Books by "John Frederick Finerty"
11 books found
A firsthand account of General George Crook's campaigns against the Indians, by a member of his staff.
In the years following the Civil War, the U.S. Army underwent a professional decline. Soldiers served their enlistments at remote, nameless posts from Arizona to Alaska. Harsh weather, bad food and poor conditions were adversaries as dangerous as Indian raiders. Yet under these circumstances, men continued to enlist for $13 a month. Drawing on soldiers' narratives, personal letters and official records, the author explores the common soldier's experience during the Reconstruction Era, the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War and the Punitive Expedition into Mexico.
Very likely the most important first-hand account of the Indian Wars you'll ever read. Captain John Gregory Bourke's classic volume on his time as aide-de-camp to General George Crook has been considered essential reading since it was published in 1891. This edition is updated with biographical information on Bourke and annotated with updated notes. Crook and Bourke were at the center of enormous change in the American West. Both of them were distinguished Civil War veterans and both believed there was a way to aid American westward expansion while treating native peoples with justice. Their careers in the West paralleled those of Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, Geronimo, and Sitting Bull, all of with whom they had dealings. A true soldier-scholar, highly-educated, and a Medal of Honor recipient, Bourke brought to this work an intelligent perspective, admiration for his commander, a deep desire to understand Native American ways, and a generous portion of humor. He was recognized in his time as an important ethnographer and writer. Every memoir of the American West provides us with another view of the movement that changed the country forever. For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.