The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-01-15
AS TOLD BY 4 SOLDIER.
A Greenyiile Mans Story of the right ~
Wounded Knee.
1Greenville News.

The Southern officers in the recent
fights and skirmishes with the Indians
have been conspicuously brought to
notice by their bravery and also oy
the number that have been struck.
The South Carolinians have Jared the
worst in the encounters, Capt. Wallace
having been killed and Lieut.. Gar
lington dangerously wounded. Ano-
ther South Carolinian who was slight
wounded in the Wounded Knee Creek
fight was Lieut.. T. @. Donaldson, a
GreenviIle boy and a son of Col. L. U.
Donaldson. Lieut.. Donaldson is sec
ond lieutenant of Company G. Seventh
cavalry. the regiment which was en-
gagged in the bloody fight with the In
dians on Wounded Knee creek. Lieut..
Donaldson, in a long letter to his mo-
ther, graphically describes the fight,
and gives the positions of the soldiers
and Indians. The following, relating
to the battle and the later skirmishes,
is taken from the letter:
Late in the afternoon Of the 2Sth an
officer of the First battalion came gal
loping in and stated that the First bat
talon had found the Indians big
Foot's and Humps band combined,) a
number of children and squaws, max
ing the total number about 400. The
officer stated that the Indians were
then camped with the troops, but the
Second battalion was wanted because
the Indians were to be disarmed and
was feared trouble might result if only
one battalion was there. We were or
dered to saddle up and carry one days
rations with US. In twenty minutes
after receiving the order we were on
the march, starting at 4:45 p. m. We
came in sight of the First battalion
and Indian camps about Sis p. M.
We halted for a short time and were
then marched by circuitous route of
about four miles Ito keep the Indians
from seeing us) to the north of the
First ba:talion's camp and dirictly in
its rear. AS soon as we got in camp
we learned that the First battalion
had placed a Gordon Of sentinels around
the Indians to prevent any of them
from slipping away during the night.
| Our two battalions numbered about
4GO men, besides a detachment of ar
tillery with four breach-loading Hotch-
kiss guns. No trouble was expected in
disarming the Indians. On the morn
ing of the 29th the Second battalion
marched out, mounted, and sur
rounded the camp, as indicated on the
rough sketch below"
The sketch drawn by Lieut.. Donald
son gives the exact positions of the 1p-
dians and soldiers. The redmen were
surrounded on all sides by soldiers. The
Indian camp was near a deep ravine
and there were soldiers on each side of
the ravine, the battery being on hill
side in the rear Of the troops. The
First battalion was dismounted and
was placed around the Indians, G
troop, Lieut.. Donaldsod's company,
was deployed as skirmishers, just in
front Of wire fence.
"As soon as. the troops were in posi-
tion," says he letter, "the Indians
came out to have a council, just in the
edge of their camp. They formed a
circle and began their pow-wow, and
while this was going on their tepees
were searched for arms. The soldiers
found lot Of rifles laid away in the
tepees and took them to the First Bat
talion's camps, or on the edge oft. The
next task was to disarm the bucks, who
were in the council ring. I could see
that the Indians were getting very
much excited, but I did not think
they would attempt to resist. There
was one medicine man who kept up a
continual yelling. He went out into
the circle and around it gesticulating
and raising his hands. This, 1 learned
afterward, was for the purpose of in
voking the aid of the Great Spirit. At
the same time he told the bucks to
have no fear, that bullets could have no
affect on them as long as they had on
their ghost shirts. There was one of
the chiefs who kept piping on some
kind of Il shrill reed instrument. This,
l learn, was to warn the bucks and
squaws that fighting was soon to be-
gin.
"a few of the bucks had been dis
armed, when suddenly the leading
chief threw off his blanket, fired his re-
volver at the soldiers around him, and
then made break for the ravine. AS
quick as flash all the bucks followed
his example, and began to work their
Winchesters with remarkable rapipity.
| OF course, as the first shot was fired the
soldiers open up on them. From the
position we were in we were in as much
danger from our own men as from the
indians. Bullets were whistliDg in
every direction and ploughing up the
ground around us. AS soon as the firing
commenced c troop became divided on
accoun. Of the wire fence. I moved
my platoon around the fence to the
right, dismounted it and placed the
horses in a pocket Of the ravine and
opened fire on the Indians attempting
to escape across the hill. All of them
going in that direction were soon
killed, but the majority took to the
ravine. c troop was ordered to round
up the herd OF horses which had cs-
capped, and We had to make a long