Stationed in Montana during the height of the Indian Wars, Captain
Charles Rawn proved an unlikely hero and an indispensable leader in
numerous battles. He took command from a drunken Major Baker at the
Battle of Pryor's Creek, saving the 400 soldiers from possible
annihilation at the hands of 1,000 Sioux. As commander of Fort Missoula,
he led 35 soldiers and 200 volunteers in an attempt to halt 850 Nez
Perce warriors. When Colonel Gibbon suffered an injury at the Battle of
the Big Hole, Rawn's experience and leadership of the 7th Infantry
helped prevent another Custer debacle. Author Robert M. Brown catalogues
the career of this outstanding officer and the transformation of the
frontier army from a Civil War legacy into an elite fighting force.