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Philip Sheridan
Commanding General of the United States Army
U.S. Army General who commanded Indian Wars campaigns, advocated total war against Native peoples, endorsed buffalo extermination as a weapon of genocide, and is attributed with the statement "the only good Indian is a dead Indian"
Overview
Philip Henry Sheridan (1831-1888) was a United States Army general who served as Commanding General of the Army from 1883 until his death. After distinguishing himself as a cavalry commander in the Civil War, Sheridan was placed in command of the Military Division of the Missouri, where he directed the Indian Wars campaigns across the Great Plains and Southwest. Sheridan implemented a strategy of total war against Native Americans that included the systematic destruction of food supplies, villages, and the deliberate encouragement of buffalo extermination as a weapon of subjugation. He understood that destroying the estimated 30-60 million buffalo on the Plains would eliminate the economic foundation of Native life and force subjugation. When the Texas legislature considered a bill to protect the last buffalo herds, Sheridan traveled to Austin to oppose it, telling legislators they should give hunters a medal with "a dead buffalo on one side and a discouraged Indian on the other." He directed the Red River War (1874-1875), which crushed Southern Plains resistance, and oversaw the forced relocations of numerous tribes to reservations. By the time of his death, the buffalo population had been reduced from millions to fewer than 1,000, and Native peoples across the Plains had been confined to reservations.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Directed the U.S. Army Indian Wars campaigns that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Native Americans and the forced relocation of entire nations to reservations
Actively encouraged and endorsed the slaughter of approximately 30-60 million buffalo as a deliberate weapon of genocide against Plains tribes
Traveled to the Texas legislature to oppose a buffalo protection bill, telling lawmakers to give hunters medals for destroying the herds
Attributed with the statement "the only good Indian is a dead Indian," reflecting his documented views on total war against Native peoples
Directed the Red River War (1874-1875) using scorched-earth tactics to destroy Southern Plains tribes food supplies, horse herds, and winter camps
Oversaw the Winter Campaign of 1868-1869, including the Battle of the Washita River where Custer forces killed women and children and destroyed a Cheyenne village
His subordinate James Forsyth commanded the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 using tactics derived from Sheridan doctrine of total war
Related Investigations (2)
Known Associates & Connections
George Armstrong Custer
Cavalry commander who served under Sheridan during the Indian Wars; led the Washita River attack and died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn
William Tecumseh Sherman
Fellow Union general and predecessor as Commanding General of the Army; shared Sheridan views on total war against Native Americans
James Forsyth
Colonel who served under Sheridan and later commanded the 7th Cavalry at the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890
Sources & Documentation
2 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian: The Destruction of the Buffalo(2024)
National Archives: Records of the Military Division of the Missouri, Philip Sheridan Papers(2024)
Personal Information
Education
- •United States Military Academy at West Point (graduated 1853)
Key Timeline
1831-03-06
Born in Albany, New York (birthplace disputed; some sources cite Ireland or Ohio)
1853
Graduates from the United States Military Academy at West Point
1868-11
Orders the Winter Campaign against Southern Plains tribes; Custer attacks Black Kettle Cheyenne village at the Washita River
1869
Appointed commander of the Military Division of the Missouri, overseeing all military operations against Native peoples on the Great Plains
1874-1875
Directs the Red River War using scorched-earth tactics to destroy Southern Plains resistance
1875
Travels to Austin, Texas to oppose buffalo protection legislation, endorsing the extermination campaign
1883
Promoted to Commanding General of the United States Army
1888-08-05
Dies of a heart attack at age 57 in Nonquitt, Massachusetts; by this time the buffalo population has been reduced from millions to under 1,000