As the United States expanded westward, the U.S. Army clashed with Native Americans while carrying out a federal policy of Indian removal. American Indian Wars, 1830-1898 offers scrupulous records of brief skirmishes, all-out battles, and efforts to avoid conflict.

American Indian Wars is an essential resource for both Native American history and American social history. It contains the records of the U.S. Army Continental Commands – deemed by the National Archives (NARA) as critical for the research and teaching of 19th-century Native American history. Included are detailed accounts of tribal negotiations, treaty drafts, transcripts of conversations with tribal chiefs, and much more.

When used in conjunction with the digitized primary source materials found in The Territorial Papers of the United States and Native American Tribal Histories, American Indian Wars offers a more complete picture of the lives, struggles, and history of Native Americans in 19th-century America.

First-hand, U.S. Military Perspective on Native American History
Detailed narratives from federal authorities provide background and context for understanding military activity and daily life in Indian territory.

The primary source documents in this collection cover military campaigns against tribes across the U.S. from the Seminole in Florida to the Sioux and Cheyenne across the Great Plains. Students have access to eyewitness accounts of notable episodes in American military history such as Custer’s Last Stand and the surrender of Geronimo. Researchers specializing in 19th-century U.S. history will find new paths to explore the relationship between Native Americans and the U.S. government.

The documents in American Indian Wars cover a range of multidisciplinary subjects:

• History of medicine: Communicable diseases, medical care, vaccines
• Legal history: Courts martial and courts of inquiry, Indian annuities, Indian treaties
• U.S. history: California Gold Rush, U.S. Civil War, Reconstruction, U.S. state histories
• Social, economic, and labor history: Alcohol abuse, enslavement, strikes and lockouts 

Navigate Topics, Narrow or Broad, With Ease
Enhanced indexing, filters, and detailed metadata allow researchers to search efficiently across handwritten primary sources and spend more time studying and learning rather than sifting through large results sets. 

Using navigators, researchers quickly customize search results to focus on specific topics and events, military and Native American leaders, tribal names (and variants), time periods, places, and more. Basic and advanced search options are also available.