Customer Reviews

Five Years a Dragoon ('49 to '54): And Other Adventures on the Great Plains

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Percival G. Lowe's account of militart life in the pre-CivilWar west is a must read for the military historian, anyone interestedin American frontier history, or anyone who just likes a good read. Lowe's account is most enlightening because it is written from the enlisted troops point of view. Most histories of the day were written by the officers who were better educated and often said little about the enlisted life on the frontier. Lowe's memoir starts with his induction and training in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and his 3 month trip west to his first post. Just the story regarding his travels to his first duty station include canal boats, river boats, mule trains and just plain old foot slogging marches across a raw expanse only recently opened to settlers from the east and Europe. His writting about his troops escort duty on the early Santa Fe trail is also quite informative. The book is written in the style of the 19th century and is a colorful as well as interesting reading. Well worth the price and time involved.

Percival Lowe was a gentleman, even if he was not an officer, and he was also a good soldier and a great frontiersman. If you want to know what it was like to be a Dragoon on the frontier this is the book. If you are interested in the history of the US Cavalry you need to read this book.