Forts of the American Frontier 1820-91: Central and Northern Plains (Fortress) [Paperback]

Ron Field (Author), Adam Hook (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Fortress | Publication Date: February 5, 2005

A major period of westward expansion took place in the United States during the first half of the 19th century. Fur trading, the coast-to-coast railroad, the California gold rush and the removal of Native American tribes both facilitated and encouraged America's "manifest destiny" to become a transcontinental nation. The task of protecting the settlers from the tribes that inhabited the Great Plains fell to the US Army, and to do this an extensive network of permanent forts was created via construction and acquisition. This title examines why the forts were built, as well as their design, defensive features and the role they played in the settlement of the American West. The daily lives of the garrison soldiers and fort inhabitants are also covered, together with the fighting witnessed at key sites.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ron Field has written several books in Osprey's Fortress series... This book is his best so far... This brief guide is recommended to anyone wishing to know more about the reality of those defenses." -Bolling Smith, Coast Defense Journal

About the Author

Ron Field was born in 1943. A history teacher for over 30 years, he was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship in 1982 and taught at Piedmont High School in California from 1982–83. He has traveled extensively in the United States conducting research at numerous libraries, archives and museums and has written numerous books on 19th-century American history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (February 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841767751
• ISBN-13: 978-1841767758
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #408,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ron Field was born in Hertford, England in 1943 and was educated in Cheltenham, where he gained a Bachelor of Education (Hons) degree. He was Head of History at The Cotswold School at Bourton-on-the-Water until his retirement in 2007. Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 1982, he taught History at Piedmont High School in California from 1982-83. He was associate editor of the Confederate Historical Society of Great Britain from 1983 through 1992, and was elected a Fellow of the Company of Military Historians, based in Washington, D.C., in 2005. In 2010 he was awarded a Research Fellowship at the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection, The John Hay Library, Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island. He is also a contributing editor of Military Images, a magazine devoted to the photographic history of the U.S. soldier and sailor in the 19th century. A prolific author, Ron is an internationally acknowledged expert on U.S. military history.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small and Loaded with Information, March 20, 2005

By 

J. Kaufmann (San Antonio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forts of the American Frontier 1820-91: Central and Northern Plains (Fortress) (Paperback)

Do not be discouraged by the small size of this book. The author does an excellent job in covering the forts of the Great Plains describing their construction, history and the human element. Of course, not every fort can be covered, but this book does cover the key forts and provides a good sampling from the fully stockaded forts to those open posts that usually had nothing more than a blockhouse. Like most Osprey books, this one is well illustrated. This book is a must for anyone really interested in the American West in the 19th century.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Little Details, January 30, 2007

By 

Pardus Amicus "Alexander" (Lake Superior, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Forts of the American Frontier 1820-91: Central and Northern Plains (Fortress) (Paperback)

A nice introduction to the forts built in the American West during the 18th century. Detailed sections on fort types, defensive features, and construction methods (depending on distance from resources and labor available) follow the section on evolution of fortifications.
A snapshot of life in the forts reveals privation, exhausting labor, severe weather effects, and long periods of isolation broken (rarely) by Indian attack or forces staging from the fort to attack Indian settlements.

The section on forts under seige or attack is neccessarily brief but isn't really the focus of the book. As with most Fortress series books this volume finishes with a look at surviving examples, somewhat rare in this case.

Where this book really shines is in the detail drawaings and plates. The illustrations are easily comparable to a larger book, which generally has more information, but at several times the cost.

Highly recommended as an introduction or general reference to the 19th century American West.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great overview, August 29, 2008

By 

Douglas R. Stone (Hartford, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Forts of the American Frontier 1820-91: Central and Northern Plains (Fortress) (Paperback)

Book had much more information than expected regarding military strategy and fort/base design in the West. Great illustrations too.