Lieutenant James William Abert (1820-97) of the United States Army
Topographical Engineers received orders in 1845 to explore the
Canadian River region of the southern plains -- an area covering
present-day Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. Although
this land was still in Mexican territory, the United States had
gradually abandoned most of the diplomatic niceties regarding its
boundaries with Mexico by that time.
Abert set out from Bent's Fort to conduct a detailed
reconnaissance. He possessed a great eye for detail, providing in
his journal graphic descriptions of the birds, plants, and animals
he encountered as well as clear depictions of the countryside.
Moreover, Abert observed in great detail the Kiowas and Comanches
who often approached his expedition to see if he and his men were
the much hated "Texans" with whom they were at war. His firsthand
account of the Kiowas and Comanches contains valuable information
not previously available.
The 1804 Lewis and Clark expedition marked the beginning of
Anglo-American exploration of the American West. Abert's account of
his four-month journey by mule train is invaluable as one of the
concluding records of that period.
In his introduction John Miller Morris, author of the
award-winning El Llano Estacado: Exploration and Imagination on the
High Plains of Texas and New Mexico, 1536-1860, assesses this
neglected work and places it with the reports of other adventurers
such as Zebulon Pike and Stephen Long.
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