The Indian War Novels

Two novels of the Plains Indian Wars of the Western FrontierThe story of America has always been one of ’frontiers.’ During the 18th century ’the west’ was in that part of the continent we term the east today and the threat to settlers from hostile indigenous Indian tribes was from those who inhabited that densely forested wilderness of lakes and mountains. Inexorably and inevitably the tide of European pioneers-the new Americans-pushed westward towards the Pacific Ocean. The drive to open new country, to found new states, build homes and farms became an exodus of almost biblical proportions-the ’Manifest Destiny.’ After the Civil War between the Northern and Southern states immigrant wagon trains would push the emergent nation into and across the great plains of the interior of the continent-the home of enormous herds of American buffalo and the Indian tribes who subsisted on them. These were the Plains Indians, born hunters and warriors who some called ’the finest light cavalry on earth’ for their skill in horsemanship and who were fiercely defensive of their traditional and sacred way of life. True to pattern when an advanced society encroaches upon a primitive culture there came the inevitable conflict which could only be settled in blood. The two novels in this book, The Last of the Chiefs (a story of the Great Sioux War) and The Horsemen of the Plains (a story of the Great Cheyenne War) are adventures which are set against those once turbulent-but now romantic-times, when the Cheyennes, Arapahos and Sioux were masters of the plains and it was the task of the United States Army, the infantry and cavalry in ’dirty shirt blue’ to tame them. The author of these novels, Joseph A. Altsheler, was a prolific author of adventure fiction almost always set against an historical background and most often employing the history of his own nation, the United States of America as subject material. Indeed, Altsheler remains highly regarded for his authenticity and accuracy of historical detail. Leonaur publish several series by Altsheler including, ’The French and Indian War’ series, ’The Colonial Frontier’ series, ’The Civil War’ series and a single volume which contains the entire ’Great War’ series.Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.