Indian Wars
Indian Wars is the name generally used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between the colonial or federal government and the native people of North America. The wars, which ranged from the 17th-century to the early 1900s, generally resulted in the opening of Native American lands to further colonization, the conquest of American Indians and their assimilation, or forced relocation to Indian reservations.
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census (1894), "The Indian wars under the government of the United States have been more than 40 in number. They have cost the lives of about 19,000 white men, women and children, including those killed in individual combats, and the lives of about 30,000 Indians."
From the time the Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War, through the end of the Indian Wars there were 426 recipients who received it for actions in one of the Indian Wars, including four American Jews. The first to receive it was Simon Suhler who received it under the name Charles Gardner; the next two were David Goodman and George Geiger. The last Jew to receive the medal for the Indian wars was Jacob Trautman who received it for his actions in the battle now frequently referred to as the Wounded Knee Massacre.
- Note: Notes in quotations are derived or are copied from the official Medal of Honor citation
| Image | Name | Service | Rank | Place of action | Date of action | Notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Geiger, GeorgeGeorge Geiger | Army | E-05 !Sergeant | Battle of the Little Big Horn, Montana | 01876-06-25Jun 25, 1876 | "With 3 comrades during the entire engagement courageously held a position that secured water for the command" | |
| — | Goodman, DavidDavid Goodman | Army | E-01 !Private | Lyry Creek, Arizona | 01869-10-14Oct 14, 1869 | "Bravery in action" | |
| — | Suhler, SimonSimon Suhler | Army | E-01 !Private | Arizona | 01868-08-01Aug 1868 – October 1868 | Enlisted under the name Charles Gardner; "Bravery in scouts and actions against Indians" | |
| — | Trautman, JacobJacob Trautman | Army | E-08 !First Sergeant | Wounded Knee Massacre, South Dakota | 01890-12-29Dec 29, 1890 | "Killed a hostile Indian at close quarters, and, although entitled to retirement from service, remained to the close of the campaign." |
Read more about this topic: List Of Jewish Medal Of Honor Recipients
Famous quotes containing the words indian and/or wars:
“I think that the farmer displaces the Indian even because he redeems the meadow, and so makes himself stronger and in some respects more natural.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“It took nine years, and a great depression, and two wars ending in defeat, and one surrender without war, to break my faith in the benign power of the press. Gradually I came to realize that people will more readily swallow lies than truth, as if the taste of lies was homey, appetizing: a habit.”
—Martha Gellhorn (b. 1908)