And what different sorts and conditions of men are here represented! Major-generals and scouts, captains and sergeants, frontiersmen and troopers, soldiers and civilians, to say nothing of an Indian chief and a bishop, have all said their say in their own way. The reader will be glad, I know, that I have permitted these men, like Paul, to speak for themselves. The whole book constitutes a trumpet call to American manhood, and honor, and courage, and that I believe to be true of the whole series. The Army of the United States is sometimes slandered. A case in point is now in mind. The chief official of a city of no little prominence, who is also an author and a publicist of national repute, has recently put forth a bitter diatribe against our soldiers. Such a book as this refutes these unfounded accusations. The Army is not perfect—neither is the Church!—but not only man for man, but also as an organization it is the equal of any, and the superior of most, of the armies of the world! And I am sure that no one can get a much better training for the battle of life that he gets in the peace loving, hard working, honor seeking, duty following, never failing, hard fighting service of the United States—on sea or shore. I have been in both, worn the Army and also the Navy blue, and I know. We all deprecate the necessity for armies, but if we must have them, let us thank God for an army like that of our beloved country. I am glad to express this my deliberate and matured conviction, begot of much study, wide observation, and ripe experience. CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY. LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE, CENTRE HARBOR, NEW HAMPSHIRE, _July, 1907_. CONTENTS ❦ PART I PROTECTING THE FRONTIER CHAPTER PAGE I. THE POWDER RIVER EXPEDITION 3 II. THE TRAGEDY OF FORT PHIL KEARNEY 19 III. THE THIRTY-TWO AGAINST THE THREE THOUSAND 40 IV. PERSONAL REMINISCENCES OF FORT PHIL KEARNEY AND THE WAGON-BOX FIGHT 59 V. FORSYTH AND THE ROUGH RIDERS OF ’68 72 VI. THE JOURNEY OF THE SCOUTS AND THE RESCUE OF FORSYTH 97 VII. A SCOUT’S STORY OF THE DEFENSE OF BEECHER’S ISLAND 113 VIII. CARPENTER AND HIS BRUNETTES. THE FIGHT ON BEAVER CREEK 123 IX. A FURTHER DISCUSSION OF THE BEAVER CREEK AFFAIR 136 X. THE BATTLE OF THE WASHITA 146 XI. CARR AND TALL BULL AT SUMMIT SPRINGS 170 PART II THE WAR WITH THE SIOUX I. WITH CROOK’S ADVANCE 183