Indian War Reenactments

Indian War Reenactments personifying British and French troops, rangers, militia, camp followers (family members, artificers, etc.), Native Americans and sutlers in gatherings to recreate the sights and sounds of the American Indian Wars, or Native American Indian Wars.

They were the multiple armed conflicts between European governments and colonists, and later North AmericaAmerican settlers or the United States government, and the native peoples of North America. These conflicts occurred across the North American continent from the time of earliest colonial settlements until 1924.

The earliest settlements of westward expansion were the forts. They were centers of trade and commerce and brought growth, stability, and trade. The soldiers helped to build roads and later string telegraph lines.

The Indian Wars of the 1870’s-1890’s saw the Army involved in a long series of smaller engagements. These wars often consisted of numerous scattered skirmishes over wide areas, without any substantial battle being fought to determine the war’s end.

Often fighting in small detachments, troops relied heavily on the knowledge and abilities of NCOs.

A soldier’s life would entail wearing wool uniforms and living in crowded, unsanitary barracks. Often the men had only beef, beans, stew, or bacon to eat. They averaged around $13.00 per month in wages.

During the Indian Wars period, enlisted men lived in Spartan barracks, with corporals and privates in one large room. Sergeants were separated from their men, in small cubicles of their own adjacent to the men’s sleeping quarters.

Black soldiers of this period were often referred to as Buffalo Soldiers. The units they served in were the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry.

These troops provided 20 years of continuous frontier service. They campaigned in the Southern Plains, in West Texas, in the Apache lands, and against the Sioux.