Description of the development and evolution of Army uniforms, equipment, and small arms during a pivotal decade of experimentation and against the backdrop of a highly influential military operation - the Indian campaigns in the West.

Building on the success of his best-selling The U.S. Army in the West, 1870-1880:Uniforms, Arms, and Equipment, Douglas C. McChristian here presents a two-volume comprehensive account of the evolution of military arms and equipment during the years 1880-1892. The volumes are set against the backdrop of the final decade of the Indian campaigns--a key period of transition in United States military history. In Volume 2, he focuses on weapons and other accouterments, recounting in detail the army’s quest to find a repeating rifle that would serve the needs of both cavalry and infantry across the plains. Drawing on extensive research in public and private collections throughout the United States and lavishly illustrated with more than four hundred color and black-and-white illustrations, these volumes will serve as invaluable references for collectors, curators, and students of militaria and of the frontier era.

Getting the Message Through, the companion volume to Rebecca Robbins Raines' Signal Corps, traces the evolution of the corps from the appointment of the first signal officer on the eve of the Civil War, through its stages of growth and change, to its service in Operation DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM. Raines highlights not only the increasingly specialized nature of warfare and the rise of sophisticated communications technology, but also such diverse missions as weather reporting and military aviation. Information dominance in the form of superior communications is considered to be sine qua non to modern warfare. As Raines ably shows, the Signal Corps--once considered by some Army officers to be of little or no military value--and the communications it provides have become integral to all aspects of military operations on modern digitized battlefields. The volume is an invaluable reference source for anyone interested in the institutional history of the branch.

This occasional paper is a concise overview of the history of the US Army's involvement along the Mexican border and offers a fundamental understanding of problems associated with such a mission. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the historic themes addressed disapproving public reaction, Mexican governmental instability, and insufficient US military personnel to effectively secure the expansive boundary are still prevalent today.

Established in 1874 just south of the Black Hills, Fort Robinson witnessed many of the most dramatic, most tragic encounters between whites and American Indians, including the Cheyenne Outbreak, the death of Crazy Horse, the Ghost Dance, the desperation and diplomacy of such famed plains Indian leaders as Dull Knife and Red Cloud, and the tragic sequence of events surrounding Wounded Knee.

Featuring hundreds of black-and-white illustrations of marksmanship medals, prizes, and badges, plus a special full-color section, this encyclopedia of U.S. Army shooting awards and training program rewards is a must-have for military historians and collectors. In Marksmanship in the U.S. Army, William K. Emerson details weapons training from the 1850s to the present, gathering this information for the first time in a single volume. Emerson highlights the philosophies behind army marksmanship and documents the awards, prizes, and badges bestowed upon the War Department’s most elite shooters, artillerymen, and swordsmen. Proficiency training discussed in this book includes the use of sabers, cannons, sea mines, bayonets, tank weapons, aerial gunnery, bombs, and other weapons. Emerson integrates discussion of the criteria, people, and rationale behind each award into this historical account. Emerson’s emphasis on national rifle and pistol matches, the history of selected army and NRA trophies, and significant players in the army’s weapons training development enhances the comprehensive appeal of the latest contribution to military history by this experienced author.