Re: no gun ri

[James Robert Dennis III <jrdennis@earthlink.net>]

>Trish,
>
>I think what Paul was unhappy about was the automatic assumption that since 
>the 7th Cavalry in the Indian Wars committed the massacres at the Washita 
>and 
>Wounded Knee they must automatically be predisposed to commit war crimes at 
>No Gun Ri. I agree with that complaint. 
>
>I think anyone who has ever served (and after today's events we're about to 
>go through another round of finding out where we are -- and are not -- 
>prepared) would agree that there is a learning curve for every major war, of 
>which we somehow never learn to get out in front.
>
>Cookie Sewell
>AMPS 
>

While the 7th Cavalry may have committed a massacre on the Washita (most 
likely an intelligence failure as the Kiowas and Comanches were about 15 
miles down stream and were looking for a fight).  Those two tribes had 
pretty much intimadated the 6th Cavalry that previous summer (Buffalo 
Springs).  In fact the Kiowas and Comanches when told of the fight, 
formed up to go engage the Cavalry.  And the Cheyennes were not 
considered "friends" at that time by either of those tribes.  

The Battle of Wounded Knee was where the 7th Cavalry was disarming the 
"Sun Dancers" and the Souix had left the reservation.  They had turned up 
at the Wounded Knee Reservation and the Indian Agent had asked for help.  
The 7th had sent a troop of cavalry near the door of the building the 
Indians were in, with a battery of 1 inch guns some 200 or more yards 
away.  A shot was fired, most likely from an Indian and the battery of 
guns and the other 7th Cavalry troops opened fire.  There is a memorial 
at Ft. Riley, Kansas that memorializes those soldiers that were killed in 
that engagement.  As I remember except for the Battle of the Wichita, 
this engagement had the largest number of Medal of Honor give until World 
War II.