Frontier Regulars: The United States Army and the Indian, 1866-1891

Rating:
Summary: An indispensable look at the frontier army
Review: A great deal has been written about the United States Army during the Civil War. But tales of the postwar army can be just as thrilling as stories from the war, though this portion of military history is, sadly, often overlooked. Robert Utley attempts to correct this oversight in this excellent book, which deals with the nature, structure, and activity of the portion of the army engaged on the frontier from immediately after the Civil War until Wounded Knee. Arranged in an order that is easy to follow and is logical if not always strictly chronological, each major military operation against the Native Americans is handled with skill and sufficient detail. The result is a fascinating look at the army as a whole.

The main value of this book lies in the fact that it provides an outstanding overview of military operations as a whole (as opposed to books that treat just one battle or campaign). The work fills in many holes that will undoubtedly exist for anyone who has studied a part of the Indian Wars, and who would like to have a more general overview available to them. Anyone who has studied the Little Bighorn, for example, will find in this book a wealth of information that will explain in great detail many of the factors that led up to that action and also many of its ramifications. This book is essential to any study of Western history, especially military history.

Rating:
Summary: An indispensable look at the frontier army
Review: A great deal has been written about the United States Army during the Civil War. But tales of the postwar army can be just as thrilling as stories from the war, though this portion of military history is, sadly, often overlooked. Robert Utley attempts to correct this oversight in this excellent book, which deals with the nature, structure, and activity of the portion of the army engaged on the frontier from immediately after the Civil War until Wounded Knee. Arranged in an order that is easy to follow and is logical if not always strictly chronological, each major military operation against the Native Americans is handled with skill and sufficient detail. The result is a fascinating look at the army as a whole.

The main value of this book lies in the fact that it provides an outstanding overview of military operations as a whole (as opposed to books that treat just one battle or campaign). The work fills in many holes that will undoubtedly exist for anyone who has studied a part of the Indian Wars, and who would like to have a more general overview available to them. Anyone who has studied the Little Bighorn, for example, will find in this book a wealth of information that will explain in great detail many of the factors that led up to that action and also many of its ramifications. This book is essential to any study of Western history, especially military history.

Rating:
Summary: Great resource on the Regular Army and the West
Review: Frontier Regulars is an entertaining and informative read. Robert Utley has done a fine job of bringing to life the average tempo and quality of the US Army on the frontier.

Utley uses memoirs and Army records as sources for his descriptions of military life. I was especially interested in his detailed accounts of how company commanders, platoon leaders and senior NCOs conducted themselves. There is one account describing how the CDR, 1st SGT and officers would make copies of documents during their daily staff meetings that is quite interesting. Having attended scores of company level meetings it struck me how much things have both stayed the same and how other things have changed.

There is a substantial amount devoted to the low quality of enlisted soldiers and the day-to-day hardships of camp life. Foodstuffs weren't always provided by the Army and isolated units had to scramble to come up with rations for the troops. This lead to moneymaking ventures, small plots of produce and other creative "financing" to supply the soldiers.
Interesting, well written and recommended.

Rating:
Summary: The United States Army and the Indian, 1866-1891
Review: Hefty 462 pages (incl. bibliography and index), by Robert M. Utley. This is part of the Wars of the United States Series.

The Frontier Regulars saw themselves as the advance guard of cililization, sweeping aside the savage to make way for the stockman, the miner, the farmer and the merchant.

This is a well-researched, and very well written volume, complete with footnotes, bibliography, and index.

Rating:
Summary: Required Reading for Indian Wars Enthusiasts
Review: Quite simply the definitive work on the frontier Army in the post-Civil War era. Read it in conjunction with Utley's history of the antebellum frontier Army (_Frontiersmen in Blue_), for the most complete and accessible account of the Army's sorry history of entanglements with Native Americans from the post-Mexican war era on.

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Summary: Objective, Unsympathetic, and Brilliantly Delivered
Review: Robert M. Utley offers the sequel to his _Frontiersmen in Blue: The United States Army and the Indian 1848-1865_. In this second installment, Utley attempts to eradicate the myth of the frontier Army as blazing a path of glory westward that has been portrayed in Hollywood movies. Rather, he argues the frontier regular Army was only one of several contributing factors to the subjugation of the Native Americans. Other determinants such as westward expansion by waves of immigrants, and professional buffalo hunters attributed as much, if not more, to the Indian demise as did the soldiers. In a sense, Utley offers the antithesis to Dee Brown's _Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee_. The author highlights the Army's role as a frontier police force carrying out civilian policy that lacked cohesive strategy against the Native Americans. Utley begins with a general survey of the United States Army in the post-Civil War years. The author outlines the relationship between the War Department, its near autonomous bureaus, Congress, and the Executive Branch, with brief discussions into the tenures of Generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, command-staff functions, and logistics. Chapters on weapons & equipment, and outpost life round out the first half of the book. Utley remains objective and unsympathetic at times to Blue Coat and Indian alike. For example, in his discussion of General George Armstrong Custer's defeat at the Little Big Horn, Utley, a noted Custer scholar, blames the boy general for the debacle. The author cites several reasons for the defeat of the 7th Cavalry. On the surrender of Geronimo in 1886, Utley credits both Generals George Crook and General Nelson Miles equally for their improvisations in overcoming logistical hardships in the harsh Sierra Madre Mountains. Acknowledging that the elimination of the Chiricahua Apache from Arizona was the prerequisite for re-establishing peace to the area, Utley does not sympathize with Geronimo's plight. It was only after the removal of the Chiricahuas, hostile and neutral alike, argues Utley, that peace was finally brought to the Southwest. In the final episode of the Indian wars: Wounded Knee, Utley engages in mere semantics. The author depicts Wounded Knee as a "tragedy" not a "massacre," the term generally preferred by the Indians. Utley feels the idiom inappropriate because "massacre," points to "deliberate and indiscriminate slaughter" which, he feels this occurrence was not. Utley believes, the soldiers tried to restrain from firing on women and children, however, in the melee, hitting innocent non-combatants was unavoidable. In the chapter titled "The Problem of Doctrine," Utley sees the Indian wars of the late nineteenth century through lensesmirroring the war in Vietnam (this book was first published in 1973). Utley observes the U.S. Army applied conventional tactics in an unconventional war. He illustrates how hostile Indians were oftentimes indistinguishable from peaceful reservation Indians. The hostiles utilized guerrilla tactics-hit and run raids and disappeared into the night. By day, the warrior factions would easily blend back into the general Indian population. If this be the case, it can be argued that the United States military had learned nothing from its own history. Robert M.Utley, often seen on the History Channel, and preeminent military historian of the period, has once again consulted a vast array of archival material. His evidence is equally balanced between primary and secondary sources, with endnotes after every chapter. The author consults an impressive collection of Government documents including a detailed list of Congressional and Senate papers in an impressive bibliography. Generous, easy to read maps, and a peppering of period photographs make this an essential addition to any library.

Rating:
Summary: A look at the real Frontier
Review: This is a good book about the US Army, Indians and the early west after the civil war. It follows events and gives points of view that are not clouded by the normal politics or attitudes. It is a clear account with facts, the probable intentions based on facts, and the actions. It allows the reader to get a good sense of the period and actions. The book gives enough detail to back up the facts but does not go overboard. This is a good start at studying the time period and the US Army at the time. Being into history, it was highly informative. It is a great book for those who want to read about the period but not get heavily into research. It goes deeper than just a brief summary but I think it gives just enough to allow understanding. It is easy to read and flows from chapter to chapter.

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Summary: Utley's Knows the Frontier Life
Review: This is Utley's second volume on Frontier Regulars as it documents the modest army that dealt with the plains wars, Apache and the remoteness and often boredom of army life. The book starts with the post Civil war era and Red Cloud's war over the Bozeman Trail to the Fetterman's massacre in 1866 and stops shortly after Wounded Knee when most of the tribes are all virtually on a reservation with their lives forever changed. It's not like the movies with daily Indian attacks since the Indians rarely attacked in mass and they were difficult to find or corral particularly in the summer. Anyone reading this book will understand how imperative it was for Custer to attack when he discovered his quarry since they could evaporate on the plains. Besides Indians, the commanders had to fight poor rations, incompetent or dishonest Indian agents, lack of social life (particularly few women), desertions and alcohol. To make matters worse, limited promotion. John Ford captures it pretty well in his movie "Tie a Yellow Ribbon with the running line "keep it up and you'll get promoted in seven to 10 years". Columns of fours though rarely occurred unless you were in dress parade.