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The Sand Creek Massacre
Despite the surrender flag of the Cheyenne indians some time before, Col. John Chivington led 700 U.S. soldiers into the Cheyenne camp on Sand Creek. The troops attacked and routed the indian encampment, though the indians attempted to defend the Creek. There were few indians who left the battle with their lives. -
The Fetterman Massacre
U.S. Army troops were stationed in a fort on the Bozeman Trail in Montana, when a Sioux military leader, Crazy Horse, acted as a decoy, causing the troops to send a group of about 80 soldiers in pursuit. They were then ambushed by hundreds of Sioux warriors, wiping out the entire group. -
Treaty of Fort Laramie
In the 1860's and 1870's, there was increased fighting between the United States and the Indians settled near the Black Hills in the Dakota territory (present day South Dakota). This fighting decreased when a treaty was signed at Fort Laramie, and other locations in the area, acknowledging the Black Hills as an Indian reserve. -
1874 Discovery
Despite warnings from the Indians and the U.S. government to stay away, prospectors in the surrounding territories were curious about rumors of profuse gold deposits in the Black Hills area. Finally, in 1874, an army expedition led by General Custer confirmed the rumors, reporting gold "from the grass roots down." -
The Battle of Little Bighorn
The U.S. Army was sent to round up and escort the indian warriors in the Black Hills to a nearby reservation, so General George Custer led the Seventh Cavalry to scout the Black Hills Indian encampment. Craving the glory of leading a major battle, he ordered his troops to divide and attack the indians. He had seriously underestimated them, however, with his 700 troops matched agains their force of thousands. None of Custer's troops were left alive. -
Ghost Dance
After the Dawes Act weakened the cultural traditions, the Sioux turned to Wovoka, a Native American prophet. Wovoka told them that they could regain their former glory if they performed a ritual called the Ghost Dance. The Ghost Dance was a ritual that gave the Native Americans a way to express their culture. The ritual spread, and reservation officials were alarmed and banned the dance. -
Wounded Knee
When the Sioux fled in fear after the death of Sitting Bull, they gathered at a creek caled Wounded Knee in southwest South Dakota. The army then moved in, intending to collect the Siouxs' weapons. A pistol shot rang out, though the source of the shot is unknown, and the army troops responded with vigorous fire. More than 200 Sioux indians and 25 soldiers were killed in the struggle.
