Red Cloud’s War

Red Cloud's War (1865–1867) was a conflict between the Oglala Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes, led by Chief Red Cloud, and the United States government. The war was sparked by the U.S. government's attempt to build the Bozeman Trail through the tribes' prime hunting grounds in present-day Wyoming and Montana.1

Red Cloud, a natural leader, successfully led his people in resisting the U.S. Army's construction efforts. He refused to negotiate and relentlessly attacked workers along the trail for two years. This sustained resistance forced the United States to abandon the forts and withdraw troops, leading to the signing of the Second Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868. This victory allowed Red Cloud and his people to settle on the Red Cloud Agency in Nebraska, though many of his followers continued to resist further encroachment by white settlers.1