US army Native Indian brigades

What if after the Indian wars the US government takes a leaf out of Britain's book and recruits Native Indians into their own specific regiments and brigades so as to utilise their skills, similar to the way the UK integrated the Gurkhas, Sikh regiments, African rifles.... many many more into their armed forces to police/defend their homelands and fight further afield?

Imagining the effect of Apache, Comanche, Sioux, Ute, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Navajo etc..... regiments deployed in America's campaigns, Cuba, Mexico, Philippines, Fiji, Korea, China etc..........
Not to mention the 20th century conflicts.

(Better inside the tent...)
 
Were there actually enough members of individual tribes to form regiments or brigades?

That's the problem. They were pretty interchangeable to the US, and most of them had been decimated by warfare and disease so never numbered enough to form larger units. But American Indian units made up of a variety of people from the Tonkawa to the Crow fought in plenty of wars from conflicts against other Indians to the World Wars. Usually they were employed as scouts. Joe Medicine Crow, who died the other year at 102, had a particularly interesting story since by his combat record in WWII against the Germans, he was the last war chief of his people.
 
What if after the Indian wars the US government takes a leaf out of Britain's book and recruits Native Indians into their own specific regiments and brigades so as to utilise their skills, similar to the way the UK integrated the Gurkhas, Sikh regiments, African rifles.... many many more into their armed forces to police/defend their homelands and fight further afield?

Imagining the effect of Apache, Comanche, Sioux, Ute, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Navajo etc..... regiments deployed in America's campaigns, Cuba, Mexico, Philippines, Fiji, Korea, China etc..........
Not to mention the 20th century conflicts.

(Better inside the tent...)

Are you aware or have you researched the effort to integrate Native Americans into the L Troops of 8 cavalry regiments and I Companies of numerous infantry regiments in the early 1890s?

This article goes into considerable detail and may be a useful read as to the attempt and the problems encountered:

Warriors in the Ranks
 
Are you aware or have you researched the effort to integrate Native Americans into the L Troops of 8 cavalry regiments and I Companies of numerous infantry regiments in the early 1890s?

This article goes into considerable detail and may be a useful read as to the attempt and the problems encountered:

Warriors in the Ranks

Thanks for the post RodentRevolution, it was a really interesting read, particularly the part referring to George Stone.

It does mentions that the experiment was to incorporate NI (Native Indian) troops into established units, forming their own companies and you kind of get the impression that it was more or less a lack of political will/interest and resistance from the more conservative military upper echelons that led to its downfall and cancellation.

However I was thinking more along the lines of battalion or brigade level were the troops would benefit from holding onto part their native history and integrating it into the US army in a the similar way that the Sikhs, Gurkha's, Cossack's, Tirailleurs retained their individuality in the European armies of the time.

I did think that a great quote from 'Warriors in the Ranks' was:
" Perhaps the most valuable result of the experiment, he opined, would be the realization by the Indians that "they are not regarded as enemies, but as a part of the people of the United States"
 
Top