I am proud to announce that the second installment in my Indian Wars series, Give Me Eighty Men, has been added to the permanent collection at the Tucson Museum of Art.

Indian Wars series making a name in museums

After Memorare, Sand Creek 1864 was accepted into the permanent collection of the Booth Museum of Western Art in Georgia, I was eager to find a good home for my second Indian Wars piece as well.

I was delighted when the selection committee of the Tucson Museum of Art chose Give Me Eighty Men for the permanent collection of the museum’s western art holdings.

The piece “fits beautifully within the Tucson Museum of Art’s collection of Art of the American West,” according to the museum’s Executive Director, Robert Knight.

History of the Fetterman Fight of 1866

When U.S. Army Captain William Judd Fetterman claimed he only needed 80 men to take on the entire Sioux Nation, the odds were mounted against him.

When these 80 men took on 2,000 Native Americans, the battle was over within 20 minutes, with the Native Americans emerging victorious.

The U.S. loss to Native Americans in Fetterman’s Fight is second in magnitude only to the Battle of Little Bighorn.

“Give Me Eighty Men is at once arresting and emotional as a memorial to those fighting on both sides of the battle,” Knight says.

Give Me Eighty Men inspires reflection

Give Me Eighty Men showcases a Lakota warrior holding up an Army bugle in victory. But he also acknowledges that retaliation for the win on this battlefield could be horrendous.

“The sculpture invites viewers to consider the conflict between the U.S. Cavalry and our Native Peoples,” says Knight.

The sculpture reminds us of how easily we can become overconfident in our abilities, as the U.S. soldiers did. They overestimated their strength against a large alliance of Plains Indians, and in the end, it needlessly cost many young men their lives.

This particular Indian battle may be lesser know than the Battle of Little Bighorn, but it speaks volumes about the physical and emotional casualties of war.

“Mr. Bergsgaard not only calls into question many false assumptions of our country’s Indian wars, but he forces a reflexive moment of realization that the lessons learned back then could be equally applicable to today’s world conflicts,” Knight says.

Museum placement allows a more historical path for future pieces

I have been anticipating the opportunity to incorporate deeper meanings into my pieces, and the Indian Wars series is the perfect place to sculpt these battles from the Native American viewpoint.

All this land was theirs and their stories deserve to be told even today.

A special thank you

I would like to extend a special “thank you” to the collector who purchased Give Me Eighty Men and donated to the museum. I appreciate your generosity and willingness to help me share my interpretation of this chapter of American history with the public.

“Give Me 80 Men” is available for sale. If you would like to add this work to your collection, please contact me at: Craig Bergsgaard Studios.