The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-13
Will Assume Command of His
Regiment
BY ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT.
aior-General Schofield and Secretary Proctor
ExOnerate Him from Niles Censure, and
Commend the Seventh Cavalry.

The record of the court OF inquiry Is en-
dorsed by Major General Miles, under date
of Chicago, January 81. He says in part:
Colonel Forsyth had received repeated
warnings as to the desperate and deceitful
character of Big Foot's band of Indians
and repeated orders as to the exercise OF
constant vigilance to guard against sur
prise or disaster, under all circumstances.
These warnings and orders were un-
needed and disregarded by Colonel Forsyth.
He had been warned that this par
ticular band contained many of the most
desperate and deceitful characters OF the
Sioux nation, and religious excitement
made them peculiarly dangerous. Under
these circumstances, the apparent indiffer-
ence and security of the officers in command
of the troops at Wounded Knee is incom
prehensible. Not a single company was so
disposed as to deliver it's fire upon the
warriors without endangerng the lives OF
some OF their own comrades. 1t is difficult
to conceive how a worse disposition OF
troops could be made
"The testimony goes to show that most
of the troops were forced to withhold their
fire, leaving the brunt of the affair to fall
upon two companies, until such warriors
as had not been killed broke through or
overpowered the small force directly about
them and reached the camp occupied by
the women and children. A battery of
four Hotchkiss guns had until then been
useless, the friction primers having been
removed from the guns by order Of the
captain commanding the battery lest the
gunners might, in their excitement dis
charge their pieces and destroy their own
comrades. These guns were now opened
upon the Indian camp, even at that
time placing in peril troops G and
ID of the Seventh cavalry, which
were obliged to retreat for some
distance owing to the fire from these guns
and from the small arms of other portions
of the command. The fact that large
number of the 100 warriors were without
firearms when the outbreak occurred, is
shown by the evidence that forty eight
guns had been taken from the tepees and
personal search of twenty or more war
riors resulted in finding them unarmed.
This fact, taken in connection with the ex
tremely injudicious disposition of the
troops and the large number of casualties
| among them, constrains the belief that
| some casualties were suffered at the hands
| of our own men. The fatal disposition of
| the troops was such at the outset to counter
| act in great measure the immense dis
parity of strength and would have been in
|
desperate foe even had no especial warnings
and orders been received from higher
authority.
II can only partially account for the
singular apathy aud neglect of Colonel
Forsyth upon the theory of his indifference &c
| to and contempt for repeated and urgent
warnings and orders received by him from
the division commander, or by his incom-
petence and entire want of experience in
! ~, veil IF a
where Judgment and discretion are re
quired.
| 81 also forward herewith the report OF
Captain Baldwin, Fifth infantry, concern
ing the finding of bodies of women and
children three miles from the scene of the
engagement on Wounded Knee creek. The
report indicates the nature of some of the
results of the unfortunate affair, results
which are viewed with the strongest dis
approval by the undersigned.
| "(Signed) NELSON A. MILES,
'tMajor- General Commanding
General Scofeld submitted the case tt
the secretary of war, with the endorsement
that the interests of the service do not de.
mand the longer continuance OF Colone
Forsyth's suspension. In his judgment
the conduct of the regiment was wei
worthy of the commentator bestowed
upon it by him in his first telegram afte
the engagement.
In returning the papers to the major
general commanding, the secretary review
J the testimony as to the surrender, anC
comments on the desperate and suIlel
character of the band. He says it wa
manifestly imperatively necessary to pre-
vent the escape of these desperates during
the process of disarming. The troops an
peared to have been well disposed to pre-
vent any outbreak, which was not an
,, could hardly have been anticipated, in deal
ing with the Indians. The secretary says
Nothing illustrates the madness of tn
outbreak more forcibly than the fact tina
their first fire was 80 directed that ever
shot that did not hit the soldiers must hav
gone through their own village. There
little doubt the first killing of women an
children was by this first fire of the In
3 dams themselves. They then made rus
to break through and around the TANKS c
5 troop K, commanded by gallant Capital
r Wallace, and reach the tepees wher
3 many of them had left their arms wit
| their squaWs and continued firing frol
among their own women and children, an
9 when they started from their camp the
l women and children were mingled wit
: them. The women and children WEI
4 never away from the immediate compan
: of the men after the latter broke from u
: circle. Many of them, men and women
e possible to distinguish a buck fro
t a squaw at little distance whe
| mounted. The men fired from anon
the women and children in their retrea
Cautions were repeatedly given by bot
officers and non-commissioned officers nl
) to shoot squaws or children and the me
a were cautioned individually that sue
! and such Indians were sQuaWs. Firing
u the troops was entirely directed On I'll
in, IN oi,, in ba
u site from the tepees until the Indians, aft
their break, mingled with their women ar
, children, thus exposing them to the fire
" the troops, and as consequence, son
j were unavoidably killed and wounded. TT
x fact was universally regretted by the of
N GERS and men of the Seventh cavalry. TIL
- unfortunate phase of the affair grew out
10 circumstances for which the Indians theI
81 selves were entirely responsible Maj
=, Whiteslde emphatically declared that
. least fifty shots were fired by the India
-; before the troops returned their ire. Sc
- eral special instances of humanity in &
!, saving OF women and children were note
- mo doubt the position of the troo
- made it necessary for some of them to wit
30 hold their fire for time, in order not
30 endanger the lives of their comrades,
=. both Major Kent and Captain Baldw
% concur in finding the evidence fails to c
- tablish that a single man of Colonel FIX
syth's command was killed or wounded
his fellows. This fact, and indeed the &C
IL duct of both officers and men through t
10 whole affair, demonstrates the exceeding
v, satisfactory state of discipline in the Sc
ii enth cavalry. Their behavior was char;
l. terized By skill, GOODNESS, discretion and Fl
bearance, and reflects the highest possil
credit upon the regiment which sustain
aloss Of one officer and twenty-five