Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-01-02
Further Details of Mondays Battle.

OMAHA, Dec. 30.-The Bees correspond
ent at Camp on Wounded Knee creek tele.
graphs as follows concerning yesterdays
battle: In the morning, as soon as the or.
dinary military work of early day was
done, Major 'Whitesides determined upon
disarming the Indians at once, and at 8
o'clock the camp of Big Foot was sur
rounded by the Seventh cavalry and Tay-
lor's scouts. The Indians were sitting in
half circle. Four Hotchkiss guns were
were placed upon the hill about 200 yards
distant. Every preparation was made, not
especially to fight, but to show the Indians
the futility of resistance. They seemed to
recognize this fact, and when Major
Whitesides ordered them to come up,
twenty at time, and give up their arms,
they came, but not with their guns in sight.
OF the hrst twenty but two or three dis
played arms. These they gave up sullen-
ly, and observing the futiIity of that
method of procedure Major Whitesides
ordered detachment of the K and A
troops, on foot, to enter the tepees and
search them. This work had hardly been
entered upon when
120 DESPERATE INDIANS
turned upon the soldiers, who were gath.
cred closely about the tepees. and immedi
ately storm of firing was poured upon
the military. 1t was as though the order
to search had been signal. The latter,
not anticipating any such action, had been
gathered in very closely, and the first fir
ing was terribly disastrous to them. The
reply was immediate, however, and in an
instant it seemed as if the draw in which
the Indian camp was set was sunken
Vesuvius. The soldiers, maddened at the
sight Of their falling comrades, hardly
awaited the command, and in moment
the whole front was sheet Of fire. above
which the smoke rolled, obscuring the GEN.
tral scene from view. Through this horri.
bic curtain, single Indians could be seen at
times flying before the fire, but after the
first discharge from the carbines of the
troopers, there were but few of them left.
They ~. ..r-.E
FELL ON A4es SIDES LIKE GRAIN
in the course of scythe. Indians and
soldiers lay together, and the wounded
fought on the ground. OFF through the
draw toward the bluffs the few remaining
warriors fed, turning occasionally to fire,
but now evidently caring more for escape
than battle. Only the wounded Indians
seemed possessed Of the courage of devils.
From the ground where they had fallen
they continued to fire until their ammuni.
tion was gone, or until killed by soldiers.
Both sides forgot everything excepting
only the loading and discharging of guns.
1t was only in the early part OF the ARRAY
that hand-to-hand lighting was seen. Car
bines were dubbed. -
sABREs CLEANED AND WAR CLUBS
CIRCLED vt,E
in the air and came down like thunder
bolts. But this was only for short time.
The Indians could not stand that storm
from the soldiers they had hoped to. 1t
was only stroke of life before death. The
remnant fled and the battle became hunt.
1t was now that the artillery was called
into requisition. Before. the fighting was
so close that guns could not be trained
without danger OF death to the soldiers.
Now, with Indians flying where they
might, it was easier to reach them. Cat
Ting and HOtchkiSs pnns were trained and