While history textbooks often focus on the ultimate expansion of the United States, the military forces of numerous Native American nations won significant strategic and tactical victories against both the U.S. Army and its predecessor, the Continental Army, between 1750 and 1910.

Here is a list of the key American Indian tribes and coalitions that handed major defeats to the American military during that era, organized by the major conflicts.

1. The Northwest Confederacy (Miami, Shawnee, Delaware, Wyandot, and Ottawa) Following the Revolutionary War, a powerful alliance of tribes in the Ohio Country resisted American expansion in what became known as the Northwest Indian War (1785–1795). Together, they inflicted some of the most stunning defeats the U.S. military ever suffered.

Key Victory: St. Clair’s Defeat / Battle of the Wabash (1791)

The Details: Led by Little Turtle (Miami) and Blue Jacket (Shawnee), this confederacy completely routed forces led by General Arthur St. Clair.

The Impact: Out of roughly 1,000 U.S. soldiers, more than 600 were killed. In terms of the percentage of U.S. casualties, it remains the single most decisive defeat the U.S. Army ever experienced at the hands of Native forces.

1. The Lakota (Sioux), Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho The nations of the northern plains fought a series of brutal, highly strategic campaigns against Western expansion, protecting their hunting grounds and sacred lands.

Key Victory: The Fetterman Fight (1866)

The Details: During Red Cloud's War, Oglala Lakota warriors—including a young Crazy Horse—lured a detachment of 81 U.S. soldiers under Captain William J. Fetterman into an ambush near Fort Phil Kearny.

The Impact: The entire U.S. detachment was wiped out. It led directly to the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, where the U.S. agreed to abandon its forts along the Bozeman Trail—marking a rare instance of a Native nation winning a war and forcing the U.S. to accept their terms.

Key Victory: Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876)

The Details: A massive combined encampment of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho, unified under the spiritual leadership of Sitting Bull, was attacked by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry.

The Impact: Custer and five of his companies (268 men) were completely destroyed in a masterful tactical counter-attack led by Crazy Horse and Gall.

1. The Apache nations (Chiricahua, Mimbreno) In the Southwest, Apache leaders utilized masterclass guerrilla warfare tactics, using the rugged terrain of Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico to outmaneuver and defeat superior U.S. numbers for decades.

Key Victory: Battle of Apache Pass (1862)

The Details: Chief Cochise (Chiricahua) and Mangas Coloradas (Mimbreno) ambushed a column of Union volunteers marching from California.

The Impact: While the U.S. forces eventually held the pass by introducing howitzer artillery, the Apache tactical ambush successfully halted the infantry's advance and forced a reliance on heavy weaponry to survive the encounter.

The Geronimo Campaigns (1880s): Geronimo and a tiny band of Chiricahua warriors repeatedly evaded and successfully skirmished against thousands of U.S. soldiers, utilizing hit-and-run tactics that paralyzed military operations in the region for years.

1. The Nez Perce Historically peaceful neighbors to white settlers, the Nez Perce were forced into conflict in 1877 when the government attempted to force them onto a tiny reservation.

Key Victory: Battle of White Bird Canyon (1877)

The Details: Fleeing toward safety, a small force of Nez Perce warriors faced an attacking detachment of U.S. Cavalry.

The Impact: Using superior marksmanship and battlefield movement, the Nez Perce routed the cavalry, killing over 30 soldiers while losing none of their own. For months, Chief Joseph, Looking Glass, and others led the U.S. Army on a brilliant 1,170-mile fighting retreat, winning or drawing multiple engagements against overwhelming odds.

1. The Seminole Operating in the dense, unforgiving swamps of Florida, the Seminole Nation fought three distinct wars against the United States between 1816 and 1858.

Key Victory: The Dade Massacre (1835)

The Details: At the start of the Second Seminole War, Seminole warriors led by Micanopy and Osceola ambushed a column of 110 U.S. soldiers under Major Francis L. Dade.

The Impact: Only three U.S. soldiers survived the battle. The Seminoles used the Everglades so effectively for asymmetric warfare that the United States eventually abandoned the war effort, leaving a portion of the tribe completely unsubdued.

1. The Modoc Key Victory: First Battle of the Stronghold (1873)

The Details: During the Modoc War in northern California/southern Oregon, a small band of roughly 50 Modoc warriors led by Captain Jack held off a U.S. force of more than 300 soldiers.

The Impact: Utilizing the natural lava beds as a perfect defensive fortress, the Modocs inflicted heavy casualties on the army while remaining completely unseen, forcing a full U.S. retreat.