American Legends

*Includes pictures of Red Cloud and other important people in his life.
*Includes some of Red Cloud's quotes and an explanation of the publication purported to be his autobiography.
*Discusses Red Cloud's relationships with other Indian leaders like Crazy Horse. "Look at me - I am poor and naked, but I am the chief of the nation. We do not want riches, but we want to train our children right. Riches will do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches. We want peace and love." - Red Cloud
A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
Among the Oglala Lakota, one of the most famous bands of the Native American Tribe known as the Sioux, the longest and most effective leader was Makhpiyaluta, better known as Red Cloud. Though he has not been remembered as vividly as another member of the Oglala Lakota, Crazy Horse, Red Cloud led the group for 40 years, in war, in peace, and on a reservation, becoming so esteemed and influential that Americans began to mistakenly take him for the leader of the entire Sioux tribe.
In the 1860s, Red Cloud was at the forefront of skirmishing among whites and Native Americans along the frontier in Wyoming and Montana, which came to be known as Red Cloud's War. After that, however, Red Cloud continued to lead his people to reservations first near the Black Hills and later westward after the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Though he was respected as a war chief, it was his political functions as a spokesman of the Oglala that truly allowed Red Cloud to leave his mark over the last several decades of his life. Whereas Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse suffered premature deaths, Red Cloud outlived the other important leaders of the Sioux until dying in 1909 at 87 years old. Near the end of his life, he reportedly said, "They made us many promises, more than I can remember. But they kept but one -- they promised to take our land...and they took it."
Though Red Cloud was forever embittered by what he and his people had lost, his long leadership and his help in transitioning his people onto reservations has ironically turned him into somewhat of a symbol of conciliation and reconciliation between Native Americans and whites, as opposed to Native American symbols of defiance like Tecumseh, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
American Legends: The Life of Red Cloud chronicles the amazing life of the Sioux leader, from the origins of his name to his legacy among Native Americans and whites alike. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Red Cloud like you never have before, in no time at all.