I couldn't believe this when I saw it! The highest award of the American military awarded for the killing of unarmed men, women and children!! 23 of them awarded in a single 'engagement'!!!
I had already heard of Wounded Knee but didn't know that Medals of Honor had been awarded to the members of the 7th Cav. that had taken part.

MEDALS OF HONOR WERE GIVEN TO THE PEOPLE OF THE 7TH CALVARY THAT WAS LED BY COLONEL JAMES FORSYTH ON THE 29th OF DECEMBER 1890 AT WOUNDED KNEE IN SOUTH DAKOTA.

THERE WERE MORE THAN 350 UNARMED INDIGENOUS PEOPLE MURDERED ON THIS DAY, AFTER THEY HAD LAID DOWN THEIR GUNS BENEATH A FLAG OF TRUCE. THEY WERE ORDERED TO DO SO AND AFTER THEY OBEYED THAT ORDER THEY WERE SURROUNDED BY THE CALVARY AND WERE BRUTALLY MURDERED.

AFTER THE INITIAL ONSLOUGHT, FORSYTH ORDERED ALL WOMEN AND CHILDREN TO COME OUT OF HIDING AND THEY WOULD NOT BE HARMED! AFTER THE WOMEN,CHILDREN,SMALL BABIES CAME OUT OF THEIR HIDING SPOTS, THEY ALSO WERE MURDERED, RAPED, AND LEFT IN THE FREEZING COLD!

DAYS LATER THERE WAS A MASS GRAVE DUG AND ALL OF THE BODIES WERE THROWN IN AND BURRIED.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7fZonjD1M

Petition to rescind Medals of Honor and Battle Pennant awarded to 7th Calvary for this action.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/12-20-1890/


The Heros (?) (items in bold highlighted by me)

Who were the honorable soldiers who were so brave to slaughter unarmed men, woman, children and babies:

1. Austin, William G., Sergeant, Company E, 7th calvalry, issued Junde 27, 1891:
"While the Indians were concealed in a ravine, assisted men on the skirmish line, directing their fire, ect., and using every effort to dislodge the enemy."
Entered service at New York, N.Y. Bonr, Glaveton, Tex.

2. Clanc, John E., Musician, Company E, First U.S. calvalry, issued January 23, 1892:
His citation stated that he had rescued wounded soldiers, twice. Clancy was court martialed eight times during his career, twice between the fight at Wounded Knee and the receipt of his medal.
Entered service at? Born, New York, N.Y.

3.Feaster, Mosheim, Private, Company E, 7th calvary, issued June 23, 1891 for "Extraordinary gallantry"
Entered service at Schellburg, Pa. Born, Schellburg, Pa.
The Congressiona Medal of Honor, Sharp and Dunnigan Publications
"the officer who recommended him was more than a quarter of a mile away at the time of Feasters´s heroic action. However, three affidavits were given attesting to his acts. The three men who signed these statements were friends of Feaster and fellow members of Troop E. These witnesses also received Medals of Honor."
Medals of Honor, Green

4. Garlington, Ernest A., 1st Lieutenant, 7th calvalry, issued September 26, 1893 for "Distinguished gallantry"
Entered service at Athens, Ga. Born, 20. February 1853, Newberry, S.C.
The Congressional Medal of Honor, Sharp and Dunnigan Publications

5. Gresham, John C., 1st Lieutnant, 7th calvalry, issued March 26, 1895 because he
"Voluntarily led a party into a ravine to dislodge Sioux Indians concealed therein. He was Entered service at Lancaster Courthouse, Va. Born, Virginia
The Congressional Medal of Honor, Sharp and Dunnigan Publications
"A unsigned, undated letter in Gresham´s file states that no records could be found of Gresham´s wounds, and curiously, the regimental returns for January 1891 show him "on duty." There is, however, mention elsewhere that during the fighting Gresham received an abrasion on the nose from a passing bullet.
Later in his career Gresham was implicated in a case where funds belonging to a student in his charge were missing. There is no record of the outcome, but he was ordered to retire with in six month after these allegations were made. A medical report tells of his "outbreaks fo fury over trivial matters...[and]... mental depression objectively shown by a permanent expression of dissatisfaction.´"
Medals of Honor, Green

6. Hamilton, Mathew H., Private, Company G, 7th calvalry, issued May 5, 1891 for "Bravery in action."
Entered service at? Born, Ireland.
The Congressional Medal of Honor, Sharp and Dunnigan Publications
...[medal granted for] "conspicuous bravery in rounding up and bringing to the skirmish line a stampeded pack mule... Company G was not in a direct line of fire. Common sense would suggest animals frightened by gunfire would run away from the shooting. It almost seems Hamilton was awarded the Medal of Honor for riding away from the fighting"
Medals of Honor, Green

7. Hartzog, Joshua B., Private, Company E, 1st Artillery, issued March 24, 1891 because he "Went to the rescue of the commanding officer who had fallen severely wounded, picked him up and carried him out of range of the hostile guns."
The Congressional Medal of Honor, Sharp and Dunnigan Publications
"All of the Indians opened fire on us?. One of my men went for ammunition and didn't come back. ... My captain called to me to come back, but I kept moving nearer the Indians, and kept shooting. Lieutenant Hawthorne came toward me and was calling, when suddenly I heard him say: "Oh, my God!" Looking around, I saw him lying of his side, and then I knew he had been hit. Hartzog ran to him and carried him back behind the hill. .."]

8. Hawthorne, Harry L., 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd US Artillery, issued 10.11.1892
"Distinguished conduct in a battle with hostile Indians."
Entered service in Kentucky. Born, 1860, Minnesota.
[Hawthorne was responsible for two "Hotchkiss Brreech-loading, Steel Mountain Rifles, caliber 1.65 inches; length of bore, 24.72 calibers; weight of tube, 116.6 pounds; weight of carriage, 220 pounds,; weight of exploding cartridge, 2pounds 10 ounces; effective range, 4,200 yards."]
[Hawthorne´s] "wound was so severe that he was forced to spend several years away from
field duty. One of his assignments was as professor of military science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He eventually gave up that post because of teasing he received from the students. This harassment was directed toward the army in general and at Hawthorne in particular... [because] The students believed there had been a massacre at Wounded Knee and blamed Hawthorne and the Army."
Medals of Honor, Green
["...The bursting artillery rounds churned up the earth and caved in banks. ...a Hotchkiss shell punch[ed] a six-inch hole in the middle of a man´s stomach. Up and down the ravine the People sang death songs..."An occasional shot came from the teepees. To stop this, the battery raked the Miniconjou camp from one end to the other. Flying shrapnel shredded the lodges and sought out every living thing.]

9.Hillock, Marvin C., Private, Company B, 7th calvalry, issued April 16, 1891 for
"Distinguished bravery."
Entered service at LEad City, S. Dak. Born, Michigan.
The Congressional Medal of Honor, Sharp and Dunnigan Publications

10. Hobday, George, Cook, 7th calvalry, Comany K, issued for
"Conspicuous and gallant conduct in battle and [because he] was noticed by several officers. Information from draft copies of his recommendation indicated his primary act of bravey was ´voluntarily leaving his work as a cook.´"
Entred service at? Born, Pulaski County, IL.
Medals of Honor, Green

11. Jetter, Bernhard, Sergeant, 7th calvalry, Company A, issued April 4, 1891
for "Distinguished bravery."
Entered service at? Born, Germany. Date of issue: 24 April 1891.
The Congressional Medal of Honor, Shapr and Dunnigan Publications

12. Loyd, George, Sergeant, Company I, 7th calvalry, issued April 16, 1891 for
[Loyd] "was a veteran of the Little Big Horn campaign [and] on his sixth enlistment Two years, almost to the day [of receipt of his medal], he committed suicide. The only mention in the regimental record is that he died by ..shooting himself through the head.´"
Entered service at? Born, Ireland
Medals of Honor, Green
"Bravery, especially after having been severely wounded through the lung."
America´s Medal of Honor Recipients, Highland Publishers

13. Mc Millan, Albert W., Sergeant, Company E., 7th calvalry, issued June 23, 1891 because
"While engaged with Indians concealed in a ravine, he assisted the men on the skirmish line, directed their fire, encouraged them by example, and used every effort to dislodge the enemy."
Entered service at Baltimore, Md. Born, Baltimore, Md.
The Congressional Medal of Honor, Sharp and Dunnigan Publications
"He was promoted to sergeant major prior to April 6, 1891. For reasons not found in his records, he was demoted to private before his discharge on September 21, 1892."
Medals of Honor, Green

14. Neder. Adam, Corporal, Company A, 7th calvalry, issued for
"gallantry in action....One of the ciiations says Neder was wounded; then that entry is struck through."
Entered service at? Born, Bavaria.

15. Sullivan, Thomas, Private, Company E., 7th calvalry, issued June 23, 1891 for
"exposing [himself] to the enemy"
Entered service at Newark, N.J. Born, Ireland
Medals of Honor, Green.

16. Toy, Frederich E., First Sergeant, Company G, 7th calvalry, issued May 26, 1891 for
"bravery."
Entered service at? Birth, Buffalo, N.Y.
The Congressional Medal of Honor, Sharp and Dunnigan Publications

17. Trautman, Jacob, First Sergeant, Company I, 7th calvalry, issued March 27, 1891 because he
"Killed a hostile Indian at close quarters, and, although entitled to retirement from service, remained to the close of the campaign."
Entered service at? Born, Germany
The Congressional MEdal of Honor, Sharp and Dunnigan Publications

18. Ward, James, Sergeant, Company B, 7th calvalry, December 29, 1890, award issued April 16, 1891, because he "continued to fight after being severely wounded."
Entered service at Boston, Mass. Born, Quincy, Mass.
The Congressional Medal of Honor, Sharp and Dunnigan Publications
"Ward was reported as having been severely wounded, though no other records, medical or otherwise, could be found to support this.
Medals of Honor, Green

19. Weinert, Paul H., Corporal, Battery E, First U.S. Artillery, award issued for
advancing with Hotchkiss gun into ravine in pursuit of women and children... Later in the decade Weinert adorned with his Medal of Honor, toured with Buffalo Bill Docy´s Wild West show as a member of it´s color guard.
"I expected a court martial, but what ws my surprise when gruff old Allyn Capron, my captain, came up to me and grasped me by the soulders and said to the officers and men: "That´s the kind of men I have in my battery.´"
Entered service at Baltimore, Md. Born, Germany.
Medals of Honor, Green
Taking the place of his commanding officer, who had fallen severely wounded, hr. galantlyserved his piece, after fire advancing it [the Hotchkiss gun] to a better position.
America´s Medal of Honor Recipients, Highland Publishers

20. Ziegner, Hermann, Private Company E, 7th calvalry, Wounded Knee, 1890, issued 6.23.91 for
"conspicuous bravery."
Entered service at? Born, Germany


Note that twenty-nine soldiers also died in the melee, but it is believed that most of the military causalities were a result of "friendly" crossfire that occurred during the fighting frenzy.