Dutch's Gang

"Ah yes, another group of renegades. Obviously the first group. Your group has shall we say, been disbanded."

- Edgar Ross referencing both gangs to John Marston

Dutch's Gang or Sons of Dutch was a major outlaw gang in Red Dead Redemption, based in West Elizabeth and led by the dangerously charismatic Dutch van der Linde.

The Van der Linde Gang, led by Dutch van der Linde, appears as a central gang in Red Dead Redemption 2 and also played an important role in the backstory of Red Dead Redemption.

The name "Dutch's Gang" can refer to two distinct "Dutch's Gangs" both led by Dutch van der Linde: the original gang in which John Marston, Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella, Arthur Morgan, Micah Bell, and Charles Smith were a part of during the late 1800's to early 1900's and the gang active in 1911 which is made up of mostly Native Americans.

The Van der Linde Gang
Dutch van der Linde's first known gang operated during the late 1800's until 1906. The gang was called The Van der Linde Gang. At one time, the group was so notorious that its members were wanted by the law in at least three different states. The known members of this outlaw gang consisted of Dutch himself, Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella, John Marston, Arthur Morgan, Micah Bell, Charles Smith, Hosea Matthews, and a prostitute named Abigail, who serviced the gang. The gang was notorious and feared across West Elizabeth as well as the western states. They committed murders, extorted people, and robbed banks, although they gave much of the money they stole to the poor. Over the years, they robbed over forty banks in total - at one point, John jovially comments, "they told us there was a prize when we got to fifty."

Dutch van der Linde seems to have been almost a father-figure to the gang; certainly, he is credited with taking in and raising Marston and Abigail after the two youngsters ran from their orphanage. Dutch's "Transcendentalist philosophy" and paternal approach imbued the gang with a strong sense of loyalty and cohesion; almost a family quality.

For years, the gang terrorized the West until the fateful day of the botched robbery in 1906. Details are missing, but it is known that the gang tried robbing a boat and/or bank. Dutch shot a woman named Heidi McCort, which led to government agents and lawmen attacking the gang. There was a shootout, and John was wounded. The gang made it out of the boat/bank, but John was left for dead. He recovered shortly afterwards and "retired" from the gang along with Abigail, and their children.

Not long after this, the gang split up, driven apart partly by Dutch van der Linde's increasing slide into insanity. Williamson left to start his own gang, and Escuella escaped from the government into Mexico, where he later became a hitman for Colonel Agustin Allende of the Mexican Army. Dutch simply vanished, before making himself known again in 1911.

John would later be strong armed into hunting down his former surviving gang members for Edgar Ross of the Bureau of Investigation, which would later result in every surviving gang member being killed, including John himself as a result of Ross's betrayal. By 1914, Abigail passed away of unknown causes.

Van der Linde Gang Members (known)

 * Dutch van der Linde - Leader
 * Bill Williamson
 * Javier Escuella
 * John Marston
 * Abigail Marston - Prostitute
 * Arthur Morgan
 * Sadie Adler
 * Sean McGuire
 * Lenny
 * Karen
 * Charles Smith
 * Micah Bell
 * Pearson
 * Hosea Matthews

Dutch's Gang
In 1911, Dutch forms "Dutch's Gang" from disaffected young natives off the nearby Reservations who hate the US Government, and the white man in general, for taking their land, destroying their way of life and forcing them into lives of squalor.

The gang's main hideout is the northern Tall Trees settlement of Cochinay; they are also known to use the abandoned logging camp at Bearclaw as a stopover. Dutch's gang can be found just about anywhere in West Elizabeth, and occasionally even in Blackwater during a Nightwatch job. They are also commonly seen in Manzanita Post, often playing Five Finger Fillet, and occasionally riding through in a Wild Posse. Most of the criminal activity in West Elizabeth, indeed, is down to Dutch's wild boys - ambushes, a bandit attack during an escort quest and the hijacking of supply wagons. The gang was destroyed when Cochinay was attacked by U.S Army infantry and Dutch himself committed suicide in the aftermath of the assault.

Dutch's Gang Members

 * Dutch van der Linde - Leader
 * Dakota
 * Enepay
 * Hassun
 * Helaku
 * Hinto
 * Honovi
 * Kosumi
 * Nashoba
 * Nastas - Former member; turned informant for the Bureau of Investigation

Trivia

 * Dutch's old gang may very well be inspired by Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch which was one of the last outlaw gangs and was also active during the late 1890s and early 1900s.
 * Some members of Dutch's new gang wear pieces of military uniform, most notably coats and ammo belts. These coats oftentimes have chevrons on them.
 * Almost all of the members of Dutch's gang possess a red bandana or cloth; the most notable characters who wear these pieces of cloth are John Marston (wears his around his neck), Bill Williamson (wears around his neck), Javier Escuella (located hanging around his belt, dangling over his left leg), and Arthur Morgan, who appears to wear a maroon bandana during heists to hide his identity. Interestingly, Dutch himself does not visibly wear one.
 * Despite the members' insulting comments towards John, dialogue from Jack and Abigail suggests that the gang was fond of John's new family. Abigail states that Dutch and Bill would tell a young Jack stories of their crimes, also calling them "Uncle Dutch" and "Uncle Bill".
 * Dutch's Gang, like the unaffiliated criminals in Mexico, are never encountered in Free Roam, as the counter for number of Dutch's Gang kills is missing.
 * In singleplayer, Dutch's Gang is the only gang not to own a gang hideout that can be completed outside a mission.
 * Dutch's Gang does not appear during Undead Nightmare. Their hideout, Cochinay, is occupied by an unaffiliated outlaw, Melvin Spinney. They also do not appear either as survivors or Undead.
 * Although Dutch's Gang does not appear in Undead Nightmare, one of their members can be seen in a loading screen, and another can be seen in a promotional screenshot.
 * During Red Dead Redemption, the only known members of the original Van der Linde gang were John Marston, Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella and Dutch van der Linde while Abigail Marston acted as a prostitute for the gang. It was speculated by fans that the original gang had more members than the ones that were seen in Red Dead Redemption. Red Dead Redemption 2 confirmed this, adding Arthur Morgan as a member as well as three others whose identities have not yet been revealed.