America at War
by Lisa South,
Certified Genealogist
““Your great-great grandfather fought in the
Civil War!” “You can be proud of your
Revolutionary War ancestor!” These types of
statements passed down through families, help you
know you should search military records, but the
lack of this type of family tradition should not
stop you for searching! As you evaluate each
new name on your family tree, think about what was
happening historically at that time. Did that
ancestor live in a time and place that might have
propelled him into the military? Knowing
about America at war helps you in this evaluation
process.
Years ago, during one of my college courses, I
received an excellent calendar of the American
Wars and Campaigns. Unfortunately, there was
no name
listed of the compiler, so I can not
give credit where credit is due. It is
however an excellent list to have available as you
evaluate where to go next in your genealogical
research. Honesty requires that I tell you I
added the Gulf War to this list, it happened long
after my college experience!
American Wars and
Campaigns
1689–1697 King William’s War.
French and Indian attacks on the New England
colonies bordering Canada.
1702-1713 Queen Anne’s War. A
dispute between England, France and Spain against
the English forces in North America.
1744-1748 King George’s War.
Fighting broke out between the French and British
colonists as part of a European conflict called
the War of the Austrian Succession.
1754-1763 French and Indian
War. Ended French and British disputes over
North American territory.
1775-1783 Revolutionary War, April
19, 1775 to April 11, 1783.
1782-1787 Pennamite-Yankee
War. Fought between the colonists of
Connecticut and Pennsylvania for possession of the
Wyoming Valley. This period also included
many Indian disturbances.
1790-1794 Warfare with Northwest
Indians, Miamis, Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees,
Pottawattamies, Ottawas and Chippewas.
1791-1794 Whiskey Rebellion,
Pennsylvania. A whiskey tax imposed on the
farmers of western Pennsylvania who made rye
whiskey was the spark that fired the
rebellion.
1798-1800 War with France, July
1798 to September 30, 1800.
1799-1808 Fries Insurrection in
Pennsylvania 1799, Aaron Burr Conspiracy, 1806;
Sabine Expedition, Louisiana, 1806; Navies in
Chesapeake Bay, 1807; Embargo at Lake Champlain,
New York, 1808.
1811-1813 War with Northwest
Indiana, November 1811 to October, 1813.
1812-1815 War of 1812 with Great
Britain, July 18, 1812 to February 17, 1815.
1812-1812 Florida or Seminole War,
August 15, 1812 to October, 1812. Peoria
Indian War in Illinois, September 19 to October
21, 1813.
1819-1827 Yellowstone Expedition,
July 4, 1819 to September 1819; Bleckfeet,
Arickaree Indian Campaign, Upper Missouri River,
1823; Winnebago Expedition, Wisconsin, September
6, 1827.
1813-1814 Creek Indian War in
Alabama, July 27, 1813 to August 9, 1814.
1817-1818 Seminole or Florida War,
November 20, 1817 to October 31, 1818.
1819-1827 Yellowstone Expedition,
July 4, 1819 to September 1819; Blackfeet,
Arickaree Indian Campaign, Upper Missouri River,
1823; Winnebago Expedition, Wisconsin, September
6, 1827.
1831-1832 Sac, Fox Indian clashes,
Illinois; Black Hawk War, April 26, 1831 to
September 21, 1832
1833-1839 Cherokee Removal.
1834-1836 Pawnee Expedition, Indian
Territory, June 9, 1834; Toledo War, Ohio and
Michigan Boundary dispute, 1835-1836.
1836-1837 Creek Indian disturbances
in Alabama. May 5, 1836 to September 30, 1837.
1837-1838 Osage Indian troubles,
Missouri; Heatherly Indian troubles in Missouri
and Iowa; Mormon problems in Missouri.
1837-1838 Second Seminole War.
1846-1847 Doniphan's Expedition
from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Chihuahua,
Mexico.
1846-1848 Mexican War, April 24,
1846 to May 30, 1848; New Mexico Expedition June
30, 1846 to February 13, 1848; Cayuse War, Oregon
volunteers, 1848.
1849-1861 Navajo Troubles, New
Mexico; continuous disturbances with Comanche,
Cheyenne, Lipan and Kickapoo Indians in Texas.
1850-1853 Pitt River Expedition,
April 28, 1850 to September 13, 1850; Utah Indian
disturbance,
1851-1853 Yuma Expedition,
California, December 1851 to April 1852.
1851-1856 Indian Wars in Oregon and
Washington; Snake Indians, Oregon, May 24 1855 to
September 8, 1855; Sioux Indian Expedition,
Nebraska Territory, April 1855 to July 27, 1856;
Cheyenne and Arapaho troubles, 1855-56.
1855-1858 Seminole or Florida War,
December 20, 1855 to May 1858. Kansas border
problems,
1857-1895 Western States Indian
Uprisings, disputes expeditions and campaigns.
1859
John Brown's Raid, Harper's Ferry, Virginia,
November-December, 1859.
1861-1866 Civil War or War between
the States, April 19, 1861 to May 1865.
1898-1899 Spanish American War,
April 21, 1898 to April 11, 1899. (Actual combat
did not cease until August 13, 1899).
1899-1902 Philippine Insurrection,
Philippine Islands, February 4, 1899 to July 4,
1902.
1900-1901 Boxer Rebellion, China,
May 1900 to May 1901.
1914-1918 World War I
1939-1945 World War II
1950-1953 Korean War
1965-1973 Viet Nam Conflict.
1991
Gulf War
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