Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper was a former slave who rose to become the first African American graduate of West Point. While serving as commissary officer at Fort Davis, Texas, in 1881, he was charged with embezzlement and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. A court-martial board acquitted Flipper of the embezzlement charge but convicted him of conduct unbecoming. He was then dismissed from the service of the United States. The Flipper case became known as something of an American Dreyfus Affair, emblematic of racism in the frontier army. Because of Flipper's efforts to clear his name, many assumed that he had been railroaded because he was black.In The Fall of a Black Army Officer, Charles M. Robinson III challenges that assumption. In this complete revision of his earlier work, The Court-Martial of Lieutenant Henry Flipper, Robinson finds that Flipper was the author of his own problems. The taint of racism on the Flipper affair became so widely accepted that in 1999 President Bill Clinton issued a posthumous pardon for Flipper. The Fall of a Black Army Officer boldly moves the arguments regarding racism--in both Lt. Flipper's case and the frontier army in general--beyond political correctness. Solidly grounded in archival research, it is a thorough and provocative reassessment of the Flipper affair, at last revealing the truth.

General George Crook was one of the most prominent soldiers in the frontier West. General William T. Sherman called him the greatest Indian fighter and manager the army ever had. And yet, on hearing of Crook's death, the Sioux chief Red Cloud lamented, "He, at least, never lied to us." As a young officer in the Pacific Northwest, Crook emphasized training and marksmanship--innovative ideas in the antebellum army.

Crook's career in the West began with successful campaigns against the Apaches that resulted in his promotion to brigadier general. His campaign against the Lakota and Cheyennes was less successful, however, as he alternately displayed deep insight, egotism, indecision, and fear.

Charles M. Robinson pieces together the contradictions of Crook's career to reveal that although the general sometimes micromanaged his campaigns to the point that his officers had virtually no flexibility, he gave his officers so much freedom on other occasions that they did not fully understand his expectations or objectives. Crook resented any criticism and was quick to blame both subordinates and superiors, yet Robinson shows that much of Crook's success in the Indian wars can be attributed to the efforts of subordinate officers. He also details Crook's later efforts to provide equal rights and opportunities for American Indians. "General Crook and the Western Frontier," the first full-scale biography of Crook, uses contemporary manuscripts and primary sources to illuminate the general's personal life and military career.

The Great Plains cover the central two-thirds of the United States, and during the nineteenth century they were home to some of the largest and most powerful Native American tribes on the continent. The conflict between those tribes and the newcomers from Europe lasted one hundred and fifty years, and required the resources of five nations - Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America and the United States - before fighting finally ended in the mid-1890s. This masterly exposition explains the background, causes, and long-term effects of these bitter wars, whose legacy can still be felt today.

If variety is the spice of life, then Louisiana's history is a red-hot gumbo. Roadside History of Louisiana is a piquant adventure through Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and, of course, the Big Easy, as well as historic plantations, tiny bayou towns, and old railroad stops. You can almost smell the jambalaya as we tour the Cajun country, learning how the Acadians adapted to their new southern environment after Le Grand Derangement, the tragic expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia in 1755. And you can almost feel the beat of the drums in New Orleans's Congo Square, where slaves once gathered to dance. With insight and warmth, Charles M. Robinson III follows the ups and downs of this great southern state, from the optimism of early settlers to the struggles of the Civil War, from the joy of Mardi Gras to the horror of Hurricane Katrina. Like the other books in this highly regarded series, Roadside History of Louisiana is divided into six regions, following highways and scenic byways through small towns and urban centers, enlightening both residents and visitors. Numerous historical photographs and maps enhance this delightful guide to the history of the Pelican State.

Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper was a former slave who rose to become the first African American graduate of West Point. While serving as commissary officer at Fort Davis, Texas, in 1881, he was charged with embezzlement and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. A court-martial board acquitted Flipper of the embezzlement charge but convicted him of conduct unbecoming. He was then dismissed from the service of the United States. The Flipper case became known as something of an American Dreyfus Affair, emblematic of racism in the frontier army. Because of Flipper's efforts to clear his name, many assumed that he had been railroaded because he was black.In The Fall of a Black Army Officer, Charles M. Robinson III challenges that assumption. In this complete revision of his earlier work, The Court-Martial of Lieutenant Henry Flipper, Robinson finds that Flipper was the author of his own problems. The taint of racism on the Flipper affair became so widely accepted that in 1999 President Bill Clinton issued a posthumous pardon for Flipper. The Fall of a Black Army Officer boldly moves the arguments regarding racism--in both Lt. Flipper's case and the frontier army in general--beyond political correctness. Solidly grounded in archival research, it is a thorough and provocative reassessment of the Flipper affair, at last revealing the truth.

General George Crook was one of the most prominent soldiers in the frontier West. General William T. Sherman called him the greatest Indian fighter and manager the army ever had. And yet, on hearing of Crook's death, the Sioux chief Red Cloud lamented, "He, at least, never lied to us." As a young officer in the Pacific Northwest, Crook emphasized training and marksmanship--innovative ideas in the antebellum army. Crook's career in the West began with successful campaigns against the Apaches that resulted in his promotion to brigadier general. His campaign against the Lakota and Cheyennes was less successful, however, as he alternately displayed deep insight, egotism, indecision, and fear. Charles M. Robinson pieces together the contradictions of Crook's career to reveal that although the general sometimes micromanaged his campaigns to the point that his officers had virtually no flexibility, he gave his officers so much freedom on other occasions that they did not fully understand his expectations or objectives. Crook resented any criticism and was quick to blame both subordinates and superiors, yet Robinson shows that much of Crook's success in the Indian wars can be attributed to the efforts of subordinate officers. He also details Crook's later efforts to provide equal rights and opportunities for American Indians. General Crook and the Western Frontier, the first full-scale biography of Crook, uses contemporary manuscripts and primary sources to illuminate the general's personal life and military career.

More than a century after his death in 1878, the mere mention of John Larn's name can trigger strong reactions along the Clear Fork of the Brazos River in northern Texas. In "Bravo of the Brazos," Robert K. DeArment tells for the first time the complete story of this enigmatic and controversial figure.

Larn was good-looking, well-mannered, and gentle around women and children. He was a successful rancher and renowned frontier sheriff. Yet he was also the charismatic leader of a vigilante committee that enjoyed widespread support. Before his death at age 29, Larn had killed or participated in killing at least a dozen men.

Fort Griffin, Texas, is rarely used in the same sentence with Dodge City, Deadwood, or Tombstone, yet this frontier town was every bit as tough as the places that went down in the history of brutality. Vigilantes, lynchings, ladies of easy virtue, buffalo hunting, gambling, posses, more lynchings, and lawmen as bad as the outlaws they jailed - Fort Griffin had it all, bustling with a raw life not for the faint-of-heart. Commonly known as the Flat, Fort Griffin grew from a military post rife with Indian trouble to a spirited, rough-hewn frontier community, only to burn out in a matter of decades. Within that time it helped mold characters equal to any of legend. John Larn, the Flat's second sheriff, was not only considered one of the best lawmen in the county but was also a cattle thief and killer, and died as violently as he had lived. Colonel Ranald MacKenzie, commanding officer of the Fourth Cavalry, was the man whose savvy and knowledge would eventually put an end to the savage Indian attacks that had plagued Fort Griffin and surrounding territories. Lottie Deno was the celebrity of Fort Griffin's floating world. With a mysterious past and uncommon elegance for women in her trade, her time in the Flat was to end with the tragic murder of her lover. Fort Griffin had all the makings of the legendary western town, and was an archetype for the untamed frontier life. Its story is one of passion, anger, lawlessness, and occasional justice, and will further establish the Flat as a truly original pioneer town.

Kiowa and Comanche raids on the Southern Plains in 1870-71 terrorized settlers. The raids culminated in the Warren Wagon Train Massacre and the arrest of Satank, Santanta, and Big Tree by General William Tecumseh Sherman. The Jacksboro Indian Trial led to a confrontation between the state of Texas, the federal government, the Kiowa Nation, Comanches, and Cheyennes. This narrative history explores the Little Arkansas and Medicine Lodge Treaties and factions within the Kiowa Nation.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1880 Edition.

John Gregory Bourke kept a monumental set of diaries as aide-de-camp to Brigadier General George Crook. This second volume (of a projected set of six) opens as Crook prepares for the expedition that would lead to his infamous and devastating Horse Meat March. Although Bourke retains his loyalty to Crook throughout the detailed account, his patience is sorely tried at times. Bourke's description of the march is balanced by an appendix containing letters and reports by others such as Lt. Walter Schuyler and Surgeon Bennett Clements. The diary continues with the story of the Powder River Expedition, culminating in Bourke's eyewitness description of Col. Ranald Mackenzie's destruction of the main Cheyenne camp in what became known as the Dull knife Fight. Bourke finishes this volume with a retrospective of his service in Tucson, Arizona. Each volume in the series is extensively annotated and contains a biographical appendix on Indians, civilians, and military personnel named in the volume.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

The near extinction of the North American buffalo, which in 1850 covered the mid-western plains by countless millions but which had been hunted to near-oblivion within thirty-five years, is one of the most exciting yet tragic stories of American history. Charles M. Robinson III dramatically relates this tale with both vivid, brilliantly researched text and with evocative photographs and illustrations. From the 18th century French fur traders, through the American industrial revolution with its demand for leather, and ending with the final sad hunts of the mid-1880s, Robinson eloquently and graphically describes all aspects of the hunt and the hunters, including the Indians for whom the destruction of their subsistence resulted in their own destruction. Here are the hunters such as Custer, Cody and the Mooars, and the rough and tumble towns that hides built--Adobe Walls, Buffalo Gap, Dodge City, and Fort Griffin. A wealth of photographs, including rare reproductions of the long-lost glass plates of photographer George Robertson taken during an 1874 hunt, and the photographs of L.A. Huffman in the early 1880s, illustrate this exciting volume of Western Americana.

A Civil War hero, victorious Indian fighter and eventual madman, General Ranald S. Mackenzie's fascinating life, his brilliant accomplishments, and his descent into madness are brought to life in a complete and thoroughly researched biography that reestablishes his importance in the history of Texas and the United States. Foreword by Stan Hoig.