It was Sheridan's Fault Not Custer's: LTG Sheridan's Campaign Plans Against the Plains Indians and the Ties to Current Planning

Abstract

Martin van Creveld, a noted theorist, contends that the concept of operational art did not take off in the United States (US) until after the Vietnam War. Conversely, James Schneider, a prominent military theorist, asserts that operational art began in the American Civil War. This monograph provides a holistic analysis of four Plains Indian War Campaigns. Lieutenant General (LTG) Philip Sheridan conducted all four campaigns. This analysis illustrates several enduring principles of both operational art and counterinsurgency (COIN) operations. The purpose of the monograph is to explain the initial failure of LTG Sheridan's 1876 Centennial Campaign against the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians. Additionally, this explanation relates the significance of LTG Sheridan's planning to contemporary COIN campaign planning.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 17, 2012
Accession Number
ADA568941

Entities

People

  • Hubert L. Stephens

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Case Studies
  • Civil War
  • Combat Operations
  • Counterinsurgency
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Insurgency
  • International Relations
  • Literature Surveys
  • Military History
  • National Politics
  • Native Americans
  • Terrorism
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • Urban Areas
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.