| Scope of Study. For centuries soldiers have attempted to formalize a procedure for meeting their adversaries in battle. This procedure or doctrine normally has been based on battle experience. However, the lessons of the last war have not always provided accurate guidance for battle in the following war. After the Civil War, the army formalized its tactical doctrine according to the environment, resources, and battles of that war. That doctrine was of questionable utility when the environment, resources, and adversary changed. The frontier army faced such a change in milieu. By analyzing the artillery's roles in several campaigns, the validity of the army's tactical doctrine can be determined. The presence of a methodology can also be ascertained. This study also examined the effectiveness of cannons in Indian warfare. Indian campaigns in which artillery units or weapons were absent are not part of this work.;Findings and Conclusions. Artillery units performed a variety of services for the frontier army. Batteries guarded depots, escorted supply trains, patrolled remote areas, and fought in several campaigns as infantry, cavalry, and artillery. These varied assignments were possible because the artillery did not have a specific function in Indian war. Indeed, the army as a whole lacked a fundamental procedure or doctrine for fighting Indians. The tactical doctrine developed from the Civil War experience was inappropriate in the diverse, vast expanses of the West. The artillery should have been part of a Indian-fighting doctrine, had the army decided to adopt one. Cannons, served by trained crews, were extremely potent in several campaigns. The presence of light artillery batteries might have changed the course of several significant battles, such as the Rosebud and the Little Big Horn. The absence of artillery units and weapons can only be ascribed to the belief held by some commanders that cannons were useless against Indians. On those occasions where artillery batteries fought as infantry or cavalry, they performed well. Because of the services rendered by artillery units and weapons in various campaigns against the Indians, that branch of the army deserves to be considered as part of the frontier army. |
