Expedition to the Southwest: An 1845 Reconnaissance of Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma [Paperback]

James William Abert (Author), H. Bailey Carroll (Introduction), John Miller Morris (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

Lieutenant James William Abert (1820–97) of the United States Army Topographical Engineers received orders in 1845 to explore the Canadian River region of the southern plains—an area covering present-day Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. Although this land was still in Mexican territory, the United States had gradually abandoned most of the diplomatic niceties regarding its boundaries with Mexico by that time.

 

Abert set out from Bent’s Fort to conduct a detailed reconnaissance. He possessed a great eye for detail, providing in his journal graphic descriptions of the birds, plants, and animals he encountered as well as clear depictions of the countryside. Moreover, Abert observed in great detail the Kiowas and Comanches who often approached his expedition to see if he and his men were the much hated ‘Texans’ with whom they were at war. His firsthand account of the Kiowas and Comanches contains valuable information not previously available.

 

The 1804 Lewis and Clark Expedition marked the beginning of Anglo-American exploration of the American West. Abert’s account of his four-month journey by mule train is invaluable as one of the concluding records of that period.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In his introduction John Miller Morris, author of the award-winning El Llano Estacado: Exploration and Imagination on the High Plains of Texas and New Mexico, 1536–1860, assesses this neglected work and places it with the reports of other adventurers such as Zebulon Pike and Stephen Long.

Product Details

• Paperback: 123 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books; Reprint edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803259352
• ISBN-13: 978-0803259355
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,950,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb report of an important expedition, July 16, 2006

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Expedition to the Southwest: An 1845 Reconnaissance of Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma (Paperback)

In 1845, with war with Mexico immanent, the US government authorized three expeditions to explore the boundary territory between the two countries: two of them were relatively famous (Kearny's survey along the Oregon Trail to South Pass and Fremont's expedition to California), but the third (Abert's exploration of the Canadian River in New Mexico, the Texas panhandle, and Oklahoma) was much less known; this interesting and well-annotated book is the official report of that expedition.

Leaving Bent's Fort near the end of August, with the legendary Thomas Fitzpatrick acting as guide, the command of about 30 men made their way through Raton Pass, then southeast to the Ute River, which they followed to where it enters the Canadian near present-day Logan. Turning east, the men marched through the Canadian River Valley across the panhandle of Texas, where Abert reiterated Stephen Long's opinion that this part of the West was a "great American desert." Fearing the Indians at first, Abert writes of pleasant, friendly encounters with the Kiowas and Comanches. After making an unintended detour when the North Fork of the Red was mistaken for the Wichita River, the party got back on course again and by the third week in October had reached their destination of Fort Gibson in eastern Oklahoma.

Abert was a clear, observant writer, and he describes much of the natural scenery encountered, including plant and animal life; he also writes intriguing accounts of the Indians and traders he met along the way. H. Bailey Carroll's excellent and detailed annotations made for the 1941 reprint (which this version copies) are a chief highlight of the book. The only things wanting in this book are good, detailed maps (only one rather cursory map is included). But as an early first-hand description of this part of the country, Abert's official report is magnificent.