Reports and correspondence relating to the Army investigations of the Battle at Wounded Knee and to the Sioux campaign of 1890-1891

On the two rolls of this microfilm publication are reproduced a number of letters, telegrams, reports, and maps that relate to the Army investigation of the Battle at Wounded Knee Creek and to the background of Sioux unrest and consequent Army activity during the years 1890-91. The records are a part of the Principal Record Division File No. 5412 for 1890 in general correspondence of the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780's-1917, Record Group 94. The Battle at Wounded Knee Creek, S. Dak., took place on December 29, 1890. A band of Sioux Indians in the custody of the 7th U.S. Cavalry was being disarmed when a fight broke out, resulting in numerous white and Indian casualties. Many of the Sioux casualties were women and children. Beyond these basic facts, the course of events at Wounded Knee and the ultimate responsibility for them have always been subjects for debate. The investigative reports and accompanying papers included in this microfilm publication record much of the earliest phase of that debate. They represent efforts of the Army to determine the circumstances surrounding the events at Wounded Knee and any possible misconduct on the part of the 7th Cavalry.