WarData.net Indian Wars Timeline

WarData.net ~~~ Indian Wars Timeline

The Indian Wars Medal was established on January 21, 1907, by War Department General Orders Number 12. It was awarded for qualifying service between 1865 and 1891 (and thereafter on a case-by-case basis).

Criteria - The Indian Wars Medal was awarded for military service in a campaign against any tribes or in any areas listed below, during the periods indicated:

Southern Oregon, Idaho, northern California, and Nevada between 1865 and 1875.
Comanches and confederate tribes in Kansas, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, and Indian Territory between 1867 and 1875.
Modoc War in 1872 and 1873.
Apaches in Arizona in 1873.
Northern Cheyennes and Sioux in 1876 and 1877.
Nez Perce War in 1877.
Bannock War in 1878.
Northern Cheyennes in 1878 and 1879.
Sheep-Eaters, Piutes, and Bannocks between June and October of 1879.
Utes in Colorado and Utah between September 1879 and November 1880.
Apaches in Arizona and New Mexico in 1885 and 1886.
Sioux in South Dakota between November 1890 and January 1891.
Hostile Indians: Any action in which U.S. troops were killed or wounded between 1865 and 1891.

Order of Precedence - The Indian Wars Medal is worn after the Civil War Campaign Medal and before the Spanish Campaign Medal.

Devices - The only device authorized for the Indian Wars Medal was the Silver Citation Star, a five-pointed star three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter. When authorized for gallantry in action during the Indian Wars, the Silver Citation Star could be worn on the ribbon of the Indian Wars Medal. Eleven Silver Citation Stars were retroactively authorized for gallantry in action during the Indian Wars. They were awarded to:

Braden, Charles, Second Lieutenant, 7th Cavalry
Gibson, Samuel, Private, 27th Infantry
Glennan, James D., First Lieutenant (Assistant Surgeon)
Guilfoyle, John F., First Lieutenant, 9th Cavalry
King, Charles, First Lieutenant, 5th Cavalry
Maus, Marion P., First Lieutenant, 1st Infantry
McClinton, William J., Private, 3rd Cavalry
Miller, Samuel W., Second Lieutenant, 5th Infantry
Parker, James, First Lieutenant, 4th Cavalry
Ross, Tenney, Second Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry
Stewart, William F., First Lieutenant, 4th Artillery

Designer and Sculptor - The Civil War Campaign Medal was designed by Francis D. Millet (1846-1912).

First Recipient - Indian Wars Medal No. 1 was issued to Major General Charles F. Humphrey on July 15, 1908.

Description and Symbolism -

Obverse

In the center of a bronze medallion one and a quarter inches in diameter, a mounted Indian holding a spear in his right hand is shown facing to the viewer's right. Above the horseman, and following the contour of the medal, are the words INDIAN WARS in raised letters. The remainder of the medal's contour contains a wreath of arrowheads with a buffalo skull at the base.

The Indian warrior in fighting regalia represents "the highly active and troublesome enemy of the frontier campaigns." The idea of a mounted Indian was intended by Millet to symbolize the ancient Greek horsemen as represented on the frieze of the Parthenon. The buffalo skull alludes to both the frontier and the Indian's close link with it; the arrowheads represent the Indian's traditional weapon in war and peace.

Reverse

In the center of a bronze medallion one and a quarter inches in diameter, there is a trophy composed of an eagle perched on a cannon supported by five standards. With the standards are rifles, an Indian shield, a spear and quiver of arrows, a Cuban machete, and a sulu kriss. Below the trophy (and on a horizontal plane) the words FOR SERVICE appear in raised letters. The whole is enclosed by the words, UNITED STATES ARMY in the upper half, and thirteen stars in the lower half.

The standards represent the five great wars of the United States as of 1905: the Revolution; the War of 1812; the Mexican War; the Spanish-American War; and the Philippine Insurrection. The weapons suggest the armed resistance offered by the opponents in those wars. The eagle is the American bald eagle and represents the United States, and the thirteen stars allude to the original colonies and symbolize unity.

The ribbon to the Indian Wars Medal was originally red with darker red edge stripes. It was changed in 1917 because it was too similar to the French Legion of Honor. Millet selected the original colors because he felt that "vermilion was the favorite color of all savage tribes, particularly the North American Indian."

The second style ribbon retained the red background but dropped the darker edge-stripes and added a black stripe inside each edge.

Numbering - The medal was initially manufactured by the Philadelphia Mint and was serially numbered with an No. Later strikes were numbered with the M.No. prefix. Subsequent strikes were made by various manufacturers and were numbered without prefix.

Source: U.S. Army Center for Military History website (http://www.army.mil/cmh/) and Foxfall Medals website (http://www.foxfall.com/).

The voyages of Columbus began a long series of confrontations between the inhabitants of the New World and groups of European explorers and colonists.¹ In the year 1500, Gaspar Corte-Réal and his brother Miguel sailed for the New World. They landed somewhere in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland. Miguel returned to Lisbon, Portugual, in 1501, with 50 Indians, probably Mic-Mac or Beothuk, whom he sold as slaves.² Later interactions were little better. In May of 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon arrived on the east coast of Florida and claimed it for Spain. He was immediately driven off by hostile inhabitants, the Timucua. He fought another skirmish in May with the Calusa on the west side of the peninsula. Ponce de Leon decided to return to his base at Puerto Rico. He led a colonizing expedition later that year, but was driven off yet a third time and died of wounds incurred on this last attempt.³ Later Spanish efforts in North America were much the same as their efforts in Mexico and South America. They first plundered the natives for gold and silver, then enslaved much of the adult male population to work in the mines or in the fields. The remainder were forced to abandon their native cultures and become Christians.

	French pioneers in Canada had a different way of dealing with the Native Americans. They favored trade and alliance. In order to establish a successful settlement, they made allies and traded with certain groups of the Indians. In order to create goodwill with their new allies, the Hurons, they made war on the enemies of their new allies, the Iroquois. Thus, the French were immediately involved in a long-standing cycle of warfare among the various tribes of Native Americans. The introduction of firearms totally changed the character of these wars.
In Virginia, the third major group of settlers, the English, came to found permanent settlements in order to escape social pressures at home. At first, they attempted self-sufficiency by farming and occasional shipments of supplies and additional settlers from England. They were soon forced to trade copper to the Native Americans for food. Soon, however, the Indians had all the copper arrowheads and bracelets they could use, but the colonists still needed to eat. When the price of corn rose to an unacceptable level, the colonists refused to trade guns for food. Instead they made war on the nearby tribes and stole their food supplies, forcing them to starve in the following winter. At first, the level of warfare between various Indian groups was increased. Then, as warfare between the two major European groups in North America, the Native Americans found roles as allies of these groups. In order to procure allies, the French and British armed the Indians and kept them supplied with gunpowder, shot, and other necessities. After the Great War for Empire 1756-1763 between France and Britain (Known as the French and Indian War in America and the Seven Years War in Europe, this was really a world war), France was forced out of North America. The level of warfare between Indian groups declined while that with the English colonists increased. During the American War for Independence, Indians again fought in several battles as allies of the British, and the Americans fought several seperate campaigns against them during the war. After the war, the nature of the Indian Wars changed yet again.

	Explorers and fur traders led the way to the American west. Miners soon followed, seeking gold in California, Idaho, Colorado and Montana. Hordes of others followed, to supply the miners with food, tools, liquor, female companionship, and other necessities. Thousands of young males, honest or dishonest, sought to get rich in what seemed like an unlimited land of wealth. Soldiers followed to keep the peace and protect the miners and pioneers. All of these travelers and settlers waged a war of extermination during the expansion of the colonial United States into the United States Empire of North America. Just as many Japanese fail to take responsibility for Pearl Harbor and the Rape of Nanking because their educational system has not made them aware of these injustices, many Americans remain ignorant of the true nature of the final phase of the Indian Wars in North America due to failures of the American educational system.

¹ Although there is archaeologicial evidence of a Viking settlement at L'Anse-aux-Meadows, in Newfoundland, in the tenth century, little is known of their encounters with the natives, other than some vague references to "Skraelings." The only records of this colony are some word-of-mouth accounts that were only written down centuries later. See: Daniel Odess, Stephen Loring, and William W. Fitzhugh, “Skraeling: First Peoples of Helluland, Markland, and Vinland,” in Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. Fitzhugh, William W. and Elisabeth I. Ward, editors. Copyright 2000 Smithsonian Institution. The name L'Anse-aux-Meadows is a corrupted form of a name applied to the area by later French explorers, L'Anse-aux-Méduses, meaning “Jellyfish Cove.”

Likewise, there is evidence of warfare between various groups of the North American inhabitants, prior to the arrival of the Europeans. See the timeline entry below for the Cow Creek massacre in 1325 CE. However, due to lack of written records, little is known of these events. Events of Indian-Indian warfare during the historical period are included in the timeline where there is a written record.

² William H. Goetzmann and Glyndwr Williams, The Atlas of North American Exploration: From the Norse Voyages to the Race to the Pole (New York: University of Oklahoma Press, 1992).

³ Ian K. Steele, Warpaths: Invasions of North America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994). See also: Goetzman and Williams, Atlas of North American Exploration, 22-23.

Event

Date

Comments

Prehistoric era
Unnamed Battle(s)	1000-1300 CE	Vikings describe contact with Skraelings in Markland and Vinland, and a number of battles fought with them. Dates and frequency of contacts is unknown. (S; O,L&F)
Crow Creek Massacre	1325 CE	More than 486 individuals were apparently massacred at the Crow Creek Site, 39BF11, located on the east bank of the Missouri River in South Dakota. (USD; K)
1500-1549 - The Era of Contact and Exploration
Cabot's First Voyage	May - July 20, 1497	Cabot sailed from Brisol, England and landed somewhere in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland. No contact was made with Native Americans. Cabot and four ships in a follow-up expedition were lost at sea the next year. (G&G)
Unnamed Battle	1500-1501	Gaspar Corte-Réal and his brother Miguel sailed to the New World in 1500. Gaspar's ship was apparently lost, but his brother returned to Lisbon with 50 natives that had been kidnapped in America. They were sold as slaves. (G&G)
Unnamed Battle	April 2, 1513	Landing near St. Augustine, Juan Ponce de Leon claims Florida for Spain. The Spanish met armed resistance from the Timucua immediately and withdrew after two of the landing party were wounded. (G&G, Steele)
San Carlos Bay, First Battle of	May 1513	De León organized a colonizing expedition consisting of two ships and 200 men. They were attacked by Calusas and de León was wounded. The would-be colonists sailed back to Cuba were de León died. (G&G)
San Carlos Bay, Second Battle of	July 1521 ??
San Miguel de Gualdape	1526	The settlement of San Miguel de Gualdape was founded in Georgia or South Carolina by Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón iwith 600 colonists. Within a year most were dead. Only 150 returned to Puerto Rico. (G&G)
Guzmán Expedition to Sinaloa	March 1531
Cabeza de Vaca begin journey across Texas and the Southwest	1534	Cabeza de Vaca and his three fellow survivors -- one an African slave named Esteban -- begin their travels across Texas and the Southwest into northern Mexico
Jacques Cartier's First Voyage	May 10 - September 1534	Cartier had several encounters that were generally friendly, although Cartier had his men fire warning shots on one occasion. (G&G)
Jacques Cartier's Second Voyage	September ?? 1535 - May 1536	Cartier spent a miserable winter fighting off scurvy, which the Indians helped to cure with a concoction made from a particular variety of cedar tree. Upon leaving, however, Cartier kidnapped Chief Donnacona, who was take to Europe. (W)
Coronado arrives at the "river below Quivira" (probably the Arkansas)	July 29, 1541
Unnamed Battle(s)	August 23, 1541 -June 1542	From August 1541 Cartier explored the St. Lawrence. Two ships returned but the other three stayed the winter, enduring a number of Indian attacks. (W)
1550-1599 - The Era of Contact and Exploration
Fort Caroline, Construction of	1564	French colonization at Fort Caroline
Saint Augustine founded	August 28, 1565	Saint Augustine, Florida, founded by Spain to prevent French Huguenots from colonizing Florida
Fort Caroline, Destruction of	August 28, 1565	Captain Pedro Menendez de Aviles attacks and destroys the French Fort Caroline, and sets up the city of St. Augustine to the south
North American Fur Trade	1578	The fur trade becomes increasingly widespread. Axe heads, knives, awls, fish hooks, cotton cloth, woolen blankets, linen shirts, kettles, jewelry, glass beads, muskets, ammunition and powder were some of the major items exchanged on a 'per pelt' basis.
Fort Raleigh is built on Roanoke Island	1585 - June, 1586
Powhatan Confederacy	1598 - ??
Hurdaide's Offensive in Sinaloa	1599 - 1600
1600-1699 - The Era of Colonization and Exploitation
Oñate resigns as governor of New Mexico	1607
Tarrateen War	1607-1615
Jamestown colonists make contact with the Paspahegh Indians	May 4, 1607
Paspahegh Indians visit Jamestown fort	May 18, 1607	Paspahegh werowance, Wowinchopunck, and one hundred armed men visit Jamestown fort.
Unnamed Battle	May 26, 1607	English settlers had been at Jamestown for less than two weeks when they were attacked on by Paspahegh Indians.
Jamestown settlement is almost destroyed by fire	January, 1608
Quebec City founded	July 3, 1608	Samuel de Champlain establishes a French fur-trading post at Quebec, Canada, first permanent French colony on the continent.
Powhatan Chief Opechancanough halts corn trade with colonists	November 1608
Huron and Ottawa v Iroquois War	1609 - ??
Anglo–Powhatan War, 1st	1609–1613
Initial Contact with the Mayo Indians	1609-1610
Lake Champlain, Battle of	July 30, 1609	Champlain and two other soldiers armed with matchlocks fight alongside their Ottawa allies in a battle against the Iroquois.
Captain Smith is injured by burning gunpowder	Fall 1609
Spanish Contact with the Yaqui Indians	1610
An attempt is made to abandon Jamestown	1610
Santa Fe is founded	1610	Santa Fe is founded by the Spanish, extending the Camino Real (royal road) north into Pueblo country
Unnamed Battle	August 1610
Unnamed Battle	August 9, 1610
Conversion of the Mayo Indians	1613-1620
Conversion of the Yaqui Indians (1617-1620)	1617-1620
Mohawk-Mahican War	1617-1618
Population of Virginia colony reaches 1,400	1622	Population of the Virginia colony has quadrupled to some 1,400 in the last 5 years, but is reduced this year by disease and Indian massacres
Anglo-Powhatan War, 2nd	March 22, 1622 - 1634	In March 1622, the Indians launched a surprise attack on the dispersed white settlements. The 12-year conflict that followed left many dead, but the remaining colonists were victorious.
Jamestown Massacre	May 22, 1622	Indian uprising kills a third of the English population of Jamestown. The Indians are led by Opechancanough.
Unnamed Battle	April 1623	Henry Spelman and twenty-two heavily-armed companions are ambushed on a grain-buying trip up the Potomac River.
Mohawk-Mahican War	1624-1628
Virginia becomes a Royal Colony	1624	Company charter revoked. General Assembly dissolved.
Massachusetts Bay Colony founded	September 6, 1628
Pequots attacked and defeated by the Dutch	1634
John Stone attacked	1634
Pequot War	July 20, 1636 - September 21, 1638	Colonist John Oldham is attacked and killed by the Pequots. This death eventually led to the immolation of 600-700 natives. The remainder were sold into slavery in Bermuda.
Unnamed Battle	August, 1636	Endicott's party of about 90 men sailed to Block Island and attacked the Niantic village. Most of the natives escaped, but 14 were killed, while two of Endicott's men were injured.
Mystic Massacre	May 26, 1637
Unnamed Indian War	1639 - ??
Algonquin-Dutch War	December 1641 - August 1645	1641-45 Algonquin-Dutch War --- Algonquin-Dutch War; 1639-1645 ??
Iroquois-French Wars	1642-1701	1642-96 Iroquois-French Wars
Maryland’s War with the Susquehannocks	1644-1652	?? First
Unnamed battles along the James	April 18, 1644
Anglo–Powhatan War, 3rd	April 18, 1644 - 1646
Iroquois-Huron War	1648-1650	The Iroquois launched a surprise attack on the Huron on March 16 and 17, 1649. They attacked three villages, destroying one (two?). They fought three coordinated battles in two days.
Huronia, Destruction of	March 16-17, 1649	Actually, this was three battles, Fort Saint-Louis, Fort Saint-Ignace, and Fort Sainte-Marie.
1650-1699
Esopus War, 1st	September 20, 1659 - July 15, 1660	September 20, 1659 - July 15, 1660
Esopus War, 2nd	June 7, 1663 - September 1663
French invade the Iroquois homeland	January 1666
French invade the Iroquois homeland	September 1666
Winnebago-Illinois War	1671-1671	1671 Winnebago-Illinois War
Spanish arrest 47 medicine men	1675	Spanish arrest 47 medicine men, publicly whipping them and hanging four in the plaza of Santa Fe
Abenaki War, 1st	1675-1678	Concurrent with King Philip's War
Bosque - Larios Expedition	1675	Fernando del Bosque and Fr. Juan Larios set out from Monclova, Coahuila, crossed the Rio Grande and explored the area between Eagle Pass and Del Rio, Texas.
John Sassamon dies at Assawampsett Pond	January 29, 1675
King Philip’s War	June 23, 1675 - August 12, 1676	Philip's attempt to drive out the settlers, beginning at Swansea, Massachusetts, led to slaughter on both sides and his own death. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island were opened to European colonization.
Swansea, Indian Attack on	June 24, 1675
Raid by the Doeg Indians on the plantation of Thomas Mathews	July 1675
Mendon, Indian attack on	July 14, 1675	Nipmunks attack Mendon.
Brookfield, Indian attack on	August 2, 1675
Lancaster, Indian attack on	August 9, 1675
Deerfield, Attack on	September 1-2, 1675	Wampanoags and Nipmucks attack Deerfield. Massachusetts forces leb by Moseley attack the town of Pennacook.
Beers Plain, Battle of	September 2 - 5, 1675
The New England Confederation declares war on the Indians	September 9, 1675
Deerfield, Squeakeag, and Brookfield abandoned	September 12, 1675	Colonists abandon Deerfield, Squeakeag, and Brookfield.
Plymouth, Indian attack on	September 18, 1675
Northampton, Ambush at	September 18, 1675	Narragansetts later sign a treaty with the English in Boston.
Bloody Brook, Battle of	September 19, 1675	Captain Lathrop and 80 men were riding convoy for a wagon train hauling wheat from Deerfield to Hadley. The train was ambushed by Indians. Nearby reinforcements arrived turning the ambush into a full battle. More colonial reinforcements finally ended it.
Springfield, Indian attack on	October 5, 1675
Hatfield, Indian attack on	October 16, 1675
The United Colonies declare war on the Narragansetts	November 2, 1675	The United Colonies suspected them of harboring Wampanoags and so declared war on the Narragansetts. Several Indian towns were burned.
Great Swamp Fight	December 19, 1675	Soldiers of the United Colonies destroy the Naragansett stronghold near modern South Kingstown, Rhode Island, burning it to the ground, along with it about 300 women and children. Most of the warriors escaped to joing the uprising.
Indian attacks	Winter 1675-1676	Attacks came at Andover, Bridgewater, Chelmsford, Groton, Lancaster, Marlborough, Medfield, Medford, Portland, Providence, Rehoboth, Scituate, Seekonk, Simsbury, Sudbury, Warwick, Weymouth, and Wrentham.
Rowlandson Garrison House, Attack on	February 10, 1676
Providence, Indian Attack on	March 1676
Hatfield, Indian Raid on	May 13, 1676	On the night of May 13, a group of warriors raided Hatfield and made off with cattle, driving them up to the campsite by the falls.
Turner Falls Massacre	May 18, 1676	Revenge for the burning of Hatfield a few days earlier.
Springfield, Indian Attack on	May 19, 1676 ??
Hadley, Battle of	June 12, 1676	In June, the colonists with the Mohegan Indians defeat King Philip's men at Hadley.
Bacon issues his "Declaration of the People"	July 30, 1676
King Philip Killed	August 12, 1676
King Philip's War ends when the Indians surrender	August 22, 1676
Unnamed Battle	September 19, 1676	Bacon burns Jamestown to the ground.
Bacon abruptly dies of the "Bloodie Flux" and "Lousey Disease" (body lice)	October 26, 1676
Peace signed with Powhatan Confederation	1677
Covenant Chain	1677	The Iroquois formed an alliance with the English through an agreement known as the Covenant Chain.
Sir Edmund Andros negotiates a treaty with the northern Indians	April 12, 1678	This formally ends King Philip’s War.
Denonville's Expedition	July 1687	The Governor of Quebec led an expedition of 3,000 French militia, regular soldiers, and Indians with the purpose of invading the land of the Senecas. The purpose was to force the Senecas to cease their raids against the French.
Fort Frontenac, Siege of	October 1687
Fort Niagara, Siege of	October 1687	Iroquois
Dover Massacre	July 1689
King William's War	July 1689 - 1697	Associated with the War of the Grand Alliance (War of the League of Augsburg) in Europe 1688 - 1697.
Lachine Massacre	July 26, 1689
Schenectady Massacre	February 9, 1690
Fort Laprairie, Battle of	August 11, 1691
Brackett Lane Massacre	September 29, 1691
Covenant Chain	1692
Reconquest of New Mexico	1692 - 1694	Don Diego de Vargas begins the military reconquest of New Mexico following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680
Salem Witch Trials	February 29, 1692
Oyster River Massacre	July 18, 1694
De Vargas Expedition	1696
Portsmouth Plains, Battle of	June 26, 1696
Ryswick, Treaty of	September 20, 1697	Ended King William's War, the North American version of the War of the Grand Alliance.
1700-1749
Pacific Northwest Tsunami	January 26, 1700	Tsunami strikes in Pacific Northwest
The Great Peace	1701
Abenaki War, 2nd	1702 - 1712
Queen Anne's War	May 4, 1702 - April 11, 1713	Part of the War of the Spanish Succession
Deerfield Massacre	February 29, 1704	A force comprised of Abenaki, Kanienkehaka, Wyandot and Pocumtuck Indians, led by a small contingent of French-Canadian militia, sack the town of Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing 56 civilians and taking dozens more as captives.
Tuscarora War	September 22, 1711 - February 11, 1715	The Tuscarora under chief Hancock attacked several settlements, killing settlers and destroying farms. In 1713, James Moore and Yamasee warriors defeated the raiders.
Fox War, 1st	1712-1714
Yamasee War	April 1715 - 1718	An Indian confederation led by the Yamasee came close to exterminating white settlement in their region. Yamasee War; 1715-1716 ??
Chickasaw Resistance	1720-1724
Abenaki War, 3rd	July 25, 1722 - December 15, 1725	Third Abnaki War; 1722-1727 ?
Norridgewock, Battle of	1724
Thornton's Ferry Fight	September 5, 1724
Fryeburg, Battle of	1725
Fox War, 2nd	1728-1728
Natchez Revolt	November 28, 1729 - 1731
Detachment of the Province of Sinaloa and Sonora (1733)	1733
Rebellion of the Yaqui, Pima, and Mayo Indians (1740)	1740
Treaty of Fort Pickiwallainy	June 19, 1748
1750-1799
Kathio, Battle of	1750	Chippewas defeat Sioux and gain control of Minnesota
Pima Revolt	1751 - 1751
Apache Offensives in Sonora and Chihuahua (1751-1774)	1751-1774
Pima Rebellion of 1751-1752	1751-1752
French and Indian War	April 17, 1754 - February 10, 1763	A contest between France and Britain for possession of North America. For various motivations, most Algonquian tribes allied with the French; the Iroquois with the British.
Unnamed Battle	July 3, 1755	A number of settlers were killed when Indians attack the New River Settlement in Virginia.
Hanging Rock, Ambush at	April 16, 1756	Daniel Morgan shot through the neck in an ambush near Hanging Rock (?) on way to Winchester; two companions killed. Morgan makes it to Ft. Edwards.
Great Cacapon River, Battle of	April 18, 1756	Capt. John Fenton Mercer, Lt. Thomas Carter and 15 soldiers killed not far from Ft. Edwards. This is the largest encounter between French and Indian forces and Virginia soldiers of the War.
Seri Offensives (1757-1766)	1757-1766
Fort William Henry, Massacre at	August 9, 1757	British defeated by French then Indians slaughter prisoners
Unnamed Battle	March 16, 1758
Fort Duquesne, Battle of	September 14, 1758
Anglo-Cherokee War	1759-1763	1760-62 Cherokee War
Fort Loundoun, Battle of	March 20, 1760	Fort Loundoun, Tennessee attacked and besieged
Massacre of Fort Loundoun garrison	August 9, 1760
Pontiac's Rebellion	April 27, 1763 - September 9, 1765	Warrior chief Pontiac and a large alliance drove out the British at every post except Detroit. After besieging the fort for five months, they withdrew to find food for the winter.
Fort Detroit, Battle of	May 7, 1763
Fort Detroit, Siege of	May 7-July 29, 1763
Fort Sandusky, Capture of	May 16, 1763
Michillimackinac Massacre	June 2, 1763
Fort Presque Isle, Capture of	June 19, 1763	Pontiac’s Rebellion: British Fort Presque Isle is captured and burned.
Bloody Run, Battle of	July 31, 1763
Bushy Run, Battle of	August 5-6, 1763	British defeat Indians in Pennsylvania backcountry
Devil's Hole Massacre (Unnamed battle)	September 14, 1763	Devil's Hole Massacre Seneca double ambush of a British supply train and soldiers.
Enoch Brown School Massacre	July 26, 1764	Enoch Brown School Massacre Four Delawares kill a schoolmaster, 10 pupils and a pregnant woman. {Two pupils scalped but survive}
Pontiac surrenders to the British	July 1766
The Sonora Campaign (1767-1771)	1767-1771
The Jesuits are Banished (1767)	1767
Bloody Falls, Massacre at	July 17, 1771	Massacre at Bloody Falls: Chipewyan chief Matonabbee traveling as the guide to Samuel Hearne on his arctic overland journey, masacre a group of unsuspecting Inuit.
Yellow Creek Massacre	April 30, 1774
Lord Dunmore's War	May 3, 1774 - October 10, 1774	Alarmed tribes raided a wave of traders and settlers. Dunmore, governor of Virginia, sent in 3,000 soldiers and defeated 1,000 natives. Ended by the Treaty of Fort Stanwix - 1784 (aka "1784 Treaty with the Six Nations").
Point Pleasant, Battle of	October 10, 1774	Frontiersmen defeat Shawnees at the Battle of Point Pleasant was an action in Lord Dunmore's War between Virginia militia and the Shawnee Indians fought on October 10, 1774 near modern Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
Cherokee War	July 1, 1776 - August 1776	Cherokee Indians attack Patriot settlements along the Virginia and Carolina frontiers.
Lyndley’s Fort, Battle of	July 15, 1776	Patriots defended against attack by Indians and Tories dressed as Indians.
Ring Fight	August 1776	200 Cherokees attacked Andrew Pickens and 25 militia. From a circle, firing in turn, the patriots held off attackers until a rescue force arrived
Seneca, Battle of	August 1, 1776	Ambushed by Cherokees, Patriot forces saved by a mounted charge.
Tugaloo River, Battle of	August 10, 1776	Cherokees defeated by Andrew Pickens.
Tamassy, Battle of	August 12, 1776	Col. Williamson and Andrew Pickens defeated large Cherokee war party and burned the Indian town, Tamassy.
Peace Negotiations with the Apaches and Comanches (1777-1796)	1777-1796
Congress authorizes a geographer and surveyor of roads	July 25, 1777
Wyoming, Battle of	July 3, 1778	July 1-4, 1778 ??
Boonesborough, Siege of	September 7 - September 18, 1778
Cherry Valley Massacre	November 11, 1778	More than 30 settlers killed.
Wyoming Valley Massacre	July 3, 1779	Colonel John Butler, leading his Rangers accompanied by a force of Cayugas and Senecas led by Cornplanter, made a surprise attack on the 360 armed Patriot defenders of Forty Fort beside the Susquehanna River (near present-day Wilkes-Barre).
Cherokee Indian Town, Battle of	July 13, 1780
Yuma Revolt	July 17, 1781
Gnadenhutten Massacre	March 8, 1782
Little Mountain, Battle of	March 22, 1782
Crawford expedition	May 25, 1782 - June 12, 1782
Chillicothe, Battle of	November 10, 1782	George Rogers Clark defeats Shawnees in last battle of war
Western Lakes Confederacy	Autumn 1785	The Hurons were the nominal "fathers" or senior guaranteeing nation of the Confederacy, but Shawnees and Miamis provided the greatest share of the fighting force.
Little Turtle’s War	1786 - August 1795	See: Northwest Indian War
Old Northwest Warfare	1790-1794	Following two humiliating defeats at the hands of native warriors, the Americans won a decisive victory under "Mad Anthony" Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
Coeur d’Alene tribe named	1790	French-speaking trappers pass trough northern Idaho and name local Indians the Coeur d’Alenes, meaning "heart hard as an awl," or "heart sharp like an awl," a leather-working needle, referring to their miserly ways and reputation for hard bargaining.
Miami Indians, Campaign against	January 1790 - August 1795
Spanish explorer Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca and claims the Olympic Peninsula for Spain	August 1, 1790	Spanish explorer Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca as far east as the San Juan Islands in 1790 and lands at Neah Bay to claim the Olympic Peninsula region on August 1, 1790.
Nootka Concession opens Pacific Northwest to exploration	October 1790
Fort Wayne, Battle of	October 18, 1790	Battle of Fort Wayne October 18, 1790 - Little Turtle and Miamis defeat federal generals Joseph Harmar and Saint Clair
Harmar's Defeat	October 20-22, 1790	1790 Harmar's Defeat
Saint Clair's Expedition	September 17, 1791
Wabash River, Battle of	November 4/5, 1791	1791 Battle of Wabash River - Arthur Saint Clair defeated by Indians.
Congress establishes the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers	1794
Fallen Timbers, Battle of	August 20, 1794
Greenville, Treaty of	August 3, 1795 August 3, 1795 3, 1795
Congress increases the size of the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers	1798
1800-1849 - The Era of Destruction
Congress creates the Corps of Engineers	March 16, 1802
Sitka, Battle of	October, 1804
Tecumseh's War	August 1811 - War of 1812
Tippecanoe Campaign	September 21 - November 18, 1811
Sagunto, Defeat of Relief Expedition	October 25, 1811
Tippecanoe, Battle of	November 7, 1811	The Prophet, brother of Shawnee chief Tecumseh, attacked Indiana Territory Gov. William Henry Harrison's force at dawn. After hand-to-hand combat, the natives fled.
Fort Dearborn Massacre	August 15, 1812
Hopkins' Expedition	November, 1812
Creek War, 1st	February 1813 - August 9, 1814
Congressional Act specifically authorizes topographic engineers	March 3, 1813
Bartholomew's Expedition	June, 1813
Russell's Expedition	June? 1813
Burnt Corn, Battle of	July 27, 1813
Dilbone Massacre	August 18, 1813
Creek War	August 30, 1813 - August 9, 1814	Militiamen under Andrew Jackson broke the power of Creek raiders who had attacked Fort Sims and massacred settlers. They relinquished a vast land tract. July 27, 1813 - August 9, 1814 (Creek War; 1812-1814??)
Fort Mims Massacre	August 30, 1813	Following defeat at the Battle of Burnt Corn, a band of Red Sticks sack Fort Mims, Alabama, killing 400 civilians and taking 250 scalps. This action precipitates the Creek War.
Tallasahatchee, Battle of	November 3, 1813	US forces under Andrew Jackson defeat Creeks
Talladega, Battle of	November 9, 1813	Jackson defeats Creeks
Unnamed Battle	1814	Bannock Indians wipe out John Reid's fur trading post on the lower Boise River
Horseshoe Bend, Battle of	March 27, 1814	Jackson decisively defeats Creek
Treaty of Fort Jackson	August 9, 1814	US and Creek nation sign the Treaty of Fort Jackson
General Joseph G. Swift orders a complete survey of harbor and port fortifications	March 21, 1815
Claremore Mound, Battle of	Spring 1817	Cherokee Indians wipe out Osage Indians led by Chief Clermont at Claremore Mound, Indian Territory.
Seminole War, 1st	November 20, 1817 - October 31, 1818	The Seminole, defending runaway slaves and their land in Florida, fought Andrew Jackson's force. Jackson failed to subdue them, but forced Spain to relinquish the territory.
Apalachicola Massacre	November 30, 1817
Chehaw Affair	April 22, 1818
Fort Snelling	1820	Fort Snelling is established on a high bluff near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.
Treaty of Moultrie Creek	September 18, 1823	The treaty creates an Indian reservation extending 30 miles north of Tampa Bay, but no nearer than 15 miles from the Gulf of Mexico or 20 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
Jones Creek, Battle of	June 22, 1824	The battle of Jones Creek was fought between colonists of the lower Brazos River and Karankawa Indians.
Unnamed Battle(s)	1825-1833	Yaqui, Mayo and Opata Rebellions of 1825-1833.
Fur trapper's rendezvous at Pierre's Hole	1829
First wagon train crosses the Rocky Mountains at South Pass	1830
Wars of Indian Removal	1830-1839
Indian Removal Act	May 28, 1830	The act authorized the president to grant Indian tribes unsettled western prairie land in exchange for their desirable territories within state borders, from which the tribes would be removed.
George Catlin's voyage up the Missouri	1832	George Catlin begins his voyage up the Missouri, traveling more than 2,000 miles with trappers from the American Fur Company to their outpost at Fort Union, painting hundreds of portraits of Indians and Indian life along the way.
Worcester v. State of Georgia	1832	The Supreme Court rules that the federal government, not the states, has jurisdiction over Indian territories.
Black Hawk War	April 26 - September 30, 1832	The last native conflict in the area, led by Chief Black Hawk. An unsuccessful attempt by the Sauk and Fox tribes to move back to their homeland.
Indian Creek Massacre	May 20, 1832	Indians, mainly Potawatomi, kidnap two girls and kill fifteen men, women and children. (W)
Bad Axe, Battle of	August 1, 1832	Around 300 Indian men, women and children are killed in Wisconsin by white soldiers. (W)
Colt revolver developed	1833	Samuel Colt develops his revolver and begins to sell it to settlers and pioneers. The increase in rate-of-fire is a significant factor in battles against the Indians.
Cutthroat Gap Massacre	Spring, 1833
Fort Laramie established	1834	William Sublette and Robert Campbell establish Fort Laramie on the North Platte River in Wyoming, the first permanent trading post in the region and soon to be an important stopping point for pioneers traveling the Oregon Trail.
Unnamed Battle(s)	1834-1853	Confrontations with Comanches - Sonora, Chihuahua and Durango (1834-1853).
Department of Indian Affairs created	1834	Congress restructures the Bureau of Indian Affairs as the Department of Indian Affairs, expanding the agency's responsibilities to include both regulating trade with the tribes, as before, and administering the Indian lands of the West.
Seminole War, Second	December 28, 1835 - August 14, 1842	The Florida Seminoles reject forced removal to the West and begin a seven-year war of resistance under Chief Osceola. In the Second Seminole War, blacks again fight alongside Native Americans in opposition to U.S. forces.
Cherokee sign a treaty of removal	1835	The Cherokee finally sign a treaty of removal, giving up their lands in Georgia for territory in present-day Oklahoma.
Black Point, Battle of	December 18, 1835	The first battle of the war where Florida militia suffers a humiliating loss.
Fort King, Ambush at	December 28, 1835
Withlacoochee River, Battle of	December 31, 1835	(punitive campaign)
Whitman mission established	1836	The Whitman mission is established at the junction of the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Narcissa Whitman and Eliza Spalding are the first white women to cross the Rocky Mountains.
Unnamed Battle(s)	1836-1852	Apache Depredations - Chihuahua and Sonora (1836-1852).
Creek War, Second	February 1836 - July 1837
Thlonotosassa, Battle of	April 27, 1836	(punitive campaign)
Fort Parker Massacre	May 19, 1836
Unnamed Battle on the Washita River	1837
Lake Ahapopka, First Battle of	January 23, 1837
Hatchee-Lustee, Battle of the	January 27, 1837	(punitive campaign)
Tampa Bay, Battle of	June 2, 1837	(punitive campaign)
Welika Pond, Battle of	July 19, 1837	(punitive campaign)
Mosquito Inlet, Battle of	September 10, 1837	(punitive campaign)
San Felasco Hammock, Battle of	September 18, 1837	(punitive campaign)
Osceola, Capture of	October 22, 1837	Osceola is seized under a flag of truce.
Stone Houses, Battle of	November 10, 1837
Wahoo Swamp, Battle of	November 21, 1837	(punitive campaign)
Lake Okechobee, Battle of	December 25, 1837	US forces under Zachary Taylor defeat Seminoles
Unnamed Battle	1838	Unnamed Battle on Wolf Creek (Cheyenne and Arapahoe v Kiowa). (Elliott West, The Contested Plains, pp. 76-77)
Webster Massacre	1838
The Yaqui Indians (1838-1868)	1838-1868
Trail of Tears	1838	General Winfield Scott oversees the forced removal of the Cherokee from Georgia to the Indian Territory of the West along the "Trail of Tears."
Killough Massacre	October 5, 1838	Indians massacre eighteen members and relatives of the Killough family in Texas.
Battle Creek Fight	October 8, 1838
Brushy Creek, Battle of	February 24-28, 1839
Neches, Battle of	July 15/16, 1839
Caloosahatchee River, Battle of	July 23, 1839	(punitive campaign)
Council House Fight	March 19, 1840
Ft. King, Battle of	March 28, 1840	(punitive campaign)
Chocachatti, Battle of	June 2, 1840	(punitive campaign)
Victoria, Sack of	August 6, 1840
Linnville, Sack of	August 8, 1840
Plum Creek, Battle of	August 11, 1840
Village Creek, Battle of	May 24, 1841
Walker's Creek, Battle of	June 9, 1844
Fort Benton, Montana, built	1846
Navajo Wars	1846-1864	Persistent fighting between the Navajo and the U.S. Army led to their expulsion and incarceration on an inhospitable reservation far from their homeland.
Salt Lake City founded by Mormons	July 24, 1847	Mormon Pioneers establish Salt Lake City as the first city of Deseret.
Whitman Massacre	November 29, 1847	The murder of missionaries Dr. Marcus Whitman, Mrs. Narcissa Whitman and twelve others at Walla Walla, Washington, by Cayuse and Umatilla Indians, triggering the Cayuse War.
Plains Wars	1848-1880s	Plains Indians - Sioux and Cheyenne in the North, and Kiowa, Comanche, Cheyenne, and Arapaho in the South (Many others)
	June 27, 1849
1850-1899
Yuma War	1850-1857	Yuma and Mojave Uprising; 1851-1852
Mariposa War	1850-1851
Five Indians hanged for the Whitman massacre	1850	Five Cayuse Indians, among them Tiloukaikt, the tribe's chief, are hanged in Oregon City for the Whitman massacre
Bloody Island Massacre	Spring, 1850
Fort Drum (later Fort Dalles) established	May 13, 1850
Fort Atkinson	August 8, 1850 - 1854
Fort Benton	December 25, 1850
Fort Belknap	1851
Treaty of Fort Laramie	September 17, 1851	Treaty of Fort Laramie with the Sioux or Dahcotahs, Cheyennes, Arrapahoes, Crows, Assinaboines, Gros-Ventre Mandans, and Arrickaras, 1851
Hynes Bay, Battle of	1852
Cieneguilla, Battle of	March 30, 1853	(punitive campaign)
James Ivie kills Shower-Ocats	July 17, 1853	James Ivie kills Shower-Ocats, a Ute indian, over a disputed trade
Walker War	July 17, 1853 - early 1870s
Treaty of Fort Atkinson with the Camanche, Kiowa, and Apache, 1853	July 27, 1853
Goshen, Unnamed Battle near	September 1853 ??
Nephi, Massacre at	October 2, 1853
Gunnison Massacre	October 26, 1853
Sioux Wars	1854-1890	Moved across the Mississippi into "Indian Country," the Sioux under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse resisted waves of settlers and prospectors, to keep their hunting grounds.
Cieneguilla, Battle of	March 30, 1854
Kaibai Creek Massacre	August 17, 1854
Grattan Massacre	August 17, 1854
Francis Xavier Aubry, trader and explorer, is killed in Santa Fe	August 18, 1854
Ward Massacre	August 20, 1854
Bluewater Creek, Battle of	September 3, 1854
Treaty of Medicine Creek, 1854	December 26, 1854
Yakima War	1855-1858	1855-58 Yakima Wars
General Harney given command of an expeditionary force to be led against the Sioux	March 22, 1855
Isaac Stevens invites Nez Perce and other tribes to a great council in Walla Walla Valley	May 1855
Nez Perce tribe arrives at the meeting area	May 24, 1855
Cayuse tribe arrives at the council	May 26, 1855
Isaac Stevens opens his great council	May 29, 1855
Treaty with the Walla Walla, Cayuse, etc.	June 9, 1855
Treaty with the Yakima Indians	June 9, 1855
Nez Perce Treaty	June 11, 1855
Newspaper article under Stevens' signature announces the Indian lands are open to settlement	June 24, 1855
Grattan Massacre	August 17, 1855
Major Rains Expedition	September 1855
Generals Harney and Cooke massacre camp of Brule indians on Blue Water Creek	September 3, 1855
Bluewater Creek, Battle of	September 3, 1855
Death of Indian Agent Andrew Bolon	September 23, 1855
Callahan Expedition	October 1855	Lipan Apache Indians
Major Granville Haller marches for Yakama [sic] country	October 3, 1855
Union Gap, Battle of	October 5, 1855
Toppenish Creek, Battle of	October 6, 1855
Rogue River War	October 8, 1855 - 1856	1855-56 Rogue River Wars --- Rogue River War,(Cayuse); 1855-1856
Wagoner Massacre	October 9, 1855
Blackfeet Treaty of Fort Benton, 1855	October 17, 1855
Leschi warns that war is imminent	October 22, 1855	Leschi pays a visit to acting Governor Charles Mason in Olympia, to inform him that war might be imminent.
Leschi escapes from Eaton's Rangers	October 24, 1855
Connell's Prairie, Battle of	October 27, 1855
White River Massacre	October 28, 1855
Major Gabriel Rains marches for Yakama country	October 31, 1855
Catholic mission of Saint Joseph is burned	November 1855
Snoqualmie chief Patkanim signs a letter offering to field 100 Indian warriors to fight any hostile Indians entering his territory	November 4, 1855
Governor Stevens calls for the formation of volunteer militia companies	November 13, 1855
Unnamed Battle	December 3, 1855
Captain William Slaughter is shot and killed on the upper White and Green rivers	December 4, 1855
Cayuse leader Peopeomoxmox captured	December 5, 1855
Peopeomoxmox is killed and his body mutilated	December 6, 1855
Leschi visits Fox Island	January 5 - 6, 1856
Quinault Treaty	January 25, 1856
Seattle, Battle of	January 26, 1856	Skirmish between settlers & Indians: Seattle is attacked, one non-Indian is killed.
Seattle is besieged for a day by Indian attackers	January 26, 1856
Leschi meets with John Swan a second time to discuss the war and the Nisqually reservation	February 1856
Unnamed battle on White River	March 1, 1856
Cascades Massacre	March 26, 1856
Eight infantry companies under Colonel George Wright sent to Fort Dalles	March 28, 1856
Martial law proclaimed in Pierce County by Governor Stevens	April, 1856 (around the 3rd)
Militia attacks the Mashel Indian village	April, 1856 (beginning)
Satus, Battle of the	April 9, 1856
Tule River War	April 28, 1856
Martial law proclaimed in Thurston County by Governor Stevens	May, 1856
Big Meadows, Battle of	May 27, 1856
Colonel George Wright declares that the Indian War is over	July 2, 1856
Benjamin F. Shaw leads Washington volunteers in an attack on Walla Walla, Cayuse, and Umatilla Indian encampment	July 18, 1856
Fox Island Peace council	August 4-5, 1856
Eastern Washington closed to settlement	August 20, 1856
Colonel Edward J. Steptoe takes five companies to establish Fort Walla Walla	August 22, 1856
Seminole War, Third	October 8, 1856 - October 18, 1860	Under Chief Billy Bowlegs, the Seminole mounted their final stand against the U.S. Bowlegs surrendered; he and others were deported to Indian Territory in Oklahoma.
First Fort Walla Walla established	November 1856
Leschi betrayed and taken into custody	November 13, 1856
	1857
	1857
Big Cypress Swamp, Battle of	March 5, 1857	Battle of Big Cypress Swamp (punitive campaign)
Spirit Lake (Iowa) Massacre	March 8-12, 1857
Devil's River, Battle of	July 20, 1857	(punitive campaign)
Unnamed Battle	July 29, 1857
Solomon's Fork, Battle of	July 29, 1857
Coeur d’Alene War	1858-1858	Coeur d’Alene War;(Spokane, Palouse,and Coeur d’Alene); 1858
Nisqually Chief Leschi is hanged by Governor Stevens for killing soldiers in open combat	February 18, 1858
Painted Creek, Battle of	April 21, 1858
Coeur d'Alene War	May 1858
Steptoe, Battle of	May 16/17, 1858	Indians defeat U.S. Army at battle of Steptoe, May 16/17, 1858
Unnamed Battle	June 17, 1858
William Green Russell and company discover "good diggings" at the mouth of Little Dry Creek on the South Platte starting the Colorado Gold Rush	July 6, 1858
Colonel Wright and Lieutenant Mullan leave Fort Walla Walla	August 7, 1858
Fort Taylor established at mouth of Tucannon River	August 7, 1858
Four Lakes, Battle of	September 1, 1858	U.S. Army defeats Native Americans at Battle of Four Lakes on September 1, 1858.
Spokane Plains, Battle of	September 5, 1858	U.S. Army defeats Native Americans at Battle of Spokane Plains on September 5, 1858.
Colonel Wright's Expedition camps on Spokane River	September 6, 1858
Peace council at Cataldo Mission with Coeur D'Alene Indians ends the Yakima Indian War	September 17, 1858
Indian Leader Qualchan hung by Colonel Wright	September 24, 1858
Six Indians hung by Colonel Wright	September 25, 1858
Rush Spring, Battle of	October 1, 1858	Rush Spring (October 1, 1858) and Crooked Creek (May 13, 1859)
Indian leader Owhi killed at Fort Walla Walla while trying to escape	October 4, 1858
Oregon and Washington are said to be ready for settlement	October 29, 1858	General W.S. Harney, in command of Military Department of Oregon and Washington, proclaims peace restored and the area ready for settlement.
Crooked Creek, Battle of	May 13, 1859	Rush Spring (October 1, 1858) and Crooked Creek (May 13, 1859)
	1860
Fort Downer	1860
Apache and Navaho War	1860-1865	1860-65 Apache and Navaho War
Paiute War	1860-1860
Fort Wallace	1860
Fort Belmont	1860
Fort Monument	1860
Gunther Island Massacre	February 26, 1860
Apache Attacks	1861-1900	Rejecting reservation life, Apaches under Geronimo, Cochise and others staged hundreds of attacks on outposts. Geronimo finally surrendered in 1886; others fought on until 1900.
Indian Territory Resolutions Of The Choctaw Nation	February 7, 1861
Bureau Of Indian Affairs Established	March 16, 1861
North Fork Articles Of Confederation	July 1, 1861	Between The Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), & Seminole
Declaration Of Causes Of The Cherokee Nation	October 28, 1861
Steptoe retires from army after three years on sick leave	November 1, 1861	Indians defeat U.S. Army at battle of To-hots-nim-me, May 17, 1858
Operations to suppress the Sioux Uprising	August-September 1862	Three hundred to eight hundred white settlers killed throughout Minnesota as part of the U.S.-Dakota War.
Sioux War	August 17, 1862 - 1864	1862-64 Sioux War --- Minnesota Santee Sioux Uprising; 1862
Tonkawa Massacre	October 24, 1862
Thirty-eight condemned Indian prisoners are hanged in Mankato, Minnesota	December 16, 1862	This is known as the largest mass hanging in the United States
Bear River, Battle of	January 29, 1863	Col. Patrick Connor leads a regiment killing at least 200 Indian men, women and children near Preston, Idaho.
Keyesville Massacre	April 19, 1863
Operations to control Indian Territory	June-September 1863
Cheyenne and Arapaho War	1864-1868	1864-68 Cheyenne and Arapaho War --- Cheyenne and Arapaho War; 1864-1865
	1864
Sully's Expedition Against the Sioux in Dakota Territory (July 1864)	July 1864
G.O. Humphrey and William Allison discover gold at Butte, Montana	July 1864
Skirmish near Ash Creek with Indians	November 13, 1864
Skirmish near Fort Zarah with Indians	November 20, 1864
Adobe Walls, First Battle of	November 26, 1864
Sand Creek, Battle of	November 29-30, 1864	Militiamen kill at least 160 Cheyenne Indians at Sand Creek, Colorado.
Cow Creek,Skirmish at	December 4, 1864
Missoula County created as a part of Montana Territory	1865
Ute War	1865-1868	The Ute nation rose episodically against the whites. Mormon settlers were relentlessly overtaking Ute lands and exhausting their resources and wildlife.
Sioux War	1865-1868	1865-68 Sioux War
Dove Creek, Battle of	January 8, 1865
Fort Larned, Skirmish near	March 7, 1865
Hualapai Wars	April 1865 - December 1868
Black Hawk War	April 9, 1865
Fort Dodge, Construction of	April 10, 1865
Pawnee Rock, Affair near	May 20, 1865
Fort Dodge, Skirmish at	June 8, 1865
Chavis Creek, Skirmish at	June 9, 1865	(near Cow Creek Station)
Plum Butte, Skirmish near	June 12, 1865
Pawnee Rock, Skirmish near	June 12, 1865
Fort Dodge, Skirmish at	June 12, 1865
Santa Fe Road, Skirmish on the	June 14, 1865
Fort Zarah, Skirmish near	June 14, 1865
Fort Dodge, Skirmish near	June 29, 1865
Burrville Massacre	July 1865
Skirmish at Harney Lake Valley	September 23, 1865
Circleville Massacre	November 26, 1865
Unnamed battle south of Camp Lyon	1866
Bozeman Trail War	1866-1868
Snake War	1866-1868
Fort Buford, Construction of	June 15, 1866
Fort Phil Kearny, Construction of	July 13, 1866
Fort Reno, Construction of	July 28, 1866
Fort C.F. Smith, Construction of	August 12, 1866
Coeur d'Alene Reservation established	October 1, 1866	By Executive Order U.S. Grant established the Coeur d'Alene Reservation in northern Idaho.
Fetterman Massacre	December 21, 1866
Comanche War	1867-1875
Fort Totten, Construction of	1867
Brookville, Indian Raid on	1867
Hancock’s War	1867-1867	Indian Wars (Southern Cheyenne; Southern Arapahos; Oglalas; and Southern Brule Sioux)
Fort Stevenson	June 1867
Henshaw Station, Battle of	June 5, 1867	Indians killed four men and stampeded the horses. At the time the station was guarded by only ten soldiers and two stock traders, so pursuit of the Indians was out of the question. (http://www.shgresources.com/ks/timeline/)
Fort Shaw, Construction of	July 1867
Kidder Massacre	July 2, 1867
Fort Hays, Relocation of	July 4, 1867
Fort Fetterman, Construction of	July 19, 1867
Hayfield Fight-Ft Smith	August 1, 1867	(punitive campaign)
Wagon Box Fight	August 2, 1867	(punitive campaign)
Plum Creek, Battle of	August 17, 1867	(punitive campaign)
	August 27, 1867
Yaqui Insurgencies - Sonora (1868-1875)	1868-1875
Sheridan’s Campaign	1868 - 1869
Treaty of Fort Laramie with the Sioux, 1868	April 29, 1868
Beecher Island, Battle of	September 17, 1868	The Indians lost between 700 and 800 warriors including leaders Roman Nose and Dull Knife during the battle, which broke their power in the west. (K)
Beaver Creek, Battle of	October 17, 1868
Canadian River Expedition of 1868	November 18, 1868 - January 13, 1869	The westernmost prong of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan's winter campaign, launched in the late fall of 1868 for the purpose of chasing down Cheyennes and Arapahos.
Washita River, Battle of
Salt Creek Fight	May 16, 1869
	June 28, 1869
	July 1869
Marias Massacre	January 23, 1870
	May 1870
	July 8, 1870
Little Wichita River, Battle of the	July 12, 1870	Loftin/Handbook of Texas Online
U.S. Congress ends the practice of recognizing Indian tribes as sovereign nations	1871	U.S. Congress abolished the treaty process recognizing tribes as sovereign nations. The U.S. government then followed a policy of creating "agreements" by Executive Order pertaining to the creation or redefinition of reservations.
French and American punitive expedition to Korea	1871	In 1866, 1867, and 1871 French and American punitive expeditions attacked parts of Korea in which French missionaries and American adventurers had been put to death.
Apache War	1871-1873
Camp Grant Massacre	April 30, 1871	Many more events…
Salt Creek Massacre	May 18, 1871
Blanco Canyon, Battle of	October 15, 1871
Modoc War	1872-1873	Captain Jack and followers fled from their hardscrabble reservation to the lava beds of Tule Lake, where they held out against soldiers for six months. He was hanged. --- Madoc (Modoc?) War; 1872-1873
East Reservation (Colville Reservation) is formed by Executive Order	April 9, 1872	Ten distinct tribes of the Plateau that had not previously signed treaties with the U.S. were forced to move there. It consisted of the northeastern section of present day Washington state.
Grant opens the East Reservation to white settlement	July 2, 1872	Grant issues an Executive Order that opens the East Reservation to white settlement, and reconstructs the Colville Reservation with 3 million acres of land west of the former reservation in north-central Washington state.
North Fork of the Red River, Battle of	September 29, 1872
Tonto Basin, Battle of	November 15, 1872	Crook invades the Tonto Basin in an attempt to surprise the enemy while in winter camp.
Fort Abraham Lincoln	November 19, 1872	Established in August 1872 as Ft. McKeen; name changed to Ft. Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1872.
Lost River, Battle of	November 29, 1872
Salt River, Battle of	December 28, 1872
Apache War, 1st	1873-1873
Stronghold, First Battle of the	January 17, 1873
Turret Peak, Battle of	March 27, 1873
Stronghold, Second Battle of the	April 15 - 17, 1873
Remolino, Battle of	May 18, 1873
Grant reserves land for Young Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce	June 16, 1873	President Grant reserved land in the Wallowa Valley of Oregon for the group of Nez Perce led by Young Chief Joseph.
Deer Creek, Battle of	August 1873
Hanging of Captain Jack, Boston Charley, Black Jim, and Schonchin John at Fort Klamath	October 3, 1873
	March 1874
Red River War	June 27, 1874 - 1875	William T. Sherman led a campaign of more than 14 battles against the Arapaho, Comanche, Cheyenne and Kiowa tribes, who eventually surrendered.
Adobe Walls, Second Battle of	June 27, 1874	(Cheyennes, Comanches, Kiowas)
Camp Sheridan	September 1874
Buffalo Wallow Fight	September 10, 1874
Palo Duro Canyon, Battle of	September 28, 1874
1875-1899
Wallowa Valley open to white settlers	1875	President Grant takes the land in the Wallowa Valley that he had given to the band of Nez Perce led by Young Chief Joseph and opens it to white settlers. (NarHist)
Cypress Hills Massacre	1875
	June 6, 1875
Little Big Horn Campaign	1876 - 1877	Black Hills Sioux War; 1876-1877
Cajeme and the Yaqui Rebellions During the Porfiriato (1876-1887)	1876-1887
Sioux War	1876-1877	1876-77 Sioux War
Apache War	1876-1886	1876-86 Apache War
Rosebud, Battle of the	June 17, 1876	Lakota and Cheyenne under Crazy Horse turned back soldiers commanded by General George Crook, thereby cutting off reinforcements that might have aided Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Little Big Horn, Battle of	June 25, 1876	George A. Custer and 250 soldiers under his immediate command confronted Sioux warriors on the Little Bighorn River and were wiped out in the ensuing fight.
War Bonnet Creek, Battle of	July 17, 1876
Zaragosa, Battle of	July 30, 1876
Slim Buttes, Battle of	September 9, 1876
Tongue River, Battle of the	November 25, 1876
Nez Percé War	1877-1877	Montana After fighting to keep their home in Wallowa Valley, Chief Joseph led his people on a 1,500-mile retreat to Canada. They surrendered near the border to Nelson Miles' soldiers.
Wolf Mountain, Battle of	January 8, 1877
Yellow House Canyon, Battle of	March 18, 1877
Nolan Expedition	May 1877
Muddy Creek, Battle of	May 7, 1877
Whitebird Canyon, Battle of	June 17, 1877
Clearwater, Battle of	July 11/12, 1877
Lower Spokane agree to relocate to a reservation	August 1877	In August 1877, the Lower Spokane agreed to relocate to what would be the Spokane Reservation by November 1.
Big Hole, Battle of	August 9/10, 1877	Nez Percé Indians clash with US Army
Camas Creek, Battle of	August 20, 1877
Crazy Horse killed	September 7, 1877
Canyon Creek, Battle of	September 13, 1877
Cow Island, Battle of	September 23, 1877
Snake Creek, Battle of	September 30 - October 5, 1877
Surrender of Nez Percé in Bear Paw Mountains of Montana	October 5, 1877
Bannock War	1878-1878
Cheyenne War	1878-1879
A detachment from Fort Missoula captures last band of Nez Percé	July 21, 1878
Ladder Creek, Battle of	September 27, 1878
Fort Assinniboine, Montana	1879
Ute War	1879-1879	The Ute nation rose episodically against the whites. Mormon settlers were relentlessly overtaking Ute lands and exhausting their resources and wildlife.
Sheepeater War	1879-1879
Fort Robinson Massacre	January 8, 1879
Moses Reservation (Columbia) established	April 19, 1879	President Rutherford B. Hayes established the Moses Reservation (Columbia) in north-central Washington state.
Ute War	September 1879 - November 1880
Hembrillo, Battle of	April 6/7, 1880
Tinaja de las Palmas, Battle of	July 30, 1880
Victorio was trapped and killed	October 15, 1880
Sitting Bull surrenders	1881
Spokane Reservation was formed by Executive Order	January 18, 1881	The Spokane Reservation was formed by Executive Order. The Lower Spokane tribes moved onto the reservation.
Sitting Bull agrees to live on a reservation	July 19, 1881
Cibicu Creek, Battle of	August 30, 1881
Chief Moses and the Columbia move to the Colville reservation	July 7, 1883	Chief Moses and the Columbia agree to move to the Colville reservation and relinquish the Columbia reservation.
Nez Perce moved to the Colville Reservation	1885	In an agreement arranged by the U.S. government, Chief Moses invited the Chief Joseph band of Nez Perce to live on the Colville Reservation.
Mexican Offensives Against the Yaquis (1885-1901)	1885-1901
Apache War	1885-1886
U.S. Army avenges the Grattan Massacre	September 3, 1885
The Cimarron Territory declared open to settlement by squatters	1886
Geronimo surrenders at Skeleton Canyon	September 4, 1886
Upper and Middle Spokane agree to relocate to a reservation	March 1887	Then in March 1887, the Upper and Middle Spokane agreed to move to the Colville, Flathead or Coeur d'Alene reservation.
Land Run of 1889	April 22, 1889	The first Oklahoma land run was held, opening land in former Indian Territory to white settlement. More former Indian lands will soon be opened by land runs, lotteries, and auctions. (W)
	May 2, 1890	The Oklahoma Region is divided into Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory.
Sioux War 1890-1891	November 1890 - January 1891	The 1890-1891 Sioux War, also known as the Pine Ridge Campaign, was a brief war consisting of one major encounter, Wounded Knee, after which the Indians retired to their reservations. (W)
Sitting Bull killed	December 15, 1890	Sitting Bull and his son Crow Foot were both killed when the Army decided to arrest Sitting Bull at the Standing Rock Agency in the Dakota Territory. (W)
Wounded Knee Massacre	December 28, 1890	Around 300 Sioux men, women and children are massacred by US soldiers at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. (W)
Drexel Mission, Battle of	December 30, 1890	Lakota Ghost Dancers ambushed a squadron of the 7th Cavalry responding to the incident and pinned it down until a relief force from the 9th Cavalry arrived. This was, according to historians, the last encounter of the Indian Wars. (W)
Land Run of 1891	September 22, 1891	The Sac and Fox reserve and the Citizen Potawatomi and Absentee Shawnee reserve, located just east of the original land run site, and the Iowa reserve are opened to settlement by land run. The Tonkawa reserve is opened by allotment. (W)
Land Run of 1892	April 19, 1892	Former Cheyenne and Arapaho lands in western Oklahoma, known as the Cheyenne Arapaho reserve, are opened to settlement. (W)
Cherokees agree to sell their lands	March 17, 1893	The Cherokees agreed, for "the sum of $8,595,736.12, over and above all other sums" to turn title over to the United States government. (W)
Cherokee Strip Land Run	September 16, 1893	This was the largest and most spectacular land run in northern Oklahoma. (W)
Kickapoo Land Run	May 23, 1895	The Kickapoo Land Run was held in central Oklahoma. (W)
1900-1949 - The Era of final Assimilation
Congress confers U.S. citizenship on all Native Americans residing in the Oklahoma Territory	1901	This was after the failure of an 1890 law that offered citizenship to Indians who applied for it. All four who had taken advantage of an earlier law evidently suffered ostracism for adopting the white man's ways. (PBS)
Oklahoma becomes the 46th state to join the Union	November 16, 1907	Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory are combined to make a new state, Oklahoma.
Geronimo dies	February 17, 1909	Geronimo dies of pneumonia at Fort Sill and is buried at the Apache Indian Prisoner of War Cemetery. His skull was stolen by a member of the Skull and Bones, a secret society at Yale to which Presidents Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II belong. (W)

Key to Timeline Sources

(G)	Gerhard, Peter. The North Frontier of New Spain. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993.
(G&G)	Goetzmann, William H. and Glyndwr Williams. The Atlas of North American Exploration: From the Norse Voyages to the Race to the Pole (New York: University of Oklahoma Press, 1992).
(K)	Keeley, Lawrence J. War before Civilization (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996).
(L)	LeBlanc, Steven A. Prehistoric Warfare in the American Southwest. (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1999).
(O,L&F)	Odess, D., S. Loring, and W.W. Fitzhugh. "Skraeling: First Peoples of Helluland, Markland, and Vinland". In Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga, edited by William W. Fitzhugh and Elisabeth I. Ward. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000.
(NarHist)	The Native Americans in the Inland Northwest webpage at EWU NarHist Website. URL: http://www.narhist.ewu.edu/Native_Americans/indians_index.html. (Accessed 06/20/07)
(S)	Schledermann, Peter. "1000 A.D.: East Meets West". In Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga, edited by William W. Fitzhugh and Elisabeth I. Ward. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000.
(Starkey)	Armstrong Starkey, European and Native American Warfare 1675-1815 (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998).
(Steele)	Ian K. Steele, Warpaths: Invasions of North America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994).
(U)	U-S-History.com website at: http://www.u-s-history.com/. (Accessed: June 17, 2007)
(USD)	University of South Dakota website at: http://www.usd.edu/anth/crow/crow1.html. (Accessed: June 17, 2007)
(V)	Vandervoort, Bruce. Indian Wars of Mexico, Canada and the United States, 1812-1900. New York: Routledge, 2006.
(W)	Wikipedia (Various articles).
(Y)	Bill Yenne. Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West. Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, LLC, 2006.

In 1889, all of what is now the state of Oklahoma was Indian Territory. Beginning in 1889, selected sections in the western part of this area were opened to settlement by non-Indians. In 1890, the western portion of this area became Oklahoma Territory and the Indian Territories were restricted to the eastern portions of this area (see map at right). In 1905, the citizens in the Indian Territories applied for statehood as the state of Sequoyah but were denied. In November 1907, when Oklahoma became a state, the entire area became state lands.

Postscript to the Indian Wars

The following two editorials were written by L. Frank Baum, the author of the beloved classic "The Wizard of Oz." Written in 1890 and 1891, these editorials put that author in a somewhat different light.

Sitting Bull, most renowned Sioux of modern history, is dead.

He was not a Chief, but without Kingly lineage he arose from a lowly position to the greatest Medicine Man of his time, by virtue of his shrewdness and daring.

He was an Indian with a white man's spirit of hatred and revenge for those who had wronged him and his. In his day he saw his son and his tribe gradually driven from their possessions: forced to give up their old hunting grounds and espouse the hard working and uncongenial avocations of the whites. And these, his conquerors, were marked in their dealings with his people by selfishness, falsehood and treachery. What wonder that his wild nature, untamed by years of subjection, should still revolt? What wonder that a fiery rage still burned within his breast and that he should seek every opportunity of obtaining vengeance upon his natural enemies.

The proud spirit of the original owners of these vast prairies inherited through centuries of fierce and bloody wars for their possession, lingered last in the bosom of Sitting Bull. With his fall the nobility of the Redskin is extinguished, and what few are left are a pack of whining curs who lick the hand that smites them. The Whites, by law of conquest, by justice of civilization, are masters of the American continent, and the best safety of the frontier settlements will be secured by the total annihilation of the few remaining Indians. Why not annihilation? Their glory has fled, their spirit broken, their manhood effaced; better that they die than live the miserable wretches that they are. History would forget these latter despicable beings, and speak, in later ages of the glory of these grand Kings of forest and plain that Cooper loved to heroism.

We cannot honestly regret their extermination, but we at least do justice to the manly characteristics possessed, according to their lights and education, by the early Redskins of America.

L. Frank Baum

Editorial published in the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer, Aberdeen, South Dakota, December 20, 1890, a few days after the death of Sitting Bull.

The peculiar policy of the government in employing so weak and vacillating a person as General Miles to look after the uneasy Indians, has resulted in a terrible loss of blood to our soldiers, and a battle which, at its best, is a disgrace to the war department. There has been plenty of time for prompt and decisive measures, the employment of which would have prevented this disaster.

The Pioneer has before declared that our only safety depends upon the total extirmination [sic] of the Indians. Having wronged them for centuries we had better, in order to protect our civilization, follow it up by one more wrong and wipe these untamed and untamable creatures from the face of the earth. In this lies future safety for our settlers and the soldiers who are under incompetent commands. Otherwise, we may expect future years to be as full of trouble with the redskins as those have been in the past.

L. Frank Baum

Editorial published in the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer, Aberdeen, South Dakota, January 3, 1891, a few days after the Wounded Knee Massacre.

Key to Image Sources
	Indian Buffalo Hunt	Isenberg, Andrew C. The Destruction of the Bison: An Environmental History 1750-1920. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000 , front cover.
	Destruction of Braddock	Utley, Robert M., and Wilcomb E. Washburn. The American Heritage History of the Indian Wars. Japan: American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., 1977, 98-99.
	Captured by Savages	Utley, Robert M., and Wilcomb E. Washburn. The American Heritage History of the Indian Wars. Japan: American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., 1977, 6-7.