An Witting Ally

It seemed that the US Army as reduced as it was in the post Civil War plains, was incapable of subduing the warrior tribes of the frontier, but they had a ally, one they didn't even realize...the Indian himself.

Most Indians, with the exception of the Apache, fought the Army as if they were fighting just another tribe competing for temporary control of hunting grounds.  Each time the Army backed off of battle, the Indians assumed permanent and total victory.

The Indian's highly individualistic societies of hunting men and warriors weren't adapted to fight a modern army whose intentions were permanent take over.  The animosities of old between tribes kept coalitions against the white man short-term.  Ancient tribal hatred was stronger than hate of the white man's intrusion.

Unity within a tribe of any kind was even difficult.  Each brave was his own master, free to join any band of warriors and to seek accommodations with whites as he chose.  General Cook, for instance, made effective use of friendly Apache in hunting down hostiles within the Apache nation. 

In older times when warfare on the plains was an inter tribal affair, personal glory remained the crown of Indian warriors.  The "coup" was to ride up to a few Army soldiers and tap them on the shoulders with the coup stick before vanishing into the prairie - that was considered a great victory.  But modern Army soldiers didn't fight for glory or fun, they fought to win a continent and the civilization in it.  To achieve their aims, the Army launched both massive expeditions and small, swift striking forces against the Indian tribes.

During the winter months the warriors and their families were temporarily immobile.  Food was scarce, the weather was fierce and they needed to conserve food and supplies.  They found it inconceivable that the white man would or could even fight in winter, so they made little provision for the defense of their camps.  It was their fatal mistake...

Next time...A Winter War of Terror
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Today in Pioneer History: "On January 8, 1867,  Congress overrides President Andrew Johnson’s veto of a bill granting all adult male citizens of the District of Columbia the right to vote, and the bill becomes law. It was the first law in American history that granted African-American men the right to vote.