The Pawnees did most of the killing at Summit Springs, and they killed without mercy. The Cheyennes expected as much. I do not belittle the Pawnees for their killing of women or children because as far back as any of us could remember the Cheyenne and Sioux slaughtered every male, female, and child they could run across of the Pawnee tribe, said a Dog Soldier survivor. Each tribe hated the other with a deadly passion and savage hearts {that} know only total war. Sherman and Sheridan's notion of total war paled beside that of the Plains Indians.
The Battle of Summit Springs was marked by extreme violence, primarily perpetrated by the Pawnee tribe against the Cheyenne. The actions of the Pawnees were expected given the long history of animosity between the tribes, particularly as the Cheyenne recognized the brutal tactics employed against them. A survivor from the Dog Soldiers noted that these cycles of violence were normal in their world, where there was no mercy shown to the enemy, whether they were men, women, or children.
This deep-seated hatred ignited a relentless cycle of warfare, where each tribe sought revenge for past atrocities. The concept of total war, commonly understood in military terms, took on a far more profound and savage meaning among the Plains Indians, surpassing even the harsh strategies employed by military leaders like Sherman and Sheridan. The violent legacy of this conflict illustrates the desperation and ferocity of tribal relations during that era.
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