Other editions of book On the Border with Crook

John Gregory Bourke served General George Crook for 15 years and was his right-hand man. This work is an account of his time with the legendary US Army officer in the post-Civil War West. On the Border with Crook is a written recollection of Crook's campaigns during the American Indian Wars. Bourke makes the American frontier come alive with his description. He also included descriptions not only of Crook and his fellow cavalrymen but also of legendary Native American leaders. Bourke argues that Crook etched his name into the annals of American history. On the Border with Crook has been regarded as one of the best firsthand accounts of frontier army life. The author writes about the landscape of the Southwest with incredible imagery and accuracy, his impressions of the Arizona Territory, the hardships of frontier service, and honest accounts of combat. What is most impressive about Bourke's work is the equal attention he gives to both soldier and Native American alike, making On the Border with Crook the essential audiobook for students of history interested in the American frontier.

"There is an old saw in the army which teaches that you can never know a man until after having made a scout with him in bad weather. All the good qualities and bad in the human make up force their way to the surface under the stimulus of privation and danger, and it not infrequently happens that the comrade who at the military post was most popular, by reason of charm of manner and geniality, returns from this trial sadly lowered in the estimation of his fellows, and that he who in the garrison was most retiring, self-composed, and least anxious to make a display of glittering uniform, has swept all before him by the evidence he has given of fortitude, equanimity, courage, coolness, and good judgment under circumstances of danger and distress. It is not my purpose to write a biography of my late friend and commander — such a task I leave for others to whom it may be more congenial; speaking for myself, I am compelled to say that it is always difficult for me to peruse biography of any kind, especially military, and that which I do not care to read I do not care to ask others to read. In the present volume, there will be found collected descriptions of the regions in which the major portion of General Crook’s Indian work was carried on; the people, both red and white, with whom he was brought into contact; the difficulties with which he had to contend, and the manner in which he overcame them; and a short sketch of the principles guiding him in his justly famous intercourse with the various tribes — from British America to Mexico, from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean — subjugated by him and afterwards placed under his charge." John Gregory Bourke John Gregory Bourke (1846-1896) was a captain in the United States Army and a prolific diarist and postbellum author; he wrote several books about the American Old West, including ethnologies of its indigenous peoples. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions while a cavalryman in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Based on his service during the war, his commander nominated him to West Point, where he graduated in 1869, leading to service as an Army officer until his death.

One of the most important first-hand account of the Indian Wars you'll ever read. Captain John Gregory Bourke's classic volume on his time as aide-de-camp to General George Crook has been considered essential reading since it was published in 1891. This edition is updated with biographical information on Bourke and annotated with updated notes.Crook and Bourke were at the center of enormous change in the American West. Both of them were distinguished Civil War veterans and both believed there was a way to aid American westward expansion while treating native peoples with justice. Their careers in the West paralleled those of Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, Geronimo, and Sitting Bull, all of with whom they had dealings.A true soldier-scholar, highly-educated, and a Medal of Honor recipient, Bourke brought to this work an intelligent perspective, admiration for his commander, a deep desire to understand Native American ways, and a generous portion of humor. He was recognized in his time as an important ethnographer and writer.Every memoir of the American West provides us with another view of the movement that changed the country forever.For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.

From 1870 until 1886 Captain John O. Bourke served on the staff of General George Crook, who Sherman described as the greatest Indian fighter the army ever had, a man whose prowess was demon-strated "from British America to Mexico, from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean." But On the Border with Crook is far more than a first-hand account of Crook's campaigns during the Plains Indian wars and in the Southwest. Alert, curious, and perceptive, Bourke brings to life the whole frontier scene. In crisp descriptions and telling anecdotes he recreates the events and landscapes through which he moved; he sketches sharp action-pictures not only of Crook and his fellow cavalrymen but also of such great leaders as Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Geronimo. Perhaps most important, Bourke shows us how General Crook was able to achieve his most remarkable victory—how this man of war won and deserved the trust of the tribes he had subjugated.

Published by Time-Life from 1980-1984 in leather binding. The Classics of the Old West series is one of the most remarkable undertakings of Time-Life Publications. Each title and author was especially selected to represent the stories of or works about the Old West as written by those who actually lived it. Each volume is a reprint of an original Old West book including illustrations, plates, and even errors. Each book measures about 8 ½ by 6 inches, and together, cover almost 4 linear feet of shelf space. Time-Life issued these hardcover books with genuine leather binding

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Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1896. Excerpt: ... CHAPTEB VII. GENERAL CROOK AND THE APACHES--CROOK'S PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS--POINTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE APACHES--THEIR SKILL IN WAR--FOODS AND MODES OF COOKING--MEDICINE MEN--THEIR POWER AND INFLUENCE. WHEN General Crook received orders to go out to Arizona and assume command of that savage-infested Department, he at once obeyed the order, and reached his new post of duty without baggage and without fuss. All the baggage he had would not make as much compass as a Remington type-writer. The only thing with him which could in any sense be classed as superfluous was a shotgun, but without this or a rifle he never travelled anywhere. He came, as I say, without the slightest pomp or parade, and without any one in San Francisco, except his immediate superiors, knowing of his departure, and without a soul in Tucson, not even the driver of the stage which had carried him and his baggage, knowing of his arrival. There were no railroads, there were no telegraphs in Arizona, and Crook was the last man in the world to seek notoriety had they existed. His whole idea of life was to do each duty well, and to let his work speak for itself. He arrived in the morning, went up to the residence of his old friend, Governor Safford, with whom he lunched, and before sundown every officer within the limits of what was then called the southern district of Arizona was under summons to report to him; that is, if the orders had not reached them they were on the way. From each he soon extracted all he knew about the country, the lines of travel, the trails across the various mountains, the fords where any were required for the streams, the nature of the soil, especially its products, such as grasses, character of the climate, the condition of the pack-mules, and all pertaining to them, and eve...