What About Wounded Knee - Experience of General Shafter's Regiment, 1st Infantry
C.W. Ames
 

I was there and as I remember there was about 50 soldiers shipped out of there in boxes and a bunch of wounded in the hospital some of whom died soon afterward.

I was on the detail to go out and bury the dead Indians, but we had to turn back on account of the weather, and another detail was sent a couple of days after.

That was no picnic, with the thermometer at 30 degrees below zero and our regiment had just come from California and were not acclimated for such weather.

We were sent first as they did not know how long it would last, and for fear the railroads would be blocked, they got us there in a hurry.

I think there were 112 Indians buried and there was a whole churchful of the wounded Indians I don't just remember, but I was on guard there once or twice.

There was bout 5,000 Indians in camp, and about as many soldiers.

They mounted my regiment, Shafter's 1st U.S. Infantry, on cow ponies, and we were a sight and the laughing stock for the Indians when we were drilling with Gun, Clothing Bag, 2 Blankets, Canteen, Haversack or Grub

Bag and a big Belt of ammunition.

Men and ponies were scattered all over the plains.