Thanks to Hollywood's many portrayals of the US Cavalry, it is little understood that the infantry played as great a part in the Indian Wars of the 1860s-80s, and were more consistently successful. The great Paiute War of 1866, where the infantry of the most renowned Indian-fighting general, George Cook, excelled in battle, together with the role of other infantry units in the final subjugation of Geronimo's Apaches in 1886, are but two instances of their achievements. Moreover, after the Custer massacre, it was the infantry under Gen Nelson Miles who out-fought Crazy Horse's Sioux in the Wolf Mountains in 1877; Crazy Horse christened them 'Walk-a-Heaps'. The struggle against the Indians was the longest war in American military history and the Indians were formidable opponents. They knew the terrain, could live off the land and fielded some of the finest light cavalry in the world. Facing such a determined foe, one soldier even wrote: "The front is all around and the rear is nowhere." The US Infantry endured years of sporadic battles that were bitterly contested against an enemy who was fighting for their very survival. Presenting an illustrated history of these critical but overlooked soldiers of the Indian Wars, and featuring their involvement in the legendary battles of Wounded Knee and Wolf Mountains, this narrative includes details of their tactics, training, uniforms and equipment culminating in the eventual "closing" of the American Frontier in 1890 and the final conquest of the indigenous inhabitants of North America.

The Plains Indian War was one of the most controversial conflicts in American military history, as the US Army faced a tough opponent that challenged it for decades following the end of the Civil War. The Army leadership endured a severe lack of resources, political constraints, an indifferent public, tough environmental conditions, and other problems of the frontier. Army officers and men had to adapt to these constraints, and this period also proved to be a trial of the ability and endurance of the common soldier. This title details the organization, development, training, tactics and command structures of the US Army during its subjugation of the Plains Indian tribes.

The role of the Frontier scout in the US Army during the period of westward expansion, was often far more important than that of the commanding officer. They possessed a priceless knowledge of the geography, people and characteristics of the great, unknown American hinterland and from the earliest days of exploration, the US Army depended on its scouts to guide troops across the plains and through the mountains as they guarded the nation's frontier settlements. This book tells the colourful story of these frontier men, covering many famous scouts such as 'Wild Bill' Hickok and 'Buffalo Bill' Cody.

The enlisted men in the United States Army during the Indian Wars (1866-91) need no longer be mere shadows behind their historically well-documented commanding officers. As member of the regular army, these men formed an important segment of our usually slighted national military continuum and, through their labors, combats, and endurance, created the framework of law and order within which settlement and development become possible. We should know more about the common soldier in our military past, and here he is. The rank and file regular, then as now, was psychologically as well as physically isolated from most of his fellow Americans. The people were tired of the military and its connotations after four years of civil war. They arrayed their army between themselves and the Indians, paid its soldiers their pittance, and went about the business of mushrooming the nation’s economy. Because few enlisted men were literarily inclined, many barely able to scribble their names, most previous writings about them have been what officers and others had to say. To find out what the average soldier of the post-Civil War frontier thought, Don Rickey, Jr., asked over three hundred living veterans to supply information about their army experiences by answering questionnaires and writing personal accounts. Many of them who had survived to the mid-1950’s contributed much more through additional correspondence and personal interviews. Whether the soldier is speaking for himself or through the author in his role as commentator-historian, this is the first documented account of the mass personality of the rank and file during the Indian Wars, and is only incidentally a history of those campaigns.

This volume offers accounts of the many battles and skirmishes in the Great Sioux War as they were observed by participating officers, enlisted men, scouts, surgeons, and newspaper correspondents. The selections-some rendered immediately after the encounters and some set down in reminiscences years later - are important and little-known sources of information about the war. By their personal nature, they give a compelling sense of immediacy to the actions. The editor's introduction and commentary on each of the accounts help readers understand the interrelationship of events and appreciate the entire spectrum of the conflict.

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.

Full color maps and illustrations throughout.