"The Passing of the Indian Era" Topic

"Long before the United States Army set foot in Texas, disaster stalked the aboriginal peoples who lived beyond the Anglo frontier. European-borne disease, intertribal conflict, and diminishing resources had fatally weakened some of the bands not yet obliterated. Indigenous cultures were being crushed by forces coming from all directions.

The boundaries of modern Texas encompass vastly different ecosystems and—on the eve of Spanish intrusion—each region was home to different cultures. Among the major groupings were the Caddoan cultures of the eastern forests, the Atakapan and Karankawan people of the Gulf coast, the Coahuiltecan-speakers of the southern Rio Grande plain, the Jumano of the middle Rio Grande and central plateaus, and the Apachean people of the High Plains.

Others would appear on the scene. The Tonkawa and Wichita would migrate from the north under pressure. The Comanche and Kiowa would push their way onto the southern Plains a century after the early Spanish explorations. The Cherokee and Kickapoo would come from the southeast as refugees in the early 1800s…."
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Amicalement
Armand

It's all about weapons. The smooth bore musket was about a match for most Indian weapons fighting in dense terrain. It took the White Settlers 200 years to push the Indians from the coast to the interior.

With the advent of the rifled musket advantage shifted to the Settlers and it took less than one generation to seriously compress and conquer most of the Indians.

And with the end of the Civil War and proliferation of repeating rifles like the Winchester and Henry it was all over in about a decade. 1865 to little big horn.

While there were some significant uprisings still to come, the Indian Nations were essentially finished after Custer. And how do you think that battle would have played out if his troops had Winchesters or Henrys??

Its all about the weapons. Cheers!

Agree!

Amicalement
Armand