Native Americans used various forms of Guerilla warfare such as tactics, weather, and terrain to their advantage when facing United States (U.S.) Military. Guerilla warfare is a form of tactics used by an adversary against prodigious conventional military force. The disadvantages in numbers, tactics, and weapons systems would encourage significant failures in facing such a powerful enemy in open battle. The U.S. Military after the civil war confronted this new way of fighting for the first time within the western territories. The uprising by the Indians indicated that the Military leadership viewed the Native Americans as savages and did not recognize the underlying culture differences of the Indians. Another contributing factor in a prolonged war understanding the weather and terrain and how their inadequate preparations to fight this new form of war against the Indians in battle. During the American Indian Wars, the United States military employed different strategies, weaponry, and additional forces appropriate to force the American Indians to negotiations. However, this did not end the war quickly but provided an advantage for Military forces in obtaining the upper hand over the Indian and their Guerilla tactics. The effects of culture, terrain, weather, and tactics encountered during the American Indian Wars hindered U.S. forces in defeating the American Indians.
U.S. Military hindered by Indian Guerilla Tactics
When understanding the types Guerilla warfare tactics dates back to the earliest recorded history and continues today, as it will in the future. A formidable strategy used against the military by the Native Americans to preserve their way of life. After the Civil War in 1865, U.S. settlements exceeded ...
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...uring the American Indian Wars hindered U.S. forces in defeating the American Indians.
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It had previously been the policy of the American government to remove and relocate Indians further and further west as the American population grew, but there was only so much...
Brigade General Scales, Robert H. JR. Certain Victory. The U.S. Army in the Gulf War.
According to John Grenier, colonists used unlimited and employed irregular tactics, or The First Way of War, which Grenier describes as a small war tradition that nonprofessional soldiers to pursue unlimited objectives, using irregular means to obtain it. These tactics included ruthless warfare that included targeting elders, women and children, burning and raiding towns, destroying food sources and supply and assassinating enemy leaders. The arrival of colonists to America, did not introduce the concept of lethality in warfare; instead it introduced new technologies that changed the balance of offense and defense, making open battle more lethal and successful. The English’s mission was to exterminate the natives, in order to establish their
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... We offer an outline, not a bible,” (Guevara, 1961). Therefore, it can be inferred that his writing deals only with the experiences and conditions that were created in context with the Cuban revolution. Many rebels in other Latin American countries however, took his handbook on guerrilla warfare to be a strict guide. Guevara’s tactics and strategies have not led to a successful revolution in any country aside from Cuba. Although he gives helpful guidelines, the guerrilla fight is not the only factor in a successful rebellion. The lack of popular support and unclear urban resistance patterns in countries like Venezuela and Guatemala led to less than ideal conditions for guerrilla warfare. The fact that Guevara glazes over the importance of these two circumstances in the rebel movement makes his book unsuccessful in spawning revolution throughout Latin America.
One of the most famous tragedies in United States history, the battle on the banks of the Greasy Grass River is better known as “Custer’s Last Stand” or the “Battle of the Little Bighorn”. The event has undergone copious scrutinization for many years by historians, but it is seldom that anyone addresses it from the Native American standpoint. Books, essays and journal articles can be found that discuss Custer’s faulty strategies from a military standpoint and his arrogance. There are even songs that have been written about the fear of his soldiers as the followed him into battle. All of this study and documentation is from the United States standpoint, however; studies from the Native American viewpoint are sparse and hard to find.
Addressing the issues raised here and answering the uncertainties outlined in reference to irregular warfare procedures may provide a more subtle analysis of the capabilities of modern and irregular forces. What is called for is a greater degree of attention and sensitivity to, and flexibility for, irregular forms of warfare. It requires the Community to preserve what expertise it has on areas where irregular warfare is under way or likely and to develop new skills and the people to use them for this form of war.
No 7. The guerrilla wins if he does not lose, and the conventional army loses if it does not win.
Among the Indian nations whose ancient seats were within the limits of our republic, the Iroquois have long continued to occupy the most conspicuous position. The Iroquois flourished in independence, and capable of self protection, long after the new England and Virginia races had surrendered their jurisdictions, and fallen into the condition of dependent. Nations they now stand forth upon the canvas of Indian history prominent alike for the wisdom of their civil institutions of the league.
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A few years after the Civil War, the federal government opened the West for settlement. There was much at stake. For whites, there were acres of open land suitable for farming, trading, or transportation. For Native Americans, the plains was their home. Travelling from place to place, these tribes followed the herds of buffalo that provided food and clothing. Indian oppositions were met with many conflicts between the tribes and U.S. troops (“Wounded Knee Massacre”). Occasionally, some of the Native Americans’ attempts were successful in ceasing settlers from trespassing their land. With news of gold discoveries, many whites brought complications into the American Indians’ lives. Often, the settlers would take advantage of them. Signed by American agents and representatives of Indian tribes, early treaties primarily assured them of peace and integrity of their land (Martin). As more and more settlers arrived, these treaties were broken. The whites often sought protection from the government, and the government would obviously favor the whites. C...
of Native American Culture as a Means of Reform,” American Indian Quarterly 26, no. 1
What was so unfortunate about the Indians aligning and fighting with a side during the Revolutionary War was that, whether they were on the winning side or not, they were the ones who truly lost the most. Though, despite many tribes’ best efforts, maintaining neutrality was also seemingly a lost cause as they soon began to break off into American-aligned and Britain-aligned factions. Unfortunately, many patriots were quick to disregard any Indian alliances and viewed the victory of Revolutionary War as approval to encroach on Indian territories. With Americans being the victors, the Indians were driven from the Ohio Valley and away from their principal hunting grounds (Foner, 2014, p. 229). One group of Indians even described American Independence
This topic came in my head during a lecture in History Class. The term “Guerrilla Warfare” was already interesting to me. It was discussed for a little, but it didn’t satisfy my curiosity. I never thought of it as a term paper topic, but something to search about until the opportunity to read a lot about it came. It was always on my mind and it caught my attention whenever I hear or see the term “Guerrilla Warfare.” It was hard for me to look for topics until I remembered it out of nowhere. I started making ideas for it. Without asking anyone whether I should or not, I just wrote ideas for what it should contain. I enjoyed making more ideas from it over again. On my mind, I just thought that I was bound to make it my topic because