The First Sioux War was a vitally important conflict that helped define Lakota Sioux / white relations; created a closer national unity among the Sioux; and allowed the United States Army to develop new military tactics, which would eventually be used to defeat the Plains Indians. This book analyzes this conflict and its influence on future Sioux leaders like Crazy Horse, Spotted Tail, and Sitting Bull.

"Brevet 2nd Lieutenant John Grattan set the stage when, in August 1854, his small command marched into a Brule camp near Fort Laramie to arrest a Lakota man. Grattan's rash decision to fire on the camp cost him, his interpreter, and twenty-nine soldiers their lives. A year later, sent to Nebraska Territory to avenge this loss, General Harney sighted a village on the banks of Blue Water Creek. His force attacked Little Thunder's village, killing dozens of men, women, and children and taking others captive on a battlefield that stretches across a buffalo ranch now owned by television mogul Ted Turner."--BOOK JACKET.

In writings about the Great Sioux War, the perspectives of its Native American participants often are ignored and forgotten. Jerome A. Greene corrects that oversight by presenting a comprehensive overview of America's largest Indian war from the point of view of the Lakotas and Northern Cheyennes.

The Story of the Great Sioux War.

The Great Sioux War pitted almost one-third of the U.S. Army against Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyennes. By the time it ended, this war had played out on twenty-seven different battlefields, resulted in hundreds of casualties, cost millions of dollars, and transformed the landscape and the lives of survivors on both sides. In this compelling sourcebook, Paul Hedren uses extensive documentation to demonstrate that the American army adapted quickly to the challenges of fighting this unconventional war and was more effectively led and better equipped than is customarily believed.

This volume offers accounts of the many battles and skirmishes in the Great Sioux War as they were observed by participating officers, enlisted men, scouts, surgeons, and newspaper correspondents. The selections-some rendered immediately after the encounters and some set down in reminiscences years later - are important and little-known sources of information about the war. By their personal nature, they give a compelling sense of immediacy to the actions. The editor's introduction and commentary on each of the accounts help readers understand the interrelationship of events and appreciate the entire spectrum of the conflict.

Keyed to official highway maps, this richly illustrated guide leads the traveler to virtually every principal landmark associated with the war.