The View from Officers' Row
eBook - ePub

The View from Officers' Row

Army Perceptions of Western Indians

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The View from Officers' Row

Army Perceptions of Western Indians

About this book

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Capturing military men in contemplation rather than combat, Sherry L. Smith reveals American army officers' views about the Indians against whom they fought in the last half of the nineteenth century. She demonstrates that these officers—and their wives—did not share a monolithic, negative view of their enemies, but instead often developed a great respect for Indians and their cultures. Some officers even came to question Indian policy, expressed misgivings about their personal involvement in the Indian Wars, and openly sympathized with their foe.     
 
The book reviews the period 1848–1890—from the acquisition of the Mexican Cession to the Battle of Wounded Knee—and encompasses the entire trans-Mississippi West. Resting primarily on personal documents drawn from a representative sample of the officer corps at all levels, the study seeks to juxtapose the opinions of high-ranking officers with those of officers of lesser prominence, who were perhaps less inclined to express personal opinions in official reports.   
 
No educated segment of American society had more prolonged contact with Indians than did army officers and their wives, yet not until now has such an overview of their attitudes been presented. Smith's work demolishes the stereotype of the Indian-hating officer and broadens our understanding of the role of the army in the American West.
 

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Yes, you can access The View from Officers' Row by Sherry L. Smith in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & North American History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. List of Illustrations
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction
  9. 1 / Officers as Observers
  10. 2 / Indian Character
  11. 3 / Tribes and Chiefs
  12. 4 / Indian Women
  13. 5 / Thoughts on Indian Policy
  14. 6 / Explanations of the Indian Wars
  15. 7 / Indian Warfare
  16. 8 / The Indian Scout as Ally
  17. Conclusion
  18. Notes
  19. Bibliography
  20. Index
  21. About the Author