WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE

Wounded Knee Massacre

On December 29th, 1890, troops of the 7th Cavalry surrounded a band of Miniconjou Lakota near Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, seeking to disarm them amid fears surrounding the Ghost Dance movement. What began as a tense standoff spiraled into chaos when a shot rang out and soldiers opened fire at close range. Machine guns and rifles tore through the camp, killing not only warriors but large numbers of women and children who were trying to flee. By the time the guns fell silent, hundreds of Lakota lay dead or dying, and dozens of soldiers were also killed or wounded, some by their own side’s fire. Official accounts long framed the event as a battle, and many Medals of Honor were awarded, but later generations came to view Wounded Knee as a massacre and a symbol of the violent closing of the American frontier.