Existing comment:
Army Scouts
The end of the Civil War marks the beginning of a turbulent and tragic chapter in American Indian history. Enraged by increasing settlement on tribal lands, the expansion of railroads, the slaughter of bison herds, and government efforts to confine Indians to reservations, many Native Nations in the West took arms to defend their homelands and cultures.
Faced with a shrinking army and a huge territory to protect, Congress in 1866 authorized the War Department to enlist up to a thousand Indians to act as scouts for the U.S. Army. Receiving the same pay and allowances as cavalry soldiers, Native American scouts played a critical role in tracking and engaging "hostile" Indian groups during the so-called Indian Wars of the mid-to-late 19th century. |