Wounded Knee Medals Stand, Reopening Painful Debate Over 1890 Massacre

Survivors who returned to Wounded Knee days after the December 1890 violence described a scene of frozen bodies buried by a blizzard: Lakota men, women, children and infants found in the snow, some mothers still clutching babies, others shot while trying to flee. What government officials then hailed as a military victory — and which led to 20 soldiers to receive Medals of Honor — is now widely understood as the final, bloody episode of the Indian Wars on the South Dakota plains.

Historical context

By 1890, prolonged drought and economic distress across the West had left many Native communities dependent on federal relief. The Ghost Dance, a spiritual movement promising renewal and the return of the near‑extinct bison, spread among tribes and alarmed federal authorities, who feared it signaled unrest. After national press coverage and rising tensions, President Benjamin Harrison ordered troops to the region in mid‑November.

The death of the famed Lakota leader Sitting Bull during his arrest escalated the crisis. A group of Miniconjou Lakota, led by Chief Spotted Elk (also called Big Foot), were intercepted by the 7th Cavalry and held at Wounded Knee Creek amid one of the largest troop deployments since the Civil War. When roughly 470 soldiers moved to disarm the camp, a shot — its origin still disputed — set off chaos. The clash left at least 25 U.S. soldiers dead and an estimated 200–300 Lakota killed.

The medals and the controversy

Twenty Medals of Honor were awarded to soldiers for actions at Wounded Knee. At the time, the Medal of Honor was the Army’s only decoration; established in 1862, it was granted for "gallantry in action and other soldier‑like qualities." In 1916, amid concerns about inconsistent standards, a board of retired generals reviewed Army Medals of Honor awarded since the Civil War and rescinded 911 of 2,625 awards — but the Wounded Knee medals were not revoked.

Former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a review of the Wounded Knee medals during the Biden administration after consultations with the White House and the Department of the Interior. In September, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the review panel recommended leaving the medals in place and that he would allow the awards to stand.

Descendants divided

For many Lakota descendants, the decision to leave the medals intact is another act of erasure. Attorney and activist Chase Iron Eyes, whose ancestor Iron Eyes was killed at Wounded Knee, called the choice painful and asked, "Why do they want to peel the scab off of a wound that we barely began to heal?" He described how boarding‑school policies fractured family memory by severing the "oral umbilical cord" that passed language and history between generations.

Others see the medals as legitimate military recognition. Retired Colonel Samuel Russell, whose ancestor Brig. Gen. Samuel M. Whitside served with the 7th Cavalry, argues the decorations honor soldiers’ service and warned that rescinding them could set a difficult precedent for how past conflicts are judged.

Legislative efforts and legal complications

Legislators have repeatedly sought to strip the awards. The Remove the Stain Act, introduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley in 2019 and reintroduced in subsequent years including 2021 and May 2025, aimed to revoke Medals of Honor associated with Wounded Knee. Critics noted the bill relied on later, stricter standards for the medal, proposed a blanket revocation rather than individual review, and faced practical challenges verifying whether each award was directly tied to Wounded Knee. Separation‑of‑powers issues also complicate Congress’s ability to unilaterally revoke medals awarded by the president; the military traditionally retains authority over rescission.

Paths toward reckoning and reconciliation

Some descendants have pursued reconciliation. Brad Upton, the great‑great‑grandson of Col. James W. Forsyth (who commanded the 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee), described confronting his family’s archive as morally wrenching. He sought forgiveness, studied Buddhism, and worked with Lakota elders. In 2024 he joined Lakota descendants on the Cheyenne River Reservation to return artifacts from Wounded Knee — including baby moccasins, bassinettes and women's garments — that had been held in a museum collection.

Russell has urged the Defense Department to publish the review panel’s findings for transparency. Others, like Upton and Iron Eyes, say meaningful progress requires truth‑telling and accountability: "When we tell the truth to each other about the nature of our relationship with one another as a collective, as Americans, then we can begin to humanize each other," Iron Eyes said.

Key facts: The event at Wounded Knee in December 1890 left hundreds of Lakota dead; 20 Medals of Honor were awarded to soldiers at the time; a defense review panel in 2024 recommended keeping the medals in place; descendants remain divided between calls for rescission and arguments for military recognition.