Customer Reviews

Forts of the West: Military Forts and Presidios and Posts Commonly Called Forts West of the Mississippi River to 1898

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This book names the forts, presidios, and posts west of the Mississippi River to 1898, and not only does the author give the location but he gives some historical facts. If I had the money, I would take this book, get me a good travel map and visit each of the places mentioned! Last month I went to several Texas forts, an old Presidio and an Arizona fort. The book was invaluable!

If you only care about the opening and closing dates, who it was named after, and a one sentence reason as to why it was established, then this bare bones book is for you. Do not expect any other information OF IMPORTANCE here. No history of important engagements near or involving each fort is given, which I find incredibly negligent.

Examples: NO mention is made of the Fetterman Massacre in the entry on Fort Phil Kearny, or the Wagon Box Fight for that matter.
NO mention is made of the Hayfield Fight in the entry on Fort C.F. Smith.
NO mention is made of the two huge attacks on Julesberg, CO by a thousand Cheyennes in which the town was burned to the ground just outside Fort Sedgwick. I could go on.

Don't expect ANY information on important engagements the various forts may have been a part of. However if you are really curious as to whether the fort was turned over to the Dept. of the Interior on its abandonment, then this book is for you. That fact is always listed. This book has exactly 4 photographs and 5 drawings.

Though out of print, I recommend Herbert M. Hart's western fort series: "Pioneer Forts of the West", "Forts of the Far West", and "Old Forts of the Northwest". These books have hundreds of B&W photos, detailed histories of engagements the forts partook in, as well as opening and closing dates, and a diagram of almost every fort discussed. You could just pick up the whole series (used) for less than the price of this book.

In the introduction to this book, Frazer refers to his compilation of military forts as "brief biographies." Based on that description, the book is an excellent reference tool in identifying by name, location, length of service, and summary purpose all the known forts located west of the Mississippi River up to 1898.

The book is arranged by state, with forts listed therein alphabetically. Although Frazer warns that locations are only approximate, they are still given with enough detail to place them fairly accurately on a topo map. When forts changed locations even by just a few miles (Ft. Hall, ID, for example), both forts are described. This is basically a listing, and most of the forts are detailed only briefly; when important events occurred, however, they are mentioned (Ft. Cobb, OK, for example, being attacked by Indians on October 23, 1862). Even forts that were unnamed or in existence for only a few months are included.

I have used this book often, either for quick identification or as a stepping stone to more detailed investigations. The bibliography is one of the most thorough I've seen on the subject (36 pages long). The index is also very comprehensive, containing all the names and places mentioned in the text. As a reference tool for identifying forts and gleaming a brief account of their "biographies," Frazer's book is superb.

Arrived in good condition. I found a better book while traveling but this book gave me a start with touring forts.

My hardback copy of this work was printed in 1977 and it shows the wear. It's tried repeatedly to sneak back out of view on my bookshelves, but I always hunt it down and bring it back to the front where it belongs. I've referred to it thousands of times in my researches, in addition to reading through it entirely on several occasions. The data concerning the openings and closings of the individual forts, the reasoning for the need for each and the mentions of events and units involved are all invaluable.

This work has gone out of print several times through the years, but it always comes back and pays its own way for new readers.

If you love the history of the west you need to own this book.