Red Cloud's War: A Failure to Effectively Coordinate the Instruments of National Power

Abstract

The instruments of national power, as defined within the DIME model, are Diplomacy, Information, Military, and Economic. This thesis examines the United States' use of its instruments of national power with regards to Red Cloud's War of 1866-1868. It addresses the period following the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie and analyzes the war years in particular. It aims to understand both how and why the US failed to effectively coordinate its national instruments against an alliance of Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Northern Arapaho bands, leading to an operational defeat for the United States. The first chapter provides an introduction and general overview of the thesis, establishing a broad chronology. The second and third chapters detail the period from 1851 through to the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. The fourth chapter concludes the thesis, with a bibliographical essay forming the fifth and final chapter.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 10, 2016
Accession Number
AD1019908

Entities

People

  • Grant A. Brown

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Birds
  • Civil War
  • Civil War (United States)
  • Congress
  • Continents
  • Governments
  • Military History
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Native Americans
  • Negotiations
  • New York
  • North America
  • Political Systems
  • United States
  • United States Government

Readers

  • Archaeological Resource Survey
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.