Third in five-volume series recreates the military struggle for the American West in the words of the soldiers, noncombatants, and Native Americans.

This is the fourth volume in a planned five-volume series that will tell the saga of the military struggle for the American West in the words of the soldiers, noncombatants, and Native Americans who shaped it.

Thanks to Hollywood's many portrayals of the US Cavalry, it is little understood that the infantry played as great a part in the Indian Wars of the 1860s-80s, and were more consistently successful. The great Paiute War of 1866, where the infantry of the most renowned Indian-fighting general, George Cook, excelled in battle, together with the role of other infantry units in the final subjugation of Geronimo's Apaches in 1886, are but two instances of their achievements. Moreover, after the Custer massacre, it was the infantry under Gen Nelson Miles who out-fought Crazy Horse's Sioux in the Wolf Mountains in 1877; Crazy Horse christened them 'Walk-a-Heaps'. The struggle against the Indians was the longest war in American military history and the Indians were formidable opponents. They knew the terrain, could live off the land and fielded some of the finest light cavalry in the world. Facing such a determined foe, one soldier even wrote: "The front is all around and the rear is nowhere." The US Infantry endured years of sporadic battles that were bitterly contested against an enemy who was fighting for their very survival. Presenting an illustrated history of these critical but overlooked soldiers of the Indian Wars, and featuring their involvement in the legendary battles of Wounded Knee and Wolf Mountains, this narrative includes details of their tactics, training, uniforms and equipment culminating in the eventual "closing" of the American Frontier in 1890 and the final conquest of the indigenous inhabitants of North America.

This encyclopedia provides a broad, in-depth, and multidisciplinary look at the causes and effects of warfare between whites and Native Americans, encompassing nearly three centuries of history. The Battle of the Wabash: the U.S. Army's single worst defeat at the hands of Native American forces. The Battle of Wounded Knee: an unfortunate, unplanned event that resulted in the deaths of more than 150 Lakota Sioux men, women, and children. These and other engagements between white settlers and Native Americans were events of profound historical significance, resulting in social, political, and cultural changes for both ethnic populations, the lasting effects of which are clearly seen today. The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607–1890: A Political, Social, and Military History provides comprehensive coverage of almost 300 years of North American Indian Wars. Beginning with the first Indian-settler conflicts that arose in the early 1600s, this three-volume work covers all noteworthy battles between whites and Native Americans through the Battle of Wounded Knee in December 1890. The book provides detailed biographies of military, social, religious, and political leaders and covers the social and cultural aspects of the Indian wars. Also supplied are essays on every major tribe, as well as all significant battles, skirmishes, and treaties.