Washita: The U.S. Army and the Southern Cheyennes, 1867-1869

Description

Oklahoma Book Award, Nonfiction, (Finalist), Oklahoma Center for the Book Spur Award, Best Western Nonfiction, (Finalist), Western Writers of America An evenhanded account of a tragic clash of cultures. On November 27, 1868, the U.S. Seventh Cavalry under Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer attacked a Southern Cheyenne village along the Washita River in present-day western Oklahoma. The subsequent U.S. victory signaled the end of the Cheyennes’ traditional way of life and resulted in the death of Black Kettle, their most prominent peace chief. In this remarkably balanced history, Jerome A. Greene describes the causes, conduct, and consequences of the event even as he addresses the multiple controversies surrounding the conflict. As Greene explains, the engagement brought both praise and condemnation for Custer and carried long-range implications for his stunning defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn eight years later. List of Illustrations 1x Acknowledgments x1 1. Human Beings and Sand Creek 3 2. War or Peace on the Plains 24 3. Summer Depredations 42 4. Movements and Strategies 61 5. Camp Supply 77 6. Closing Proximity 96 7. Washita 116 8. End Results 162 9. Controversies 183 APPENDICES A. Monuments and Resources of the Washita Encounter Site 195 B. Army Casualties at the Washita 209 C. Known Village Fatalities at the Washita 212 D. Other Known Village Occupants 215 Notes 217 Bibliography 267 Index 279