Post by ephriam on Apr 1, 2014 20:35:33 GMT -5
Wounded Knee
Manderson S.D. 20 July 1907
Joseph Pourier, Interpreter
John Long Dog
Shunka-Honsa
Ogalala
62 years old
About 17 years old when he went on the first war party. There was no particular leader. It was against the Crows. Two Crows killed and 8 Sioux killed.
He never led a war party.
He was in four battles.
He was scout for General Crook against the Sioux. There [were] quite a number of Sioux scouts with the party. He was immediately under Lieutenant Clark.
Later under Capt. Rogers and General Sheridan around Yellowstone, Little Horn, Big Horn with 5th Cavalry. Camped quite a while where General Custer was killed. Sheridan had an interview with the scouts there. Sheridan told him that he was serving the Government well and was glad he was helping so much and told him to keep on and serve the Government faithfully.
At a fort on the Big Horn Sherman came on a steamboat and shook hands with him.
Sheridan was very good to them and told him many things he afterward thought of. He is sorry Sheridan died so soon. He has a complimentary letter from Sheridan.
At Tongue River the Crows charged on them but they recognized each other in peace without a battle.
He was scout with General Miles at Pine Ridge attached to 9th Cavalry (colored troops). They went to Bad Lands, across the mouth of Wounded Knee when the battle of Wounded Knee occurred 20 miles away on that creek. The Fort Mead troops were returning from the Reservation and John Red Dog was sent with a dispatch to those troops and overtook them near the Cheyenne River. On returning he fond the 9th Cavalry had moved toward the Agency so he and White Wing (now dead) were told, but Col. Henry that they would wait for them above Manderson but they had no camp and moved on. The scouts' horses were tired out and 7 miles from the Agency they overtook a soldier whose horse was played out. They went on and overtook the forces about 3 miles from the Agency and went on with them. As they were going up the divide they were met by a band of Indians mostly from Rosebud who began to fire on them about dawn. There was one soldier killed. John and a companied shied over towards a creek to see what the firing was and rode up toward the hostiles and as they mounted a knoll. John met a hostile at close range, who fired and grazed John in the back of the neck. He did not recognize the Indian but in the midst of the cross firing he got back to the command.
He remained a scout until the trouble was over.
In one of these campaigns they captured Crazy Horse and John was with the party and camped with Crazy Horse after his capture.
He was scout in the campaign in which some Cheyennes were captured. He was under Lt. Dowd who took Lt. Clark's place. This occurred near Chadron. He was sent with scout reinforcements. The Cheyennes were entrenched. John and Lone Bear and Yankton Charlie and an interpreter from Cheyenne [River] Agency and Lt. Dowd tried to approach the Cheyennes. There was an old general there whose name he does not know. It was difficult because the Cheyennes were stubborn. The Cheyenne leader was Dull Knife.
They approached by calling out that they were Sioux. They began to talk. There were a number of children and the Cheyennes were afraid they would all be killed. When assured they would not be harmed if they surrendered. The next day they were sent back to tell the Cheyennes to get out of the pits and surrender or they would fire on them. They went back with this message. The Cheyenne braves were in the pits ready to fire. The scouts were talking to the chiefs one of whom struck John in the breast and told him they were trying to get the Cheyennes in the open to let the soldiers kill them.
The General told each of the four scouts to tell the peace message four times and if they did not listen there would be a fight John got angry when the chief struck him and then appealed to the young men in the pits that he would no longer deal with the chiefs and if they would come out they would be saved. He was telling the truth to them.
"You Cheyennes are desperate and reckless and don't fear to die but thee women and children want to live. Hear me and come out of those pit and you will all live."
They came to talk. Dull Knife was chief but there was another chief who was in the pits with the braves. He came also to talk and when they heard the bucks began to sing and the women began to cry. The soldiers came closer and it seemed to John as though death was on both sides of him. The chief in the pits was No Cat, who sang and then began to speak when it was reported that they were willing to do as John told them.
The chief said: "There are two deaths. Either one suits me -- to die by a weapon or die by sickness. I will go and the soldiers can do as they please give us death or let us go in peace."
Dull Knife, the interpreter (Old Bear) of the Cheyennes and two young women went to the general and the treaty was made.
They took the Cheyennes to Fort Robinson where they were kept all winter. The scouts returned home.
He considers the greatest leader of his people to be Crazy Horse, and of the whites Generals Crook and Miles, though he thinks Miles a little the better.
Manderson S.D. 20 July 1907
Joseph Pourier, Interpreter
John Long Dog
Shunka-Honsa
Ogalala
62 years old
About 17 years old when he went on the first war party. There was no particular leader. It was against the Crows. Two Crows killed and 8 Sioux killed.
He never led a war party.
He was in four battles.
He was scout for General Crook against the Sioux. There [were] quite a number of Sioux scouts with the party. He was immediately under Lieutenant Clark.
Later under Capt. Rogers and General Sheridan around Yellowstone, Little Horn, Big Horn with 5th Cavalry. Camped quite a while where General Custer was killed. Sheridan had an interview with the scouts there. Sheridan told him that he was serving the Government well and was glad he was helping so much and told him to keep on and serve the Government faithfully.
At a fort on the Big Horn Sherman came on a steamboat and shook hands with him.
Sheridan was very good to them and told him many things he afterward thought of. He is sorry Sheridan died so soon. He has a complimentary letter from Sheridan.
At Tongue River the Crows charged on them but they recognized each other in peace without a battle.
He was scout with General Miles at Pine Ridge attached to 9th Cavalry (colored troops). They went to Bad Lands, across the mouth of Wounded Knee when the battle of Wounded Knee occurred 20 miles away on that creek. The Fort Mead troops were returning from the Reservation and John Red Dog was sent with a dispatch to those troops and overtook them near the Cheyenne River. On returning he fond the 9th Cavalry had moved toward the Agency so he and White Wing (now dead) were told, but Col. Henry that they would wait for them above Manderson but they had no camp and moved on. The scouts' horses were tired out and 7 miles from the Agency they overtook a soldier whose horse was played out. They went on and overtook the forces about 3 miles from the Agency and went on with them. As they were going up the divide they were met by a band of Indians mostly from Rosebud who began to fire on them about dawn. There was one soldier killed. John and a companied shied over towards a creek to see what the firing was and rode up toward the hostiles and as they mounted a knoll. John met a hostile at close range, who fired and grazed John in the back of the neck. He did not recognize the Indian but in the midst of the cross firing he got back to the command.
He remained a scout until the trouble was over.
In one of these campaigns they captured Crazy Horse and John was with the party and camped with Crazy Horse after his capture.
He was scout in the campaign in which some Cheyennes were captured. He was under Lt. Dowd who took Lt. Clark's place. This occurred near Chadron. He was sent with scout reinforcements. The Cheyennes were entrenched. John and Lone Bear and Yankton Charlie and an interpreter from Cheyenne [River] Agency and Lt. Dowd tried to approach the Cheyennes. There was an old general there whose name he does not know. It was difficult because the Cheyennes were stubborn. The Cheyenne leader was Dull Knife.
They approached by calling out that they were Sioux. They began to talk. There were a number of children and the Cheyennes were afraid they would all be killed. When assured they would not be harmed if they surrendered. The next day they were sent back to tell the Cheyennes to get out of the pits and surrender or they would fire on them. They went back with this message. The Cheyenne braves were in the pits ready to fire. The scouts were talking to the chiefs one of whom struck John in the breast and told him they were trying to get the Cheyennes in the open to let the soldiers kill them.
The General told each of the four scouts to tell the peace message four times and if they did not listen there would be a fight John got angry when the chief struck him and then appealed to the young men in the pits that he would no longer deal with the chiefs and if they would come out they would be saved. He was telling the truth to them.
"You Cheyennes are desperate and reckless and don't fear to die but thee women and children want to live. Hear me and come out of those pit and you will all live."
They came to talk. Dull Knife was chief but there was another chief who was in the pits with the braves. He came also to talk and when they heard the bucks began to sing and the women began to cry. The soldiers came closer and it seemed to John as though death was on both sides of him. The chief in the pits was No Cat, who sang and then began to speak when it was reported that they were willing to do as John told them.
The chief said: "There are two deaths. Either one suits me -- to die by a weapon or die by sickness. I will go and the soldiers can do as they please give us death or let us go in peace."
Dull Knife, the interpreter (Old Bear) of the Cheyennes and two young women went to the general and the treaty was made.
They took the Cheyennes to Fort Robinson where they were kept all winter. The scouts returned home.
He considers the greatest leader of his people to be Crazy Horse, and of the whites Generals Crook and Miles, though he thinks Miles a little the better.
