Nelson A. Miles

Biography

Nelson Miles was arguably the most effective U.S. commander in the Plains Wars — and one of its more conflicted figures. A self-promoting Massachusetts man who never attended West Point, he rose through the Civil War on merit and continued climbing through the Indian Wars through relentless energy and genuine tactical skill. He fought and defeated the Comanche and Kiowa in the Red River War (1874-75), stopped Chief Joseph's Nez Perce just 40 miles from Canada (1877), and eventually accepted Geronimo's surrender in 1886. Miles was different from commanders like Sheridan and Sherman in that he occasionally expressed concern for the Native people his campaigns destroyed. He criticized the treatment of Geronimo and the Apache prisoners of war in Florida, noting their suffering. He negotiated with Chief Joseph personally and promised the Nez Perce could return to Idaho — a promise the government overruled. Yet Miles was no humanitarian; he was an ambitious soldier who understood that success in these campaigns required breaking the material and psychological basis of Native resistance, and he pursued that goal methodically. He went on to command U.S. forces in the Spanish-American War and became Commanding General of the Army. He publicly criticized the Wounded Knee massacre, which put him at odds with the Army establishment.

Key Battles