Today in military history: Battle of Tippecanoe
On Nov. 7, 1811, Shawnee spiritual leader Tenskwatawa was defeated at the Battle of Tippecanoe. At the time, the U.S. government was aggressively seizing frontier land from Native Americans, who…
This Crow GI became the last Indian War Chief during World War II
Few American veterans will ever officially earn both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the title of Crow War Chief. Joe Medicine Crow might be the only one. His other awards include the Bronze Star and the French Légion d’Honneur. Ho…
Today in military history: Geronimo surrenders
On Sep. 4, 1886, Apache chief and last holdout of the American Indian Wars Geronimo surrendered to the U.S. Army. After the Native legend’s family was killed by Mexican settlers…
This is the biggest victory Native Americans scored against the colonials
The fight against westward expansion of the United States did not go well for the native tribes of the Americas. But it didn’t start out that way. In the early years of the United States, one American Indian uprising would give the tribes of the ne…
The United States worst military defeat came at the hands of native tribes
In the earliest days of the American republic, the United States military was as disorganized as the rest of the American government under the Articles of Confederation. When that document…
How the true story of Thanksgiving ended in a war
In the US, Thanksgiving is a time for family, parades, lots of
This is why George Washington viewed Thanksgiving as a warrior’s holiday
The founding father at the center of our Nation’s creation myth is also responsible for one of our most cherished traditions. When General Washington was Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army,…
America’s first Code Talkers were Choctaw soldiers during WWI
During WWII, American Indian code talkers used their native languages to communicate in secret on the battlefield. At least 15 Native nations including the Navajo, Cherokee and Comanche served as…
How American Indians managed to kill off half of the US Army in a single battle
In 1791, the United States was still a very young country and its army was just as young. Just three years after the U.S. adopted its Constitution, Americans were facing…
This is how the bow evolved throughout the history of warfare
The bow often takes center stage in period pieces any time before the invention of gun powder. From modern portrayals in the Hunger Games series to those in a Roman…