1857 Battle of Solomon Fork in Kansas, involving the Cheyennes. Coeur d'Alene War or Spokane War in Washington involving the Coeur d'Alenes, Spokanes, Palouses, Yakimas, and Northern Paiutes. British government transfers control of Indian affairs to the Canadian provinces. 1861-65 Civil War. In 1861, the Confederate government organizes a Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Most tribes remain neutral.
The South, however, makes promises to Indians concerning the return of their tribal lands to encourage their support. After the war, as punishment for their support of the Confederacy, the Five Civilized Tribes are compelled to accept a treaty relinquishing the western half of the Indian Territory to 20 tribes from Kansas and Nebraska. 1861-63 Apache uprisings under chiefs Cochise and Mangas Colorado in the Southwest, resulting from the Bascom Affair. 1862 Homestead Act opens up Indian land in Kansas and Nebraska to white homesteaders, who are deeded 160-acre plots after inhabiting them for five years. 1862-63 Santee Sioux stage an uprising in Minnesota under Chief Little Crow.