Campaigns against the Native Americans
He was transferred to the Department of Missouri in 1867. He was to confine Great Plains Native Americans to reservations. His campaign was brutal. It saw excesses of killing and routine breaking of treaties as whites settled on native lands. He attacked the natives in their camps in the winter, expecting — correctly — that this would give him the element of surprise, taking advantage of the scarce forage the natives had for their horses. He once remarked, "If a village is attacked and women and children killed, the responsibility is not with the soldiers but with the people whose crimes necessitated the attack."
There is a widely-told story of Sheridan's campaign against the natives. Some natives reputably told Sheridan, "We're good Indians," to which Sheridan is often quoted as having replied, “The only good Indians I ever saw were dead.” He later denied ever saying it.
His policies showed him worthy of it. His victories were sometimes regarded massacres; he attacked Chief Black Kettle, on reservation soil, a peaceful chief. It had a brutal effectiveness, persuading other bands to quit their traditional ways and moved to the reservations.
Final days
He was commanding general of the United States Army from 1884 to his death in 1888.
His legacy
The M551 Sheridan tank is named after General Sheridan.
External links and references