The American Indian Wars were numerous armed conflicts fought by governments and colonists of European descent, and later by the United States federal government and American settlers, against various indigenous peoples within the territory that is now the United States. These conflicts occurred from the 16th to the 20th centuries and in all parts of the country, beginning with the Tiguex War in 1540 in present-day New Mexico and ending with the Renegade period of the Apache Wars in 1924 in the Southwestern United States.
According to a dataset of conflicts between Native American communities and colonial powers, the frequency of conflict increased dramatically in Mexico and the United States during the second half of the 19th century A.D., as contact between the two groups became more frequent.
16th century wars ConflictCombatant 1Combatant 2Result Battle of Mabila(Oct 1540) Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto Mississippian Culture Death of chief Tuskaloosa, over 2,500 Indians and 200 Spaniards Tiguex War(winter 1540–41) Spanish conquistador Puebloan Mixtón War(1540-1542) New Spain Tlaxcaltec Caxcanes Assimilation or enslavement of all Caxcan natives, Spanish access to northern silver deposits Chichimeca War(1550–90) New Spain Tlaxcaltec Caxcanes Chichimeca Confederation Changes to Spanish indigenous policies, pursuit of voluntary conversion instead of forced conversions
17th century wars ConflictCombatant 1Combatant 2Result Navajo Wars( 1600–1866) (c. 1600–1716)(1716–1821)(1821–48)(1849–66) Navajo Long Walk of the Navajo (1863–68) Navajos moved to reservations Beaver Wars(1609–1701) Haudenosaunee Wendat (Huron)ErieNeutralOdawaOjibweMississaugasPotawatomiAlgonquinShawneeWenroMahicanInnuAbenakiMiamiIllinois Confederationother nations allied with France Indecisive Great Peace of Montreal Wendat Confederacy destroyed Anglo-Powhatan Wars(1610–46) English colonists Powhatan Confederacy Treaty of Middle Plantation Pequot War(1636–38) Massachusetts Bay ColonyPlymouth ColonySaybrook Colony Connecticut ColonyMoheganNarragansett Pequot Pequot defeated Treaty of Hartford Kieft's War(1643–45) New Netherland Munsee Peach War(1655) Esopus Wars(1659–63) Dutch settlers Haudenosaunee Esopus tribe of Lenape Indians Chowanoc War(1675–77) Province of Carolina Chowanoc King Philip's War(1675–78) New England ConfederationMoheganPequot WampanoagNipmuckPodunkNarragansettNashaway Colonial victory in southern theatre Native victory in northern theatre King William's War(1688–97) Massachusetts Bay Colony English America Haudenosaunee
18th century wars ConflictCombatant 1Combatant 2Result Queen Anne's War(1702–13)
Spain New Spain Wabanaki ConfederacyCaughnawaga MohawkChoctawTimucuaApalacheeNatchez (until 1707)In 1707, the kingdoms of England and Scotland were unified as the Kingdom of Great Britain, sharing a single Parliament at Westminster under the Act of Union 1707. After this, Scottish troops joined their English counterparts in all colonial wars. English America (from 1707) British America Muscogee (Creek)ChickasawYamasee Tuscarora War(1711–15) Power of Tuscaroras broken Tuscaroras retreat from the coast Southern Tuscaroras migrate to New York Fox Wars(1712–33) France Fox Meskwaki (Red Earth People) Renards Outagamis Yamasee War(1715–17) Colonial militia of: South Carolina North Carolina Virginia Catawba (from 1715)Cherokee (from 1716) YamaseeOchese CreeksCatawba (until 1715)Cherokee (until 1716)WaxhawSantee Power of the Yamasee was broken South Carolina colonists establish uncontested control of the coast The Catawba become the dominant tribe in the interior Chickasaw Wars(1721–63) Chickasaw ChoctawIllini Dummer's War(1722–25) New England ColoniesMohawk Wabanaki ConfederacyAbenakiPequawketMi'kmaqMaliseet Dummer's Treaty King George's War(1744–48)
Wabanaki Confederacy British America Haudenosaunee Father Le Loutre's War(1749–55)
Wabanaki Confederacy British America Seven Years' War(1754–63) British America
Portugal Hanover Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Haudenosaunee Hesse-Kassel Schaumburg-Lippe French Canada Holy Roman Empire Austria
Bavaria Spain Sweden Abenaki Confederacy Mughal Empire French and Indian War(1754–63)Part of the Seven Years' War British America Haudenosaunee CatawbaCherokee (until 1758)
Wabanaki Confederacy Abenaki Mi'kmaw militia AlgonquinLenapeOjibweOdawaShawneeWyandot Anglo-Cherokee War(1758–61)Part of the Seven Years' War Cherokee Pontiac's War(1763–66) OdawaOjibwe PotawatomiHuronMiamiWeaKickapooMascoutenPiankeshaw LenapeShawneeWyandotMingoSeneca Native Americans concede British sovereignty, but compel British policy changes Portage around Niagara Falls ceded by Senecas to the British Lord Dunmore's War(1774) Colony of Virginia ShawneeMingo American Revolutionary War(1775–83) France Spain Vermont
Haudenosaunee Oneida Tuscarora Watauga AssociationCatawbaLenape Choctaw Loyalists German Auxiliaries
Haudenosaunee Mohawk Onondaga Cayuga Seneca Cherokee Treaty of Paris Britain recognizes the independence of the United States of America End of the First British EmpireCanny, p. 92. Cherokee–American wars(1776–94)Part of the American Revolutionary War Cherokee Second Cherokee War(1776)Part of the Cherokee–American wars Northwest Indian War(1785–95) Chickasaw Choctaw Western Confederacy Great Britain British North America Treaty of Greenville British withdrawal American occupation of the Northwest Territory Oconee War(1785–94) European colonists Muscogee
19th century wars ConflictCombatant 1Combatant 2Result Battle of Sitka (1804) Tlingit Kiks.ádi Clan The "Sitka Kiks.ádi Survival March" commences Tecumseh's War(1810–13)Part of the War of 1812 Tecumseh's Confederacy Peace treaty War of 1812(1812–15) Choctaw NationCherokeeCreek Allies United Kingdom British North America Tecumseh's Confederacy Spain (1814) Treaty of Ghent Defeat of Tecumseh's Confederacy U.S. nationalism strengthened Peoria War(1813)Part of the War of 1812 Creek War(1813–14)Part of the War of 1812 Choctaw NationLower CreeksCherokee Red Stick Creek Treaty of Fort Jackson First Seminole War(1817–18) Seminole Spanish Florida Texas–Indian wars(1820–75)Part of the Apache Wars Comanche Arikara War(1823) Arikara The Arikara eventually settled with the Mandan and Hidatsa on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota Winnebago War(1827) Prairie La Crosse Ho-Chunkswith a few allies Ho-Chunks cede lead mining region to the United States Black Hawk War(1832) Ho-ChunkMenomineeDakotaPotawatomi Black Hawks British BandHo-Chunk and Potawatomi allies Second Seminole War(1835–42) Seminole 3,800 Seminoles transported to the Indian Territory 300 remain in Everglades Second Creek War(1836) Comanche Wars(1836–75)Part of the Texas–Indian wars Choctaw Nation Comanche Osage Indian War(1837) Osage Nation Cayuse War(1847–55) Cayuse Ute Wars(1849–1923) UtePaiuteNavajoApache Utes moved to reservations Apache Wars(1849–1924)Part of the Texas–Indian wars (1849–1924) (1861–65) ApacheUteYavapaiComancheCheyenneKiowaHavasupaiHopiNavajosPapagosHualapaiYumaMohave Apaches moved to reservations American Indian Wars conclude with Renegade period Jicarilla War(1849–55)Part of the Apache, Ute and Texas-Indian Wars ApacheUte Yuma War(1850–53) Cupeno (1852–53)Cocopah (1853)PaipaiHalyikwamaiMountain Cahuilla (1851) YumaMohaveCocopah (1850–53)CahuillaCupeno (1851) Mariposa War(1850–51) Walker War(1853)Part of the Ute Wars Sioux Wars(1854–91) United States CanadaCrowPawneeEastern Shoshone Sioux Lakota Dakota CheyenneArapahoKiowaComanche First Sioux War(1854–56)Part of the Sioux Wars Klickitat War(1855) KlickitatCascade Rogue River Wars(1855–56) Rogue River people Indians relocated to Siletz, Grand Ronde and Coast Reservations Third Seminole War(1855–58) Seminole Yakima War(1855–58) Yakama Peace treaty Puget Sound War(1855–56)Part of the Yakima War NisquallyMuckleshootPuyallupKlickitatHaidaTlingit Indians relocated to: Siletz Reservation Grand Ronde Reservation Coast Indian Reservation Klamath and Salmon River War(1855) Tintic War(1856)Part of the Ute Wars Tule River War(1856) Yokuts Coeur d'Alene War(1858)Part of the Yakima War Mendocino War(1858)Part of the Yakima War Yuki Fraser Canyon War(1858) United Kingdom Colony of British Columbia Nlaka'pamux Bald Hills War(1858–64) "Wintoons" Whilkut "Redwoods" Chilula Hupa "Mountain tribes" Chimariko Lassik Mattole Nongatl Sinkyone Tsnungwe Wailaki Mohave War(1858–59) Maricopa MohaveHualapai Paiute War(1860) PaiuteShoshoneBannock Yavapai Wars(1861–75) YavapaiApacheYumaMohave Owens Valley Indian War(1862–67) Owens Valley PaiuteShoshoneKawaiisuTübatulabal Dakota War of 1862(1862)Part of the Sioux Wars Dakota Sioux Goshute War(1863) Colorado War(1864–65)Part of the Sioux Wars Cheyenne Arapaho Military and congressional hearings against John Chivington Snake War(1864–68) Snake Indians Hualapai War(1865–70)Part of the Yavapai Wars HualapaiYavapaiHavasupai Black Hawk's War(1865–72)Part of the Ute, Apache and Navajo Wars Powder River War(1865)Part of the Sioux Wars Sioux CheyenneArapaho Red Cloud's War(1866–68)Part of the Sioux Wars Lakota Cheyenne Arapaho Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) Legal control of Powder River Country ceded to Native Americans Creation of the Great Sioux Reservation (including the Black Hills) Comanche campaign(1867–75)Part of the Texas–Indian Wars Cheyenne Arapaho ComancheKiowa Medicine Lodge Treaty Comanche surrender and relocation Modoc War(1872–73) Modoc Red River War(1874–75) Cheyenne Arapaho ComancheKiowa End of the Texas–Indian wars Great Sioux War of 1876(1876–77)Part of the Sioux Wars Lakota Northern Cheyenne Arapaho Legal control of Powder River Country ceded to the United States Pecos War(1876–77) Apache Buffalo Hunters' War(1876–77)Part of the Apache and Texas–Indian Wars Comanche Apache Nez Perce War(1877) Nez Perce Bannock War(1878) BannockShoshone Cheyenne War(1878–79) Cheyenne Northern Cheyenne Reservation created Sheepeater Indian War(1879) Shoshone White River War(1879)Part of the Ute Wars Ute Victorio's War(1879–80)Part of the Apache Wars during Renegade period Apache Geronimo's War(1881–86)Part of the Apache Wars Crow War(1887) Crow Ghost Dance War(1890–91)Part of the Sioux Wars Sioux Miniconjou Hunkpapa
20th century wars ConflictCombatant 1Combatant 2Result Crazy Snake Rebellion(1909) Creek New Mexico Navajo War(1913) Bluff War(1914–15)Part of the Navajo and Ute Wars UtePaiute Colorado Paiute War(1915) Posey War(1923)Part of the Ute Wars UtePaiute
See also
List of historical Indian reservations in the United States List of Indian massacres List of traditional territories of the indigenous peoples of North America U.S.–Native American treaties Population history of indigenous peoples of the Americas Territorial evolution of the United States Territorial evolution of Canada Numbered Treaties
References