A colorful chronicle of the American West, this book brings to life General John Gibbon's experiences on the western frontier - as he first encountered it in 1860, and as he campaigned and scouted through the West during the 1870s. Gibbon was an uncommonly observant and articulate officer in the Regular Army, and his journal is a thoughtful record of the lives of the Indians, soldiers, and white settlers who uneasily shared the vast western wilderness. Above all, Gibbon recounts in detail the realities of army life and Indian warfare. He saw no gallant cavalry charges in the Sioux Campaign of 1876, only footsore infantrymen marching in search of Indian warriors who always managed to outdistance their pursuers. An avid sportsman and explorer, Gibbon relates stories of hunting and fishing trips in the wilderness and a visit to the newly created Yellowstone Park. Taken as a whole, Gibbon's journal and narratives offer a fascinating glimpse of life on the American frontier. John Gibbon (1827-1896) served in the U.S. military for nearly fifty years and is most closely associated with two of America's best-known battles - Pickett's Charge and Custer's Last Stand. His Personal Recollections of the Civil War is acknowledged as a classic account of the war. Alan and Maureen Gaff have been researching American history for twenty years. Alan Gaff is author of Brave Men's Tears: The Iron Brigade at the Battle of Brawner Farm and If This Is War: A History of the Campaign of Bull's Run by the Wisconsin Regiment Thereafter Known as the Ragged Ass Second.