The American soldier, 1866/1916 : the enlisted man and the transformation of the United States Army
John A. Haymond (Author)
"Following the Civil War, the U.S. Army underwent a decline. Soldiers served at remote posts with harsh weather, bad food and poor living conditions. Drawing on soldiers' narratives, personal letters and official records, the author explores the common soldier's experience during the Reconstruction Era, the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War and more"-- Provided by publisher
eBook, English, 2018
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 2018
History
1 online resource
9781476632087, 1476632081
1028637142
Introduction: History and heritage
After Appomattox: The Army in Decline
Fetterman's Chance: The fight on Lodge Trail Ridge
Joining up: enlisting in the Army
Against the odds: The Hayfield and Wagon Box Fights
Drill and marksmanship: learning the soldier's trade
Soldiering on the frontier: "Bring enough money to pay your own funeral expenses"
Shoulder straps and chevrons: privates, NCOs and officers
Books and baseball: soldiers' entertainments
Bacon, bread and coffee: Army rations
"The curse of the Army": alcohol and the soldier
Hard, horse-killing marches: campaigning on the frontier
Crime and punishment: "A 24-pound ball on a six-foot chain"
Patrol, Pursuit and skirmish: The nature of combat in the Indian Wars
The desertion problem: "Giving the Army the grand bounce" The color line: The Army and race
"Mr. Lo": The soldier and the Indian
Politics and a massacre: The Army's quest for control of the Indian Bureau
"A damned big fight": The 7th Cavalry at the Little Big Horn
The end of an era: The Pine Ridge Campaign and Wounded Knee
The War with Spain: A different Army for a different war
Waiting in the wings: The Spanish-American War in the training camps
Scandal and reform: The Aftermath of the Spanish-American War
"A diabolical threat": The anti-canteen campaign
Soldiers of empire: The Army in the Philippines
The War in the Philippines: "Battles we never enlisted for ..."
Into Mexico: The 1916 Punitive Expedition
Conclusion: The gathering storm
Appendix: Major campaigns and combat engagements of the Indian Wars, 1866/1890