Dog Soldiers

Dog Soldiers were a warrior society of the Cheyenne Tribe in the late 1860’s. These Dog Soldiers were very crucial in the Cheyenne resistance to American expansion. These soldiers were known as being very aggressive and effective in combat. The Dog Soldiers would reject any signing of treaties that would limit them to their hunting grounds or restrict them to a reservation. Though they tried and fought their hardest to hold on to their traditional lands, they eventually were forced to retreat south of the Arkansas River to live.

At one point in time, the Cheyenne Tribe did not have a formal government. Their people were disorganized, crime was widespread, and they continually were under attacked by other nations. Sweet Medicine, a Cheyenne cultural hero, wanted to see his people be united and work together to prevent crime and future attacks. Sweet Medicine developed a civil government to help accomplish this. This civil government comprised of several groups of warrior societies to act as police and military forces. One of these groups in particular was known as the Dog Soldiers. The Dog soldiers were well known for their harsh punishments of criminals, and were fierce in battle. The Dog Soldiers would fight off the enemy while their people made a safe getaway.

These soldiers could also be known as “Stake Soldiers”. When in battle, they would drive their stakes into the ground, and the soldier would not move from that spot. They would stand and fight to their death. They would not remove the stake from the ground until they know their people had fled.

On November 27, 1868, many Dog Soldiers were killed by General Cuter and his 7th cavalry men. The Dog soldiers then fled west of Colorado under the guidance of their chief, Tall Bull. Almost all of the soldiers were then killed including Chief Tall Bull by Pawnee mercenaries and American cavalry men.