Give Me Eighty Men - Women and the Myth of the Fetterman Fight (Hardcover)

"With eighty men I could ride through the entire Sioux nation." The story of what has become popularly known as the Fetterman Fight, near Fort Phil Kearney in present-day Wyoming in 1866, is based entirely on this infamous declaration attributed to Capt. William J. Fetterman. Historical accounts cite this statement in support of the premise that bravado, vainglory, and contempt for the fort's commander, Col. Henry B. Carrington, compelled Fetterman to disobey direct orders from Carrington and lead his men into a perfectly executed ambush by an alliance of Plains Indians. In the aftermath of the incident, Carrington's superiors--including generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman--positioned Carrington as solely accountable for the "massacre" by suppressing exonerating evidence. In the face of this betrayal, Carrington's first and second wives came to their husband's defense by publishing books presenting his version of the deadly encounter. Although several of Fetterman's soldiers and fellow officers disagreed with the women's accounts, their chivalrous deference to women's moral authority during this age of Victorian sensibilities enabled Carrington's wives to present their story without challenge. Influenced by these early works, historians focused on Fetterman's arrogance and ineptitude as the sole cause of the tragedy. In "Give Me Eighty Men," Shannon D. Smith reexamines the works of the two Mrs. Carringtons in the context of contemporary evidence. No longer seen as an arrogant firebrand, Fetterman emerges as an outstanding officer who respected the Plains Indians' superiority in numbers, weaponry, and battle skills. "Give Me Eighty Men" both challenges standardinterpretations of this American myth and shows the powerful influence of female writers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

General

Imprint:	University of Nebraska Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Women in the West
Release date:	April 2008
First published:	June 2008
Authors:	Shannon D. Smith
Dimensions:	216 x 140 x 24mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - Cloth over boards / Cloth over boards / Cloth over boards
Pages:	262
ISBN-13:	978-0-8032-1541-2
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > World history > 1750 to 1900 Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > War & defence operations > Battles & campaigns Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Gender studies > Women's studies > General Books > History > American history > General Books > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > History > World history > 1750 to 1900
LSN:	0-8032-1541-X
Barcode:	9780803215412

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