There is no debate that Sitting Bull is a fascinating but controversial figure in the political history and often adversarial relationship between the First Nations and the U.S. Government. This book relates the human factor behind the tragic events surrounding the death of Sitting Bull and the aftermath at Wounded Knee.
Usher L. Burdick (1879-1960), a North Dakota Congressman, wrote this book with the help of the papers and correspondence of James McLaughlin, the U.S. Indian Agent who tried to bring in Sitting Bull at the time of his death. It provides a different perspective on events as sometimes portrayed in the media. On the one hand, McLaughlin considered Sitting Bull an agitator, but he also was displeased with the actions of the military (who he saw as trying to foment trouble in order to take over the situation) and Congress (who procrastinated on recompensing the Native American policemen wounded and killed in action).
This book was first published in 1941.
