b'THE OLD STORYTELLERLetters from Alex soldiers bullets. In less than a heartbeat, the Indians were on their feet pouring volley after volley into two troops of dismounted cavalry standing nearby in close order. This sudden, wholly unexpected and unprovoked attack by the Indians was so fierce and overwhelming that the ranks of PART 2 By Hank Sheffer, The Old Storyteller the soldiers facing them melted away with scarcely ashot in reply leaving twenty-five dead and thirty-five December 29, 1890 Miles to pursue and apprehend Chief Big Foot and hiswounded on the field.band and remand them to this location. Big Foots bandAfter decimating the surprised soldiers in that deadly To My Dearest Eleanor, had been, as it turned out was captured by Colonelassault, the Indians, men, women, and children, passed Nothing changes to any greatSumners force while crossing the White River attemptingamong their pony herd, except for a small number who extent. It appears I am destined to subjugate myself toto escape to the Badlands. The assurance of a desire todropped into the dry bed behind the tepees where the circumstances whereby it is once again, colder thansurrender was accepted, but with the usual undependablemen kept up constant fire. The mounted troops beyond what I would ever have anticipated any portion of Godspromises of the Indians, they took flight during the night.the camp had not yet fired a shot at this time.habitable creation should possibly be. However, it is alsoRecalling the events of that fortnight thence I quiver at to my great fortune that fires are permitted at this bivouacmy own antipathy. Had my Generals plan for Sitting BullsColonel Harry L. Hawthornes Hotchkiss guns did not and I have sufficient coffee to befriend me as I write to youquiet surrender been employed all would have been well;open fire until the stampeded pony herd passed up the this fourth day after Christmas. contrarily, if not entirely well, then, at least within reachvalley in a dense cloud of dust. The Indians that had of negotiabilitythat died instantly when Sitting Bullentered the river bed were steadily firing at the troops on While I am much aware this humble chronicle shall, in alldied. Had there been the slightest moment of discernmentthe hill. After some three or four shots, the fire by the field probability, never be delivered into your caring hands, itduring the mayhem on that cold, starless night at Pineguns was discontinued because of possibly causing harm is through loving tradition and sincerest affection that itRidge, the needless deaths of the great chief, his son,to his own troops. About two and certainly not more than is addressed in your name. It is also necessarily importantCrowfoot, and the other hapless 14 who forfeited theirthree shots were fired at the pony herd in an attempt to that apologies be made to you for my remissful writinglives, would have been avoided. turn it. After that, the mounted cavalry was able to pursue habits; for allowing such a preponderance of time toand capture some of the braves and force others into a expire since my previous missive. I hasten to add I amTwo squadrons of the Seventh Cavalry under Majorravine where they, too, were subsequently surrounded.hard-pressed to understand; nay, leery to explain howWhitside left camp at Wounded Knee Creek on December such events have managed to occur. 28, 1890, on receiving reports from scouts that Big FootTo my recollection, the first phase, including thewas at Porcupine Creek, about nine miles to the east. TheIndians sudden attack, the movement of the herd and I now find myself in a desolate region of South DakotaIndians, when met at the Porcupine were in battle array,the scattering of the band did not occupy more than ten a short distance northeast of the Pine Ridge Indianpainted and stripped. After some parleying, the Indiansminutes. It was the subsequent pursuit of the Indians agency. My commanding officer, Colonel Nelson Miles,surrendered and were marched under guard to ourand slow process of forcing them out of their concealed has expressed his gratitude to me for my continued loyalbivouac at Wounded Knee Creek where they formed theirpositions in the ravine which kept up the fight for some service under his commandhowever, his epaulet dictatescamp near our own. Here were assembled the braves, theirtwo hours afterward. That said, this soldier witnessedhe is no longer of colonel status but rather carries thefamilies, impedimenta and a herd of about one hundredno Indians killed in their tepees, nor any women or responsibilities stars beget. I am also informed that theand fifty ponies. children slaughtered.above date is correctI must deal with that laterthere are more pressing issues at hand. Gratefully, the night passed peacefully. A third squadronUnfortunately, I fear history will chronicle this as a of the 7th Cavalry with General Forsyth arrived as didfictional episode where the hapless Indians were once And now, there is yet another attempt at the reservationadditional artillery. What with all other happenstance,again set upon by the greedy white man element and to regain some dignity, some meaning to their lives, whichto his credit, Major Whitside, having learned that Bighis western expansion progress. However, should this has taken the form of what is called ghost dancing.Foot was suffering from pneumonia, sent his commandlowly bugler be called upon to testify, he would be This ritual, though incomprehensible to some onlookers,surgeon to offer aid several times during the night. compelled to unequivocally state that in his eyes the fight interjects into their lives the belief that the dead shallat Wounded Knee Creek was wholly unnecessary. There return to the living and the already living shall becomeMy dearest Eleanor, I must interject here, it had beenwas no act, nor demand by the U. S. Army that justified immortal. This immortality is to take place in a worldmy ongoing belief that the term red heathens wasthe violent and savage attack brought on at the outset by where there is no harm, no war, and no misconduct one toa misnomer used when addressing the so-called redthe Indians themselves.another of any sort. It is a desperate plea to return to theheathens. It was also my original perception that old ways when the people lived in harmony with nature inany recourse taken by them to avoid the surrealistic,The pre-dawn light is approaching and I must hurry to a world of eternal peace and tranquility. governmental bunk thrust upon them would be wrong.close this somewhat cumbersome writing. How different From my buglers observation post of invisibility, Iit all could have, should have been. If only I could have We have spoken often on the subject of suspiciousthought I could understand their ongoing strugglebeen summoned to sound the call (as firstplanned) to apprehension. My observations allow that this harmless,to maintain compliance with the wishes of the greatthe warrior Chief Big Foot and his encampment for what well-meaning dance has created but one more bugbear inwhite fathers in Washington. However, it was a futilehistory should have been able to record as a peaceful the eyes of these wary white onlookers. Their total lack oftask on their part as the authoritarian concordance issurrender of arms. Too, I had prayed this parlay would understandingmoreover, their total lack of willingnesscontinuously changing. It is no wonder that confusion andtake place with all great dispatch. Our hopes were that to understand, overwhelms me at times. frustration are constant companions to these poor selflesswe, being well trooped with our unmitigated show of human beings, I thought? It is no wonder that I havestrength, could preclude any treacherous, if not foolish It is further to my unfortunate subordination tobecome somewhat confused in my own demeanor. Thenhappenstance. It would not be a good time to die, I have made acquaintance with James McLaughlin, ansuddenly, in the crisp chilliness of the morning, I wasthought! Nevertheless, the damnable cold was unrelenting unprecedented ass, who is prominent to this nonsensicaljolted from my thoughts back to the reality of the otherand the snow continued to deepen for yet another day. It is apprehension. It was his contention that Indian Ghosttense matters at hand. as though the entire Wounded Knee Creek area has been Dancing would lead to an uprising and the decay of hisenshrouded in a crystal sepulcherthere is a peaceful, if authority at the Standing Rock Indian agency. Ironically,The captured Indian men had been summoned from theirnot eerie quietness that hangs in the dead air. I pray all McLaughlin cited Sitting Bull, a man who has no moretepeesthey appeared wrapped in their blankets and satwould go better this day regard for the dancing than that of respecting his peopledown in the open space within their camp. During their for the right to do so, as high priest and instigator oftalk, a cavalry detail passed among the tepees looking forI remain your loving son,these evil doings. The dimension of McLaughlins personalany weapons. Unknown to our commanding officer at hatred channeled toward the Great Chief is of a naturethe time, the Indian men had their rifles concealed under that I have yet encountered in my lifetime. The outcometheir blankets. The unsuccessful searches now proved of breeding such hatred remained to be seenI prayed Ithat the Indians must already have their rifles with them should never be made privy to it. . . . they were therefore called upon to give them up asCorporal E. Alexander Henryspreliminary terms of surrender. Big Foot, lying on a litter,Bugler of the GuardHowever, this odious stance assumed by the Indian agentbrought out of his tepee at the first gathering of his men,A Troop; United States Armydid cause warrant for the arrest of the Sioux leader. Rumorwas present during the entire scene. While waiting for a of the supposed possibility of a white massacre brought mydecision from the gathering their medicine man began to*Much of this edition of Letters From Alex was excerpted directly Generals troop upon the scene. With just cause, the sheerdance and chant the feared ghost dance. from an Army letter to the Cavalry Journal on April 5, 1938, by force of our presence struck fear in the eyes of the Indians. Colonel Harry L. Hawthorne. He was a participant in the Wounded Within minutes General Forsyth was informed that theKnee incident that fateful day and was awarded the Congressional Recently I was temporarily billeted to Major S. M.medicine man was inciting his people to arise and attackMedal of Honor for his bravery under fire. nationalvanguard.Whitsides command that is under orders from Generaland that their ghost shirts would protect them from theorg/?s=Unbury+The+Truth+About+Wounded+Knee8 April 2020'