Books

Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West

Average customer rating:

Manifest destiny realized. . .
Great Book
Taste for History
More than a Western
Thrilling history

Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West
Hampton Sides
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385507771
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Book Description

Praise for Blood and Thunder

“Kit Carson’s role in the conquest of the Navajo during and after the Civil War remains one of the most dramatic and significant episodes in the history of the American West. Hampton Sides portrays Carson in the larger context of the conquest of the entire West, including his frequent and often lethal encounters with hostile Native Americans. Unusually, Sides gives full voice to Indian leaders themselves about their trials and tribulations in their dealings with the whites. Here is a national hero on the level of Daniel Boone, presented with all of his flaws and virtues, in the context of American people’s belief that it was their Manifest Destiny to occupy the entire West.”

—Howard Lamar, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History, Yale University and editor of The New Encyclopedia of the American West

“The story of the American West has seldom been told with such intimacy and immediacy. Legendary figures like Kit Carson leap to life and history moves at a pulse-pounding pace—sweeping the reader along with it. Hampton Sides is a terrific storyteller.”

—Candice Millard, author of The River of Doubt

“Hampton Sides doesn't just write a book, he transports the reader to another time and place. With his keen sense of drama and his crackling writing style, this master storyteller has bequeathed us a majestic history of the Old West.”

—James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys

“Blood and Thunder is a big-hearted book whose subject is as expansive as they come. Hampton Sides tackles it with naked pleasure and narrative cunning: In his telling, the vast saga of America’s westward push has a logical center. The dusty town of Santa Fe becomes the nexus around which swirl the fortunes and strategies of a mixed set of serious overachievers, from Kit Carson, the original mountain man, to James K. Polk, the enigmatic president whose achievements, in the dreaded name of Manifest Destiny, were almost biblical in scope. Sides is alive to the exuberance and alert to the tragedy of the taking of the West.”

—Russell Shorto, author of Island at the Center of the World

“For a huge percentage of us immigrant Americans (those whose ancestors arrived after 1492), Hampton Sides fills a gaping hole in our knowledge of American history—a vivid account of how ‘The New Men’ swept away the thriving civilizations of the Native Americans in their conquest of the West.”

—Tony Hillerman

"BLOOD AND THUNDER is a balanced, thoughtful summary of the American conquistadors in the 19th century Southwest. Hampton Sides has re-created violent events and such inflammatory figures as Kit Carson without bias. Carefully researched, thoroughly enjoyable."

-Evan S. Connell, author of SON OF THE MORNING STAR, CUSTER AND THE LITTLE BIGHORN

A Magnificent History of How the West Was Really Won—a Sweeping Tale of Shame and Glory

In the fall of 1846 the venerable Navajo warrior Narbona, greatest of his people’s chieftains, looked down upon the small town of Santa Fe, the stronghold of the Mexican settlers he had been fighting his whole long life. He had come to see if the rumors were true—if an army of blue-suited soldiers had swept in from the East and utterly defeated his ancestral enemies. As Narbona gazed down on the battlements and cannons of a mighty fort the invaders had built, he realized his foes had been vanquished—but what did the arrival of these “New Men” portend for the Navajo?

Narbona could not have known that “The Army of the West,” in the midst of the longest march in American military history, was merely the vanguard of an inexorable tide fueled by a self-righteous ideology now known as “Manifest Destiny.” For twenty years the Navajo, elusive lords of a huge swath of mountainous desert and pasturelands, would ferociously resist the flood of soldiers and settlers who wished to change their ancient way of life or destroy them.

Hampton Sides’s extraordinary book brings the history of the American conquest of the West to ringing life. It is a tale with many heroes and villains, but as is found in the best history, the same person might be both. At the center of it all stands the remarkable figure of Kit Carson—the legendary trapper, scout, and soldier who embodies all the contradictions and ambiguities of the American experience in the West. Brave and clever, beloved by his contemporaries, Carson was an illiterate mountain man who twice married Indian women and understood and respected the tribes better than any other American alive. Yet he was also a cold-blooded killer who willingly followed orders tantamount to massacre. Carson’s almost unimaginable exploits made him a household name when they were written up in pulp novels known as “blood-and-thunders,” but now that name is a bitter curse for contemporary Navajo, who cannot forget his role in the travails of their ancestors.

Customer Reviews:

Manifest destiny realized. . ........2007-06-13

I purchased this book along with Across the High Lonesome (a book I highly recommend BTW!) as part of an Amazon promotion. I wanted "Lonesome" but the title and cover of Blood and Thunder looked too good to pass up! I thought it was fiction and until the book arrived did realize it was non fiction history. Southwestern history as if written by Larry McMurtry! The epic story of the settling of the southwest. The war with Mexico to the forced removal of the Navajo from their lands, the author gives an accounting of the consequences of manifest destiny, he does not play favorites. The white's are shown to have little honor, and while the Indians were lied and cheated they also could be brutal. Central to the story is the Kit Carson, a man of contradictions: extremely intelligent but illiterate; he could speak the native languages, understood the Indian, and even had Indian wives but he also helped in the slaughter and removal from their lands of these same Indians. The book also includes portraits of many of the figures of this period: Stephen Watts Kearny, John Fremont, the Navajo warrior Narbona, and Senator Thomas Benton. Must read for all Americans!

Great Book.......2007-06-09

great book I throughly enjoyed it. It gave me a new perspective of the historical events of the American West.

Taste for History.......2007-06-03

A writer once observed, "Fiction should read like history and history should read like fiction."
Hampton Sides accomplishes this in "Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West." He weaves the opening of the American west with all the intrigues and passions of the myriad personalities who traveled west in the train of Kit Carson and other mountain men. It reads like a novel but this epic is fact with little author interpretation. The great value of this addition to our conquest story is the skill of the author to resurrect the individuals for modern reading who for some years have been fed revisionist history, both in the classroom and literature.
His extensive bibliography allows the reader to follow in his footsteps if there are questions or conflicting theories as to an event.
Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Taxes, Stumbling Blocks & Taxes for Authors 2007."

More than a Western.......2007-06-02

This is not only a history of the Southwest and a biography of Kit Carson. It is a story of the Navajo culture; a culture that Europeans did not and probably could not understand. It describes the beauty of badlands and of both the whites that claimed it and the indians that were destroyed in it. It's last few pages describe a pilgrimage in which the Navajos return at least to part of their homeland. I have read little that touched me as did these few pages. Mr. Sides does not apologize, does not whine, he just writes non-fiction with incredible clarity and sympathy.

Thrilling history.......2007-06-01

Mr Sides has created a history of the West around memorable characters. His development of the famous Indians [Native Americans] and their enemies and friends is most informative.
This is a must read for anyone interested in how the West part of America was settled and developed, the trials and tribulations of the settlers and Natives.
Sides spent years and significant travels throughout the West to get his material, some of which was developed from first hand naration with participants.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

Average customer rating:

A great book
bury my heart at wounded knee
This should be required reading in our schools...
Tread lightly
The best so far

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Dee Brown
Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0805066691

Amazon.com

First published in 1970, this extraordinary book changed the way Americans think about the original inhabitants of their country. Beginning with the Long Walk of the Navajos in 1860 and ending 30 years later with the massacre of Sioux men, women, and children at Wounded Knee in South Dakota, it tells how the American Indians lost their land and lives to a dynamically expanding white society. During these three decades, America's population doubled from 31 million to 62 million. Again and again, promises made to the Indians fell victim to the ruthlessness and greed of settlers pushing westward to make new lives. The Indians were herded off their ancestral lands into ever-shrinking reservations, and were starved and killed if they resisted. It is a truism that "history is written by the victors"; for the first time, this book described the opening of the West from the Indians' viewpoint. Accustomed to stereotypes of Indians as red savages, white Americans were shocked to read the reasoned eloquence of Indian leaders and learn of the bravery with which they and their peoples endured suffering. With meticulous research and in measured language overlaying brutal narrative, Dee Brown focused attention on a national disgrace. Still controversial but with many of its premises now accepted, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee has sold 5 million copies around the world. Thirty years after it first broke onto the national conscience, it has lost none of its importance or emotional impact. --John Stevenson

Book Description

Now a special 30th-anniversary edition in both hardcover and paperback, the classic bestselling history The New York Times called "Original, remarkable, and finally heartbreaking....Impossible to put down"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is Dee Brown's eloquent, fully documented account of the systematic destruction of the American Indian during the second half of the nineteenth century. A national bestseller in hardcover for more than a year after its initial publication, it has sold almost four million copies and has been translated into seventeen languages. For this elegant thirtieth-anniversary edition -- published in both hardcover and paperback -- Brown has contributed an incisive new preface.Using council records, autobiographies, and firsthand descriptions, Brown allows the great chiefs and warriors of the Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes to tell us in their own words of the battles, massacres, and broken treaties that finally left them demoralized and defeated. A unique and disturbing narrative told with force and clarity, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee changed forever our vision of how the West was really won.

Customer Reviews:

A great book.......2007-07-01

Bury my heart at wounded knee is a oustanding account of native american history. Very informative and captivating, piquing my interest in native american's. The words tell of a people heroic,caring,hospitable, and understanding almost pushed to the point of annihilation at the hands of conquistadors,whites and others. Sadness,anger,hate, and sympathy are just some of the feelings brought out by reading this book. If you want an unflinching account of native american history this a great place to start.

bury my heart at wounded knee.......2007-06-27

I was told to read this book as i like to read about american history. this is one of the best book i have read. dee brown really did a lot of backgroud work on it .

This should be required reading in our schools..........2007-05-29

No words I write here could do justice to this book. If you want a true account of what happened in the 19th century Indian wars (which was actually attempted genocide) that has not been tainted by "political correctness"... that is not a white-washed retelling... then you've found it. It should be required reading in our public schools nationwide.

The Indian wars were the result of the military being used by the narrow-minded, self-righteous and greedy as a means for advancing a political agenda. This was a shameful time and the spoils of these wars were won by deception, starvation, and theft, not military might or honorable negotiation. Many of the reservations were on lands that could not grow food, in areas where the buffalo and other animals had largely been scared away or hunted to near extinction by Anglo hunters. They were forced to abandon their traditions and native culture in order to be "assimilated" by Anglo society, or become extinct themselves.

If you're looking for the "good vs evil" stereotype... such as that seen in countless Hollywood movies over the years... or the white-washed version of history as taught in most schools, then this book is not for you.

Tread lightly.......2007-05-28

What is depressing about this book is that thirty seven years after its publication most Americans are still so ill informed about the 19th century history of the West that they continue to give it rave reviews. Mr. Brown was a gifted story teller but he was no historian (he was actually the librarian at the College of Agriculture at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana) and his account of the deeply moving and troubled tale of the clash of civilizations that was played out in the West (and it was truly a clash of civilizations: Irish-American vs. Anglo-American vs. Hispanic-American vs. Mormon-American vs. Union-American vs. ex-Confederate-American vs. New England American vs. Midwestern American vs. Brule Sioux vs. Northern Cheyenne vs. Southern Cheyenne vs. Blackfoot vs. Hopi vs. Navajo - and the list goes on) is, in my opinion, only slightly better than a caricature.

One point can show this nicely. Yes, annuities (in a variety of forms) were promised by treaty to Indians on reservations or residing near the various agencies. And yes, frequently these annuities failed to arrive or arrived only in part. But that is only part of a much bigger picture. At least in the area of governmental support, the Indians weren't being treated much differently than American soldiers. In the years following the Civil War, Congress was loath to spend money on just about anything and frequently a good proportion of soldiers were AWOL working second and third jobs because Congress hadn't paid them. The treatment of the Sioux and the Blackfoot and the Navajo (etc) by Congress is part of the larger story of Reconstruction and Immigration and needs to be read in that light. It is very poorly served by the kind of bad White duplicity vs. good Indian honesty out of which Brown weaves his story. It isn't that Mr. Brown's story is inaccurate, it's just very incomplete, and because of its incompleteness it presents a deeply distorted picture of this very important part of the American epic. Read Brown if you want, but also read John Monnet, Vernon Maddux, Colin Calloway, and especially
Robert Utley (personally I also greatly enjoy Mari Sandoz, but her work, although brilliant literature--I think it's the greatest writing the West has yet to produce--isn't universally admired by historians). At least that's my two cents worth.

The best so far.......2007-05-27

I can't remember how many times i 've been reading this book ,maybe 5 or 6 times.And i started it again a week ago.This book is so special because it's authenticity , simple ,true ,easy to read.
Man ,the words are flying away ,the writting stay for ever. What has been done to these peacefull people ? AN HOLLOCAUST !!! The colour of my skin is white and i am ashamed !!! I wish i was red , i would have been there at wounded knee.
This book is not a political book . The author don't tell you what to think or who to accuse or who to defend, it just shows historical events
seen by the whites and seen by the natives.
Part of the strengh of America is based on the stealing of the land, on the killing of naive people...nothing to be proud of it .
Anyway this book is about a sad part of history.... by reaching the end at the last page i was a kind of happy to know and to understand that the red road goes on forever....it's all in a circle.MITAKUYE OYASSIN

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West

Average customer rating:

excellent
a compelling narrative of a courageous American's contribution
A little up-and-down in its narrative
There is no better overview
"men to match my mountains..."

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West
Stephen Ambrose
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684826976

Amazon.com

A biography of Meriwether Lewis that relies heavily on the journals of both Lewis and Clark, this book is also backed up by the author's personal travels along Lewis and Clark's route to the Pacific. Ambrose is not content to simply chronicle the events of the "Corps of Discovery" as the explorers called their ventures. He often pauses to assess the military leadership of Lewis and Clark, how they negotiated with various native peoples and what they reported to Jefferson. Though the expedition failed to find Jefferson's hoped for water route to the Pacific, it fired interest among fur traders and other Americans, changing the face of the West forever.

Book Description

In this sweeping adventure story, Stephen E. Ambrose, the bestselling author od D-Day, presents the definitive account of one of the most momentous journeys in American history. Ambrose follows the Lewis and Clark Expedition from Thomas Jefferson's hope of finding a waterway to the Pacific, through the heart-stopping moments of the actual trip, to Lewis's lonely demise on the Natchez Trace. Along the way, Ambrose shows us the American West as Lewis saw it -- wild, awsome, and pristinely beautiful. Undaunted Courage is a stunningly told action tale that will delight readers for generations.

Customer Reviews:

excellent.......2007-06-24

This book is primarily about Meriwether Lewis and his role in the
expedition across the continent. Stephen Ambrose is phenomenally gifted in bringing history to life.
He sticks very close to the sources and only occasionally takes detours to make conjectures
about things about which the historical record is silent. Despite this the
book is a real page-turner. While Ambrose does an excellent job in describing the ups and downs
of the expedition, I do think that it is a very worthwhile reading the original journals.
I have only read excerpts, however, I believe they surpass even this book. Also, the recent PBS documentary
shows many of the locations described in this book. It is well narrated definitely worth seeing.

a compelling narrative of a courageous American's contribution.......2007-06-21

Many know the overall story of Lewis and Clark. Yes, those two strapping chaps who traversed across our country with that teenage Indian girl before anyone else did. Indeed, before reading Stephen Ambrose's near 600-page book "Undaunted Courage" I doubted how much truly "interesting" detail could exist in their journey. After seeing a few History Channel specials, I was convinced I knew the gist of their journey more than most, and felt that was probably sufficient. What else was there to really consider? As it is with most detailed historical nonfiction I read, I was surprised instantly. Not only did this book provide an intense examination of exploration in early 19th century America, but it is, in general, the most intriguing, intense, suspenseful, joyous, depressing, and inspiring book I've read in a long time. How Ambrose is able to exude such a variety of emotions in his writing I hope to one day discover. How Lewis was able lead people and conquer unknowns so successfully while fading so tragically I doubt I will ever be able to comprehend.

The book's title comes from a characteristic given to Meriwether Lewis both during childhood by a schoolmate, and, after his death, by Thomas Jefferson. It may seem strange that two friends of Lewis so separated from each other at such separate times in Lewis' life would choose the words "undaunted courage" to describe him, but if one is to simply observe the broadest aspects of Lewis' personality, such a description would only be expected. Indeed, the book is more of a biography of Lewis' life and his "undaunted courage" than a historical account of the journey itself. Certainly Ambrose dives into great detail of the journey, but it is always done through Lewis' eyes. The book begins with Lewis' childhood and ends with his death, giving the legendary expedition only about 3/5 of the book's content. This is not a downside by any means.

Ambrose's detailed description of Lewis' childhood, family, education, connection to Jefferson, and military history is not only valuable in understanding Lewis' complex personality, but is beneficial in understanding how Lewis was able to manage the expedition so well. From the very beginning there is a sense, as Ambrose hints at, that Lewis' upbringing prepared him for the unknown journey ahead better than anyone could've planned. The implicit vocational thoughts that come to mind are intriguing to say the least. Ambrose's pre-expedition account doesn't stop with Lewis biographical detail and, alongside his outline of Lewis' evolution from boy to man, he examines the economic and political aspects building up to the expedition from America's infancy to its firmer nationalism. This sort of context is not only helpful, but is essential for understanding the fair-weather friendship between the American people and the expedition before, during, and after the expedition. Details given, like Lewis' firm Democratic-Republican politics, may not appear a necessary issue in understanding the men as they pursue the landscape on the expedition, but in the pre- and post-expedition situations there is high relevance to Lewis' political relations with Jefferson as well as the influential Federalist voices at the time.

After outlining the events leading up to the expedition, Ambrose dives into the detailed planning Lewis put into the journey, his uniting with Clark on the Missouri River, and their party's expedition to and from the Pacific. Ambrose's narrative abilities had, up to this point, done well enough with the biographical and political context, but now, along with the heavy use of Lewis' highly narrative journals, they completely satisfied my reading wants. With the amount of Lewis' journals used in the narrative of the journey, one could even see the book as being written by both Ambrose and Lewis. Given that Lewis may be an even better narrative writer than Ambrose, the book is enhanced to the highest level of narrative historical nonfiction one could ask for. Accounts are always detail-abundant, and mostly firsthand in their variety of descriptions: relations with Indians both peaceful and bloody; songs sung and issues chatted around the bonfire; unique imagery of the plains, Rockies, and Pacific costal forests; hunting expeditions chasing and being chased by grizzlies; feasting on elk and buffalo; starving and scraping by on horse meat and roots; arguments turned to whipping and tribunals. Nearly every aspect one could want in an adventure is given with enough narrative vigor to turn its historical detail to an inspirational asset. Ambrose covers all sides of every account he is able to attain and after it all I felt as though I knew not only Lewis, but Clark and the rest of the party's members. I knew who was a good hunter and who wasn't. Who complained and who was helpful. Who Lewis liked and who he didn't care for. These are the types of details that make you feel a part of something (and to feel a part of the Core of Discovery is no boring trip).

After experiencing both the emotional peaks of success and the devastating disasters, I felt as though I didn't want the trip to simply return and have the book end. Perhaps Ambrose understands his ability to foster intrigue, because most of the detail he delves into post-expedition would probably feel unnecessary and boring without the companionship and connection to Lewis that is developed in the book. While the last leg of Lewis' life as a politician and national hero is probably the most emotional and depressing of the book, this section would not seem so intense and personal without understanding Lewis' somewhat supernatural vitality and leadership skills exhibited up until his return. Therefore, Ambrose wraps the book up in a successful manner I would think impossible, given the complexity of Lewis as a person. I felt as though every aspect one could inquire of Lewis was covered with such comprehensiveness and wrapped up with such clarity that even the most emotionally disappointing instances were covered in full by the artistic and historical impression Ambrose impressed. The reality of it all felt more inspiring than anything.

The book is quite long and took me a considerable amount of time to "plow through", but it never felt tiresome given Ambrose's ability to convey a wealth of information in a way that is concise with its detail and both paced and climactic. I recommend this book for any American whether or not you are interested in history. It reads better than any modern fictional novel would, but it is valuable in the way it describes the type of courage and determination that this country was built on and the fact that that brand of courage was not just some author's fabrication. It is by the daring and courageous efforts of men like Lewis and Clark that we are allowed to enjoy a country not only free from countries like Britain, Spain, and France, but one that ranges from coast to coast and from sea to shining sea.

A little up-and-down in its narrative.......2007-06-05

I have two favorite historians: David McCullough and Stephen Ambrose. When trying to describe their differences to my husband, I told him that David Ambrose is a tweed jacket with patches, a snifter of brandy and a roaring fireplace. Ambrose is a shot of whisky, jeans and flannel and an audience around a campfire. I appreciate Ambrose's style, for the most part, and knowing that he actually retraced most of the voyage in doing his research leaves me in awe of him. But the nature of this narrative is rather up-and-down, particularly working up to the party setting off from St. Louis. I recognize that the pre-journey preparations were important to telling the tale, but I got the idea that he was rather bored with it, and as a result the details weren't too compelling. I had to keep setting the book aside and coming back to it. But once he got to the story of the exploration itself, the momentum picks up, and so does his writing style. I appreciated his use of the actually writings of the Captains, but there were a few places where their entries were used too frequently in place of him conveying their story in a possibly more riveting style. But over all it was a well-written book, and I would recommend it to anyone that I already knew was interested in the Lewis and Clark expedition.

There is no better overview.......2007-06-03

These guys are my heroes. My interest started 11 years ago taking my son along the Columbia River following part of the trail. It has been non-stop from there. I have become an avid first edition collector of L&C and Mr. Ambrose's synopsis can only be topped by the generosity he showed the L&C Foundation. Once you finish reading Undaunted Courage many will undoubtedly want more. Dr. Moulton's synopsis makes a nice follow-up or delve into Dr. Moulton's rewrite of the full journals or if you have the $ find yourself a 1st edition of Thwaites. Earlier first editions, particularly the 1814 Biddle and 1807 Gass, while more valuable are very limited.

This story can only told better by Lewis and Clark. Those who want to see two sites that are as the were should visit Camp Disappointment and The Fight Sight by Cutbank, MT. Camp Disappointment still has as many mosquitoes as complained about by Mr. Lewis.

Fascinating reading and should be a first read by anyone looking to indulge themselves on a journey that hopefully will yield as much pleasure as it has to me.

Mr. Ambrose lives on with this fine piece of early Americana and I am ever indebted to him for enhancing the publics awareness of 29 of American's greatest heroes.

"men to match my mountains...".......2007-04-11

"Bring me men to match my mountains, bring me men to match my plains.... "(American poet Sam Foss, 1894)

This is the greatest story of early America I've read.

I received it as a gift right after 9/11 when I had a stack of books about the Middle East I'd acquired and looked forward to reading. I wasn't in the mood for what appeared to be to be a hagiography of Lewis and Jefferson.

What a surprise when I found this to be the most readable, gripping, informative and inspiring book about American history I've read in my entire life. Far from being a hagiographer Stephen Ambrose describes his characters with all their flaws. His narrative of the heroism and genius of these real people will forever remain one of the greatest adventure stories of all time. The book has copious images of maps, paintings and photographs which help bring the story to life.

I could not put this book out of my mind until I'd completed it. Its fundamental theme is the effort and cooperation of two extraordinary men, Thomas Jefferson and Meriwether Lewis; to map and explore the breadth of the U.S. continent, including researching the native Indian population and the flora and fauna. This was all unknown territory. Lewis was the point man, and Jefferson oversaw the excursion from headquarters in Washington. Fortunate for us, a third exceptionally talented man, Stephen Ambrose, has brought this awesome adventure to life for our enjoyment and enlightenment.

Meriwether Lewis died by suicide at age 35. Perhaps, having lived on the edge of peril and experiencing the heady feeling of challenging the unknown for so long he simply couldn't adapt to settled society. (I was reminded of the lives and deaths of two other American adventurer/writers, Jack London and Ernest Hemingway.) Whatever the cause of this sad conclusion, the triumph of his brief life outshines the tragedy of his death.

Following is an extract from Jefferson's journal of 1813, paying tribute to Lewis: "Of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness and perseverance of purpose...of sound understanding and a fidelity to truth so scrupulous that whatever he should report would be as certain as if seen by ourselves, with all these qualifications as if selected and implanted by nature in one body for this express purpose, I could have no hesitation in confiding the enterprise to him."

Average customer rating:

Wyatt Earp: Life of a Frontier Lawman
Great book
Best book on Wyatt Earp I've read in a long time!
Eh
Wyatt Earp The Life Behind The Legend

Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend
Casey Tefertiller
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471283622

Book Description

"Quite impressive. I doubt if there has been or will be a more deeply researched and convincing account." âEvan Connell, author Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn

"The book to end all Earp booksâthe most complete, and most meticulously researched." âJack Burrows, author John Ringo: The Gunfighter Who Never Was

"The most thoughtful, well-researched, and comprehensive account that has been written about the development and career of an Old-West lawman." âThe Tombstone Tumbleweed

"A great adventure story, and solid history." âKirkus Reviews

"A major contribution to the history of the American West. It provides the first complete and accurate look at Wyatt Earp's colorful career, and places into context the important role that he and his brothers played in crime and politics in the Arizona territory. This important book rises above the realm of Western biography and shows the development of the Earp story in history and myth, and its effect on American culture." âJohn Boessenecker, author Gold Dust and Gunsmoke

"The ultimate Wyatt Earp book." âProfessor Richard Brown University of Oregon

Customer Reviews:

Wyatt Earp: Life of a Frontier Lawman.......2007-06-20

Casey Tefertiller's Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend begins with Cowtown Justice and the young lawman's early efforts to apply the law in the Kansas communities of Wichita and Dodge City. Wyatt Earp gained wide community approval with his quite way of dealing with explosive situations.

Tefertiller chronicles the Dodge City era of the 1870's and Wyatt Earp's role as lawman. Toward the end of the 1879 cattle season Wyatt joined his brothers and made the move the silver mining camp at Tombstone, Arizona.

There is no doubt that silver was the big lure to the mining camp, but Wyatt also considered the idea of operating a stagecoach line and a possible freight line. He looked into both of those propositions and when they didn't work out he fell back on his earlier experience as a lawman and took an appointment as Deputy US Marshal.

Wyatt Earp was on the Tombstone streets during 1880 and 1881 and had first hand knowledge of the good and the bad. He witnessed corrupt politicians and their muscle called the cowboys bully and intimidate the citizens of Tombstone. A confrontation was set in motion during the summer of 1881 when Wyatt Earp and Johnny Behan squared off as political opponents to run for Cochise County Sheriff. And adding to their adversarial positions was the fact that both men were seeking the hand of a pretty young lady named Josephine Marcus. Tombstone residents continued to be plagued with the bullying tactics of the cowboys and all that came to a head on the evening of October 25, 1881 when the cowboy's most vocal personality made the rounds of saloons drinking and railing against the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday. There were minor skirmishes that evening and the next morning but the big show came the following afternoon when the cowboy's ignored a city ordinance and refused to surrender their firearms. Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, Frank Mclaury, Tom Mclaury and Billy Claiborne defiantly waited at the vacant lot on Fremont Street near Third for the arrival of Chief of Police Virgil Earp and his deputies Wyatt Earp, Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday. When the shooting was over it was obvious that the cowboys had lost the fight. Tom and Frank Mclaury were dead, and Billy Clanton was dying of multiple gunshot wounds. Virgil Earp had a bad leg wound; Morgan Earp was wounded in the back, Doc Holliday got a severe bruise when a bullet glanced off his gun belt and Wyatt Earp did not have a scratch. The shootout didn't end the conflict, because just day's later Ike Clanton filed murder charges against the Earps and Holliday. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were hauled into Judge Wells Spicer's court for a hearing. Prosecution and the defense called a string of witnesses to the stand, but at the end of the 28-day hearing Judge Spicer ruled in favor of the defense. The hearing didn't end the feud. Virgil Earp received three shotgun blasts and was almost killed while making his night rounds and Morgan Earp was shot in the back and killed by night guns. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were marked for assassination, but left the Tombstone area for Colorado to avoid a complete bloodbath. Wyatt married Josephine Marcus and they followed the silver and gold mining strikes from Idaho to Alaska. Wyatt later dabbled in commercial real estate, horse racing and for a while was a Wells Fargo special detective. In his latter years he lived in Los Angeles and was a movie consultant on western films. Wyatt Earp died in his Los Angeles home in 1929. Casey Tefertiller tells the Wyatt Earp story in a straightforward style that leaves the reader with an indelible picture of that famous Frontier Lawman.

Tom Barnes author of "Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone."

Great book.......2007-05-20

I'm fairly new to researching old west history but lately I've noticed it's become a hobby for me. This book describes historical accounts of Wyatt Earp and sets the scene for all the moments that Wyatt Earp is involved in.

It also includes little facts about his friends, enemies, and even beyond that making this book a definite favorite in my collection.

Best book on Wyatt Earp I've read in a long time! .......2007-04-12

As has already been said, this book provides a well-researched, relatively unbiased account of the life and times of Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp.

Tefteller does get boring in a few spots, but it's not so much a manner of style as it is a NEED to write the full picture of Wyatt Earp, which includes some down time! He wasn't always in a shoot out or on a vendetta ride through the south. At times, he was just Wyatt and Tefteller does a great job of letting the reader see Wyatt from many vantage points. Through the eyes of friend and foe alike.

He also debunks a lot of previously-held "truths" about Wyatt, which is necessary for any lover of historical fact.

Any person wishing to learn about Wyatt Earp would do well to read this book.

Eh.......2007-03-08

I was slightly bored with the writing style and pacing of the book. I have read many biopics and this was not at the top of my list. There are better books out there.

Wyatt Earp The Life Behind The Legend.......2007-01-10

Finally a book that portrays Wyatt Earp as himself and not as a Hollywood legend. Well written - I couldn't put it down.

Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863-1869

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changing face of America....
"Hmmm.....Railroads are Boring!" Right?
a wonderful journey back in time
Very Well Written, Factual and Fulfilling!
The Great race

Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863-1869
Stephen E. Ambrose
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684846098

Amazon.com

Abraham Lincoln, who had worked as a riverboat pilot before turning to politics, knew a thing or two about the problems of transporting goods and people from place to place. He was also convinced that the United States would flourish only if its far-flung regions were linked, replacing sectional loyalties with an overarching sense of national destiny.

Building a transcontinental railroad, writes the prolific historian Stephen Ambrose, was second only to the abolition of slavery on Lincoln's presidential agenda. Through an ambitious program of land grants and low-interest government loans, he encouraged entrepreneurs such as California's "Big Four"--Charles Crocker, Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, and Leland Stanford--to take on the task of stringing steel rails from ocean to ocean. The real work of doing so, of course, was on the shoulders of immigrant men and women, mostly Chinese and Irish. These often-overlooked actors and what a contemporary called their "dreadful vitality" figure prominently in Ambrose's narrative, alongside the great financiers and surveyors who populate the standard textbooks.

In the end, Ambrose writes, Lincoln's dream transformed the nation, marking "the first great triumph over time and space" and inaugurating what has come to be known as the American Century. David Haward Bain's Empire Express, which covers the same ground, is more substantial, but Ambrose provides an eminently readable study of a complex episode in American history. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

In this account of an unprecedented feat of engineering, vision, and courage, Stephen E. Ambrose offers a historical successor to his universally acclaimed Undaunted Courage, which recounted the explorations of the West by Lewis and Clark.

Nothing Like It in the World is the story of the men who built the transcontinental railroad -- the investors who risked their businesses and money; the enlightened politicians who understood its importance; the engineers and surveyors who risked, and lost, their lives; and the Irish and Chinese immigrants, the defeated Confederate soldiers, and the other laborers who did the backbreaking and dangerous work on the tracks.

The Union had won the Civil War and slavery had been abolished, but Abraham Lincoln, who was an early and constant champion of railroads, would not live to see the great achievement. In Ambrose's hands, this enterprise, with its huge expenditure of brainpower, muscle, and sweat, comes to life.

The U.S. government pitted two companies -- the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railroads -- against each other in a race for funding, encouraging speed over caution. Locomo-tives, rails, and spikes were shipped from the East through Panama or around South America to the West or lugged across the country to the Plains. This was the last great building project to be done mostly by hand: excavating dirt, cutting through ridges, filling gorges, blasting tunnels through mountains.

At its peak, the workforce -- primarily Chinese on the Central Pacific, Irish on the Union Pacific -- approached the size of Civil War armies, with as many as fifteen thousand workers on each line. The Union Pacific was led by Thomas "Doc" Durant, Oakes Ames, and Oliver Ames, with Grenville Dodge -- America's greatest railroad builder -- as chief engineer. The Central Pacific was led by California's "Big Four": Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins. The surveyors, the men who picked the route, were latter-day Lewis and Clark types who led the way through the wilderness, living off buffalo, deer, elk, and antelope.

In building a railroad, there is only one decisive spot -- the end of the track. Nothing like this great work had been seen in the world when the last spike, a golden one, was driven in at Promontory Summit, Utah, in 1869, as the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific tracks were joined.

Ambrose writes with power and eloquence about the brave men -- the famous and the unheralded, ordinary men doing the extraordinary -- who accomplished the spectacular feat that made the continent into a nation.

Download Description

The Union had won the Civil War; slavery was abolished. Lincoln, an early champion of railroads, would not live to see the next great achievement. It took brains, muscle, and sweat in quantities and scope never before ventured and required engineers and surveyors willing to lose their lives in the wilderness; men who had commanded and obeyed in war; workers from China, Ireland, and the defeated South; and capitalists betting their money for possible great profit. The government pitted the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific against each other in a race for funding, encouraging speed over caution.

Locomotives, falls, and spikes were shipped from the east through Panama, around South America, or lugged across the country. The railroad was the last great building project to be done by hand: excavating dirt, cutting through ridges, filling gorges, blasting tunnels. Nothing like this great railroad had been seen in the world when the last spike, a golden one, was driven in at Promontory Peak, Utah, in 1869, as the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific joined tracks. Ambrose writes with power and eloquence about the brave men who accomplished the spectacular feat that made the nation one.

Customer Reviews:

changing face of America.... .......2007-01-25

American dreams, greed, courage, innovation and daring make this a wonderful story of an event that changed the face of this country forever...

"Hmmm.....Railroads are Boring!" Right?.......2006-11-07

I "read" this as a book on tape. I had this on my Mp3 player for quite awhile because I thought, "Railroad stories are boring!" But, I found that not to be true. Imagine a time when the "fastest" and "easiest" way to travel across country was by wagon, horse, and oxen going 20 miles a day! Then, you find out about a "train" that goes 18 miles an hour and you can just sit there and let it carry you and your stuff for hundreds and even thousands of miles! You don't even have to push your wagon over any rivers! You'd be pretty excited...yea! Then, there's these two Railroad Companies that are competing to see who gets the further in a given amount of time. The further each company lays track the more their profits in terms of land grands and fares will be. The only problems are that they have to tunnel through about 8 mountains, fight off angry Indians, build bridges over streams and rivers and fill in ravines, and get all the supplies and workers out into the wilderness so they can lay the tracks. Plus there are "the personalities" of the leaders and workmen to contend with not to mention how to finance the operation that will take about 6 years to complete at full speed. Yep, it's quite a story! Read it either in print or as a book on tape. Email: boland7214@aol.

a wonderful journey back in time.......2006-10-07

we loved this book - transported back to a time where our country was expanding - highly recommend

Very Well Written, Factual and Fulfilling!.......2006-09-24

Stephen Ambrose did a great job of explaining the complicated details that led to the miracle of the transcontinental railroad. Anyone who appreciates herculean feats and the web of intrigue surrounding their beginnings, eventual birth and their effect on our great country will love this story. A true five star book.

The Great race.......2006-09-10

An engrossing story about the companies and the men behind the building of the Railroad from Omaha to Sacramento. The US Government with its hands tied in the Civil war, sets up a competition between 2 private companies Union Pacific and the Central Pacific who start laying tracks from Omaho and Sacramento. The book details the progress through each state, with insight into the leaders and the workforce behind the construction. Then it reaches a fast pace once we enter Utah where the two tracks meet.
Well this railroad accelerated exponentially the immigration to the the west. The story of the construction is really a mix of great entrepreneurship, big business, railroad surveyors, wild life lovers. But elements like using/abusing an underclass for cheap labor but denying rights, overreacting to native peoples fear of intrusion into their land, insensitivity of big business/technology to native lifestyles may have some relevance even today and make us interospect what 'liberty' actually means.
The Author does a good job in keeping the reader interested, but probably is prone to exaggeration sometimes.
A good way to relive the railroad is to take Amtrak's California Zephyr (which skips wyoming, parts of utah,nevada) or to take I-80

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True Tales of the Old West
Is that really what happened?
Varied and thorough
Scholarly writing that stands the test of time
Read this book

The Shooters
Leon Claire Metz
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0425154505

Customer Reviews:

True Tales of the Old West.......2006-12-27

A compendium of interesting biographies of emminent gun-fighters in Western lore.
Inside you will find the factual, un-mythologized accounts of several well-known historical figures, of the American West: Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, Wyatt Earp, John Wesley Hardin, Billy the Kid, and Pat Garrett, for example. You will find the stories of some who should be more well-known than they presently are!
-Clay Allison was medically-discharged from his original Confederate regiment because he went into enraged psychotic fits during battle. He finished the war in a regiment that didn't care about his psychological state as long as he fought. When sober, Clay was said to be a well-mannered fellow. However, when intoxicated...he caused a public disturbance once by riding about the main street of town, firing off his pistols, wearing nothing but boots, hat, and gun-belt...and waving his member at passing ladies!
-Sheriff Elfego Baca once withstood a siege from over 100 outlaws, taking shelter in an old shack. They blasted the shack with dynamite, but Baca survived, and took a terrible toll of them with his superior marksmanship. When the bodies began to pile up, the outlaws decided it was better to retreat.
-Pearl Hart, a petite and attractive woman, was one of the last stagecoach robbers. After her stint in prison, where she was the only inmate to become pregnant...and the only female inmate, she was largely forgotten.
Many of the famous westerners described within spent considerable time on both sides of the law. Some were fully criminal, some were fully law-abiding. All were dangerous.
Mr. Metz' book also features interesting historical eras and events from the period, besides biographical sketches.
If you like this book, you will very likely enjoy "Deadliest Men", by Paul Kirchner, as well.

Is that really what happened?.......2006-09-30

The Old West has given us an unbelievable number of stories,books,songs,movies and above all a seemingly endless list of characters. But what was the real truth,what was embellished,and what was
pure legend? Long time fans of the Old West will probably say it is a mix of all that,and much more.
This book goes a long way in giving what the author has been able to research and find what the facts were on a number of the more famous as well as a number of those we don't hear so much about.I tend to think of the Old West being the period 10 years before the Civil War,roughly 1850, up to the turn of the century.The limits are not precise as many of the characters and events proceeded this period,and many of the characters lived well into the 1900's.
The author presents a lot of facts that will surprise you for the simple reason that you have probably just not thought about some of these things.
The characters were generally a lot younger than you think,many still in their teens at the height of their careers.Many were shot,hung,or otherwise met their demise in their 20's or 30's;and even more surprising a number lived to a ripe old age. The author also fills us in with a lot of details about their place of birth,family backgrounds,why they came west,why they chose the paths they did,who their friends were ,their siblings and their spouses and children.
The author gives a lot of detail about the towns of Deadwood,Tombstone,Socorro,El Paso and a number of others and is very specific on locations for events and what now occupies the spots where things took place.Some of the landmarks may now be gone as this book was first published some 30 years ago.
Another thing the author shows is that the weapons and skills were a far cry from what we see in the movies. The division between good guys and bad guys was indistinguishable at times and in many cases went back and forth.It will also surprise you how many times some got shot before dying or recovering from multiple located bullet wounds.It seems that the one shot,one kill was a rare event.The fact that any recovered with such rudimentary medical help is surprising.
Our "old friend" Ned Buntline shows up as he does in many books on the Old West.He is the writer whose real name was Edward Zane Carroll Judson, was born in upstate New York in 1823,after many adventures,arrived out west,teamed up with Buffalo Bill,and wrote many stories of the Old West and is often credited with creating much of the legendary aspects of the stories and characters we all enjoy. If interested ,you'll find more about him in "The Real Wild West" by Michael Wallis.(see my review on December 17,2003).
Any western reader must wonder at the differences between the titles of Marshals,Sheriff,Deputies,Rangers,Pinkertons aand other Lawmen.I know I have and we are given some pretty good distinctions here;but I suppose there were many inconsistancies;particularly in how they were appointed and controlled.However;that is not surprising as the Old West was anything but a situation of law and and particularly order.
An excellent read and a worthwhile reference for any one interested in the Old West and its legendary Gunfighters and Lawmen.

Varied and thorough.......2006-07-04

The Shooters is a pretty darn good book that covers alot of Old West figures. Half of them are pretty well known (James, Billy, Hickok, Buffalo Bill, Hardin, Earps, Holliday) and then there are many of the lesser known to the general population. There's lots of history here and some well done research. This book covers quite a bit of the history of the 'Shooters' or gunmen of the West giving us brief life histories of them. Recommended for Old West buffs and to the history buffs. Not a bad book for passing interest either.

Scholarly writing that stands the test of time.......2006-03-17

Leon Metz is one of my favorite Old West authors because of his scholarly approach, and his unrelenting search for the truth. This book was written in the 1970's, and although there have been many new tidbits of truth that have surfaced about all the subjects in this book since then, Metz's thorough research still stands out. The book shows him to be a master of the Texas and New Mexico cowboy scene, and it is apparent that his knowledge is especially brilliant concerning the town of El Paso. I thought his research was the weakest in the chapter about Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch. But overall, this book tells a very truthful tale of some of the most exciting lives that are remembered from the days of the Wild West.

Read this book.......2004-07-15

If you are like me and care to know the real story behind the usually embellished legends of the Old West, then this book is for you. Metz offers a personal glimpse into the real lives of the West's famous and infamous lawmen and killers with such detail that you can almost smell the powder burning.

He dispels long held falsehoods and fairly shows all sides of any given story.

An exceptionally fast read, The Shooters is a biograph of men you've heard of and some you likely have not.

Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey (Studies in the Life of Women)

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no title
A Comprehensive and Intimate Study
Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey
Some women's diaries
Great Book!

Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey (Studies in the Life of Women)
Lillian Schlissel
Manufacturer: Schocken
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0805210040
Release Date: 1992-09-08

Book Description

An expanded edition of one of the most original and provocative works of American history of the last decade, which documents the pioneering experiences and grit of American frontier women.

Customer Reviews:

no title.......2005-11-12

Utterly fascinating account of women's views of the overland crossing. God! how hard they worked, how many children they were always having, how tired and strong and enduring they were. They did not seem close to their husbands at all, but lived in a world surrounded by their children, sisters, mothers, and/or other females. How they found the time (or light) to write is amazing. Very few complaints. Journey of 2,500 miles! by walking, wagon, or horse.

A Comprehensive and Intimate Study.......2005-01-31

Lillian Schlissel did an immense amount of work in brining this book to light. The book is broken up into four main parts, three of which are dedicated to diary summaries. Schlissel has broken up the chapters according to periods of time (1841-1850, 1851-1855 and 1856-1867). The final chapter is the diaries themselves, along with a map of the Over Land Trail as well as some interesting but academic charts.

As a historical work "Women's Diaries..." brings as up close to the people, especially the women, who risked everything including theirs lives and the lives of their children to cross this once wild land. Pictures pepper the book of hard looking women as well as their ragged families, usually gathered to morn their dead. I can't think of a better book to learn about the personal sacrifices of the westward migration.

As a book read for informative pleasure "Women's Diaries..." still works, mostly because of Schlissel's strong attachment to her work. Granted she stays removed from her feelings (as a good historian should), but the organization of this book, the pictures she uses, the entry's she highlights, shows us that she has a great passion for these woman's stories. A passion she wishes to share with us. It's not a book that everyone can or should read for pleasure, but for those who love the west, history, or woman's studies...this is an important work.

Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey.......2004-02-01

An excellent compilation of diaries of women traveling by covered wagons in the 1800s. Lillian Schlissel, the author, did extensive research, and, when possible, was able to give the reader information as to what happened to these women after their journies. The author was able to comment on the lack of personal details in the diaries by giving some history of "the culture of the times". What the women did share with us in their diaries was heartrending and I found myself brought to tears and full of gratitude for the comforts on my modern-day farm. A good read, and definitely worthy of keeping in the home library.

Some women's diaries.......2003-10-22

The pleasure of the book is the diaries and it is too bad that more space isn't devoted to them. Ms Schlissel spends a great deal of time talking about the diaries and her comentary does not add much to the women's words.

She points out numerous times that women do not discuss about bodily functions and pregnancy/child birth in their diaries. She points out that the women feared death, counting graves and dead animals along the trail. Well, the diaries were written in the middle years of the 19th century. Once the point is raised we have no idea if this is unusual for women's diaries and letters in America or England? She makes no comparison; the simple repetition adds nothing.

Her discussions are interesting, but her assumptions occasionally run hard into fact. She continually talks about women and children riding in the wagons, actually women and children walked to save the draft animals. She obsesses, like the diaries about indians. The obsession is false. More people died from accidents and many more died from illness than from indian conflicts. Perhaps a little more research in the writings of Dale Morgan or other historians of the west and the Oregon Trail could have eliminated these and other errors.

The focus on women's diaries is valuable. The 4 histories and diaries in the appendices are a treat. However, there are other better discussions of the Oregon and California trail experience.

PS The Indian and French place names of Oregon Territory are often mis-pronounced by Jeanne Hopson in the Books on Tape version of the book.

Great Book!.......2002-10-28

One of the best and entertainment history books that I have ever read. You cannot stop when you start reading this book. It also have a lot of pictures, so you can visualize what the author is talking about. We learn how it was difficult for women to travel West, so they can have a better future. Author did a lot of research to write this book. Author did a great job. I recommend you to read it.

The Long War for the Northern Plains (Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars)

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The Long War for the Northern Plains
AN INTERESTING SELECTION OF PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIAL

The Long War for the Northern Plains (Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars)

Manufacturer: Stackpole Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Encyclopedia of Indian Wars: Western Battles and Skirmishes 1850-1890

ASIN: 0811700801

Book Description

This is the fourth in a planned five-volume series that seeks to tell the saga of the military struggle for the American West, using the words of the soldiers, noncombatants, and Native Americans who shaped it. To paint as broad and colorful a picture as possible, riveting firsthand materials have been carefully selected from contemporaneous newspapers, magazines, and unpublished manuscripts. This volume offers as complete a selection of original accounts of the Northern Plains campaigns as can be assembled under one cover. Includes articles by such notable figures as George Custer, Philip Sheridan, Nelson A. Miles, and artist Frederic Remington. Covers the Powder River Expedition of 1865, the Yellowstone Expedition of 1873, Custer's Last Stand, Wounded Knee, and much more.

Customer Reviews:

The Long War for the Northern Plains.......2005-08-15

An excellent review in written and oral reports of dealing with the various Indian tribes. The motives of each of the combatants reveals an insight into what went wrong by the U.S. Government.

AN INTERESTING SELECTION OF PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIAL.......2004-10-09

I have all the volumes in this series but I imagine this is the one most students of the Indian Wars have been waiting for as it covers the Great Sioux War that includes, of course, the Little Big Horn battle. Since Amazon hasn't posted its Look Inside This Book feature for this, at least not as of this writing, I will try to summarize some of the contents. Prior to the 1876 campaign portion of the book, there are some very interesting first-hand accounts of Conner's Powder River campaign of 1865, events that receive scant attention in many books on the Indian Wars. The section on Red Cloud's War is next and is longer in content.

The Yellowstone Expedition includes accounts by Custer, Ellis, Braden and Barrows. The Braden account serves as a good example of the type material the reader finds here--I have read that before but only after getting a copy from the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA.--in other words, much of what appears here is from things like the Cavalry Journal, Winners of the West, old newspapers, archival holdings, etc. until now, unavailable in book form. The Black Hills Expedition section follows with, again, accounts by Custer, Ludlow which are in print elsewhere but a short one from William Wood out of the North Dakota Archives, which isn't

Custer Battle includes Charles King from Harper's, Goldin from the Army Magazine, another one from Goldin but on Terry and Crook(no shortage of him in other sources), short account from Godfrey, Charles Eastman summarizing Indian accounts, Silverstein, Nugent. Other actions in this major war are also covered. In all, over 200 pages on the Great Sioux War. The book ends with sections on the death of Crazy Horse (Lt. Lemly's is the best account), the 1878-79 Northern Cheyenne Odyssey (traditionally known as the Cheyenne Outbreak). As one might expect, the relatively small 1887 Crow Indian Uprising receives no coverage but a very good section on Wounded Knee/Pine Ridge campaign (especially noteworthy is Godfrey's 1931 account from "Winners of the West") rounds out this book. Numerous illustrations from the likes of Remington, etc. are included. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

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Writer and author
Getting to know the man behind the legend, March 22, 2007
Good book for the Western Interested Reader
Getting to know the man behind the legend
Doc Holliday

Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend
Gary L. Roberts
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone: The Life and Times of John Henry Holliday

ASIN: 0471262919

Book Description

Acclaim for Doc Holliday

"Splendid . . . not only the most readable yet definitive study of Holliday yet published, it is one of the best biographies of nineteenth-century Western 'good-bad men' to appear in the last twenty years. It was so vivid and gripping that I read it twice."
--Howard R. Lamar, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History, Yale University, and author of The New Encyclopedia of the American West

"The history of the American West is full of figures who have lived on as romanticized legends. They deserve serious study simply because they have continued to grip the public imagination. Such was Doc Holliday, and Gary Roberts has produced a model for looking at both the life and the legend of these frontier immortals."
--Robert M. Utley, author of The Lance and the Shield: The Life and Times of Sitting Bull

"Doc Holliday emerges from the shadows for the first time in this important work of Western biography. Gary L. Roberts has put flesh and soul to the man who has long been one of the most mysterious figures of frontier history. This is both an important work and a wonderful read."
--Casey Tefertiller, author of Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend

"Gary Roberts is one of a foremost class of writers who has created a real literature and authentic history of the so-called Western. His exhaustively researched and beautifully written Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend reveals a pathetically ill and tortured figure, but one of such intense loyalty to Wyatt Earp that it brought him limping to the O.K. Corral and into the glare of history."
--Jack Burrows, author of John Ringo: The Gunfighter Who Never Was

"Gary L. Roberts manifested an interest in Doc Holliday at a very early age, and he has devoted these past thirty-odd years to serious and detailed research in the development and writing of Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend. The world knows Holliday as Doc Holliday. Family members knew him as John. Somewhere in between the two lies the real John Henry Holliday. Roberts reflects this concept in his writing. This book should be of interest to Holliday devotees as well as newly found readers."
--Susan McKey Thomas, cousin of Doc Holliday and coauthor of In Search of the Hollidays

Customer Reviews:

Writer and author.......2007-06-08

`Doc' Holliday, or, John Henry Holliday, a cold-blooded killer, or a man just trying to stay alive? Author, Gary L. Roberts did extensive research on Holliday, and many of those `Doc' came in contact with. From that research Roberts has put together a book that gives the reader a much better idea of whom `Doc' was, why he was like he was and the impact he had on history. The book, for me, dispelled faulty information I'd received about `Doc.' It also answered some of the questions I'd always had about `Doc.'
At the time I write this review I'm fifty-seven years young. During those fifty-seven years I've seen `Doc' portrayed as a bad guy, a good guy, a mysterious acquaintance of Wyatt Earp and all those things between. `Doc' was always an enigma in my mind. I just finished reading "Doc Holliday" by Gary L. Roberts and I must say I feel I now know the man, as much as he could be known by someone never having talked with him.
I was born just outside Kennett, Missouri; a state that harbored and made heroes out of people like Jesse James. I also spent twenty years as a `peace officer.' I think this added to my curiosity, and infatuation, with `Doc.' Gary L. Roberts has helped fill that void left by lack of information about `Doc' and therefore `quenched my thirst' concerning what he was really all about.
Do yourself a favor and read this book.

Richard Neal Huffman - the author of, Dreams In Blue: The Real Police (just another legend?) Confessions of a Serial Killer's Son

Getting to know the man behind the legend, March 22, 2007 .......2007-05-18

In "Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend" Gary Roberts immediately establishes his credentials in historical research and although he comes from a life in academia, that never inhibits his storytelling ability. Roberts tells about a young Atlanta dentist, his family conflicts, the relationship with his catholic cousin Mattie Holliday, contracting tuberculosis and then moving west. Doc continues his dental practice in Dallas where he is attracted to saloon life and becomes a skilled gambler. In Ft. Griffin, Texas Kate Elder sets her sights on Doc and when trouble comes and a noose is about to be tied around Doc's neck Kate executes a daring escape plan and the two of them ride north to Dodge City, Kansas where they begin a tumultuous relationship.
Doc sets up a dental practice in the cattle town and establishes good relations with the likes of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Luke Short and Eddie Foy. When a wild bunch of drunken cowboy's corner assistant city Marshall Wyatt Earp Doc hurries to his rescue. Wyatt is grateful to Doc for saving his life, and that was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
Later they both wind up in Tombstone, Arizona. A corrupt political ring runs Cochise County and uses a cowboy faction as muscle. Wyatt's intent to run for Cochise County Sheriff on a ticket of law and order opens up a hornet's nest. When the showdown comes Doc joins Wyatt and his brothers on the side of law and order in the shootout at the OK Corral.
Ring lawyers accuse the Earps and Holliday of murder and take them to court. A twenty-eight day hearing, before Judge Spicer, frees Doc and the others but the cowboy's won't quit. They harass the mayor and Judge Spicer, ambush and wound Virgil Earp and assassinate Morgan Earp.
Roberts continues the post Tombstone story with Jail time for Doc in Denver and a shooting episode in Leadville. Then on November 8, 1887 Doc succumbs to tuberculosis and is buried in Linwood Cemetery at Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
You'll enjoy this engaging and informative book while at the same time you're getting to know the real man behind the legend.
Tom Barnes Author of "Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone."

Good book for the Western Interested Reader.......2007-04-12

This is a good book for an individual interested in the history of the American West. Doc Holliday is recognized by many to be the gunfighter icon of all. This book lays out the truth about Doc Holliday and how the legend got started. What you learn in the book is that Doc was an individual who never backed down from a fight, but he wasn't an individual who provoked fights. His claim to fame had to do with his support of Wyatt Earp during the OK Corral fight and more importantly afterwards when he and Wyatt pursued the bad guys in Southeastern Arizona and provided their own form of justice when the law of the land was flawed. His courage and his sense of justice and the need for law and order is commendable. But, Doc was not perfect. He was a drinker and often a troublemaker. Because of this, the Tombstone events pursued him more than they did Wyatt. And, the forces in that area, who wanted him, tried to get him in Denver, Colorado. These events, while he was in a jail there, were played out in the press - with both sides emphasizing either his good sides or his bad sides - and over exaggerating the bad in many instances. This is what resulted in his legend. The book pieces this together sharing all the different sources and then providing an analysis on why one source is a better one than the other. What we get is a thorough analysis of the man and the times. But, this is really only for the reader who is really interested in the American West. Others, as you'll note in the reviews below, will probably not be interested in this book. However, I was, I enjoyed, and I recommend it.

Getting to know the man behind the legend.......2007-03-23

Doc Holliday.......2007-03-16

Great book , separates the facts from the Hollywood. Separates the dust from the blood. A superb read.

Little Bighorn Remembered: The Untold Indian Story of Custer's Last Stand

Average customer rating:

Interesting, but. . .
The best book I've ever read!!
A major work.
Crow accounts are valuable
A Pretty book but flawed

Little Bighorn Remembered: The Untold Indian Story of Custer's Last Stand
Herman J. Viola
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Lakota Noon: The Indian Narrative of Custer's Defeat
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They Died With Custer: Soldiers' Bones from the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Little Big Horn 1876: Custer's Last Stand (Campaign)
Archaeological Perspectives on the Battle of Little Bighorn

ASIN: 0812932560
Release Date: 1999-10-11

Book Description

On the morning of June 25, 1876,  soldiers of the elite U.S. Seventh Cavalry led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer attacked a large Indian encampment on the banks of the Little Bighorn River. By day's end, Custer and more than two hundred of his men lay dead. It was a shocking defeat--or magnificent victory, depending on your point of view--and more than a century later it is still the object of controversy, debate, and fascination.

What really happened on that fateful day? Now, thanks to the work of Herman J. Viola, Curator Emeritus of the Smithsonian Institution, we are much closer to answering that question. Dr. Viola, a leader in the preservation of Native American culture and history, has collected here dozens of dramatic, never-before-published accounts by Indians who participated in the battle--accounts that have been handed down to the present day, often secretly and accompanied by oaths of silence, from one generation to the next. These remarkable eyewitness recollections provide a direct link to that day's events; together they constitute an unprecedented oral history of the battle from the Native American point of view and the most comprehensive eyewitness description of Little Bighorn we have ever had.

Here are the dramatic stories of the Cheyenne and Lakota warriors who rode into battle against Custer, the yellow-haired Son of the Morning Star, an adversary whose valor they admired--but who became a mortal enemy after breaking his peace-pipe oath, a scene described vividly in these pages. Here in their own words are the stories of the Crow scouts, allies of Custer, who advised against attacking Sitting Bull's village on the Little Bighorn. Here are tales of valor told by the Arikara scouts who fought side by side with Custer's men against the Lakota and Cheyenne; although the Great Father in Washington rewarded their heroism with silence, it is celebrated to this day in tribal stories and songs that come to us from beyond the grave with hair-raising immediacy and power.

Lavishly illustrated with more than two hundred maps, photographs, reproductions, and drawings, this remarkable book also includes:

   An account of the battle, including startling descriptions of Custer's conduct, collected from the Crow scouts by the famed photographer Edward S. Curtis in 1908. Curtis never published this report--President Theodore Roosevelt advised him not to--and it remained a secret until his ninety-year-old son recently gave the material to the Smithsonian.

  New archaeological evidence from the battlefield that casts fresh light on the Seventh Cavalry's movements, along with discoveries from the site of Sitting Bull's village--including the complete skeleton of a cavalry horse with its rider's well-
preserved saddlebags and personal items.

  A series of illustrations made soon after the battle by Red Horse, a remarkable tableau that is reproduced here in its entirety for the first time.

  Three letters written by Lieutenant William Van Wyck Reily just days before he died at Little Bighorn that provide key and potentially controversial insights into the conduct of the cavalry under Custer's command.


In short, this landmark book takes us much closer to knowing what really happened on that June day in 1876 when Custer died and a legend was born.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting, but. . ........2007-01-18

I wished I had known (should have read the reviews!) that this is a coffee table attempt to deal with an extremely complicated subject. The pretty pictures and artwork were fine, but the book claims to have important historical information from the Crow scouts. When I read (reread and reread) the accounts, I was no closer to understanding what happened. Indeed, one descendant of the Crow scouts admitted that the versions of the events told to him by the scouts were not the same.

The book's strength is in its modern work at the site. The articles about what items were found at both sites with metal detectors (a whole horse!) was fascinating and worth the purchase price. For instance, that bullets with the same rifling were found all over the Custer battle site is fascinating. I hope more metal detector search can be done.

The best book I've ever read!!.......2004-05-01

This book is so ground-breaking and thorough and clever that I'll read it again as soon as I get time. The narratives and recollections of native Americans combined with the most up-to-date scholarship make this book a small masterpiece. Our view of the battle was so slanted and biased, generally without intention, because of an overemphasis on the records of European participants, etc. This book gives another view, and thus B-A-L-A-N-C-E.!!

A major work........2001-05-28

In general I'm not really big on modern history (my notion of "modern" being everything after 1200 BC!), but Viola's book "Little Bighorn Remembered," featured as it was as the "untold Indian story of Custer's last stand," intrigued me. I have to admit to having had to take a second run at it before I really got into the subject. It isn't that the work is poorly written; it isn't. I think that the up front and in your face brutality of the 19th Century US government in dealing with the Native American population was just hard to deal with for me. It`s not that I am myself Native American; I just have a strong sense of fairness and fairness had no part in it. When I finally did settle into the material, however, it read rapidly. In fact it probably classifies highly with some of those I-couldn't-put-it-down novels over which people burn the midnight oil. (In my case I should have been getting a quick nap between patients while I was on-call for the OR on a night shift).

The first two chapters of the book concern the antecedents leading up to the Indian confrontation with Custer and the 7th Cavalry. These included Custer's own pre-dawn attack on a sleeping Cheyenne village under the leadership of Chief Black Kettle on the Washita River in 1868 and an earlier similar attack on Plains Tribes camping at Sand Creek in 1864. In both instances dozens of men, women, and children were hunted down and shot and their bodies butchered. In the 1868 attack even the Cheyenne pony herd, some 900 animals, was also killed, severely crippling the people's ability to pursue their traditional lifestyle. The narrative of these two chapters is filled with unfulfilled promises and broken treaties with Native Americans in the furtherance of US territorial expansion during the 19th Century. Certainly anyone familiar with the attitudes of Europeans toward technologically less advanced populations world wide in areas they wished to exploit will recognize the pattern.

The remainder of the book is divided into chapters each dealing with various perspectives on the battle of the Little Bighorn. Here is where the book rises above others on the subject, for Viola makes use of very diverse sources in his effort to thoroughly and fairly cover the subject .

Included are the oral histories passed on by the Indian participants, stories from the Cheyenne and the Dakota on one side and from the Crow and Arikara scouts with Custer on the other. Probably the most interesting part of this material is the fact that not all Plains Indians felt the same about the coming of the army into the area. In fact the imperialism of the US government was actually superimposed upon on-going events among traditional enemies within the community of local people. The long standing enmity of certain groups actually facilitated the ultimate defeat of the Plains Indians. Even allies weren't necessarily of one mind and still are not. A popular saying among the modern Cheyenne is that "The Sioux got the glory, the Crows got the land, but the Cheyennes did the fighting(p. 27)."

Also among the narratives are notes left by Edward S. Curtis who undertook the mission of creating a photographic preservation of Native American Indian lifestyles before they disappeared. During the pursuit of this work Curtis took the opportunity of covering the battle site in the company of three of Custer's Crow scouts. From information about events provided by these individuals he came to the conclusion that the battle had not proceeded as recorded thirty years previously. His intent to publish his conclusions in his project was discouraged by President Theodore Roosevelt, primarily because the latter was concerned that pro-Custer factions would ruin Curtis. The information was preserved and given over to the National Museum of American History by his son Harold just prior to Harold's death at the age of 95 in 1988.

Among the "documents" preserving the Battle at Little Bighorn are the Indian drawings of the event of which Viola includes illustrations of many. Though simple line drawings they give every bit as clear an image of the violence and carnage of the battle field as do the photo images of the Civil War. Included are drawings by the Dakota, Red Horse, and some etched drawings by an unknown artists on flattened metal from trade kettles. Also presented, many for the first time, are some of the victory memorabilia collected from the battlefield and preserved by family members of the Indian participants through the generations.

A fire across the battlefield in 1983 made an archaeological examination of the site possible and almost imperative. Application of modern techniques to the charting, recovery and analysis of the material remains on the site by professionals and trained volunteers in the decade between 1985 and 1995 have allowed a reinterpretation of what occurred and an external verification of the stories of various participants. (For a more in-depth account of which see my review of "They