Böcker av Ron Field

A major period of westward expansion took place in the United States during the first half of the 19th century. Fur trading, the coast-to-coast railroad, the California gold rush and the removal of Native American tribes both facilitated and encouraged America's "manifest destiny" to become a transcontinental nation. The task of protecting the settlers from the tribes that inhabited the Great Plains fell to the US Army, and to do this an extensive network of permanent forts was created via construction and acquisition. This title examines why the forts were built, as well as their design, defensive features and the role they played in the settlement of the American West. The daily lives of the garrison soldiers and fort inhabitants are also covered, together with the fighting witnessed at key sites.

During the 1840s, the rarely visited Great American Desert of the Southern Plains and Southwest became part of the inexorable westward expansion, as European traders and settlers headed overland from the eastern seaboard. This title explores the design and development of the sites, the life of the garrisons that manned them, and more.

African-American soldiers played a decisive role in the US Army on the western frontier during the Plains Wars. Nicknamed the 'buffalo soldiers' by their Cheyenne and Comanche enemies, these brave soldiers fought many enemies over the years, including Sitting Bull and Geronimo.