This book are stories of American unsung heroes. The mostly unknown and forgotten men who put their stamp on American history. The Ninth and Tenth U.S. Cavalry and the Twenty-fourth, and Twenty-fifth Infantry Regiments

Thirteen essays examine the roles African-Americans played in the settling of the American West, discussing the slaves of Mormons and California gold miners; African-American army men, cowboys, and newspaper founders; and others on the frontier. Also includes a bibliographic essay.

"Starlight Ranch and Other Stories of Army Life on the Frontier" collects five of Captain Charles King's frontline stories, and offers a glimpse of American army life in the mid- to late 19th century. It follows his campaigns in the American-Indian wars in a number of battles. It offers valuable insights into life in the military at this time as well as stunning first-hand accounts of combat in these theatres. It is a fascinating insight into the formative years of the American army as well as the formative years of American society as a whole. If you enjoyed ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ this stunning first-hand account is perfect for you. This collection contains: 'Starlight Ranch,' 'Well Won, or From the Plains to the Point’, 'From the point to the Plains', 'The Worst Man in the Troop,' and 'Van'. Charles King (1844-1933) was a graduate of the prestigious West Point academy, grandson of a signatory of the American Constitution as well as a decorated war veteran with over seventy years of service. Much of his work covers the Indian wars of the 1870s, the American wars in the Philippines as well as the First World War. Apart from his non-fiction he wrote dozens of novels and short stories earning him the name the ‘American Kipling’. His most famous works include "Marion’s Faith," "The Colonel’s Daughter," "Campaigning with Crook," "Fort Frayne," "Under Fire" and "Daughter of the Sioux."

Black Frontiers chronicles the life and times of black men and women who settled the West from 1865 to the early 1900s. In this striking book, you'll meet many of these brave individuals face-to-face, through rare vintage photographs and a fascinating account of their real-life history.

Negro soldiers who wanted to remain in the United States Army after the Civil War were organized into the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry Regiments. Their service in controlling hostile Indians on the Great Plains during the next twenty years was as invaluable as it was unrecognized.

In the decades following the Civil War, scores of African Americans served in the U.S. Army in the West. The Plains Indians dubbed them buffalo soldiers, and their record in the infantry and cavalry, a record full of dignity and pride, provides one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of the era. This anthology focuses on the careers and accomplishments of black soldiers, the lives they developed for themselves, their relationships to their officers (most of whom were white), their specialized roles (such as that of the Black Seminoles), and the discrimination they faced from the very whites they were trying to protect. In short, this volume offers important insights into the social, cultural, and communal lives of the buffalo soldiers. The selections are written by prominent scholars who have delved into the history of black soldiers in the West. Previously published in scattered journals, the articles are gathered here for the first time in a single volume, providing a rich and accessible resource for students, scholars, and interested general readers. Additionally, the readings in this volume serve in some ways as commentaries on each other, offering in this collected format a cumulative mosaic that was only fragmentary before. Volume editors Glasrud and Searles provide introductions to the volume and to each of its four parts, surveying recent scholarship and offering an interpretive framework. The bibliography that closes the book will also commend itself as a valuable tool for further research.

The image of the pioneer as white, male, strong, independent, Protestant, and native-born was created in popular literature towards the end of the 19th century, perhaps as a reaction against increased immigration and urbanization on the east coast. Ravage (communications, U. of Wyoming-Laramie) furthers the struggle to disseminate a truer image by assembling over 200 photographs never published before depicting African-Americans in the West. They are supported by substantial text, drawings, and reproductions of contemporary documents. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR