From the 1840s thru the 1880s U.S. forces fought numerous battles (usually small skirmishes) in an effort to clear routes west over the Great Plains for white emigrants and to establish government control over the vast territory. Ultimately the federal government organized a reservation system as a way of separating the Native Americans from white settlers.
The central conflict took place on the Great Plains, where the Native Americans had been promised sanctuary. Into this land were crowded remnants of many native peoples displaced from the east. They had great difficulty in adapting their ways of life to a very different environment, and the Plains Native Americans resented the presence of the newcomers.
White settlers were also moving into the territory, causing further hostilities. The Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Sioux fought white encroachment on their territory in the 1860s and 1870s. Ferocious fighting from both sides was seen at battles such as the Fetterman Massacre, the Wagon Box Fight, the Sand Creek Massacre, Beecher’s Island, and the Battle of the Rosebud.
Among all the battles, only the Battle of the Little Bighorn is well known: On June 25, 1876, much of the 7th Cavalry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer was wiped out by a combined force of Sioux and Cheyenne under the Sioux leadership of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Within a year, however, most of the Sioux and Cheyenne surrendered, and some were relocated to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).
The warfare largely ended with the battle at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, on December 29, 1890, when Sioux warriors, women, and children were slaughtered by the U.S. cavalry.
Today the deserted remains of Western military posts and the silent sites of battles mark the events of the Plains Indian wars.
It is human nature to romanticize this period of American history, but in doing so, we are prone to overlook the great travail endured by both the Native tribes and the soldiers sent to overwhelm them. As a nation, we have finally cast off many of our false notions concerning our nineteenth-century Indian conquest. We can now recognize the rightfulness of Indian resistance and laud the courage of
Native peoples in defending their lands even as we appreciate the sacrifice and courage of U.S. soldiers, white and black, who were sent into battle. We understand the truth that there were brave men on both sides and why Army officers often lauded the fighting ability and fierce determination of both the Indian warrior and Buffalo Soldier. |
