began, those of the men
who escaped the first onslaught went in one direction up the ravine,
and then the women, who were bunched together at another place, went
entirely in a different direction through an open field, and the women
fared the same fate as the men who went up the deep ravine.
+American Horse.+ The men were separated, as has already been said,
from the women, and they were surrounded by the soldiers. Then came
next the village of the Indians and that was entirely surrounded by the
soldiers also. When the firing began, of course the people who were
standing immediately around the young man who fired the first shot were
killed right together, and then they turned their guns, Hotchkiss guns,
etc., upon the women who were in the lodges standing there under a flag
of truce, and of course as soon as they were fired upon they fled, the
men fleeing in one direction and the women running in two different
directions. So that there were three general directions in which they
took flight.
There was a women with an infant in her arms who was killed as she
almost touched the flag of truce, and the women and children of course
were strewn all along the circular village until they were dispatched.
Right near the flag of truce a mother was shot down with her infant;
the child not knowing that its mother was dead was still nursing, and
that especially was a very sad sight. The women as they were fleeing
with their babes were killed together, shot right through, and the
women who were very heavy with child were also killed. All the Indians
fled in these three directions, and after most all of them had been
killed a cry was made that all those who were not killed or wounded
should come forth and they would be safe. Little boys who were not
wounded came out of their places of refuge, and as soon as they came
in sight a number of soldiers surrounded them and butchered them there.
Of course we all feel very sad about this affair. I stood very loyal
to the government all through those troublesome days, and believing
so much in the government and being so loyal to it, my disappointment
was very strong, and I have come to Washington with a very great blame
on my heart. Of course it would have been all right if only the men
were killed; we would feel almost grateful for it. But the fact of the
killing of the women, and more especially the killing of the young boys
and girls who are to go to make up the future strength of the Indian
people, is the saddest part of the whole affair and we feel it very
sorely.
I was not there at the time before the burial of the bodies, but I did
go there with some of the police and the Indian doctor and a great many
of the people, men from the agency, and we went through the battlefield
and saw where the bodies were from the track of the blood.
+Turning Hawk.+ I had just reached the point where I said that the
women were killed. We heard, besides the killing of the men, of the
onslaught also made upon the women and children, and they were treated
as roughly and indiscriminately as the men and boys were.
Of course this affair brought a great deal of distress upon all the
people, but especially upon the minds of those who stood loyal to the
government and who did all that they were able to do in the matter of
bringing about peace. They especially have suffered much distress and
are very much hurt at heart. These peace-makers continued on in their
good work, but there were a great many fickle young men who were ready
to be moved by the change in the events there, and consequently, in
spite of the great fire that was brought upon all, they were ready
to assume any hostile attitude. These young men got themselves in
readiness and went in the direction of the scene of battle so they
might be of service there. They got there and finally exchanged shots
with the soldiers. This party of young men was made up from Rosebud,
Ogalalla (Pine Ridge), and members of any other agencies that happened
to be there at the time. While this was going on in the neighborhood
of Wounded Knee—the Indians and soldiers exchanging shots—the agency,
our home, was also fired into by the Indians. Matters went on in this
strain until the evening came on, and then the Indians went off down by
White Clay creek. When the agency was fired upon by the Indians from
the hillside, of course the shots were returned by the Indian police
who were guarding the agency buildings.
Although fighting seemed to have been in the air, yet those
who believed in peace were still constant at their work.
Young-Man-Afraid-of-his-Horses, who had been on a visit to some other
agency in the north or northwest, returned, and immediately went out
to the people living about White Clay creek, on the border of the
Bad Lands, and brought his people out. He succeeded in obtaining the
consent of the people to come out of their place of refuge and return
to the agency. Thus the remaining portion of the Indians who started
from Rosebud were brought back into the agency. Mr Commissioner, during
the days of the great whirlwind out there, those good men tried to hold
up a counteracting power, and that was “Peace.” We have now come to
realize that peace has prevailed and won the day. While we were engaged
in bringing about peace our property was left behind, of course, and
most of us have lost everything, even down to the matter of guns with
which to kill ducks, rabbits, etc, shotguns, and guns of that order.
When Young-Man-Afraid brought the people in and their guns were asked
for, both men who were called hostile and men who stood loyal to the
government delivered up their guns.
+Chapter XIV+
CLOSE OF THE OUTBREAK—THE GHOST DANCE IN THE SOUTH
In the meantime overtures of peace had been made by General Miles to
the hostiles, most of whose leaders he knew personally, having received
their surrender on the Yellowstone ten years before, at the close of
the Custer war. On the urgent representations of himself and others
Congress had also appropriated the necessary funds for carrying out
the terms of the late treaty, by the disregard of which most of the
trouble had been caused, so that the commander was now able to assure
the Indians that their rights and necessities would receive attention.
They were urged to come in and surrender, with a guaranty that the
general himself would represent their case with the government. At
the same time they were informed that retreat was cut off and that
further resistance would be unavailing. As an additional step toward
regaining their confidence, the civilian agents were removed from the
several disturbed agencies, which were then put in charge of military
officers well known and respected by the Indians. Cheyenne River agency
was assigned to Captain J. H. Hurst, and Rosebud agency to Captain J.
M. Lee, while Royer, at Pine Ridge, was superseded on January 8 by
Captain. F. E. Pierce. The last-named officer was afterward relieved by
Captain Charles G. Penney, who is now in charge. (_War, 22; Comr., 38;
G. D., 45._)
The friendly overtures made by General Miles, with evidences
that the government desired to remedy their grievances, and that
longer resistance was hopeless, had their effect on the hostiles.
Little Wound, Young-man-afraid-of-his-horses (more properly,
“Young-man-of-whose-horses-they-are-afraid”), Big Road, and other
friendly chiefs, also used their persuasions with such good effect
that by January 12 the whole body of nearly 4,000 Indians had moved
in to within sight of the agency and expressed their desire for
peace. The troops closed in around them, and on the 16th of January,
1891, the hostiles surrendered, and the outbreak was at an end. They
complied with every order and direction given by the commander, and
gave up nearly 200 rifles, which, with other arms already surrendered,
made a total of between 600 and 700 guns, more than had ever before
been surrendered by the Sioux at one time. As a further guaranty of
good faith, the commander demanded the surrender of Kicking Bear and
Short Bull, the principal leaders, with about twenty other prominent
warriors, as hostages. The demand was readily complied with, and the
men designated came forward voluntarily and gave themselves up as
sureties for the good conduct of their people. They were sent to Fort
Sheridan, Illinois, near Chicago, where they were kept until there was
no further apprehension, and were then returned to their homes. (_War,
23; Colby, 8._) After the surrender the late hostiles pitched their
camp, numbering in all 742 tipis, in the bottom along White Clay creek,
just west of the agency, where General Miles had supplies of beef,
coffee, and sugar issued to them from the commissary department, and
that night they enjoyed the first full meal they had known in several
weeks.
Thus ended the so-called Sioux outbreak of 1890–91. It might be better
designated, however, as a Sioux panic and stampede, for, to quote the
expressive letter of McGillycuddy, writing under date of January 15,
1891, “Up to date there has been neither a Sioux outbreak or war.
No citizen in Nebraska or Dakota has been killed, molested, or can
show the scratch of a pin, and no property has been destroyed off the
reservation.” (_Colby, 9._) Only a single noncombatant was killed by
the Indians, and that was close to the agency. The entire time occupied
by the campaign, from the killing of Sitting Bull to the surrender at
Pine Ridge, was only thirty-two days. The late hostiles were returned
to their homes as speedily as possible. The Brulé of Rosebud, regarded
as the most turbulent of the hostiles, were taken back to the agency
by Captain Lee, for whom they had respect, founded on an acquaintance
of several years’ standing, without escort and during the most intense
cold of winter, but without any trouble or dissatisfaction whatever.
The military were returned to their usual stations, and within a few
weeks after the surrender affairs at the various agencies were moving
again in the usual channel.