We Trailed the Sioux [Hardcover]

Paul Hedren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

Publisher: Stackpole Books

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books; 1 edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811700623
• ISBN-13: 978-0811700627
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In the Field with the Long-Suffering Enlisted Men, October 18, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: We Trailed the Sioux (Hardcover)

Those who have had the chance to peruse the early 20th century Indian War veterans publication, "Winners of the West," may recall the vets repeated contention that the hardships and deprivations they endured on the Northern Plains exceeded those suffered by other troops in other wars. Paul Hedren's well-written narrative that rides along on various first-person quotes from Sioux War veterans will help the reader realize that their contention was not without strong merit.

The author begins this all too brief work by describing the varied nature of the enlisted men who served in the Sioux War--immigrants, youth searching for adventure, a small enclave of educated men and various malcontents. On the whole, his portrait is more positve than that drawn by some other present-day writers who often tend to view the enlisted men in the same terms as 19th century society in general did; that is, as the dregs of society unable to fit in elsewhere and unwanted by the civilian world. Hedren then treats the reader to selections from numerous journals, letters and interviews with enlisted men to craft an "in the field" look at what life was like for those in the Great Sioux War, focussing primarily on the events of 1876 and those serving under Terry, Gibbon, Custer, and Crook. You will feel the frustration of a tired trooper, ready to soak his feet in a water puddle only to come back and find a thirsty mule has drained it. Commisserate with a soldier who describes his Christmas meal as a "regular old Christmas dinner. A little piece of fat bacon and hard tack and a half cup of coffee." Marvel with the diarist who wrote of a fellow trooper with the unique ability to sleep soundly while water from heavy rains washed over him!

Surely, the greatest difficulties (with the exception of those who were killed/wounded in battle) were encountered by those on General Crook's infamous "starvation march" in late summer 1876 as gaunt horses and mules were slain in order to provide sustenance to the men. This section, along with a generous selection of quotes from the enlisted men who survived the Reno/Benteen portion of the Little Big Horn battle make for fascinating reading. All was not hardship though, as Hedren relates accounts of boredom in camp that was relieved by baseball, songs, stories, and whatever frivolity the men could conjure up. All of these "verbal pictures" are further enhanced by a generous selection of photographs of enlisted men, both in portraits taken in studios as well as photographs from the field, mainly captured by the lens of Stanley Morrow who documented the hardships of the "starvation march." The only complaint about this book is that I wish it could have been longer and delved into the Wolf Mountain battle of January 1877, fought against the twin enemies of severe cold as well as the Sioux.

Rightfully so, this book is dedicated to the memory of the late Don G. Rickey, author of the 1963 classic FORTY MILES A DAY ON BEANS AND HAY. If you own Mr. Rickey's book, you should buy Mr. Hedren's WE TRAILED THE SIOUX as the two books work well together.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not much here, March 23, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: We Trailed the Sioux (Hardcover)

This book is exactly 69 pages long, 69 SMALL pages. It can easily be read in less than an hour. It should more accurately be called a monograph, not a book. What I infer from this "book" is that the men who "trailed the Sioux" must have been one laconic bunch. No new information here. It's no surprise that they complained about the "Starvation March" and cussed about Crook. Don't expect any info on why they fought, how they felt about their equipment or weapons, how they felt about Miles or McKenzie, or even Custer.

Direct quotes here are usually, but not exclusively, short. Hedren mostly paraphrases throughout the "book". He also spends a lot of precious space trying to put a quote in context by recounting briefly the history of the Great Sioux War as it relates to any one particular quote. Did I mention its only 69 pages?

Hedren should have broadened his scope to include enlisted comments from the entire Sioux/Northern Cheyenne struggle from 1864-90 and ended up with a real book of 200 pages or so.

Not recommended. Not worth the price. Get Rickey's "Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay" for a better look at enlisted life during the Indian Wars.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tough men in a tough time and place, September 26, 2008

By 

Marvin D. Pipher (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We Trailed the Sioux (Hardcover)

This small book is difficult to assess. At times it is quite interesting, yet at other times, and despite its diminutive size, 69 pages, it seems to be somewhat tedious. Perhaps that's because there is little or no action, but most likely its because many of the direct quotes from the various enlisted men seem irrelevant to the story line, such as it is.

Even so, the book is worth reading, especially if you are interested in, and hope to better understand, the various Indian Wars. I have heard and read quite a bit about "Custer's Last Stand," for example, and have seen quite a few recriminations concerning the way the Indians were massacred at the "Battle of Wounded Knee," but I never made the connection between the two. And, before reading this book, I had never read any eye witness accounts of what the remaining soldiers of the 7th Cavalry found when they finally reached the Little Big Horn two days after the battle. As it turns out, Custer's command was not only wiped out, the troops were stripped, mutilated, and their skull were crushed in. As a result, the soldiers of the 7th set out to wreak havoc on the Indians to avenge their comrades, especially when they found 7th Cavalry artifacts from the battle in the various Indian encampments. Thus the massacre at Wounded Knee - small wonder.

In any event, you have to admire this hardy troop of scalawags and wonder why they would subject themselves to such dangers and privations with such meager chance of reward. I, for one, would have a hard time eating raw horse meat even if I had some salt and pepper, let alone without it. But these were tough men in a tough time and place.