Arikara scouts

Arikara scouts
Arikara scouts
	Former Arikara scouts in the U.S. Army: Red Star (left), Boy Chief (center) and Red Bear (right)
Active	1868 – 1881
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Indian scouts
Garrison/HQ	Fort Stevenson Fort McKeen Fort Abraham Lincoln (former Fort McKeen)
Engagements	Lakota attacks near Fort McKeen Yellowstone Expedition of 1873; Battle of Honsinger Bluff; Battle of Pease Bottom; Great Sioux War; Battle of the Little Big Horn;
Commanders
Notable; commanders	George A. Custer, George Crook, Charles A. Varnum, Alfred Terry

Arikara scouts were enlisted men from the Arikara Nation serving in the U.S. Army at different frontier posts in present-day North Dakota from 1868 to 1881. The enlistment period was six months with re-enlistment possible. Each scout received a uniform, firearm and drew rations. Scout duties ranged from carrying mail between commands to tracking down traditional enemies perceived as hostile by the Army in far ranging military campaigns. Detailed to secure the horses in located enemy camps, the scouts were often the first to engage in battle. The Arikara took part when the Army protected survey crews in the Yellowstone area in the early 1870s. They participated in the Great Sioux War of 1876 and developed into Colonel George Armstrong Custer's "… most loyal and permanent scouts …".^[1]^: 132

Nearly 150 Arikara enlisted at different times from 1868 until the end of the Indian Wars in the area. They served "bravely and honorably".^[2]^: 13 The experience of the scouts motivates some present-day Arikara people to carry on the tradition and enter military service.^[2]^: 21

^ Cite error: The named reference McGinnis1990 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b van de Logt, Mark.: Whoever Makes War upon the Rees Will Be Considered Making War upon the 'Great Father': Sanish Military Service on the Northern Great Plains, 1865-1881. Wíčazo Ša Review, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Spring 2017). Pp. 9-28.

[McGinnis1990-1] Cite error: The named reference McGinnis1990 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Logt2017-2] van de Logt, Mark.: Whoever Makes War upon the Rees Will Be Considered Making War upon the 'Great Father': Sanish Military Service on the Northern Great Plains, 1865-1881. Wíčazo Ša Review, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Spring 2017). Pp. 9-28.

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