- Snake War
The Snake War was a war fought by the
United States of America against the NorthernPaiutes inOregon ,Idaho , andCalifornia between1864 and1868 .Introduction
The location of new mines near
Boise in1862 and in the Owyhee Canyonlands in1863 contributed a great deal to American Indian unrest as an influx of white settlers descended on the area. This brought on a war with variousShoshoni bands in southwest Idaho, eastern Oregon, northern California, and northern Nevada. The Shoshoni, called "Snakes" by the white settlers, led the fighting in southern Idaho.Background
No specific incident triggered the conflict, as it was a result of continuous tension that was growing between the Indian tribes and the white settlers over several years. Explorers had passed through the area for many years, but didn't pose a serious threat to creating hostile relations with the Indians because they never really had a negative impact on the land since they were constantly on the move. The tension started to escalate when the settlers searching for gold started to move west, because they would establish the Indian's land for longer periods of time and would consume precious resources like food and water, which were often scarce. There were many isolated occurrences that resulted in violence that contributed to the building tension between the white settlers and the Snake Indians, and eventually to the Snake War in 1864. In October 1851,
Shoshoni Indians killed eight men inFort Hall Idaho, and in August 1854 they killed about twenty one people when they attacked several emigrant trains along theSnake River . Many more of these attacks had taken place in the years building up to the Snake War, and in some cases the white settlers would retaliate by attacking Indian villages. In September 1852, Ben Wright and a group of miners responded to an Indian attack by attacking theModoc village near Black Bluff in Oregon, killing about forty-one Indians.About the war
The Snake War was unlike many other Indians Wars because it was not defined by one large battle. The Snake War was a guerrilla war consisted of many separate smaller skirmishes that spanned across areas California, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho. The Snake War was also unlike many of the other Indian Wars because both the American and the Indian sides lacked the big name leaders. Perhaps the most well known commander in the Snake War for the Americans was
George Crook , who was also in charge of theApache War and played a significant role in the Civil War. Many of the American troops in the beginning of the war were volunteer regiments from the surrounding states, and especially California.Conclusion
The Snake War winded down after peace talks between George Crook and the Snake leader Weahwewa had taken place. The Snake War is widely forgotten in American history, and while there are no definite reasons for this, there are some speculations. One reason that people may have forgotten the Snake War was because the Paiutes and Shoshoni Indians were not taken seriously as warriors. Because of this, the situation never received too much attention, and few reporters covered it. Joe Wasson was one of the first and few reporters that went into the field with the Army during the Snake War. Another reason why it may be forgotten is because most of the American troops were volunteers because many of the U.S. Regulars were sent back east to fight the Civil War. Despite the Snake War being widely forgotten, it was statistically the deadliest of the Indian Wars in terms of casualties. Whites and Indians casualties in terms of killed, wounded, and captured reached about 1,762 by the end of the Snake War. The
Battle of the Little Bighorn produced about 847 casualties.Resources
Michno, Gregory, "The Deadliest Indian War in the West: The Snake Conflict, 1864-1868". Caldwell: Caxton Press, 2007.
Wooster, Robert, "The Military and United States Indian Policy 1865-1903". New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988.
Hook, Jason, and Martin Pegler, "To Live and Die in the West: The American Indian Wars". Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers 2001.
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