Red Cloud fought bravely, but was unsuccessfully to save his people and their land.
He led Native American warfare against the establishment of the Bozeman Trail. His leadership brought many wins in his conflict against the US government and the army. He was marked as one of the most important leaders of the 19th century.
While Red Cloud was young his tribe was always fighting neighboring tribe for land/territories.
While young he was taught how games to help him become a very skilled fighter.
The Bozeman trail was a big part of Red Clouds livelihood. The US army soon knew him as a chief. He forbade the whites to build a road on the Bozeman trail. Although they did it anyways he launched many attacks on their forts. He continued to attack the forts along the trail. He couldn’t stand seeing his land being pushed away. This was the most successful offense ever carried out by a Indian Nation. …show more content…
On December 21, 1866 Red Cloud planned a ambush on a fort.
He tricked the officer of the fort names Fetterman to protect a group of people to collect wood. Red Cloud sent out 10 decoys, one of them being Crazy Horse. (19 years old at the time) When they attacked the wood gatherers they lured the other soldiers in. Fetterman sent out 80 men to attack the 10 decoys. While they were distracting them, Red Cloud sent 2000 warriors to attack the fort. They won the ambush and no trooper survived. The battle upset the failure of the army’s Indian policy and gave them new impetus to calls for giving the Sioux peace, especially Red Cloud. Red cloud refused to accept this until the army abandoned the forts along the Bozeman
trail.
Red Cloud was so successful that the US government agreed to draft the Fort Larmie Treaty of 1868. This treat means that the army will abandon its forts along the Bozeman trail and guaranteed Lakota possession, which is now the western half of South Dakota, including the Black hills and most of Montana and Wyoming. The Army left their forts in August 1868. Red cloud accecpted conquered status for all his people. He agreed to to leave the warpath and relocated his people on a bigger, better reservation north of Nebraska and west of the Missouri river. The Treaty of 1868 was found too difficult to understand by the Indians and the peace, didn’t last.