Lay the Mountains Low: The Flight of the Nez Perce from Idaho and the Battle of the Big Hole, August 9-10, 1877 [Hardcover]

Terry C. Johnston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2000

For five proud Nez Perce warriors there could be no more trust for the invading settlers and their army in blue. Too many treaties had been broken. And too many Nez Perce had been driven off their rightful land, herded together on a small fraction of the kingdom that was once theirs. While some Nez Perce had made their separate peace with the U.S. Army, five tribal leaders were forcing both sides into a series of bloody battles. From White Bird Battle to the slaughter at Big Hole, soldiers, innocents, and volunteers entered both sides of the fight as two peoples, separated by misunderstanding, fear, and greed, plunged into a tragedy on the American frontier.

A work of rare authenticity and power, Terry Johnston's moving saga of the Nez Perce Wars stands as a towering achievement in contemporary frontier fiction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 15th volume in Johnston's Plainsman Series, second in a trilogy of works based on the Nez Perc? War of 1877 (after Cries from the Earth) and first of the author's westerns to be published in hardcover, this grim novel tells a true tale of butchery and massacre. Supplying his real-life characters with fictionalized dialogue, Johnston has cleverly arranged the historical narrative to produce a graphically violent portrayal of the army's brutal campaign to move the Nez Perc? Indians from their rich lands in Oregon and Idaho to a desolate reservation. The Nez Perc?, led by Chief Joseph, resist fiercely, and the war commences. Johnston tells this gripping story from several angles, following the Nez Perc? as they try to escape to Canada, the soldiers who pursue them and the settlers who thirst for revenge. Covering the period from June 24 to August 10, 1877, this day-by-day account of ambush, atrocities and anguish is not for the squeamish. The soldiers and civilian volunteers who pursue the Nez Perc? are a mixed bag of frontier veterans and nervous recruits led by the one-armed Civil War hero, General O.O. Howard. Joseph is a master tactician and his warriors repeatedly deal the soldiers bloody defeats as the tribe moves ever closer to sanctuary in Canada. What Joseph does not understand, however, is that the soldiers will never give up, no matter how many die in fights echoing with gunfire and the screams of the wounded. Clearly, there are no victors in this struggle, and neither side can claim much honor or glory. This installment concludes with the soldiers and Nez Perc? butchering each other at the Battle of the Big Hole in Montana. Johnston is a skilled storyteller whose words ring with the desperation, confusion and utter horror of a fight to the death between mortal enemies. This is uncomfortable history, and it hits home like a blunt instrument. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Johnston, the best-selling historical frontier novelist, once again exhibits his mastery of portraying Western history in fictional form. This book, the first of his "Plainsmen" novels to be published in hardcover, takes place after the Battle of White Bird Canyon (June 17, 1877), depicted in his Cries from the Earth. In this tale of five Nez Perce tribal leaders who choose to resist the encroaching white settlers and who refuse to make treaties with the U.S. government, Johnston provides gripping, authentic details of historically accurate events; readers see the Nez Perce wars through the eyes of those involved and read actual letters and newspaper clippings of the day. Besides the historical details, the novel presents a compelling, action-packed story. This is a novel you will want to feature in your "New Books" displays and library newsletters. Essential for all public libraries and for libraries within academic institutions that support Western history.DMelody L. Ballard, Washoe Cty. Lib. Syst., Reno, NV
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 495 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312261896
• ISBN-13: 978-0312261894
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,475,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Johnston hits a home run with "Lay the Mountains Low", September 1, 2000

By 

steve m pickett (south whitley, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lay the Mountains Low: The Flight of the Nez Perce from Idaho and the Battle of the Big Hole, August 9-10, 1877 (Hardcover)

Terry Johnston's "Lay the Mountains Low" is a must for the avid fan of western history. Part of the Plainsmen series, we are not gifted with the rugged Irishman Sheamus Donnegan, as he is on duty miles away trying to quell a different Indian uprising (this makes Johnston's writing less fictionalized)instead we fall in love with numerous characters both Native American and European. This is the second part to a trilogy about the Nez Perce War of 1877, focusing on the drama which occurred after the Battle of White Bird Canyon and culminating with the tragic Big Hole Battle. Johnston takes you to the campsite, the fort, the trail ride, the battle ridge, and makes you consider how you would stand up against the elements, enemy and morality. Without a doubt, this is Johnston's best piece of work and is a must read for all fans of the Great American West. Make special note to read the afterword as Johnston provides information on his fact-finding trips thoroughout the West. Johnston provides valuable information and insight to battle sites, cemeteries, forts and historical road-side stops...again, Johnston gives the reader a seat on the fifty yard line to some of our nation's most famous locations.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lay the Mountains Low, August 25, 2000

By 

Robert Bacon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lay the Mountains Low: The Flight of the Nez Perce from Idaho and the Battle of the Big Hole, August 9-10, 1877 (Hardcover)

As always with Terry, a great book, an excellent way to learn about the history of the American West. If you are looking for a typical shootem up western this is not the book for you. This book is not for the faint hearted, there are few heros here, just a people fighting for their freedom and their lives against impossible odds. There is a lot of pain and and heart break here for both the Nez Perce and the whites, but mostly for the Nez Perce. This book really got to me, it was heart breaking reading what happened to the innocents on both sides. My family,s history goes back over 150 years in the west, so Terry,s books have special meaning for me. Read this book and you will never forget it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living history, March 28, 2001

By 

craig dibenedictis (brick, nj USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lay the Mountains Low (Plainsmen) (Mass Market Paperback)

Terry Johnston writes like a man who was there as events unfolded. He leaves no doubt that he was there--not during the events, but at the locations. Weaving contemporary newspaper articles and original letters throughout the text firmly roots this novel in time and space. This, plus occasional historical footnotes quenches a historian's thirst for authenticity. It made me want to go and visit these places for myself, equipped with Johnton's literary visual aids.