Native American Wars

Tensions between the settlers and the Plains Indians escalated into decades of violence that swept the Indians from most of the West. The conflicts are known as the Indian Wars.

The Sand Creek Massacre

In Colorado Territory, a band of Cheyenne raided nearby ranches in 1864. Army officials offered amnesty, or forgiveness, if they returned to their reservation at Sand Creek. Cheyenne chief Black Kettle wanted peace. He led his people back. Before dawn on November 29, Army colonel John M. Chivington arrived at Sand Creek with about 700 troops. Black Kettle raised an American flag and a white flag as a sign of peace. But Chivington did not want peace. "It is simply not possible for Indians to obey or even understand any treaty," he said. "To kill them is the only way we will ever have peace ... in Colorado." Chivington's troops opened fire and killed 150 people, mostly women, children, and elderly people. After burning the camp to the ground, the troops returned to Denver with scalps, which they displayed to cheering crowds. News of the Sand Creek Massacre out. raged many Americans. Congressional investigators condemned Chivington's actions as atrocities, but they did not punish him.

Battle of the Little Bighorn

for years The Lakota Sioux conducted raids against conducted raids against White settlers who had moved into Sioux lands. In response, the U.S. government ordered all Lakota Sioux to return to their reservation by January 31, 1876. They refused. The situation was turned over to the military. About 2,000 Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho gathered near the Little Bighorn River. The leader of the Sioux, Sitting Bull, conducted a ceremonial sun dance. He reportedly had vision of a great victory over soldiers. The brash leader of the U.S. Army troops, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, predicted victory as well. On June 25, 1876, Custer led his troops into a headlong attack against superior numbers. Custer and his troops were quickly encircled and slaughtered. TheBattle of the Little Bighorn was a tremendousvictory for the Sioux-but a temporary one. Nowt he U.S. government was even more determined to put down the Indian threat to settlers.

The Wounded Knee Massacre

The next morning, Colonel James Forsyth of the 7th Cavalry ordered the Sioux to give up their rifles. One young man named Black Coyote did not want to give up his gun, and in his struggle with the soldiers, the gun went off. Instantly, the Sioux and the soldiers began shooting. About half of the Sioux men were killed right away. Women and children fled, but soldiers pursued them. By the end of the fight, about 300 Sioux men, women, and children lay dead. Bodies of women and children were found as far as three miles from the camp. The Wounded Knee Massacre shocked many Americans. General Nelson Miles was so outraged that he removed Forsyth from command. Others in the army did not share Miles' concern, however. Three officers and 15 enlisted men received the Medal of Honor for their actions. Wounded Knee marked the end of the bloody conflict between the army and the Plains Indians. Black Elk, a survivor of the massacre, came to realize what the loss truly meant;