Powered by Blogger.

History of America : Civil War - the Far West



Civil War

Theoutbreak of the civil war (1861-65), dividing the nation, seemed to offer the Indians a great opportunity to win backmusch they had lost. The north and the south bid for the support of the cherokee, creeks, seminoles, choctaws, and chickasaws. (these were southern tribes that owned negro slaves.) althought the south made the indians more promises of land and other rewards for their services than did the north, many southern indians still wished to remain loyal to the union. The issue of slavery was not as importan to them as it was to white slave owner in the south. Their way of live would not be changed greatlyif they lost the few slaves they held.

Indians did fight for south in the battle of pea ridge (1862). Two indian became brigade generals. Stand watie (1806-71), a cherokee, became a southern brigadier general. A Sioux name Ely Samuel Parker gained the same rank in the United States Army. However, before the war ended the Snatee Sioux, a western tribe, had massacred more than 800 white in minnesota. Despite the sympathy that individual indians had forboth north and south, the aim of the western tribes was to stop the white man from taking their land. Nor did the civil war stop america attacks on the indians. At sand creek in 1864 coloradi militia killed 300 cheryenne men, women, and children who had tried to surender.

The Far West

Combat rged on western prairie and desert and in themountain. The plains indians fought on, though a chain of frontier forts closed in on them and transcontinental railroad and telegraph lines cut trough their hunting grounds. The united state army never had more than 25,000 tropes available for indian fighting in the west. Since indian country was so vast, these 25,000 men had to break up into many small groups in order to cover the area. These small groups were oftrn outnumbered by attacking indians.

Fort kearny in wyoming would not have survived a sioux siege 1867 if a courier, “portugee”Philips, had not made a heroic 236-mile ride trough a terrific blizzard and brought help. On september 17, 1868, a little groupof soldiers and scouts enterenched on beecher Island, Colorado, and change by massed sheryennes was also narrowly rescued. In 1871in present-day Oklahoma the famous General W. T. Sherman (1820-91) almost los his scalp during the kiowa uprising.  In northeastern California the Modocs rose in 1873, took refuge in a natural fortress of volcanic rock called the Lava Beds, and repulsed all assaults.  At a peace parley they teracherously shot and killed an american general and several members of his party. They were driven from their stronghold only mortal fire.

In the suthewest the apache had longfought bo the united states and mexico. There was no more formidable foe than these fierce warriors. They had incredible endurance in battle, and they treated prisoners brutally. Only after series of tough campaigns in the years following the civil war were they conquered. General george crook, organizing packtrains for supply and using aqpache scouts, throught he hadsubdue the apache 1875. However, they rose again in 1882 in protest agains cheating by united states government indian agents. General crook had to return. The apache war were over last with the surendder of apache leader geronimo in 1886.

Meanwhile the army staged a threeproged drive against the warlike sioux, unreleting enemy of the white man and of lesser tribes. Acolumn under general crook, with shoshone and crow indian allies, clashed with sioux,led by the dashing chief crazy horse. The two opposing force met at the desperate day long battle ended in a draw. Crook, forced to retreat and re equip, was unable to combine in time with the other rwo columns for roundup of the hostile indians.

sumber: Encyclopedia Americana (1975:213-214) 

0 comments " History of America : Civil War - the Far West", Baca atau Masukkan Komentar

Post a Comment