Customer Reviews

The U.S. Army in the West, 1870-1880: Uniforms, Weapons, and Equipment

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What has and will be for sometime to come..the quintessential work on the US Armys equipment and uniforms of its late Indian War era...McChristian's volume is loaded with excellent photos and text...detailing weapons, clothing, leather gear, and personal items..that the Regular Army soldier used to sustain his existance at a time when military spending was frugal to say the least ..in a post-Civil War political atmosphere. Although this book was written with an eye towards the history of that time ..it really is geared towards collectors and amateur historians. Custer fans...and collectors of Indian War artifacts..be advised this is a necessary book for your shelf, if you really want to experience what life on the plains was like for the grunt soldier. The thin line between you and your haversack, overcoat, and rifle..represented the daily struggle between life or death. McChristian's research is flawless...and well documented. My only wish for this book was that it might have had color photos..(instead of black & white)..of original artifacts from known collections..such as many of the newer WW2 collector research books,that have shown up of late. Maybe..next time out...for the volume covering 1880 thru 1900..if such is being worked on..??!!

This isn't just another general survey, but a detailed inspection of the development of army uniforms, equipment and small arms during the Indian campaigns in the West. As such, it will attract history buffs, military readers and collectors alike, pairing over two hundred photos with historical background on the frontier era. THE U.S. ARMY IN THE WEST, 1870-1880 comes from a retired research historian for the National Park Service, and could've been featured in our 'Collector's Shelf' area, but is featured here for its added attraction to any military history buff with an affection for early Western events.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A great reference material book, a must have to collect items from this period, so that you know exactly what years were talking about. It really narrows it down. You will come away being smarter than you ever thougth.

I got this for reenacting purposes, so it was quite helpful. Would also be great for museum displays, or just plain ol' historical presentations. Highly recommended.

Doug McChristian was the Chief Historian at the Little Bighorn National Monument (formerly the Custer Battlefield) when this excellent book was published in 1995. He had access to the museum there including the countless bits and pieces of equipment that soldiers typically carried to Custer's Last Stand.

This is required reading for students of the Custer Fight or anybody interested in the Frontier Army after the Civil War, and before the Spanish American War. McChristian's book is an encyclopedia of what Custer's troopers (and other soldiers of that era) wore, carried and even what they thought.

McChristian goes beyond compiling a copiously illustrated encyclopedia. He discerns such crucial, nuanced themes as the connection between equipment and morale and documents it with careful, objective research. He annotates his work thoroughly and extensively and adds a great bibliography.

This is one of the best reference books you can have if you're interested in the Army of Custer's period. I gave it five stars. It just doesn't get any better.

This book does a great job of explaining how the army used leftover civil war equipment and uniforms to try and do the job of serving on the western frontier. It explains how the army started to realize that updated equipment and arms were needed to do the proper job and help alleviate the difficulties of the enlisted soldier's life. The pictures are a big help to understand what is being explained in the text.