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 is a major outlaw gang appearing in Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption II, led by and named after Dutch van der Linde.

The name "Dutch's Gang" refers to two distinct "Dutch's Gangs" both led by Dutch van der Linde in different time periods: the original gang- called the Van der Linde gang - in which John Marston, Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella and Arthur Morgan were a part of during the late 1800's to early 1900's, and the gang active in the early 1910's which was made up of mostly Native Americans.

The original gang is mentioned in the backstory of Red Dead Redemption and its known surviving members serve as major characters throughout the game's narrative, while the game's successor Red Dead Redemption II will focus on the gang's activities prior to its eventual downfall.

The second iteration of Dutch's outlaw gang serves as a major antagonistic faction in Red Dead Redemption, operating across West Elizabeth.

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. By 1899, 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' betrayal. By 1914, Abigail passed away of unknown causes.

Van der Linde Gang Members

 * Dutch van der Linde - leader
 * Arthur Morgan - lead enforcer
 * Hosea Matthews
 * Micah Bell
 * Bill Williamson
 * John Marston
 * Javier Escuella
 * Sadie Adler
 * Sean McGuire
 * Lenny
 * Charles Smith
 * Pearson - cook
 * Abigail Marston - prostitute
 * Karen - prostitute
 * Uncle - associate

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

 * The reincarnated "Native-American" form of Dutch's Gang has the highest raw physical strength, resilience and combat proficiency compared to all other in-game, in-universe gangster units. One can informally test this in different ways; one being, simply counting how many shots any specific, variably deadly weapon requires to take down one of the Dutch tribal terrorists versus either the Banditos of Mexico or the different cutthroat bands of New Austin. The difference is not massive and hierarchically imposing, but existent and subtle nevertheless. The game does not explicitly state this particularity. As the very last, terminal gangland entity Marston must deal with, the player is ideally semi-skilled in the game through hours of combat and struggle: their minor superiority is not unintelligible nor surprising in terms of the game and game-narrative.
 * 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.

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