We have been south and suffered a great deal down there. Many have died of diseases which we have no name for. Our hearts looked and longed for this country where we were born. There are only a few of us left, and we only wanted a little ground, where we could live. We left our lodges standing, and ran away in the night. The troops followed us. I rode out and told the troops we did not want to fight; we only wanted to go north, and if they would let us alone we would kill no one. The only reply we got was a volley. After that we had to fight our way, but we killed none who did not fire at us first. My brother, Dull Knife, took one-half of the band and surrendered near Fort Robinson…They gave up their guns, and then the whites killed them all.

– Little Wolf

Chief of the Northern Cheyennes responds to Lt. William P. Clark, who asked him and his followers to give up their horses and guns. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown.