United States Indian Wars, 1780s-1890s

United States   U.S. Military    Indian Wars, 1780s to 1890s 

History
The United States military protected the expanding western frontier from the 1780s to the 1890s. Military personnel surveyed land; enforced government policy; protected settlers; and guarded stage, mail, and telegraph routes. Expanding settlement led to conflicts with the many Indian nations. Military conflicts with Indians are listed in the following:


 * Peters, Joseph P., compiler. Indian Battles and Skirmishes on the American Frontier, 1790–1898 Comprising Record of Engagements with Hostile Indians within the Military Division of the Missouri from 1868 to 1882; Chronological List of Actions, etc. with Indians from January 1, 1866 to January 1891; and a Compilation of Indian Engagements from January 1837 to January 1866. New York, New York: Argonaut Press, 1966. A chronological list which includes dates, places, and units involved; number of killed and wounded; and remarks that may include names of officers.


 * Chronological List of Engagements between the Regular Army of the United States and Various Tribes of Hostiles Which Occurred during the Years 1790 to 1898, Inclusive. 1939. Reprint, New York, New York: AMS Press, 1976. Identifies place; military unit involved; and number of soldiers and American Indians killed, wounded, and captured.

Forts
For information about forts where soldiers were garrisoned, see the following:


 * Historical Information Relating to Military Posts and Other Installations, ca. 1700–1900. National Archives Microfilm Publication M661.


 * Returns from U.S. Military Posts, 1800–1916. National Archives Microfilm Publication M617. This source contains extensive rolls and reports listing soldiers stationed at forts and posts.

Service Records
Service records for the Indian conflicts are available at the National Archives. They consist of abstracts from original muster rolls, pay rolls, and medical records.

Volunteers

Service Records after 1784-1811


 * Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served from 1784 to 1811. National Archives Microfilm Publication M905. These records are indexed in:


 * Index to Compiled Service Records 1784-1811 National Archives Microfilm Publication M694

This microfilm index has been transcribed and the information partially abstracted in the following two books:


 * White, Virgil D. Index to Volunteer Soldiers 1784–1811 Waynesboro, Tennessee: National Historical Publishing, 1987.


 * Clark, Murtie June. American Militia in the Frontier Wars, 1790–1796 Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1990.

Service Records after 1811

Listed below are the only service records for Indian wars after 1811 that have been filmed:


 * Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Florida during the Florida Indian Wars, 1835–1858 National Archives Microfilm Publication M1086. (FHL 63 films)


 * Compiled Service Records of Michigan and Illinois Volunteers Who Served during the Winnebago Indian Disturbances, 1827. National Archives Microfilm Publication M1505.


 * Index to Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during Indian Wars and Disturbances, 1815–58 National Archives Microfilm Publication M629. This index includes the soldier’s name, rank, and unit along with the name of the war or disturbance.

Regular Army Soldiers

In addition to volunteer soldiers, many soldiers involved in the Indian wars enlisted in the regular Army. For information on regular Army soldiers, see:


 * (FamilySearch) NARA M233 (FHL 47 films)


 * Wiki articles describing this collection is found at:


 * United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Officers

When researching Army officers, consult Francis B. Heitman's Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903, available in two volumes  (Worldcat). Volume one (Google Books), a register of army officers, provides a brief history of each man's service. Volume two (Google Books) contains a "chronological list of battles, actions, etc., in which troops of the Regular Army have participated.

Indexes for Specific Wars
Black Hawk War 1831-1832


 * Illinois soldiers of the 1831-1832, Black Hawk War, Illinois State Archives

Cherokee Disturbances and Removal, 1836 to 1839

Individual state indexes are available for:


 * Alabama. National Archives Microfilm Publication M243
 * Georgia. National Archives Microfilm Publication M907
 * North Carolina. National Archives Microfilm Publication M256
 * Tennessee, including field and staff of the Army of the Cherokee Nation. National Archives Microfilm Publication M908

Creek War, 1836 to 1837

For this war, the National Archives and Family History Library have the following:


 * Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during the Creek War in Organizations from the State of Alabama. National Archives Microfilm Publication M244. The records to which the index refers have not been microfilmed.

Second Seminole War, 1836 to 1843


 * Indexes for soldiers who served from Alabama}}, National Archives Microfilm Publication M245
 * Indexes for soldiers who served from Louisiana, National Archives Microfilm Publication M239

Florida

Only the service records for soldiers from the state of Florida have been microfilmed:


 * Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Florida during the Florida Indian Wars, 1835–1858 National Archives Microfilm Publication M1086. (FHL 63 films)


 * Index to Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during Indian Wars and Disturbances, 1815–58 National Archives Microfilm Publication M629. This index includes the soldier’s name, rank, and unit along with the name of the war or disturbance.

War of 1837 to 1838 (Second Florida Campaign)


 * Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during the War of 1837–1838 in Organizations from the State of Louisiana. National Archives Microfilm Publication M241. The records to which the index refers have not been microfilmed.

Pension Records
The pension files in the National Archives relate to service performed between 1817 and 1898. Soldiers killed or disabled during the Indian wars were initially covered by existing pension laws. The first pensions based on Indian war service were granted in 1892, but they were limited to specifically named wars. By 1902 pensions were extended to cover all service between 1817 and 1858. Later acts continued extending coverage for service to 1898. The files are alphabetically arranged by the veteran’s name.

The index to these records is the following:


 * Index to Indian Wars Pension Files, 1892–1926. National Archives Microfilm Publication T318. The index gives name, names of dependents, rank, dates of enlistment and discharge, military unit, application and certificate numbers, date and state of filing, and the pension act it was filed under.

A published version of this same index is listed below:


 * White, Virgil D. Index to Pension Applications for Indian Wars Service between 1817 and 1898 Waynesboro, Tennessee: National Historical Publishing, 1997. Includes name of veteran or widow or both, applicant pension number, date of filing, name of conflict, date of service, and military unit. Some entries have death date and place. This is a revision of the 1987 edition.

Pensioners of the Indian Wars are also included in United States, Veterans Administration. Old Wars Index to Pension Files, 1815–1926]. Washington, District of Columbia: National Archives. Central Plains Region, 1959. For more information, see National Archive Microfilm Publication T316 on page 56.

Additional Resources

 * Military Records: Pre-WWI Pension Applications (16 minute online video) FamilySearch Research Classes Online, 2010.

Websites

 * U-S-history.com - Histories of all Indian Wars, 1622-1890