Unbelieveable photos! A must buy for history lovers., 21 Jan 1999
Berton, a well known writer of Canadian histories, has put together quite a collection of photographs in this glossy tome. If you are realy interested in the subject, I suggest Klondike Quest for the remarkable pictures, and "The Klondike Fever", also by Berton, for a written account. I can't praise the collection of photographs enough.

Unbelieveable photos! A must buy for history lovers., 21 Jan 1999
Berton, a well known writer of Canadian histories, has put together quite a collection of photographs in this glossy tome. If you are realy interested in the subject, I suggest Klondike Quest for the remarkable pictures, and "The Klondike Fever", also by Berton, for a written account. I can't praise the collection of photographs enough.

A GOOD DAY TO DIE ........, 14 May 2006
after watching documentaries and reading various books on the subject of THE BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN or as is commonly known CUSTERS LAST STAND , this book was a welcome change . unlike most of the other books that deal mainly with the cavalrys involvement with the battle this book intricately deals with the sioux and cheyennes casualties of the battle . and when i say intricate i mean intricate , the work involved and the research put into this work really comes through , especially the accounts recorded by original sioux and cheyenne and ree participants in the battle . the names of all recorded native american sioux and cheyenne dead from the battle [ which were in comparison with the cavalry dead extremely small ] are told along with descriptions of how they died in battle and where they are believed to have fallen within the overall battle, my hat goes off to all involved with this book . it is a fascinating and riveting read , and for anyone interested in this battle a must have addition , i hope we see many more detailed works from this author a truly great work and i recommend it highly if you are interested in this particular subject or in the plight of the native american plains indians from this period of history .

Unbelieveable photos! A must buy for history lovers., 21 Jan 1999
Berton, a well known writer of Canadian histories, has put together quite a collection of photographs in this glossy tome. If you are realy interested in the subject, I suggest Klondike Quest for the remarkable pictures, and "The Klondike Fever", also by Berton, for a written account. I can't praise the collection of photographs enough.

A GOOD DAY TO DIE ........, 14 May 2006
after watching documentaries and reading various books on the subject of THE BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN or as is commonly known CUSTERS LAST STAND , this book was a welcome change . unlike most of the other books that deal mainly with the cavalrys involvement with the battle this book intricately deals with the sioux and cheyennes casualties of the battle . and when i say intricate i mean intricate , the work involved and the research put into this work really comes through , especially the accounts recorded by original sioux and cheyenne and ree participants in the battle . the names of all recorded native american sioux and cheyenne dead from the battle [ which were in comparison with the cavalry dead extremely small ] are told along with descriptions of how they died in battle and where they are believed to have fallen within the overall battle, my hat goes off to all involved with this book . it is a fascinating and riveting read , and for anyone interested in this battle a must have addition , i hope we see many more detailed works from this author a truly great work and i recommend it highly if you are interested in this particular subject or in the plight of the native american plains indians from this period of history .

Travelogue on the unspoiled Wild west, 14 Feb 2003
Here's a story of young man travelling to the Great Plains in the 1840's, enduring physical hardship whilst meeting proper Indians (Oglalla Sioux) and particpating in their life style.

Life in those days was relatively carefree,though some tribes were not be messed with. Indians were extremely hospitable, superstitious people, who lived off what nature provided them with. As the guest of honour though, chances were you'd be served dog - a white dog if possible. This and many other interesting tales about life in the Prairie you will find in this book. The Indian way of life, hunting bison, the scenery, the trappers, the trading post (famous Fort Laramie) its all in there. The unspoiled West - a decade or two before cattle moved in & things turned Wild.

Although written in 19th century its prose is accessible. Essentially, this a story of a young "back-packer" going West, meeting up with some British(!) "back-packers"- and the trouble it brings as well. Brilliant reading of American History in between Independance and Civil War.

One of my Favorites, 10 Nov 2001
This is one of my favorite books. It is a true story, written by a young man traveling in the West when it was really wild! It tells of the hardships he endures, and the people he meets.

Unbelieveable photos! A must buy for history lovers., 21 Jan 1999
Berton, a well known writer of Canadian histories, has put together quite a collection of photographs in this glossy tome. If you are realy interested in the subject, I suggest Klondike Quest for the remarkable pictures, and "The Klondike Fever", also by Berton, for a written account. I can't praise the collection of photographs enough.

A GOOD DAY TO DIE ........, 14 May 2006
after watching documentaries and reading various books on the subject of THE BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN or as is commonly known CUSTERS LAST STAND , this book was a welcome change . unlike most of the other books that deal mainly with the cavalrys involvement with the battle this book intricately deals with the sioux and cheyennes casualties of the battle . and when i say intricate i mean intricate , the work involved and the research put into this work really comes through , especially the accounts recorded by original sioux and cheyenne and ree participants in the battle . the names of all recorded native american sioux and cheyenne dead from the battle [ which were in comparison with the cavalry dead extremely small ] are told along with descriptions of how they died in battle and where they are believed to have fallen within the overall battle, my hat goes off to all involved with this book . it is a fascinating and riveting read , and for anyone interested in this battle a must have addition , i hope we see many more detailed works from this author a truly great work and i recommend it highly if you are interested in this particular subject or in the plight of the native american plains indians from this period of history .

Travelogue on the unspoiled Wild west, 14 Feb 2003
Here's a story of young man travelling to the Great Plains in the 1840's, enduring physical hardship whilst meeting proper Indians (Oglalla Sioux) and particpating in their life style.

Life in those days was relatively carefree,though some tribes were not be messed with. Indians were extremely hospitable, superstitious people, who lived off what nature provided them with. As the guest of honour though, chances were you'd be served dog - a white dog if possible. This and many other interesting tales about life in the Prairie you will find in this book. The Indian way of life, hunting bison, the scenery, the trappers, the trading post (famous Fort Laramie) its all in there. The unspoiled West - a decade or two before cattle moved in & things turned Wild.

Although written in 19th century its prose is accessible. Essentially, this a story of a young "back-packer" going West, meeting up with some British(!) "back-packers"- and the trouble it brings as well. Brilliant reading of American History in between Independance and Civil War.

One of my Favorites, 10 Nov 2001
This is one of my favorite books. It is a true story, written by a young man traveling in the West when it was really wild! It tells of the hardships he endures, and the people he meets.

Essential but not the easiest read, 05 Apr 2007
The Indian Wars in the United States are a largely forgotten era of American military history. There are at least two reasons for this. First, even at the time they occurred, the wars were distant to the "civilized" Eastern United States. Second, there is much collective guilt in the American consciousness for how the native American peoples were treated during the 1800s (Most of the wars discussed in the book resulted or were exacerbated by the US Government or American settlers and miners either encroaching or outright breaking agreements made with Indian tribes).

Yet the Indian Wars have surprising parallels with the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Indian campaigns were just as distant to the average American outside of the frontier as the War on Terror is to the prosperous and comfortable citizens of today. Each conflict was waged by a small American force stretched thinly over a large territory, much of it very harsh and unforgiving. The US Army in all of these conflicts was required to take on more of a constabulary role and involved itself with the assisting in the construction of civilian infrastructure. The combatants in these conflicts came from completely different cultures and there was little desire for either side to accommodate the other. Perhaps the most important comparison is that the combatants in these conflicts could not coexist. They waged wars of extermination. Please note my comments are not to compare the nobility of certain Indian tribes to that of Al Qaida of Islamofascists--I make dispassionate comparisons.

Though there are number of books written on the Indian Wars, most are not recent. Jerome A. Greene, a historian with the US National Park Service, thus presents a welcome addition to the historiography on the subject. Greene presents the written recollections of US Army veterans who served in the Indian Wars in the period after the American Civil War. He has largely drawn these recollections from the newsletters of various Indian War veterans' organizations. Most are from enlisted men who served in either the cavalry or infantry. Thus, you can say his sample is slightly skewed. The other problem with relying on the veterans organizations is that these men were putting their recollections on paper many decades after the actual event. Greene does do an excellent job of noting out incorrect memories.

My complaint with this book is that it was not an easy read. It took me some time to get through it. There are two reasons for this. If you come to the subject without a background in the subject, you will not be able to place events in context so easily. You will get an overall idea of daily life as a soldier in the wars, but not a strategic one. Greene's selections also do not detail much in the way of tactics, weaponry, and uniforms. The other problem with readability is that Greene tends to include the accounts of one event from several veterans, which sometimes makes the reading redundant.

I later read The Soldiers in the Time-Life "Old West" series, which written in 1973. This was a much better introduction to someone new to the subject. After having read this title, I could much better appreciate the overall timeline presented in Greene's book.

I think this is a valuable book but one should already be grounded in the subject first.

Unbelieveable photos! A must buy for history lovers., 21 Jan 1999
Berton, a well known writer of Canadian histories, has put together quite a collection of photographs in this glossy tome. If you are realy interested in the subject, I suggest Klondike Quest for the remarkable pictures, and "The Klondike Fever", also by Berton, for a written account. I can't praise the collection of photographs enough.

A GOOD DAY TO DIE ........, 14 May 2006
after watching documentaries and reading various books on the subject of THE BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN or as is commonly known CUSTERS LAST STAND , this book was a welcome change . unlike most of the other books that deal mainly with the cavalrys involvement with the battle this book intricately deals with the sioux and cheyennes casualties of the battle . and when i say intricate i mean intricate , the work involved and the research put into this work really comes through , especially the accounts recorded by original sioux and cheyenne and ree participants in the battle . the names of all recorded native american sioux and cheyenne dead from the battle [ which were in comparison with the cavalry dead extremely small ] are told along with descriptions of how they died in battle and where they are believed to have fallen within the overall battle, my hat goes off to all involved with this book . it is a fascinating and riveting read , and for anyone interested in this battle a must have addition , i hope we see many more detailed works from this author a truly great work and i recommend it highly if you are interested in this particular subject or in the plight of the native american plains indians from this period of history .

Travelogue on the unspoiled Wild west, 14 Feb 2003
Here's a story of young man travelling to the Great Plains in the 1840's, enduring physical hardship whilst meeting proper Indians (Oglalla Sioux) and particpating in their life style.

Life in those days was relatively carefree,though some tribes were not be messed with. Indians were extremely hospitable, superstitious people, who lived off what nature provided them with. As the guest of honour though, chances were you'd be served dog - a white dog if possible. This and many other interesting tales about life in the Prairie you will find in this book. The Indian way of life, hunting bison, the scenery, the trappers, the trading post (famous Fort Laramie) its all in there. The unspoiled West - a decade or two before cattle moved in & things turned Wild.

Although written in 19th century its prose is accessible. Essentially, this a story of a young "back-packer" going West, meeting up with some British(!) "back-packers"- and the trouble it brings as well. Brilliant reading of American History in between Independance and Civil War.

One of my Favorites, 10 Nov 2001
This is one of my favorite books. It is a true story, written by a young man traveling in the West when it was really wild! It tells of the hardships he endures, and the people he meets.

Essential but not the easiest read, 05 Apr 2007
The Indian Wars in the United States are a largely forgotten era of American military history. There are at least two reasons for this. First, even at the time they occurred, the wars were distant to the "civilized" Eastern United States. Second, there is much collective guilt in the American consciousness for how the native American peoples were treated during the 1800s (Most of the wars discussed in the book resulted or were exacerbated by the US Government or American settlers and miners either encroaching or outright breaking agreements made with Indian tribes).

Yet the Indian Wars have surprising parallels with the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Indian campaigns were just as distant to the average American outside of the frontier as the War on Terror is to the prosperous and comfortable citizens of today. Each conflict was waged by a small American force stretched thinly over a large territory, much of it very harsh and unforgiving. The US Army in all of these conflicts was required to take on more of a constabulary role and involved itself with the assisting in the construction of civilian infrastructure. The combatants in these conflicts came from completely different cultures and there was little desire for either side to accommodate the other. Perhaps the most important comparison is that the combatants in these conflicts could not coexist. They waged wars of extermination. Please note my comments are not to compare the nobility of certain Indian tribes to that of Al Qaida of Islamofascists--I make dispassionate comparisons.

Though there are number of books written on the Indian Wars, most are not recent. Jerome A. Greene, a historian with the US National Park Service, thus presents a welcome addition to the historiography on the subject. Greene presents the written recollections of US Army veterans who served in the Indian Wars in the period after the American Civil War. He has largely drawn these recollections from the newsletters of various Indian War veterans' organizations. Most are from enlisted men who served in either the cavalry or infantry. Thus, you can say his sample is slightly skewed. The other problem with relying on the veterans organizations is that these men were putting their recollections on paper many decades after the actual event. Greene does do an excellent job of noting out incorrect memories.

My complaint with this book is that it was not an easy read. It took me some time to get through it. There are two reasons for this. If you come to the subject without a background in the subject, you will not be able to place events in context so easily. You will get an overall idea of daily life as a soldier in the wars, but not a strategic one. Greene's selections also do not detail much in the way of tactics, weaponry, and uniforms. The other problem with readability is that Greene tends to include the accounts of one event from several veterans, which sometimes makes the reading redundant.

I later read The Soldiers in the Time-Life "Old West" series, which written in 1973. This was a much better introduction to someone new to the subject. After having read this title, I could much better appreciate the overall timeline presented in Greene's book.

I think this is a valuable book but one should already be grounded in the subject first.


Excellent personal memoir., 01 Sep 1999
Heros Van Borcke brings alive life in the Confederate Calvary. From battle to battle, the personal emotions and the devotion to a cause of a country that he was not native to. Van Borcke is able to capture the intimate details of living day to day in the army, his relations with commanders and emotions the people of the South and the death of the gallent people around him. If you appreciate the sacrifices of those who fought and died in this conflict, this book is a MUST!!

Hard to put down once you start to read it., 06 Dec 1998
This book was written in 1866, while the memories of the War Between the States were still fresh in Von Borcke's mind. A lot of the personal accounts I have read were written years after the war and were not as accurate as they could have been had they been written sooner. But, most of the veteran's had a lot more to contend with, than writing a book. Von Borcke,sometime lieutenant of the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards, came to Virginia from Prussia at the beginning of the war to offer his services to the Confederacy. Seeking adventure in the new land, he fell in with Jeb Stuart and found all he needed. Jeb Stuart made Von Borke one of his aides. Von Borcke writes about a lot of small details of Virginia at that time, that someone who was a native Virginian, would not have made note of because of already being familiar with these. He also has written of many humorous events that took place in camp and on the battlefield. Gives a good account of Stuart from someone who was close to Stuart in the good times and bad times. You will not regrett taking the time to read this to read this book.

Unbelieveable photos! A must buy for history lovers., 21 Jan 1999
Berton, a well known writer of Canadian histories, has put together quite a collection of photographs in this glossy tome. If you are realy interested in the subject, I suggest Klondike Quest for the remarkable pictures, and "The Klondike Fever", also by Berton, for a written account. I can't praise the collection of photographs enough.

A GOOD DAY TO DIE ........, 14 May 2006
after watching documentaries and reading various books on the subject of THE BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN or as is commonly known CUSTERS LAST STAND , this book was a welcome change . unlike most of the other books that deal mainly with the cavalrys involvement with the battle this book intricately deals with the sioux and cheyennes casualties of the battle . and when i say intricate i mean intricate , the work involved and the research put into this work really comes through , especially the accounts recorded by original sioux and cheyenne and ree participants in the battle . the names of all recorded native american sioux and cheyenne dead from the battle [ which were in comparison with the cavalry dead extremely small ] are told along with descriptions of how they died in battle and where they are believed to have fallen within the overall battle, my hat goes off to all involved with this book . it is a fascinating and riveting read , and for anyone interested in this battle a must have addition , i hope we see many more detailed works from this author a truly great work and i recommend it highly if you are interested in this particular subject or in the plight of the native american plains indians from this period of history .

Travelogue on the unspoiled Wild west, 14 Feb 2003
Here's a story of young man travelling to the Great Plains in the 1840's, enduring physical hardship whilst meeting proper Indians (Oglalla Sioux) and particpating in their life style.

Life in those days was relatively carefree,though some tribes were not be messed with. Indians were extremely hospitable, superstitious people, who lived off what nature provided them with. As the guest of honour though, chances were you'd be served dog - a white dog if possible. This and many other interesting tales about life in the Prairie you will find in this book. The Indian way of life, hunting bison, the scenery, the trappers, the trading post (famous Fort Laramie) its all in there. The unspoiled West - a decade or two before cattle moved in & things turned Wild.

Although written in 19th century its prose is accessible. Essentially, this a story of a young "back-packer" going West, meeting up with some British(!) "back-packers"- and the trouble it brings as well. Brilliant reading of American History in between Independance and Civil War.

One of my Favorites, 10 Nov 2001
This is one of my favorite books. It is a true story, written by a young man traveling in the West when it was really wild! It tells of the hardships he endures, and the people he meets.

Essential but not the easiest read, 05 Apr 2007
The Indian Wars in the United States are a largely forgotten era of American military history. There are at least two reasons for this. First, even at the time they occurred, the wars were distant to the "civilized" Eastern United States. Second, there is much collective guilt in the American consciousness for how the native American peoples were treated during the 1800s (Most of the wars discussed in the book resulted or were exacerbated by the US Government or American settlers and miners either encroaching or outright breaking agreements made with Indian tribes).

Yet the Indian Wars have surprising parallels with the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Indian campaigns were just as distant to the average American outside of the frontier as the War on Terror is to the prosperous and comfortable citizens of today. Each conflict was waged by a small American force stretched thinly over a large territory, much of it very harsh and unforgiving. The US Army in all of these conflicts was required to take on more of a constabulary role and involved itself with the assisting in the construction of civilian infrastructure. The combatants in these conflicts came from completely different cultures and there was little desire for either side to accommodate the other. Perhaps the most important comparison is that the combatants in these conflicts could not coexist. They waged wars of extermination. Please note my comments are not to compare the nobility of certain Indian tribes to that of Al Qaida of Islamofascists--I make dispassionate comparisons.

Though there are number of books written on the Indian Wars, most are not recent. Jerome A. Greene, a historian with the US National Park Service, thus presents a welcome addition to the historiography on the subject. Greene presents the written recollections of US Army veterans who served in the Indian Wars in the period after the American Civil War. He has largely drawn these recollections from the newsletters of various Indian War veterans' organizations. Most are from enlisted men who served in either the cavalry or infantry. Thus, you can say his sample is slightly skewed. The other problem with relying on the veterans organizations is that these men were putting their recollections on paper many decades after the actual event. Greene does do an excellent job of noting out incorrect memories.

My complaint with this book is that it was not an easy read. It took me some time to get through it. There are two reasons for this. If you come to the subject without a background in the subject, you will not be able to place events in context so easily. You will get an overall idea of daily life as a soldier in the wars, but not a strategic one. Greene's selections also do not detail much in the way of tactics, weaponry, and uniforms. The other problem with readability is that Greene tends to include the accounts of one event from several veterans, which sometimes makes the reading redundant.

I later read The Soldiers in the Time-Life "Old West" series, which written in 1973. This was a much better introduction to someone new to the subject. After having read this title, I could much better appreciate the overall timeline presented in Greene's book.

I think this is a valuable book but one should already be grounded in the subject first.


Excellent personal memoir., 01 Sep 1999
Heros Van Borcke brings alive life in the Confederate Calvary. From battle to battle, the personal emotions and the devotion to a cause of a country that he was not native to. Van Borcke is able to capture the intimate details of living day to day in the army, his relations with commanders and emotions the people of the South and the death of the gallent people around him. If you appreciate the sacrifices of those who fought and died in this conflict, this book is a MUST!!

Hard to put down once you start to read it., 06 Dec 1998
This book was written in 1866, while the memories of the War Between the States were still fresh in Von Borcke's mind. A lot of the personal accounts I have read were written years after the war and were not as accurate as they could have been had they been written sooner. But, most of the veteran's had a lot more to contend with, than writing a book. Von Borcke,sometime lieutenant of the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards, came to Virginia from Prussia at the beginning of the war to offer his services to the Confederacy. Seeking adventure in the new land, he fell in with Jeb Stuart and found all he needed. Jeb Stuart made Von Borke one of his aides. Von Borcke writes about a lot of small details of Virginia at that time, that someone who was a native Virginian, would not have made note of because of already being familiar with these. He also has written of many humorous events that took place in camp and on the battlefield. Gives a good account of Stuart from someone who was close to Stuart in the good times and bad times. You will not regrett taking the time to read this to read this book.

Tipis,tipees,teepees, history and design, 04 May 2008
A truely remarkable book written by one the foremost authorities on tipi design and living. Would have no hesitation in recommending this fine book.