Author Archives: Sam Russell

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About Sam Russell

I am a fifth-generation retired Army officer with three decades of commissioned service. I have been researching the frontier Army for over eighteen years and am interested in documenting the lives of the soldiers that participated in the battle of Wounded Knee using primarily official reports, diaries, letters, newspaper articles and other primary source documents. My interest in Wounded Knee stems from my kinship to one of the principal participants. I am the great-great-grandson of Samuel M. Whitside, who was a major and battalion commander at the battle. I welcome and encourage comments on posts and pages and am always interested in any new primary sources. If you have copies of letters, diaries, etc, from participants and are willing to share, please contact me. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are strictly my own, and should in no way be construed as official Army or U.S. Government positons.

The Letters of First Sergeant John B. Turney, C Troop, 7th Cavalry


You asked if any of the “friendlies” took the warpath.  I should think they did.  There were two thousand “Bucks” went out of here the day we had the fight at Wounded Knee.  It was them we had the second days … Continue reading

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Private Jan De Vreede, C Troop, 7th Cavalry – Killed in Action


Private Jan DeVreede, a thirty-two-year-old Belgium immigrant, was the only soldier from Captain Henry Jackson’s C Troop that was killed at Wounded Knee.  By December 1890 he had over four years experience with the unit and the regiment.  Like many … Continue reading

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Captain Henry Jackson, Commander, C Troop, 7th Cavalry


Immediately after the volley, from 100 to 150 Indians rode up on three sides and opened fire on us.  We fell back about 400 yards to a good position and stood them off. At fifty-three years of age, Captain Henry … Continue reading

Posted in Officers, Wounded Knee Investigation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments