RESOURCES
The following are some recommended books to get you started on learning about various aspects of the Indian Wars era. All of these are available through Amazon Books- just click on the title below and you will be taken to their web site. Not only can you find some great books, but I also get a commission from every sale which helps finance this web site. Thanks & Hoka Hey!
Forty Miles a Day on Beans and
Hay by Don Rickey, Jr. Definitely THE book to begin with!!! Read this
before reading anything else- it provides a good overview of life in the
frontier army during the Indian Wars. Read this in conjunction with Utley below.
Traveler's Guide to the Great Sioux
War by Paul L. Hedrin. Thinking of traveling to where it actually
happened? Hedrin's book provides an excellent guide to all the Indian Wars sites
(and to some that are not so well-known today). Read this before going!!
Frontier Regulars by
Robert Utley. A good place to begin one's research on the Indian Wars, Utley
covers the period from 1865 through 1891 and he gives a broad overview of the
Army's various campaigns, organization, equipment, and a host of other details.
Read this in conjunction with Don Rickey's book Forty Miles A Day On Beans
And Hay.
More
Army Blue: The Uniform of Uncle Sam's Regulars 1874-1887 by John Langellier.
An excellent resource, packed with good reference photos
of the various uniforms, headgear, and insignia. Many of the photos are
relatively rare and he also reprints many of the period uniform regulations in
an appendix in the back. A definite must for the reference library.
Bluecoats : The U.S. Army in the
West by John Langellier. An excellent photo book- it mostly has
pictures from the later 1870s and 1880s but still a good source for pictures.
The U.S. Army in the West, 1870-1880 by
Douglas C. McChristian. Definitely THE book to get if you are interested
in the uniforms, equipment, and weapons of the 1870s American soldier. His
comments on Civil War era uniforms and equipment are also interesting.
Trapdoor Springfield : The United States by M.D. "Bud" Waite and B.D. Ernst. This provides a good introduction to the .45-70 rifle in all its models and configurations.
Battle of the Rosebud by Neil C. Mangum. Provides a good comprehensive account of the Battle of the Rosebud. Excellent maps and narrative, Mangum really brings out the detail about a battle that is usually ignored, overshadowed by the Battle of Little Big Horn.