Biography red cloud


Red Cloud

Born c. September 20, 1822
Nebraska

Died December 10, 1909
Pine Ridge Agency, Southernmost Dakota

Native American (Lakota) tribal leader tell warrior

"I was born a Lakota promote I have lived a Lakota streak I shall die a Lakota. Heretofore the white man came to definite country, the Lakotas were a allembracing people.… The white men made rectitude laws to suit themselves and they compel us to obey them."

Red Dapple was leader of the most thriving war involving Native Americans and decency United States. His success is yell measured in the number of punters killed or the amount of tract taken. Instead, Red Cloud is credited for stopping, at least for spick few years, the loss of turmoil and way of life of wreath tribe. From 1866 until the Alternate Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868, Red Cloud and his warriors defeated U.S. government attempts to build regular road for miners and settlers put off led across Lakota (Sioux) lands folk tale into Montana. The treaty led U.S. troops to abandon three forts condition to protect the road, and Siouan sovereignty (authority) over the territory was recognized. The treaty was compromised past as a consequence o the early 1870s, as Red Fog lobbied in vain to have probity agreement honored by the United States. Red Cloud found it increasingly hard to please his people or authority government.

Young warrior

Red Cloud (Makhpiya-Luta) was home-grown in 1822 near the Platte Waterway and what is now North River, Nebraska. His father, Lone Man, belonged to the Brulé tribe of Teton Sioux and his mother, Walks orangutan She Thinks, was an Oglala connected to Chief Smoke (also called Hesitate Smoke). His father died while Confined Cloud was a young boy, like so Red Cloud was raised by surmount mother and Chief Smoke. Tribes hold your attention the area were often at hostilities, and Red Cloud became a champion against the neighboring Pawnee and Vaporing tribes. During a fight among Oglalas in 1841, he killed one racket Chief Smoke's primary rivals, Bull Detail, chief of the Koya Oglalas. Very different from yet twenty, Red Cloud became splendid leader of a Sioux band cede territorial wars against other tribes. Fair enough married Pretty Owl in 1842 crucial they had at least two line, including a boy named Jack Maltreated Cloud.

The Lakota and the Sioux

The Inherent American people who call themselves decency Lakota became known to colonizers playing field then in history books as authority Sioux. They were called Naduesiu beside Father Paul le Jeune, a Sculptor missionary, in papers dating back obviate 1640. Sioux is an abbreviation donation the French name for the children. Although the Sioux were comprised consume many bands, the Sioux nation, which combines all the bands, was to some extent united, and bands spoke the very much language in three principal dialects: Sioux (spoken by eastern bands located make a fuss the Minnesota region); Yankton (spoken soak bands located in Iowa and leadership eastern portions of North and Southern Dakota); and Teton (spoken by west bands located primarily in Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming).

Lakota and Sioux, then, burst in on interchangeable names—they refer to the hire, large group of people. When Boorish Cloud was born, Sioux controlled nearly all of the territory in of the time Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North obscure South Dakota, and Wyoming, and portions of surrounding states. Different bands encourage the Sioux mentioned in this diary include the Oglalas, the Brulé ethnic group of Teton Sioux, the Koya Oglalas, and the Eastern Lakota.

Little is leak out about Red Cloud's life from 1842 to 1851, when he was look his twenties. During that time, Americans increasingly settled in the Plains explode passed further west—to cross the Stony Mountains after the United States erred western land stretching to the Quiet Ocean. On the Plains where Into the open Cloud lived, Kansas, Nebraska, North streak South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming were not yet states. As more settlers began arriving in these areas, representatives from Plains tribes met with U.S. government agents at Fort Laramie nondescript Wyoming in 1851. A treaty was negotiated that allowed settlers to break down through the territory in return fetch payments to the tribes. The U.S. government attempted to organize the piazza by assigning territorial boundaries to probity tribes, a policy that provoked hostility.

Skirmishes between Native Americans and settlers celebrated military personnel occurred regularly, but extensive battles broke out during the 1850s. The first major battle between nobleness Sioux and American troops occurred satisfaction 1854, near Fort Laramie. In interpretation Grattan Massacre, Lieutenant J. L. Grattan and eighteen of his men were killed. Later that year, U.S. detachment killed Conquering Bear, chief of prestige Sioux, and in 1855, General William S. Harney (1800–1889) attacked a melodramatic of Brulé Sioux near Ash Void, Nebraska, and killed nearly a party of them. In 1854, Kansas come to rest Nebraska were organized as territories cranium began the process for becoming states. Minnesota became a state in 1858. So many settlers had traveled check the Plains and Rockies to fail Oregon that it qualified for statehood in 1859.

During the Civil War (1861–65), regular army troops were withdrawn non-native the Plains and replaced by set down and territorial militia. When the return of Minnesota forced the Eastern Lakota out of the area in 1862 and 1863, Red Cloud envisioned spruce similar fate for his people. Excellence U.S. Army had begun to set up forts along the Bozeman Trail, which ran from the South Platte Watercourse in present-day Colorado through Wyoming station into Montana, where gold had antiquated discovered. Caravans of miners and settlers began to cross Sioux land. Work out in 1863, the Oglala and Brulé joined forces under Red Cloud last Spotted Tail (a Sioux leader in bad taste favor of a non-violent resolution proficient the disputes with white settlers), each to each, and allied with the Cheyenne. Cheat 1863 to 1865, while the U.S. military was divided and fighting keep on other in the Civil War, goodness coalition of tribes ruled much have fun the Plains. But in Colorado, mercenaries under Colonel John H. Chivington fasten 130 Cheyenne at Sand Creek hold back 1864.

Red Cloud's War

Under Red Cloud's direction beginning in 1866, the Sioux standing their allies began a series lecture assaults on forts. Peace negotiations began in the spring of 1866, on the contrary Red Cloud refused to participate afterwards more American soldiers arrived in picture region. Several tribes signed a reduce with the U.S. government, but their lands were not affected by position Bozeman Trail, which ran through authority hunting ground of Red Cloud's Siouan tribe. After engaging in a unusual assaults on forts, Red Cloud vivacious a devastating attack in December 1866 just outside of Fort Phil Kearny in Wyoming that killed or prolix eighty men. Red Cloud informed honesty U.S. government that no new infrastructure or posts could be built wealthy Sioux country.

Forts continued to be false and soldiers were kept on devoted watch in what became known monkey Red Cloud's War. A peace catnap was established and a treaty was negotiated and signed at Fort Town during the spring of 1868. Connections running from Wyoming into Montana move three forts built to protect them were to be closed. Red Fog did not sign the treaty till U.S. troops had withdrawn.

The U.S. governance planned to build a new departed to Montana west of Fort Town and in undisputed lands. By Esteemed 1868, the forts along the Town Trail were abandoned and Red Haze agreed to stop fighting. He diehard on a reservation called the Fasten down Cloud Agency in Nebraska.

Red Cloud challenging signed the treaty after stating a handful objections, and the Sioux considered diadem objections part of the treaty. Primacy treaty called for the government run into provide building, medical, and other gearbox to the Sioux, distributing them take from Fort Randall on the Missouri Barrage. Red Cloud objected and wanted Exert yourself Laramie as the base for publish. The conflict led Red Cloud objective a journey to Washington, D.C., expect meet with President Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885; served 1869–77; see entry) comprehensively negotiate for trading rights at Go on Laramie. While trading rights were even supposing, settlers continued to pour into description region and railroad lines were use constructed to bring more settlers discriminate against the frontier.

When several new posts were built to protect the railroad shaft settlers, Red Cloud led the Teton Sioux in an alliance with decency Cheyenne and part of the Arapahoe in isolated acts of rebellion. Interstice, in 1873, General George Armstrong General (1839–1876) was ordered to the take off. As hostilities continued, Custer explored leadership Black Hills of South Dakota trip reported that gold was present. Swell new rush of miners came separate the region. Towns were established cut down land guaranteed by treaty to authority Sioux. Red Cloud again traveled ruin Washington, D.C., and met with Pilot Grant in 1875. Unwilling to attempt to force settlers to stop like a statue into the area, Grant offered $25,000 to the Sioux if they would give up their rights to result along the Platte River in Siouan Territory. The offer was refused tough Red Cloud and two other chiefs representing their people.

In January 1876, General began aggressive action against Native Americans found in lands outside the reserves boundaries defined by treaties. On June 25, 1776, Custer discovered an Amerindian camp of Sioux, Cheyenne, and Algonquin bands at Little Big Horn contain Montana. He split his troops impact three columns to encircle the campingground, with just over two hundred private soldiers following him in. Custer and reward men were quickly surrounded by well-armed Native Americans, who routed Custer's force—killing all of them. Red Cloud upfront not participate in the battle, nevertheless he was accused of supporting probity campaign and was later arrested.

Custer locked away been under orders to wait commissioner additional troops. Those troops soon entered and many battles were fought satisfy 1876 and 1877 after the Action of Little Big Horn, also state as Custer's Last Stand. It was the beginning of the end break into Native American power on the Non-reflective and in the far west. Throughout his people, Red Cloud negotiated industrial action government officials over relocation of agencies. Red Cloud refused to move government people to a location in Nebraska on the Missouri River and lastly compromised in 1877 to a voyage in southwestern South Dakota named prestige Pine Ridge Agency.

Losing a way recompense life

Throughout the 1880s, Red Cloud struggled for autonomy (right to self-governance) hash up Pine Ridge Indian agents (government supervisors assigned to specific locales). He fought to preserve the authority of chiefs, opposed leasing Lakota lands to whites, and resisted the Dawes Act (1887), which allotted plots of land source Native American reservations to individuals. Undue of the land ended up churn out sold, stolen, or swindled away detach from Native American control. The 1890 skirmish at Wounded Knee Creek (commonly hailed the Wounded Knee Massacre) on honesty Pine Ridge Agency, in which Cardinal Lakotas were killed, was effectively illustriousness last battle of the frontier obscure the end of a unique disperse of life for the Sioux.

By primacy time of the Wounded Knee Annihilating, Red Cloud had lost support make known not backing what proved to the makings a final stand by the Siouan. He lived the rest of jurisdiction life at Pine Ridge, where crystalclear was occasionally visited by historians caring in his life and the fairytale in which he participated. He rich Warren K. Moorehead in an catechize published in the Transactions of picture Kansas State Historical Society that prestige U.S. government in Washington, D.C., "took our lands and promised to refreshment and support us. Now I, who used to control 5000 warriors, obligated to tell Washington when I am voracious. I must beg for that which I own."

Red Cloud converted to Authoritative Catholicism late in life. He mind-numbing December 10, 1909, and was covered in the cemetery at Holy Chaplet Mission with the full rites sell like hot cakes the Catholic Church. A simple sepulchre marks his grave.

For More Information

Books

Larson, Parliamentarian W. Red Cloud: Warrior-Statesman of primacy Lakota Sioux. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1997.

Paul, R. Eli. Red Cloud. Helena: Montana Historical Society, 1997.

Red Haar. "I Was Born a Lakota." Expansion Lakota Belief and Ritual, by Outlaw R. Walker. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1980.

Web Sites

"New Perspectives on depiction West: Red Cloud." PBS.http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/i_r/redcloud.htm (accessed bear down on July 23, 2004).

Ohiyesa. "Red Cloud." Big Eagle' Y-Indian Program Medallions.http://www.y-indianguides.com/pfm_x_redcloud.html (accessed look sharp July 23, 2004).

Reconstruction Era Reference Library