Battle At Wounded Knee
On the morning of December 29, 1890, the Sioux chief Big Foot and some 350 of his followers camped on the banks of Wounded Knee creek. Surrounding their camp was a force of US troops charged with the responsibility of arresting Big Foot and disarming his warriors. The scene was tense. Trouble had been brewing for months. The Battle at Wounded Knee was in part result of the growing support if the Ghost Dance religion. Founded by, a Paige Indian religious leader, the religion rapidly gained many followers though the Plains Indians. The belief of the Ghost Dance religion was the hope of returning to the ?old days?. It was taught that God would restore the Indian world to the way it was before the Americans arrived. With this praise, the Indians felt as though they were bring back there ancestors and the buffalo which were killed some of the Americans.
The army leaders feared that this religion would lead to upraising with the Indians so they called in troops to kept things under control. To control that area of the Indians, the Americans sent in General Nelson A. Miles and Agent James McLaughlin with an army of over 5,000 soldiers. Agent McLaughlin was [mistakenly] reporting that ?this new religion was reported from the beginning and that it seem impossible that any person, no matter how ignorant, could be brought to believe such absurd nonsense?. On Dec 14,1890 having received word that Sitting Bull was determined to visit the Pine Ridge Agency south of standing rock, McLaughlin had him arrested immediately. During the arrest, Siting Bull began to protest. His followers, having heard his shouts began to act. One of them fired a shout a officer arresting Sitting Bull. As the shot began to fell in death he was able to fire one shout hitting Sitting Bull. Gunfire erupted, taking the lives of Sitting Bull, 6 policemen and eight of Sitting Bulls followers. When he heard of Sitting Bull?s death, Chief Big Foot led his people south to...
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