“The Last Campaign” documents the conflicts between white settlers and Native Americans in the late 19th century
This ambitious but flawed book documents the conflicts between white settlers and Native Americans in the late 19th centuryN 1867, IN
However justified, the bloody reprisals had to stop. The army’s advice to the commission was blunt: the United States could either wage all-out war to build its new transcontinental railroads or it would have to withdraw and leave the land to its original inhabitants. “The war must be vigorous, or arrangements had better be made for its discontinuance,” said Winfield Hancock, commander of the Army’s Department of the Missouri.
Subtitled “Sherman, Geronimo and the War for America”, the latest book by H.W. Brands, a historian at the University of Texas, is fundamentally a military story that ranges across a vast expanse. He presents the crushing of America’s Native peoples as a single overarching campaign spearheaded by General William Sherman, the military giant whose scorched-earth tactics helped clinch the North’s victory in the civil war.
Yet the broad view does allow the author to identify important common threads. One by one, he notes, every Native American tribe faced their own devastating choice: submit to relocation and abandon the nomadic way of life, or fight and die. In 1865 indigenous people numbered fewer than 400,000 against 30m settlers backed by battle-hardened soldiers. “We were hedged in by two evils,” wrote a Choctaw chief, “and we chose that which we thought the least.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
National World Christmas campaign: A day in the life of a Trussell Trust workerLast week, National World launched its company-wide campaign - a fundraiser for foodbank network Trussell Trust.
Read more »
Man who left Scots hotel last week yet to return home as police launch probeLeslie Robertson, from Caithness, ended a three-day stay at the Palace Hotel in Inverness on Wednesday November 16 but never returned home.
Read more »
Senate Democrats’ Campaign Chief: Trump Helped Us Win'I think the choice is very clear for the people of Georgia.' Senator Gary Peters on how Democrats plan to win Georgia's Dec. 6 runoff
Read more »
Bullish Courtois takes lead role in last gig for Belgium’s golden generation\n\t\t\tKeep abreast of significant corporate, financial and political developments around the world.\n\t\t\tStay informed and spot emerging risks and opportunities with independent global reporting, expert\n\t\t\tcommentary and analysis you can trust.\n\t\t
Read more »
Leeds primary school saved from closure after huge campaign forces council U-turnA huge backlash against plans to close a primary school has forced Leeds City Council to abandon the proposals.
Read more »
Unearthed photos of Manchester when England last won the World CupIncredible unearthed photos show how Manchester has changed since England won the World Cup in 1966
Read more »