7th Cavalry Regiment

Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s 7 th Cavalry attack a Cheyenne camp at the Washita River in Indian Territory.

killed an estimated 250 Native Americans, including women and children, of the Lakota Sioux tribe

After the fighting, Medals of Honor were given to 20 soldiers from the 7th Cavalry Regiment, and their awards cite a range of actions including bravery, efforts to rescue fellow troops and actions to “dislodge Sioux Indians” who were concealed in a ravine.

their awards cite a range of actions including bravery, efforts to rescue fellow troops and actions to “dislodge Sioux Indians” who were concealed in a ravine

with their coat of arms still featuring the head of a Native American chief to “commemorate Indian campaigns,” according to the military’s Institute of Heraldry

after a Congressional recommendation in the 2022 defense bill

an official from the defense secretary’s office couldn’t say if the report he was referencing in the video would be made public

the 7th Calvary massacred an estimated 150-300 men, women, and children at Wounded Knee

After the murder of Sitting Bull on December 15, 1890, approximately 200 Hunkpapa Lakota fled to join Chief Spotted Elk, also known as Big Foot, and his band of Miniconjou Lakota at the Cheyenne Reservation.

hereby acknowledges the historical significance of this event as the last armed conflict of the Indian wars period

an official government policy of forcibly removing the Indian tribes and bands from the path of westward expansion and settlement through placement on reservations

the first shot was fired by an Indian, and that the Indians were responsible for the engagement

a young Indian, said to have been Black Fox from Cheyenne river, drew a rifle from under his blanket and fired at the soldiers, who instantly replied with a volley directly into the crowd of warriors

At the first volley the Hotchkiss guns trained on the camp opened fire and sent a storm of shells and bullets among the women and children, who had gathered in front of the tipis to watch the unusual spectacle of military display.

According to an official statement from the Adjutant-General, 31 soldiers were killed in the battle.

The Adjutant-General, in response to a letter of inquiry, states that 128 Indians were killed and 33 wounded.

The whole number killed on the field, or who later died from wounds and exposure, was probably very nearly 300.

the wholesale slaughter of women and children was unnecessary and inexcusable

The butchery was the work of infuriated soldiers whose comrades had just been shot down without cause or warning.