On December 29, 1890, the U.S. Cavalry killed 146 Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Sometimes referred to as a battle, the conflict at Wounded Knee is best seen as a tragic and avoidable massacre. Surrounded by heavily armed troops, it is highly unlikely that Sioux Indians would have sought a confrontation. Some historians speculate that the soldiers of Custer’s old 7th Cavalry were deliberately taking revenge for the regiment’s defeat at Little Bighorn in 1876.
