Red Cloud was a chief of the Oglala Lakota Sioux who waged the only successful war of the Plains Indians against the United States.

What is the meaning of Red Cloud's name?

Just before Red Cloud was born, his people saw a red streak in the sky - possibly a meteor - and so his father named him Red Cloud to appease the Great Spirit.

How did Red Cloud win Red Cloud's War?

Red Cloud won the Red Cloud War through guerilla tactics striking simultaneously at several points in a day and vanishing away, but his major victory was the Fetterman Fight of 1866.

How did Red Cloud die?

Red Cloud died of natural causes on 10 December 1909 at the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Red Cloud Timeline

Definition

Red Cloud (Makhpiya-luta, l. 1822-1909) was an Oglala Lakota Sioux chief, statesman, and military strategist who became the only Native American leader of the Plains Indians to win a war against the United States. Red Cloud's War (1866-1868) forced the US government to agree to Native demands without stipulation, establishing the Great Sioux Reservation in 1868.

More about: Red Cloud

Timeline

1822 - 1909
Life of Sioux chief Red Cloud.
1850
Red Cloud marries Pretty Owl.
1866 - 1868
Red Cloud's War.
1870 - 1875
Red Cloud travels to Washington, D.C. to negotiate with the US government.
1873
Red Cloud moves his people to reservation.
1874 - 1909
Red Cloud advocates for Sioux rights to the Black Hills and Native American rights.
1909
Red Cloud dies of natural causes at Pine Ridge Reservation.