*Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award* *A New York Times Notable Book* *Winner of the Texas Book Award and the Oklahoma Book Award* This New York Times bestseller and stunning historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West “is nothing short of a revelation…will leave dust and blood on your jeans” (The New York Times Book Review). Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches. Although readers may be more familiar with the tribal names Apache and Sioux, it was in fact the legendary fighting ability of the Comanches that determined when the American West opened up. Comanche boys became adept bareback riders by age six; full Comanche braves were considered the best horsemen who ever rode. They were so masterful at war and so skillful with their arrows and lances that they stopped the northern drive of colonial Spain from Mexico and halted the French expansion westward from Louisiana. White settlers arriving in Texas from the eastern United States were surprised to find the frontier being rolled backward by Comanches incensed by the invasion of their tribal lands. The war with the Comanches lasted four decades, in effect holding up the development of the new American nation. Gwynne’s exhilarating account delivers a sweeping narrative that encompasses Spanish colonialism, the Civil War, the destruction of the buffalo herds, and the arrival of the railroads, and the amazing story of Cynthia Ann Parker and her son Quanah—a historical feast for anyone interested in how the United States came into being. Hailed by critics, S. C. Gwynne’s account of these events is meticulously researched, intellectually provocative, and, above all, thrillingly told. Empire of the Summer Moon announces him as a major new writer of American history.

From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Empire of the Summer Moon and Rebel Yell comes “a masterwork of history” (Lawrence Wright, author of God Save Texas), the spellbinding, epic account of the last year of the Civil War. The fourth and final year of the Civil War offers one of the most compelling narratives and one of history’s great turning points. Now, Pulitzer Prize finalist S.C. Gwynne breathes new life into the epic battle between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant; the advent of 180,000 black soldiers in the Union army; William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to the Sea; the rise of Clara Barton; the election of 1864 (which Lincoln nearly lost); the wild and violent guerrilla war in Missouri; and the dramatic final events of the war, including Lee’s surrender at Appomattox and the murder of Abraham Lincoln. “A must-read for Civil War enthusiasts” (Publishers Weekly), Hymns of the Republic offers many surprising angles and insights. Robert E. Lee, known as a great general and Southern hero, is presented here as a man dealing with frustration, failure, and loss. Ulysses S. Grant is known for his prowess as a field commander, but in the final year of the war he largely fails at that. His most amazing accomplishments actually began the moment he stopped fighting. William Tecumseh Sherman, Gwynne argues, was a lousy general, but probably the single most brilliant man in the war. We also meet a different Clara Barton, one of the greatest and most compelling characters, who redefined the idea of medical care in wartime. And proper attention is paid to the role played by large numbers of black union soldiers—most of them former slaves. Popular history at its best, Hymns of the Republic reveals the creation that arose from destruction in this “engrossing…riveting” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) read.

Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the epic New York Times bestselling account of how Civil War general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson became a great and tragic national hero. Stonewall Jackson has long been a figure of legend and romance. As much as any person in the Confederate pantheon—even Robert E. Lee—he embodies the romantic Southern notion of the virtuous lost cause. Jackson is also considered, without argument, one of our country’s greatest military figures. In April 1862, however, he was merely another Confederate general in an army fighting what seemed to be a losing cause. But by June he had engineered perhaps the greatest military campaign in American history and was one of the most famous men in the Western world. Jackson’s strategic innovations shattered the conventional wisdom of how war was waged; he was so far ahead of his time that his techniques would be studied generations into the future. In his “magnificent Rebel Yell…S.C. Gwynne brings Jackson ferociously to life” (New York Newsday) in a swiftly vivid narrative that is rich with battle lore, biographical detail, and intense conflict among historical figures. Gwynne delves deep into Jackson’s private life and traces Jackson’s brilliant twenty-four-month career in the Civil War, the period that encompasses his rise from obscurity to fame and legend; his stunning effect on the course of the war itself; and his tragic death, which caused both North and South to grieve the loss of a remarkable American hero.

ABOUT THE BOOK “It seemed implausible that the westward rush of Anglo-European civilization would stall in the prairies of central Texas.” – S.C. Gwynne, Empire of the Summer Moon S.C. Gwynne first became interested in the Comanches while reading Walter Prescott Webb’s The Great Plains. Webb mentioned in one chapter that the Comanche tribes had been a barrier to white settlement, something Gwynne, a northerner, had never heard of. Intrigued, he began reading more books about the tribe, such as T.R. Fehrenbach’s Comanche: The Destruction of a People. After moving to Texas in the 1990s, Gwynne discovered that the Lone Star State still remembered the Indian Wars. “A woman might tell me that her great-grandparents were both killed by Comanches,” Gwynne told the Historynet website. “This happened to me a lot.” (Interview with author S.C. Gwynne) Gwynne’s research convinced him there hadn’t been a significant book about the Comanches since Fehrenbach’s 1974 history. Having already written two nonfiction books, he decided to make the Comanches the subject of his third. He reasoned that if he found their history exciting and novel, other non-Texans, including New York editors, would have the same reaction. (Interview with author S. C. Gwynne) MEET THE AUTHOR Fraser Sherman was born in England and is now happily living in Durham, NC. He has 15 years experience as a reporter, 20 published fantasy/SF stories and is also the author of three film reference books. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK They rejected conventional pitched battles in favor of the swift attacks the Comanche employed, and with this strategy won repeatedly. Over the next few decades, Texas forgot everything the Rangers had learned about Indian fighting. Texas and the United States fell back on traditional military tactics and peace negotiations. Negotiating with the Comanche never worked: the tribe’s warriors broke treaties and promises time and again, then came back and offered to renegotiate. By the 1860s, cholera, smallpox and other European diseases had crippled many Comanche tribes. Nevertheless, the remaining tribesmen remained formidable and their attacks actually pushed the frontier back east. Then, the United States government decided to give up on negotiations. In 1871 Army sent Col Ranald Mackenzie, a Civil War veteran, to lead cavalry into the plains and hunt down the remaining Comanche. Over the next four years, Quanah Parker’s Indian warriors and Mackenzie’s troops clashed repeatedly, with the cavalry ultimately gaining the upper hand. Parker surrendered in 1875 – the Comanches’ days as buffalo hunters and raiders were over. Parker adapted fast and well to civilization. Comanches had never cared for property, except horses, but Quanah Parker became a successful businessman and a prosperous landowner. Parker founded a school district for Comanche students. He also promoted the Peyote rituals that became the basis of the Native American Church. He died in 1911, of heart failure.... Buy a copy to keep reading!

Buy now to get the key takeaways from S.C. Gwynne's Empire of the Summer Moon. Sample Key Takeaways: 1) October 3, 1871 marked the beginning of the end of the bloody Indian wars in America, which had been going on for 250 years since the first landing of the European settlers. 2) On that day, the US Army was ordered to kill the Comanche Indians in Texas, the last of the hostile tribes. The government sent in General Ranald Mackenzie, a Civil War veteran, to teach the other soldiers how to fight the Indians.

SuperSummary, a modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, offers high-quality study guides for challenging works of literature. This 75-page guide for "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C. Gwynne includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 22 chapters, as well as several more in-depth sections of expert-written literary analysis. Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like The Comanches, the Most Powerful Native American Tribe in American History and The Anti-Romantic "Noble Savage".

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