List of American Indian Wars

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 century to the 20th century 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, as contact between the two groups became more frequent.[1]

16th century wars

Conflict	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Result
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

Conflict	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Result
Navajo Wars (c. 1600–1866)	Crown of Castile (c. 1600–1716)  Spain (1716–1821)  Mexico (1821–48)  United States (1849–66)	Navajo	Long Walk of the Navajo (1863–68) Navajos moved to reservations
Anglo-Powhatan Wars (1610–46)	English colonists	Powhatan Confederacy	Treaty of Middle Plantation
Pequot War (1636–38)	Massachusetts Bay Colony Plymouth Colony Saybrook Colony Connecticut Colony Mohegan Narragansett	Pequot	Pequot defeated Treaty of Hartford
Beaver Wars (1642–98)	Iroquois  England  Dutch Republic	Huron Erie Neutral Odawa Ojibwe Mississaugas Potawatomi Algonquin Shawnee Wenro Mahican Innu Abenaki Miami Illinois Confederation other nations allied with France  France
Kieft's War (1643–45)	New Netherland	Munsee
Peach War (1655)	New Netherland	Munsee
Esopus Wars (1659–63)	Dutch settlers Iroquois Confederacy	Esopus tribe of Lenape Indians
Chowanoc War (1675–77)	Province of Carolina	Chowanoc
King Philip's War (1675–78)	New England Confederation Mohegan Pequot	Wampanoag Nipmuck Podunk Narragansett Nashaway	Colonial victory in southern theatre Native victory in northern theatre
King William's War (1688–97)	France  New France  Wabanaki Confederacy	England Massachusetts Bay Colony English America Iroquois Confederacy

18th century wars

Conflict	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Result
Queen Anne's War (1702–13)	France  New France Spain New Spain Wabanaki Confederacy Caughnawaga Mohawk Choctaw Timucua Apalachee Natchez	England (until 1707)[2] English America  Great Britain (from 1707)[2] British America Muscogee (Creek) Chickasaw Yamasee
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)	Yamasee Ochese Creeks Catawba (until 1715) Cherokee (until 1716) Waxhaw Santee	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)	Great Britain Chickasaw	France Choctaw Illini
Dummer's War (1722–25)	New England Colonies Mohawk	Wabanaki Confederacy Abenaki Pequawket Mi'kmaq Maliseet	Dummer's Treaty
King George's War (1744–48)	France  New France Wabanaki Confederacy	Great Britain British America Iroquois Confederacy
Father Le Loutre's War (1749–55)	France  New France Wabanaki Confederacy	Great Britain British America
Seven Years' War (1754–63)	Great Britain British America  Prussia Portugal (from 1762) Hanover Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Iroquois Confederacy Hesse-Kassel Schaumburg-Lippe	France French Canada Holy Roman Empire Austria  Saxony Bavaria  Russia (until 1762) Spain (from 1762) Sweden (1757–62) Abenaki Confederacy Mughal Empire (from 1757)
French and Indian War (1754–63) Part of the Seven Years' War	Great Britain British America Iroquois Confederacy Catawba Cherokee (until 1758)	France  New France Wabanaki Confederacy Abenaki Mi'kmaw militia Algonquin Lenape Ojibwa Ottawa Shawnee Wyandot
Anglo-Cherokee War (1758–61) Part of the Seven Years' War	Great Britain	Cherokee
Pontiac's War (1763–66)	Great Britain	Ottawa Ojibwe Potawatomi Huron Miami Wea Kickapoo Mascouten Piankeshaw Delaware Shawnee Wyandot Mingo Seneca	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	Shawnee Mingo
American Revolutionary War (1775–83)	United States France Spain Vermont  Netherlands Iroquois Oneida Tuscarora Watauga Association Catawba Lenape Choctaw	Great Britain Loyalists German Auxiliaries Iroquois Mohawk Onondaga Cayuga Seneca Cherokee	Treaty of Paris Britain recognizes the independence of the United States of America End of the First British Empire[3]
Cherokee–American wars (1776–94) Part of the American Revolutionary War	United States	Cherokee
Second Cherokee War (1776) Part of the Cherokee–American wars
Northwest Indian War (1785–95)	United States 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

Conflict	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Result
Battle of Sitka (1804)	Russia	Tlingit Kiks.ádi Clan	The "Sitka Kiks.ádi Survival March" commences
Tecumseh's War (1811–13) Part of the War of 1812	United States	Tecumseh's Confederacy	Peace treaty
War of 1812 (1812–15)	United States Choctaw Nation Cherokee Creek Allies	United Kingdom British North America Tecumseh's Confederacy Spain (1814)	Treaty of Ghent Defeat of Tecumseh's Confederacy U.S. nationalism strengthened[4]
Peoria War (1813) Part of the War of 1812
Creek War (1813–14) Part of the War of 1812	United States Choctaw Nation Lower Creeks Cherokee	Red Stick Creek	Treaty of Fort Jackson
First Seminole War (1817–18)	United States	Seminole Spanish Florida
Texas–Indian wars (1820–75) Part of the Apache Wars	Republic of Texas  United States	Comanche
Arikara War (1823)	United States	Arikara	The Arikara eventually settled with the Mandan and Hidatsa on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota
Winnebago War (1827)	United States	Prairie La Crosse Ho-Chunks with a few allies	Ho-Chunks cede lead mining region to the United States
Black Hawk War (1832)	United States Ho-Chunk Menominee Dakota Potawatomi	Black Hawks British Band Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi allies
Second Seminole War (1835–42)	United States	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	Spain  Mexico  Republic of Texas  United States Choctaw Nation	Comanche
Osage Indian War (1837)		Osage Nation
Cayuse War (1847–55)	United States	Cayuse
Ute Wars (1849–1923)	United States	Ute Paiute Navajo Apache	Utes moved to reservations
Apache Wars (1849–1924) Part of the Texas–Indian wars	United States (1849–1924)  Confederate States (1861–65)	Apache Ute Yavapai Comanche Cheyenne Kiowa Havasupai Hopi Navajos Papagos Hualapai Yuma Mohave	Apaches moved to reservations American Indian Wars conclude with Renegade period
Jicarilla War (1849–55) Part of the Apache, Ute and Texas-Indian Wars	United States	Apache Ute
Yuma War (1850–53)	United States Cupeno (1852–53) Cocopah (1853) Paipai Halyikwamai Mountain Cahuilla (1851)	Yuma Mohave Cocopah (1850–53) Cahuilla Cupeno (1851)
Mariposa War (1850–51)
Walker War (1853) Part of the Ute Wars
Sioux Wars (1854–91)	United States Canada Crow Pawnee Eastern Shoshone	Sioux Lakota Dakota Cheyenne Arapaho Kiowa Comanche
First Sioux War (1854–56) Part of the Sioux Wars
Klickitat War (1855)	United States	Klickitat Cascade
Rogue River Wars (1855–56)	United States	Rogue River people	Indians relocated to Siletz, Grand Ronde, and Coast Reservations
Third Seminole War (1855–58)	United States	Seminole
Yakima War (1855–58)	United States	Yakama	Peace treaty
Puget Sound War (1855–56) Part of the Yakima War	United States	Nisqually Muckleshoot Puyallup Klickitat Haida Tlingit	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)	United States  California	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)	United States  California	"Wintoons" Whilkut "Redwoods" Chilula Hupa "Mountain tribes" Chimariko Lassik Mattole Nongatl Sinkyone Tsnungwe Wailaki
Mohave War (1858–59)	United States Maricopa	Mohave Hualapai
Paiute War (1860)	United States	Paiute Shoshone Bannock
Yavapai Wars (1861–75)	United States	Yavapai Apache Yuma Mohave
Owens Valley Indian War (1862–67)	United States	Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Kawaiisu Tübatulabal
Dakota War of 1862 (1862) Part of the Sioux Wars	United States	Dakota Sioux
Goshute War (1863)
Colorado War (1864–65) Part of the Sioux Wars	United States	Cheyenne Arapaho	Military and congressional hearings against John Chivington
Snake War (1864–68)	United States	Snake Indians
Hualapai War (1865–70) Part of the Yavapai Wars	United States	Hualapai Yavapai Havasupai
Black Hawk's War (1865–72) Part of the Ute, Apache and Navajo Wars	United States	Hualapai Yavapai Havasupai
Powder River War (1865) Part of the Sioux Wars	United States	Sioux Cheyenne Arapaho
Red Cloud's War (1866–68) Part of the Sioux Wars	United States	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	United States	Cheyenne Arapaho Comanche Kiowa	Medicine Lodge Treaty Comanche surrender and relocation
Modoc War (1872–73)	United States	Modoc
Red River War (1874–75)	United States	Cheyenne Arapaho Comanche Kiowa	End of the Texas–Indian wars
Great Sioux War of 1876 (1876–77) Part of the Sioux Wars	United States  Canada	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	United States	Comanche Apache
Nez Perce War (1877)	United States	Nez Perce
Bannock War (1878)	United States	Bannock Shoshone
Cheyenne War (1878–79)	United States	Cheyenne	Northern Cheyenne Reservation created
Sheepeater Indian War (1879)	United States	Shoshone
White River War (1879) Part of the Ute Wars	United States	Ute
Victorio's War (1879–80) Part of the Apache Wars during Renegade period	United States  Mexico	Apache
Geronimo's War (1881–86) Part of the Apache Wars	United States	Apache
Crow War (1887)	United States	Crow
Ghost Dance War (1890–91) Part of the Sioux Wars	United States	Sioux Miniconjou Hunkpapa

20th century wars

Conflict	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Result
Crazy Snake Rebellion (1909)	United States	Creek
New Mexico Navajo War (1913)^[citation needed]
Bluff War (1914–15) Part of the Navajo and Ute Wars	United States	Ute Paiute
Colorado Paiute War (1915)
Posey War (1923) Part of the Ute Wars	United States	Ute Paiute

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

1. Urlacher, Brian R (2021). "Introducing Native American Conflict History (NACH) data". Journal of Peace Research. 58 (5): 1117–1125. doi:10.1177/0022343320987274. ISSN 0022-3433. S2CID 235545224.
2. 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.
3. Canny, p. 92.
4. Wait, Eugene M. (1999). America and the War of 1812. Nova Publishers. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-56072-644-9.