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By the time Sitting Bull’s supporters fled, a total of
eighteen men were killed. In addition to Bullhead who
was shot multiple times and mortally wounded, seven
other police officers were killed in the fight along with
nine of Sitting Bull’s men, including one of his sons and
one of his brothers, slain by members of their own tribe
in government uniforms. The remains of Sitting Bull,
arguably the most famous Native American leader of
the 19th century, were taken away and buried at Fort
Yates.
Conflicting reports of the battle were soon being
reported across the country. For example, The Washburn
Leader on December 27, 1890, called Sitting Bull’s camp
“the most vicious element of the Sioux” and claimed he
was preparing to start a “prolonged and bloody Indian
War.” Their article called the Lakota men killed “probably
the eight worst men in the tribe” and indicated that Red
Tomahawk had taken a revolver given to Sitting Bull by
Mrs. Weldon of Brooklyn (Caroline Weldon) while they
were arresting Sitting Bull and that it was this revolver
that Red Tomahawk shot Sitting Bull with. Bullhead
and the other police officers were presumably armed
mainly with Remington Model 1875 Army revolvers
and Springfield trapdoors. Weldon had come to the
reservation out of a desire to help the Lakota in the
late 1880s as a member of the National Indian Defense
Association and painted portraits of Sitting Bull in
1890, including one with a Winchester rifle in his hands.
In “Woman Walking Ahead: In Search of Catherine
Weldon and Sitting Bull” by Eileen Pollack, the author
notes regarding reports of Weldon giving Sitting Bull a
revolver, “If Weldon did give the chief a gun, it vanished
in the pandemonium.” Reports from the scene reported
that Sitting Bull’s body had been horribly mutilated and
most of his effects were looted. Unfortunately no details
on the specifics of the revolver Red Tomahawk is said to
have taken from Sitting Bull have been found.
The Chicago Tribune on December 16, 1890, reported
that “The President [Benjamin Harrison] said that he had
regarded Sitting Bull as the great disturbing element in
his tribe and now that he was out of the way he hoped
that a settlement of the difficulties could be reached
without further bloodshed.” That was not to be the case.
Many of the Hunkpapa Lakota fled in fear to join with
Spotted Elk and the Minicojou Lakota and together
they then sought shelter with the Oglala Lakota under
Red Cloud who had previously successfully fought the
U.S. Army in the late 1860s. On December 28, 1890,
the combined Lakota bands informed the U.S. Army
that they would surrender rather than fight and were
escorted by the U.S. 7th Cavalry to a site near Wounded
Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge reservation. The 7th
Cavalry had long since rebuilt its strength after the
disaster at Little Bighorn. The following morning,
the camp was surrounded by the cavalry,
and Hotchkiss guns were in place to
fire down upon the camp. Troopers
moved to disarm the Lakota. The camp had
approximately 350 Lakota, around 230 of them
men. They were surrounded by 500 cavalrymen. As
with the death of Sitting Bull, exactly what triggered
what follows remains somewhat a mystery. It is often
said that a deaf Lakota man named Black Coyote did
not want to have his expensive new Winchester rifle
taken from him and did not fully understand what
was going on. His rifle apparently went off while it
was being seized by the troopers and then both sides
began firing. Some of the Lakota believed the Ghost
Dance and their ghost shirts would protect them. The
troopers also turned the Hotchkiss guns on the women
and children and pursued and fired upon those fleeing
for their lives or trying to surrender. At least 150 of the
Lakota were killed and many others were wounded.
Among the counted dead were 84 men, 44 women,
and 18 children, including some infants. The true death
toll has been estimated to have been 250 to 300. 31
soldiers were also killed or mortally wounded, many
possibly from the Hotchkiss guns and other friendly
fire rather than the Lakota. Some of the fleeing Lakota
fought the U.S. Cavalry again the following day in two
small engagements on the Pine Ridge Reservation
largely marking the end of the Indian Wars in the West.
Despite the outrage and condemnation of the cavalry’s
actions at Wounded Knee by prominent American
military officers such as General Nelson A. Miles who
witnessed the aftermath, 20 troopers received the
Medal of Honor for their action that day.
CONDITION: Good. The revolver retains strong traces of
original nickel plating in the protected areas and 25%
of the case colors on the hammer; otherwise, it exhibits
mottled gray and brown patina, some mild pitting,
and general moderate overall wear. The barrel hinge
screw is partially absent. The grips are very good and
have some minor dings and scratches, mild handling
wear, and smooth oiled finish. The extractor is not
working, but the revolver is otherwise mechanically
fine. The leather is good with moderate overall wear,
including loss from rubbing and flaking, restitching on
the holster, and an absent holster flap button. This is a
fascinating revolver connected to a tragic moment in
American history: the death of Chief Sitting Bull.
Provenance: Peter Brady; The Tevlin Family; A
Private Collection; Property of a Gentleman.
Estimate: 25,000 - 40,000
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