audiobook Powder River: Disastrous Opening of the Great Sioux War by Paul L. Hedren in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Could not put it down.By larry sullivanEvery history buff who has a deep interest in the Plains Indian wars of the 1870s should read this primer in how it all got started. Good research and excellent presentation of the known facts.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Book!!!!By JudeExcellent book full of detail pertaining to that part of the battles that ran through all those months.13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. A Series of Blunders Opened the Great Sioux War of 1876By N. SkoglundAfter the United States Government's ultimatum came and went without the surrender of the major "hostile" bands as they were called; (prominently; the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne;) the U.S. Army was sent in to strike a telling blow that would force these tribes to move onto the various reservations and submit to the ways of the whites. In March of 1876; General George Crook and several companies of cavalry and infantry were ordered to teach these resisters a lesson. Trudging through the merciless winter of Wyoming and Montana; Crook's troops suffered from the effects of exposure; poor subsistence (for men and horses); and small skirmishes with warriors of the same tribes they were in search of; including the loss of their entire herd of cattle (only a few days after leaving their expedition's station). Eventually; Crook's scouts would locate the trail of two Cheyenne hunters. Upon the news of this discovery; Crook split his troop into two columns; leaving one under himself and the other led by an aging Col. Joseph Reynolds who would lead his men into the Powder River Country and locate a Cheyenne village (thought to be a mostly Sioux village under the leadership of the famed Oglala leader Crazy Horse). In a series of blunders that followed; Reynolds and several of his company officers turned what may have been a serious victory for the U.S. Army into a shocking stalemate; that included few casualties on the Cheyennes side; several dead and even a wounded soldier being left behind; and the loss of warm hides and buffalo meat that would have kept the men in a better state of condition against the elements and hunger of being disconnected from their pack-train. The Cheyenne; sensing the tide was turning in this engagement; seized their moment and retook their decimated village and eventually recaptured their stolen pony herd in a last show of defiance over Crook's men. Paul Hedren has once again proven why his name is synonymous with the great writers of the Plains Indian Wars. In "Powder River"; Paul not only traces the movements of the troops marching towards their destination in striking detail; but also correlates the Cheyenne of that camp and their reasons for being there as well as their leadership. The story of the Battle of Powder River is an almost forgotten piece of western heritage now brought to life in this thrilling account by Mr. Hedren.