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4.0 out of 5 stars
Well-chosen articles that work together to form a whole, September 15, 2001
This review is from: The Nebraska Indian Wars Reader: 1865-1877 (Paperback)
As the author points out in his preface, "[n] o comprehensive history of the Indian wars in western Nebraska exists."(ix) So he provides us with the next best thing, an anthology of articles, all but one of which appeared in Nebraska History (the quarterly of the Nebraska State Historical Society) covering the years 1865-1877.
While Nebraska is strongly associated with the end of the Indian Wars-the surrender and death of Crazy Horse; the Cheyenne breakout; and the largely symbolic Warbonnet Creek-most readers probably know little of the association prior to that period. Fittingly, Paul has chosen to begin this anthology with an article by James T. King entitled, Forgotten Pageant: The Indian Wars in Western Nebraska. In this article, King tells us about the various battles that took place in western Nebraska, and also offers some explanation as to why this region has been largely overlooked with regard to the Indian Wars.
Following King's article, Paul divides the book into four parts: Seizing control of the Platte and Republican Rivers; Pawnee Triumph, Pawnee Tragedy; Red Cloud Agency in the Spotlight; and Sioux War Saga, which includes excerpts from the Eleanor Hinman interviews on the life of Crazy Horse. He provides his own introduction to each of these parts, and adds, as epilogue, a previously unpublished article by James E. Potter.
For the most part Paul has done an excellent job of choosing the articles for this anthology. They not only cover the important subjects, but also fit together well. They cover all of the major players, and some of the lesser known ones also. I found particularly interesting, due to the novelty of the subject, Paul D. Riley's The Battle of Massacre Canyon. In this article, Riley tells the story, not of the usual Indian vs. Euro-American rivalry, but the massacre of a band of Pawnee at the hands of the Sioux.
My one small criticism is with Paul's choice of an epilogue. The Pageant Revisited is more or less a laundry list of Medal of Honor winners and what became of them. This article is interesting and well researched, and warranted inclusion. However, as epilogue, it did not fulfill the promise of drawing all the loose ends together.
On the whole, though, the book provides some very valuable information on the Indian Wars in Nebraska. Furthermore, since each article can stand alone, readers not interested in the history of the entire period can pick and choose. However, no one should pass up the Hinman interviews. They, alone, make this book worth the purchase price.
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