Two events in the 19th century turned the minds of Americans westwards
towards eventual and inevitable conflict with the Plains Indians. The
first was victory in the Mexican-American War, which brought millions of
acres of new land in the West. The second was the discovery of gold in
California. One of the results of this migration was conflict with the
Indians who inhabited the Plains. So it was natural that the Army, the
nation's armed peace-keepers, should be sent to garrison the West. This
book by Philip Katcher tells the absorbing story of the US cavalrymen
who patrolled the Plains from 1850-90.