John Stands in Timber is my daughter's great-grandfather on her father's side. I am purchasing this book to let her know the history she shares as a Northern Cheyenne and to show her how much her great-grandfather cared about his people. I have read the book previously and appreciated the sense of cultural awareness John portrayed through his words. It is a lesson for us all to remember where we came from and appreciate how we got where we are now. I would recommend reading this book, to learn the history of the people and to appreciate that he wasn't just a historian, but a father, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather and also a good person.

The Cheyenne was undoubtably one of the most remarkable tribes of the Great Plains. Now you can have a very convenient one volume tribal history of them by John Stands In Timber with the help of anthropologist Margot Liberty. Stands In Timber,an old time Cheyenne, in his whole life collected the memories of his elders about the history of their Nation and he succeeded in editing it to a narrative from the creation to the reservation times. The effort of the author is of a rare kind and the result is also a rare one: you can learn the history of a native nation from the inside.

The earlier paperback edition of Cavalier was the first book I read about Custer. At the time I was expecting Utley to take a strong stand as to whether Custer was a brilliant Indian-fighting hero, or an egomaniacal upstart. So I found the objective style and even-handed treatment a little disappointing. However, several years and books later, I have come to see this as the best book on Custer and LBH ever written, mainly because of his refusal to approach the subject with the pre-conceived notions others have.

Utley neither lauds Custer, nor does he cast blame. He makes it clear that Custer may have been somewhat over-rated in his Indian fighting abilities. Though he allows that he had gained a lot of knowledge of Plains warfare and might have become equal to the likes of Miles or Crook, had he lived. He points out that Custer did ignore the scouts who told him of the great number of warriors present in the camp on LBH. However, he also notes that Custer was not unlike other military leaders of the time in under estimating the fighting abilities of Indians, and therefore did not think that numbers really mattered. While he feels that Reno and Benteen did not support Custer as they could have, he also feels that not enough credit is given to the idea that the Indians merely outfought them all.

Of course, this was all included in the earlier editions. So the obvious question is, do you need to read the revised edition. This depends on what you're looking for.

With a few small exceptions the text remains the same. Utley has made a few changes based on later research, especially work by Larry Sklenar, but his overall theories have not changed. Also, for those interested in further reading, he has augmented his list of sources.

The main difference in the editions is physical. This is definitely "over-sized," fitted better to a coffee table than a bookshelf. And it is filled with illustrations, many of which seem to have been chosen more to improve the lay-out than for their applicability to the text. Take for example the photo of a Buffalo Soldier with the caption, "Custer disapproved of black soldiers...." (p.45) Or the photo of modern-day cadets at West Point captioned, "Cadet Custer had 726 demerits...."(p.22) And, of course, there are more portraits of Custer and renditions of LBH than one would ever dream existed.

My suggestion would be that, if you're a collector of Custeriana, or simply the type who likes to impress your guests with your choice of books, you might want to purchase this and place it somewhere prominent in your home. Otherwise you'd do just as well to stick with the paperback version.

Primarily a military history derived from government records and soldiers' memoirs, this book is an excellent introduction to the history of the U.S. Army's campaigns against the Indians of the Great Plains and the Southwest. Preferable to S.L.A. Marshall's work on the Indian Wars due to better sourcing and writing.

Frontier Regulars is an entertaining and informative read. Robert Utley has done a fine job of bringing to life the average tempo and quality of the US Army on the frontier.

Utley uses memoirs and Army records as sources for his descriptions of military life. I was especially interested in his detailed accounts of how company commanders, platoon leaders and senior NCOs conducted themselves. There is one account describing how the CDR, 1st SGT and officers would make copies of documents during their daily staff meetings that is quite interesting. Having attended scores of company level meetings it struck me how much things have both stayed the same and how other things have changed.

There is a substantial amount devoted to the low quality of enlisted soldiers and the day-to-day hardships of camp life. Foodstuffs weren't always provided by the Army and isolated units had to scramble to come up with rations for the troops. This lead to moneymaking ventures, small plots of produce and other creative "financing" to supply the soldiers.
Interesting, well written and recommended.

Quite simply the definitive work on the frontier Army in the post-Civil War era. Read it in conjunction with Utley's history of the antebellum frontier Army (_Frontiersmen in Blue_), for the most complete and accessible account of the Army's sorry history of entanglements with Native Americans from the post-Mexican war era on.

Albert Barnitz was a Captain in the Seventh Cavalry. He was wounded and not a member of the unit by the time of its' famous defeat at the Little Big Horn. Barnitz through his letters to his wife describes life on the Plains with the Seventh Cavalry and it's Lieutenant Colonel Custer. His first hand description of events he experienced and personalities he knew gives life to persons and events from Western history. This book will interest those desiring a first person report of life in the Seventh Cavalry on the Great Plains.

This book is composed of Barnitz' personal diary and letters written to his wife, which she conviently kept over the years. Additional information is detailed and follows the letters and diary entries in chronological order. Barnitz enjoyed writing, wrote his wife often and made regular entries in his diary. The book is full of interesting phographs, many which I have never seen before, even though I have been a Little BIg Horn buff for quite a while. An excellent biographical glosssary is included that includes the histories and significant events of many important Indian War personalities. A must for any serious Custer library.

The edited letters and journals of Capt. Barnitz and his wife provide a gripping picture of the experiences of an officer in the early years of the Indian Wars. The book also provides wonderful insight into how Custer ran the 7th cavalry and what his officers thought of his leadership. A truly enjoyable book!

This book brings Sitting Bull alive and takes into account many of the considerations that went into the life of Sitting Bull and the Nation Building ambitions of the emerging United States. The beginning seems slow as Sitting Bull's early life is largely intertribal warfare with Crows, but once the railroad starts intruding on Indian lands it becomes much more interesting as the complexity of diplomacy and war is examined from all angles.

The best part is the end where the tension between modernity and Plains Indians creates a conflict between Sitting Bull and the Indian agent assigned to him. The by-no-means inevitable death of Sitting Bull at the hands of tribal police chiefs echoes in eery ways the handling of Pine Ridge by Dicky Wilson in the 70s when assassination was commonplace.

I have a test for any biography. If the biography is over and you feel like you know the subject then it's well written. I rank Robert Utley up with Alison Weir as one of the best historians of our time.

One of the best written biographies I have ever read, and certainly one of the best ever written about any of the central figures of the Indian wars of the late 19th century. I plan on picking up a copy of Mr. Utley's biography of Custer, as well.

This book is a moving, and sympathetic portrait of a man who fought an impossible war against the forces of manifest destiny that were set against his people. I felt I really got to know Sitting Bull as a man, and as a leader. His spirit of resistance is unquestionably admirable. This is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand just how much was lost by the Lakota, and the Indian people, in the rush of white's towards the "frontier". The spirit of the Lakota leader is on par with any of the great "white" heroes of western european history. Sitting Bull is perhaps, along with Crazy Horse and Chief Joseph, one of the greatest leaders, and Americans, that this country ever produced. Mr. Utley's portrait of him paints his life's picture with pretty vivid colors, and textures. The tragic circumstances of his last years, and his death, are heartbreaking.

Definitely worth the read if you love the American West, and the American Indian people.

I highly recommend this history. Utley is an accomplished and prolific writer of the US Western experience. This may be his best work. He brings the Sioux holy man to life as a complete person that the readers can meet and understand. The fact that Utley has a thorough command of the historical events that surround Sitting Bull makes this complete work of history and biography. If you're looking for a biography of Sitting Bull this is the place to come. If you're looking for a good history of the West during this time period Utley's book will serve you well too.

An excellent compendium of the relationships and interactions between discordant stone age peoples and numerous technologically superior counterparts.

This book is written primarily from a Unites States Vs Native American perspective. However, it acknowledges US, British, French, Spanish, and Mexican interactions, all of which treated the American Indian in much the same way: Make them dependent on foreign technology, guns, powder, fabric, iron, food, transportation, etc., and use that dependence against them.

All European influences exploited inter tribal differences, hatreds and animosities, fighting the American theater of European wars with Indians against Indians. All introduced diseases and some utilized germ warfare in defeating their Native American enemies. From the outset in 1492 the result was a foregone conclusion. Native Americans would be annihilated.

This is the story of how it happened.

This is the book you want if you want a highly informative history of Indian Conflicts starting from Jamestown all the way to Wounded Knee. I virtually felt embarrassment reading about the early trends of the colonists to take advantage of Indians through the kidnapping and killing of chiefs to exploitation of their land and the constant pressure to move them west. From Bacon's (Bacon's Rebellion) attack of any Indians peaceful or otherwise in the 1600's to every conflict in the northeast to the west including King Phillip's War, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Mangas Colorado, Cochis, Commanche's, the Murdoc war. Includes the causes of war, the problem with reservations, Indian agents and the Armies strategies and commanders. A concise and thorough book that is your gateway for more detailed reading on the Indians of North America and their conflicts with manifest destiny.

In the years between 1804 and 1847, Americans explored the Louisiana Purchase, the Rocky Mountains, took California from Mexico, and colonized Oregon. And the explorers and trappers called mountain men were instrumental in all those events.

Utley starts his account with George Drouillard and the legendary John Colter, both members of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and concludes his main story with Kit Carson's actions in the Mexican-American War. However, this book is not a collection of biographies. Utley does provide sketches for some mountain man, the events they are most famous for, and, sometimes, details of their deaths. He does not provide any real details about their gear or trapping and fighting methods. Utley concerns himself with a broader theme: how the travels of mountain men filled in the maps of the west, expunged certain geographical fantasies from the public mind, and drew people west.

Some of the mountain men here are famous. Besides Colter, we meet Jim Bridger, trapper, Army scout, guide, and establisher of the famous trading post named after him. We also, briefly, meet Hugh Glass who once swore to kill Bridger after he and another trapper left Glass for dead after Glass was mauled by a grizzly. Kit Carson's adventures with John Fremont are discussed.

But Utley also covers less well-known, but important, mountain men. The greatest explorer of all, Jedediah Smith, trapped beaver mainly as a means to subsidize his extensive wanderings. Atypically literate for a mountain man, he kept extensive journals and maps -- most of which vanished after his death. Utley considers another trapper, Joe Walker, the most accomplished of all in the mountain man craft and, as an explorer, second only to Smith. Others had less august reputations. Edward Rose, a trapper who lived for many years with the Crow, was frequently sought as an interpreter but never really trusted. Too often negotiations he was involved with broke down, and he was suspected of mischief for private ends. Old Bill Williams was known as an eccentric mountain man. Jessie Fremont, John's wife, even accused him of cannibalism.

In their quest for beaver pelts, before changing fashion, overtrapping, and substitution of nutria made trapping untenable, the mountain men not only added to geographical knowledge but served as agents, intentionally and unintentionally, for American expansion to the Pacific. They traveled to Spanish California and helped bring it into the Union by their settlements there and their actions in the Mexican-American War. But California was not the only Pacific territory whose national ownership was disputed. American mountain men, and this book is concerned with American citizens or those mountaineers who served American interests, competed with the English Hudson Bay Company in the Columbia River basin. Their knowledge inspired and guided missionaries and, later, settlers into what became the Oregon Territory. British interests there were supplanted, and some mountain men, like Joe Meek and Doc Newell, became important political figures in Oregon's early history.

Besides the broad story of mountaineers as the vanguard of American expansion west, there are other things of interest here. Taos, New Mexico and its importance to fur trading is covered. Utley talks about the little known 1823 punitive expedition against the Arikara. Writer Washington Irving shows up as an important source for this period of history.

Though it is not a main point of the book, Utley does talk some about relations between the mountain men and Indians. The attitudes ranged from racism to toleration to admiration. Some tribes, like the Blackfeet, were constant foes of the mountain men. Others, like the Shoshone and the Nez Perce (at least during the time of this history), were almost always friendly.

Utley uses his last chapter to wrap up the loose ends of some of his subjects' lives and the ultimate nature of their contributions to American development. Cartographer Peter Dana has the final say with an interesting chapter on how the book's extensive topographical maps, detailing the travels of various mountain men and the fur trade in general, were prepared from satellite photos.

Utley organizes the book along geographical lines and accounts of how particular routes of travel were developed. This leads to some confusion since he jumps back and forth in time. However, Utley's clear style and a well-done index help keep things straight. The footnotes are not only extensive but full of useful information.

My son's 4th grade social studies unit last year covered the Oregon Trail and westward expansion. I caught his enthusiasm and found this book to be an exhaustive, informative, and interesting work. It fills in a large gap in American history- the time between the Lewis and Clark expedetion, and the settling by pioneers of the Oregon and California territories. The mountain men were not just trappers, but were truly instrumental in determining the topography and geography of the West, and so gathering the knowledge that allowed emigrants to populate the area. A trip to the Grand Tetons this summer was enhanced by having read this book, as that area was of great importance to the fur trade and to westward expansion with the discovery of South Pass. Although the author's literary style is not as compelling as that of Stephen Ambrose, I still found the book interesting and worthwhile. The maps were valuable as well.

This is ideal follow-up reading to Stephen Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" since it details how the Rocky Mountains were penetrated and paths were found to the Pacific Coast, preparing the way for emigrant trails, in the four decades following the Lewis and Clark expedition. Some participants in that venture feature indeed in the early chapters of this work, some meeting horrific fates at the hands of Indian tribes. Mr.Utley structures his very readable narrative around the lives and careers both of individual Mountain Men and of more formal explorers and he is very successful in explaining how each new item of information on river systems, mountain ranges and watersheds was haltingly, and sometimes even wrongly, integrated step by step into an overall understanding of the geography of the American West. A major strength of the book is the collection of coloured, computer-generated maps which complement the text splendidly and which, far more effectively than conventional maps, convey the complexities of the terrain traversed in these amazing journeys. Mr.Utley carries his scholarship lightly and the story is told with fluency and grace. A most enjoyable book and an ideal vade-mecum for anybody planning a holiday in the Western United States.

To read about Custer this is the best place to start. Utley gives a great frame work of Custer's life from his pre-cadet days, courtship, Civil War days (noticed by McClellan which starts it all) and captures his post war duties of reconstruction duties, Kansas-Nebraska-Oklahoma campaigns, court martial, Battle of Waschita, hobnobbing in New York and Washington, Yellowstone Survey of 1873, the Black Hills exploration, political conflicts, Washington and Grant episode and of course the LBH. Also reveals perhaps a weakness in frontier military life such as the remoteness followed by extended leave for officers including Custer. Objective in that Utley traces some questioning financial aspirations of Custer that may even have involved sutlers on a small scale while later he serves, perhaps as a patsy for the democrats, as a political foil against the Grant admnistration in reference to malfeasance with military supplies and sutler relations. Only wish their was even more material on Custer but you do get a good picture of the man including his racuous fun loving side. The book also demonstrates that Custer treated friends and family well and that those that were not were not fond of him. Supports the often quoted "loved or hated".

This biography of George Armstrong Custer devotes most of its pages to his post Civil War career. Most people only know that he died at the Little Bighorn battle; they know the legend or the symbol, not the real person. Chapter 1 discusses his legend from 1876 to the present. Before his last campaign Custer charged the Grant administration with fraud and corruption. So whether he was a "victim of Grant's Indian policy" or a "foolhardy glory hunter" depended on the politics of the beholder.

Custer's postwar career depended on the support of Sherman and Sheridan ("Custer never let me down"). Since the Indians kept far away from the railroads, building the Northern Pacific railroad would ethnically cleanse the northern Dakota territory. The railroads were given tens of thousands of square miles of land ("sunblasted in summer, frozen in winter" p.125). They could not be sold to settlers until Indians were removed and neutralized. Settlers would then buy railroad lands, then use the railroad to transport their produce and supplies. The army's task was to implement this political policy; they only followed orders. There were treaties such as at Medicine Lodge in October 1867. But the Indians had no idea that they were giving up the country they claimed as their own (p.59).

The announced purpose of the Black Hills Expedition of 1874 was to find a site for a new fort, and for scientific exploration. The discovery of gold meant that miners would flock to these Indian lands via the Northern Pacific. The chief geologist, and Lt. Col. Fred Grant, cast doubt on this report: it might have been planted (p.141)! These lands could not be developed while the Indians held title, unless a war was created to negate the treaty (p.147). The Interior Dept. issued an ultimatum to the Sitting Bull bands: move to the Great Sioux Reservation or be driven in (p.156). But the Indians were immobilized in winter! Their failure to migrate was used to start a war. The military campaign started in April 1876. Custer believed that the Indians should be civilized into Christian farmers, but "if I were an Indian I often think that I would prefer to adhere to the free open plains rather than submit to a reservation" (p.149).

Just before his last campaign Custer testified against the actions of Secretary of War Belknap. Was he looking for some heroic action to gain popular acclaim? Was he suffering from any ailment that could affect his judgment? Chapter 9 discusses the "Judgments" on the defeat. Utley wonders if Custer received his chest wound at the beginning of the battle, and this demoralized and confused their defense? This would account for much that is puzzling about the battle (p.199). Those paintings of "Custer's Last Stand" are imagined. The Sioux fired their rifles and arrows from long range while concealed (p.190). They were too smart for a "Charge of the Light Brigade".

I have been an avid reader of Custer related literature
through the years and this is simply the best book on the market
on George Armstrong Custer. As a graduate student at Mississippi
State University and taking a course on the American West I gave
a lecture on Custer and recommended this book to the class.
Mr. Utley gives great detail on Custer's life. As with any
reader of Custer the debate rages on about General Terry's orders
to Custer and if they were obeyed or not. The author brought
out something I had not read before and that being the affidavet
of a cook who overheard a conservation between Terry and Custer.
A great book on Custer and especially on the Battle of the
Little Bighorn. Also, being a Civil War buff I liked the way the author mentioned how former Confederate generals were some
of Custer's biggest defenders after the battle.
If one were looking for a starting place on Custer this book
would be the one.

Most people only know about the Indian Wars in the Northern Great Plains from 1866 to 1890. This book has a short history of the years 1848 to 1865 to fill the gaps in your knowledge. These years marked the continental dimensions of the United States, and the evolving policies towards the Native Americans. The military met hostile conditions of climate and geography unlike east of the Mississippi.

Chapter One begins at the end of the Mexican War; an army of 100,000 officers and men invaded a foreign country and defeated forces five times their number. The Army's priority was still on westward expansion: travel routes and settlements. Mineral wealth (gold, silver) was the most important; agriculture followed later. A standing army distasteful to the Founding Fathers became a necessity in expanding the American Republic into a Continental power. While the Militia was useful, only the Regular Army could be supported by national tax dollars.

The many Indian tribes were never united, and often fought among themselves as with the white settlers. The Army had to protect settlers and peaceful Indians from hostile Indians, and peaceful Indians from white settlers. The Indians knew how to live in these lands, and to take advantage of the environment. Most were partially or wholly nomadic. Their culture centered on war and its rewards. Their loose social organization exalted the individual at the expense of the group; no chief's word could bind his people. This caused conflict with the whites who could not understand this way of life. They would never attack unless they could win, and otherwise quickly disappeared from the enemy. The Army could win by operating as a disciplined team against fragmented warriors (seeking individual combat as in Medieval times). The Army also had howitzers ("guns that shot twice"), and rifles that could reach their enemy before threatened by smooth bore muskets. The Indian tribes could not unite for a vigorous and sustained offense or defense.

Chapter Ten tells how the Army was organized in the Civil War. The Volunteers were the great citizen armies that bore the brunt of the fighting. They were organized by state governors and mustered into US service for 6 to 24 months. Their officers were appointed by governors, general officers by the President. The Militia were also organized by the Governors, but could not serve outside of their state or territory. The Regular Army was enlarged for the war. Most recruits chose the Volunteers for their enlistment bounties and shorter terms of service. Many of the Volunteers were used for the Indian wars, including "Galvanized Yankees" (Confederate prisoners released for this duty). Their job was to protect the wagon trains on the trails, the stations, and the telegraph lines. They provided business for contractors and neighboring towns.

Chapter Sixteen provides a summary of the preceding chapters. One development was the winter campaign. A stationary tribe would be attacked, their food and lodgings destroyed, their only survival lay in reaching an Indian Agency. Another was total war, the deliberate killing of women and children, even if against law and tradition (pp 345-6). Such actions outraged the humanitarian sensibilities of easterners. There was conflict between the military and civil branches of the government.

In this book Robert Utley describes in significant detail the operations of the United States and Volunteer Armies in the American West. Until this book I never quite grasped the magnitude of the problem involved, the competing vested interests, the vast distances covered and the logistical nightmares the Army faced.

Detailing the regional conflicts sequentially, Utley delivers a complete analysis of the battles, campaigns and treaties involved in conquering of the American West. I never realized how many battles, skirmishes and firefights were fought. I never realized how complex the politics surrounding the Army's operations were. And most of all I never realized how limited the Army's resources of men and material were.

It is truly stupefying what was accomplished in the seventeen years, 1848 - 1865, between the end of the War with Mexico and the close of the U.S. Civil War. With few exceptions all the tribes of the Pacific and those of the Great Basin were subjugated. At the same time, the foundations for the subsequent conquering of the tribes of the Great Plains, Texas and American Southwest were formulated.

The final act of Manifest Destiny was the subjugation of the Native Americans. This is the story of how that process was begun.

Mr. Utley's High Noon in Lincoln is an interesting book. Most of us have some idea that the western frontier could be a violent place from movies and stories read in our youth. But very few know of any of the real escapades that helped generate the material for the likes of Zane Gray, John Wayne or Clint Eastwood. Mr. Utley's book chronicles one of the most infamous episodes of western violence, the Lincoln County Range War.

This book is well researched and introduces many charactors (Lew Wallace, Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid and John Henry Tunstall to name a few). It is a solid chronology of the disputes and charactors that made Lincoln County a lawless, murderous place for a few years in the late 1870's. Warning for those expecting someone to be wearing a white hat in this tale, there is no romance in this telling of the old west.

We all "know" the story of Billy the Kid from sources like "The Left Handed Gun," "The Tall Man," and most lately "Young Guns I & II." What a surprise it becomes to learn that Billy the Kid was little more than a footnote in that bloody and lawless chapter of Western History known as the Lincoln County War.

The remarkable thing about Utley's book is that it's a scholarly study of the effects of the breakdown of law and order in a frontier community. Why, then, is it such an interesting, exciting reading experience? How can it be so entertaining when its aim was to be educational? Utley works with an intriguing subject matter and presents it in a workmanlike fashion.

We learn the real issues, the real protagonists, the real course of events, and the real winners. The truth is even more remarkable than all that Hollywood fiction. Utley pulls no punches in describing the hardship and suffering caused by strong willed parties contesting economic issues by extralegal means, and the unfortunate consequences of mixing guns, alcohol, and the "Code of the West."