The Wars for the Pacific Northwest (Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars, 1865-1890) [Hardcover]

Peter Cozzens (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars | Publication Date: April 1, 2002

Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars, 1865-1890: The Wars for the Pacific Northwest is the second in a planned five-volume series that will tell the saga of the military struggle for the American West in the words of the soldiers, noncombatants, and Native Americans who shaped it. Patterned after the classic Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, the series will represent the most comprehensive work on the Indian Wars in the West yet published. Volume II: The Wars for the Pacific Northwest covers five distinct conflicts and their aftermaths: The Snake-Paiute War and After (1866-72), The Modoc War (1872-73), The Nez Perce Campaign (1877), The Bannock War (1878), and The Sheepeater Campaign (1879). It contains accounts from participants on both sides of the conflict, including George Crook, Charles King, and Nelson A. Miles, as well as Chuslum Moxmox (Yellow Bull), Young Two Moon, and Heinmot Tooyalakekt (Chief Joseph).

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this second of his five-volume series of contemporary accounts of the Indian wars (the first being The Struggle for Apacheria), Cozzens a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State has carefully selected accounts of the five major wars in the Pacific Northwest from 19th-century periodicals and newspapers that are not widely held and from some manuscript collections, and has placed them so that they provide an overview of each of the wars from cause to conclusion. Thus, articles that provide conflicting views, such as Chief Joseph's and Oliver O. Howard's accounts of the Nez Perc‚ Campaign of 1877, are placed together. Editing has been kept to a minimum and serves mainly to clarify the text and make it more readable. This is a useful addition to collections on the West, the Pacific Northwest, and Native Americans. Recommended for academic and public libraries. Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., Marquette
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Peter Cozzens is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State and the author of several acclaimed books on the Civil War and Western history, including The Civil War in the West (0-252-02236-X) and General John Pope: A Life for the Nation (0-252-02363-3).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 736 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books; 1 edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811705730
• ISBN-13: 978-0811705738
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,306,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Works On Two Different Levels, August 7, 2006

By 

John D. Mackintosh (LEXINGTON, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wars for the Pacific Northwest (Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars, 1865-1890) (Hardcover)

This book works on two different levels for those who find the Indian Wars a compelling area of study. It contains much primary source material on two Indian Wars that have been covered relatively well in secondary sources--The Nez Perce War and the Modoc War. Indeed, the Nez Perce War section comprises nearly half of this book, which is as it should be. I found the little circulated first-hand accounts of the Bear's Paw Battle especially interesting.

It then works on a completely different level by making readily available accounts of some of the least known campaigns during the Indian Wars Period-the Snake-Paiute War, the Bannock War, the and Sheepeater Campaign. There is very little to select from in the way of published and circulating secondary sources on these campaigns, so the primary sources that Mr. Cozzens has judicously selected on these three campaigns help close a gap in my library.

As with his other books in this fine series, Cozzens' footnotes help expand our knowledge of events and participants. Highly recommended.