WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE / General Carr SIGNED Sioux Indian Wars SOLDIER DISCHARGE

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WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE / General Carr SIGNED Sioux Indian Wars SOLDIER DISCHARGE:
$3500.00

- U.S. Army “Indian Wars” DISCHARGE + COMMISSION -- For 1890 – 91 Sioux Campaign (Wounded Knee) SOLDIER -- BOTH documents SIGNED by Important Indian Wars Fighters -- Eugene A. Carr, Frank West, Tullius C. Tupper & Fred Hodgson -

Historically important and authentic PAIR of INDIAN WARS documents, a U.S. Army DISCHARGE and a U.S. Army COMMISSION / APPOINTMENT document - concerning a PRIVATE soldier (later Corporal) who took part in the “Pine Ridge Reservation” SIOUX Indian CAMPAIGN of 1890 - 91, which led to the infamous “Wounded Knee Massacre” of December 29th 1890.

These TWO vellum documents are genuinely SIGNED by FOUR different U.S. Cavalry Officers (Eugene A. Carr, Frank West, Tullius C. Tupper, and Fred G. Hodgson) who were notable for their heroic conduct during the western, American INDIAN WARS. TWO of these FOUR signers were “MEDAL OF HONOR” recipients – Captain West for his action in the Arizona Territory against Apaches in the 1882 “Battle of Big Dry Wash” and Colonel Carr for his heroism in the Civil War during the 1862 “Battle of Pea Ridge”. ALL FOUR of these U.S. Cavalry officers were actively involved in the Sioux Indian Campaign of 1890 - 91.

GHOST DANCE WAR / 6TH CALVARY INVOLVEMENT as a consequence of the Ghost Dance movement among the Sioux Indians and the impending conflict that has come to known as the Ghost Dance War (December 29th 1890 to January 15th 1891), troops from the 6th Cavalry were deployed by railcar to South Dakota to engage the invigorated Sioux. Arriving on December 9th 1890, they ultimately encamped near Wounded Knee Creek. When Troop K was attacked by Sioux warriors near the White River on January 1st 1891, Major Tullius C. Tupper led Troops F + I forward to their relief. Major Tupper formed his men in a skirmish line and advanced towards the hostile Sioux. Opening fire, Tupper’s troopers killed nine Indian warriors and forced the rest to a nearby village. Six troopers from the 6th Cavalry would receive the medal of honor for their actions that day. After the Ghost Dance disturbance was quelled, the sixth cavalry remained near the reservation lands to help enforce the peace.

DOCUMENT # 1 – a partly-printed, vellum U.S. Army DISCHARGE for PRIVATE James Bruce of TROOP G “Sixth Regiment of Cavalry”, authentically SIGNED by COLONEL Eugene A. Carr - the noted western Indian fighter, U.S. Army General and Medal of Honor (MOH) recipient. Colonel Carr participated in the Sioux “Pine Ridge” Indian Campaign (December 1890 – February 1891), best known for the infamous “Battle of Wounded Knee” (Wounded Knee Massacre) in South Dakota. Six soldiers from Carr’s Regiment were awarded the “Medal of Honor” for their actions at White River on New Year’s Day 1891.

Discharge is dated March 2nd 1892, at FORT NIOBRARA in Nebraska. Directly below Colonel Carr’s ink signature is the genuine SIGNATURE of 6th Cavalry CAPTAIN Frank West, the commander of TROOP G, attesting to the “GOOD” character of Private Bruce. The discharge also notes that Private Bruce was born in Ireland and was a “waiter” prior to joining the army. Private Bruce originally enlisted on December 3rd 1888 for a five-year term, but was being discharged early “in consequence of G.O. #80 (General Order) A.G.O. (Adjutant Generals Office) 1890 per S.O. #10 (Special Order) Dept. Platte Feb’r 1, 1892”.

More importantly, the BACK of the discharge states that Private James Bruce participated in the following - “CAMPAIGNS: Sioux Dec. ’90 Jan. ‘91”, which corresponds with the events leading up to and including the “Wounded Knee Massacre”. Captain Frank West has additionally SIGNED the backside of the discharge TWO more times – FIRST as the Commanding Officer of Troop G / 6th Cavalry and a SECOND time indicating that “Final statements transferred to J. M. Thacher (?) Fort Niobrara Neb”.

DOCUMENT # 2 – a partly-printed, vellum U.S. Army COMMISSION document appointing James Bruce “CORPORAL in Troop G of the Sixth Regiment of Cavalry” and to RANK as such from the 3rd day of July 1891. Commission document is dated July 3rd 1891, at FORT NIOBRARA in Nebraska, and is genuinely SIGNED along the bottom by MAJOR Tullius C. Tupper, as Commanding Officer of the 6th Cavalry Regiment. Tupper was a noted American Indian Wars fighter, playing a prominent role during “Victorio’s Uprising” in Arizona and again against the Chiricahua Apaches in New Mexico in 1882. Appointed to Major in 1887, Tupper commanded two Troops of the 6th Cavalry during the Sioux Indian Campaign (Wounded Knee Massacre) of 1890 – 91.

In the bottom left corner of the document, to the left of Tupper’s signature, FIRST LIEUTENANT Fred G. Hodgson has genuinely SIGNED as ADJUTANT of the Sixth Regiment of U.S. Cavalry. Hodgson served on the western frontier on scouting duty and was involved in an engagement with Apaches at Chevelon’s Fork in 1882. Hodgson participated in the Sioux Campaign of 1890 – 91.

INTERESTING NOTE: Trooper James Bruce’s discharge is dated March 2nd 1892 and lists him as a PRIVATE at that time. However, his commission as a CORPORAL is dated July 3rd 1891, about 8 months prior to his discharge. Apparently, Trooper Bruce was reduced in rank back to PRIVATE during that time period. Was this the result of some disciplinary action against Bruce or did some sort of consolidation occur within the 6th Cavalry? Further research is probably warranted.

EUGENE ASA CARR (1830 – 1910) graduated from the USMA at West Point in 1850 and was appointed a Brigadier General of Volunteers in 1862 in the Union Army during the Civil War. Carr was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor (MOH) for his heroic actions at the Battle of Pea Ridge where he was wounded in the neck, arm, and ankle. He also fought in the battles of Wilson’s Creek, Port Gibson, Champion’s Hill, Siege of Vicksburg, and Fort Blakely. President Abraham Lincoln nominated Carr for the Brevet Rank of Major General of Volunteers, and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 11th 1865. Carr served during the INDIAN WARS both before and after the Civil War. He saw his FIRST combat action on October 3rd 1854 against the Apaches during the Battle of the Diablo Mountains in Texas where 40 U.S. Cavalrymen encountered a force of over 200 Lipan Apaches. During that engagement, Second Lieutenant Eugene Carr was wounded by an arrow and was promoted to First Lieutenant for his gallantry. Following the Civil War, Carr remained in the regular U.S. Army and conducted successful Indian operations on the frontier. During the Battle of Summit Springs in Colorado on July 11th 1869, elements of the U.S. Army under the command of Colonel Eugene A. Carr engaged a group of Cheyenne Dog Soldiers led by Tall Bull (who was killed during the encounter). In the aftermath, Carr reported just a single casualty under his command (a wounded soldier) and reported 52 Indians had been killed, 17 additional captured, and the seizure of more than 300 horses and mules. Carr was appointed a Colonel of the 6th Cavalry Regiment in 1879 and transferred to Fort Lowell, Arizona. His heroic stature gained new heights while in command of U.S. soldiers during the Battle of Cibecue Creek, an ill-advised engagement in August of 1881 against the White Mountain Apaches on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Carr was transferred to Fort Wingate, New Mexico in 1884 to help maintain order on the Navajo Reservation. Carr’s last Indian campaign occurred in December of 1890, when he took part in the sad events leading to the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1892 and finally retired in 1893. His military nickname was \"The Black-Bearded Cossack\".

FRANK WEST (1850 – 1923) graduated from the USMA at West Point in 1872 and was assigned to the U. S. 6th Cavalry as a Second Lieutenant. He served on the western frontier and saw action against the Cheyenne’s (at Red River) + Kiowas (at Washita River) in Texas in 1874, where he was brevetted First Lieutenant for his gallantry (Washita River). West was awarded the “Medal of Honor” for extraordinary heroism while serving with the 6th U.S. Cavalry in action fighting White Mountain Apache Indians led by Na-tio-tish at the Battle of Big Dry Wash on July 17th 1882, in the Arizona Territory. This engagement was the last major battle between the United States Army and Apache warriors. He also participated in the expedition that pursued and ultimately forced Geronimo to surrender in 1886. West served in the infamous Sioux “Pine Ridge” Indian Campaign (December 1st 1890 to February 8th 1891). He was at FORT NIOBRARA in Nebraska from February 8th 1891 to June 9th 1892. West served during the Spanish American War as well and participated in the Battle of San Juan (July 1 – 3, 1898), where he was recommended for the rank of Brevet Major for gallantry on July 1st. He was at the Presidio in San Francisco, California from 1899 to 1900 and was the acting Superintendent of Sequoia National Park (1900 – 01). West was stationed in the Philippine Islands from 1901 – 03 and was in command of the 2nd Squadron / 6th Cavalry in a 1901 engagement with insurgents at Mount Durungoa, Batangas (P. I.). He became Colonel of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in 1906 and participated in the 1907 “Ute Indian Disturbance” at Thunder Butte, South Dakota. West retired in 1914 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

TULLIUS CICERO TUPPER (1838 – 1898) enlisted as a Private in the 6th U.S. Cavalry on July 19th 1861. He advanced to Sergeant Major of the Regiment and saw action in the Civil War during the Peninsula Campaign. Tupper was appointed Second Lieutenant in 1862 and was brevetted First Lieutenant for gallantry on July 3rd 1863 near Gettysburg. He was promoted to permanent First Lieutenant in 1864 while serving in the Shenandoah Valley. Following the war, Tupper was with the 6th Cavalry in the Southern Plains on frontier duty. He was engaged in scouting and mounted operations against hostile Indians in Texas and Kansas (1870 -74). Promoted to Captain in 1867, Tupper played a prominent role during “Victorio’s Uprising” in Arizona and then again against Chiricahua Apaches in New Mexico in 1882. Appointed to Major in 1887, Tupper commanded two Troops of the 6th Cavalry during the Sioux Indian Campaign (Wounded Knee Massacre) of 1890 – 91.

FREDERICK GRADY HODGSON (1860 – 1917) graduated from the USMA at West Point in 1881 and was assigned to the U. S. 6th Cavalry as a Second Lieutenant. Hodgson served on the western frontier on scouting duty and was involved in an engagement with Apaches at Chevelon’s Fork on July 17th 1882. For a period of time, he was a Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the North Georgia Agricultural College in Dahlonega, Georgia. Thereafter Hodgson rejoined his regiment and was is in the field during the Sioux Campaign of 1890 - 91. He was an aide-de-camp to Brigadier General Eugene A. Carr from July 25th 1892 to February 15th 1893.

CONDITION: the DISCHARGE document measures about 8 ½ x 10 5/8 inches in size and is in EXCELLENT original condition with dark writing and bold signatures. There are some period folds, but NO rips or tears. The COMMISSION document measures about 9 ¾ x 14 ½ inches in size and is in EXCELLENT original condition as well. There are three vertical folds and two horizontal folds, but NO rips or tears. The commission has some scattered, trivial toning, primarily on the backside, which does not detract from the overall appearance of the document (see SCANS). The signature / autograph of GENERAL Eugene A. Carr (MOH), COLONEL Frank West (MOH), MAJOR Tullius C. Tupper, and COLONEL Frederick G. Hodgson are ALL guaranteed authentic. FREE USPS “registered / insured” shipping. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. PLEASE READ: I have been buying + selling American historical autographs & documents for over 40 years and a former member of both the “Manuscript Society” and the UACC. We ship everything INSURED (thru the USPS) with a value over $50. This helps us know that the item you took the time to purchase arrived safely. Packages are shipped out within 1 – 3 business days, but typically the next day. Please understand, we do not make any money on shipping costs, but rather run a deficit over the course of a year. Most buyers don’t realize that charges me a 13.6 percent FEE on the item sold, an additional 13.6 percent FEE on my quoted shipping charges, and another 13.6 percent FEE on the sales tax that collects on the item. Everything we sell is packaged with the utmost care. Please read my response over the last 25 years. The comments are often – the best packaging I have ever seen or “bullet proof” packaging. We do NOT offer returns for one simple reason. In the past, I have had some buyers purchase items from me and then proceed to shop them around during the return period to try and make a fast profit, without any financial risk. After they were unsuccessful, they returned the item to me. This information, however, made it back to me from different people I know who were directly offered my item immediately after I had sold it and before it was returned to me for a refund. offer with confidence! You will receive the exact item pictured and in the same condition as described in my listing.