Circle of Fire: The Indian War of 1865

by John D. McDermott

Overview

The year 1865 was bloody on the Plains as various Indian tribes, including the Southern Cheyenne and the Southern Sioux, joined with their northern relatives to wage war on the white man. They sought revenge for the 1864 massacre at Sand Creek, when John Chivington and his Colorado volunteers nearly wiped out a village of Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho. The violence in eastern Colorado spread westward to Fort Laramie and Fort Caspar in southeastern and central Wyoming, and then moved north to the lands along the Wyoming-Montana border.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811738965
Publisher:	Stackpole Books
Publication date:	03/01/2020
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	1,053,359
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

John D. McDermott is an independent historian, interpretive planner, and heritage tourism consultant. Among his seven previously published books are A Guide to the Indian Wars of the West and Frontier Crossroad: The History of Fort Caspar and the Upper Platte Crossing.

Editorial Reviews

"Circle of Fire: The Indian War of 1865 is one of those rare works that both fill a historical void and are destined to become classics in their fields. In author John D. McDermott, the full story of the vicious Plains warfare that occurred in the waning days and immediate aftermath of the Civil War has finally found its chronicler. Exhaustively researched and gracefully written, Circle of Fire is must reading for students of the American West and the frontier army." - Peter Cozzens, Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State, and editor of the series Eyewitness to the Indian Wars, among other works.

"Long overlooked by historians, the Indian War of 1865 set an ominous tone in relations between the federal government and the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Northern Arapaho Indians. Author John D. McDermott weaves flawless scholarship, skillful interpretation, and well-crafted prose to relate this story in its proper entirety and context, giving it enhanced meaning in western history and contributing a broader perspective to surrounding events. Circle of Fire will become the standard treatment of the subject. It is Indian Wars history at its best." - Jerome A. Greene, Historian, National Park Service, and author of Morning Star Down: The Powder River Expedition and the Northern Cheyennes, 1876

From the Publisher

Long overlooked by historians, the Indian War of 1865 set an ominous tone in relations between the federal government and the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Northern Arapaho Indians. Author John D. McDermott weaves flawless scholarship, skillful interpretation, and well-crafted prose to relate this story in its proper entirety and context, giving it enhanced meaning in western history and contributing a broader perspective to surrounding events. Circle of Fire will become the standard treatment of the subject. It is Indian Wars history at its best.” – Jerome A. Greene, Historian, National Park Service, and author of Morning Star Down: The Powder River Expedition and the Northern Cheyennes, 1876

Jerome A. Greene

Circle of Fire: The Indian War of 1865 is one of those rare works that both fill a historical void and are destined to become classics in their fields. In author John D. McDermott, the full story of the vicious Plains warfare that occurred in the waning days and immediate aftermath of the Civil War has finally found its chronicler. Exhaustively researched and gracefully written, Circle of Fire is must reading for students of the American West and the frontier army.” – Peter Cozzens, Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State, and editor of the series Eyewitness to the Indian Wars, among other works.

Peter Cozzens

With this work, military historian McDermott provides his seasoned analysis of the causes and circumstances of the Plains Indian War of 1865. Extensively researched, his detailed account traces battles between the U.S. Army and Native Americans that surrounded the establishment of the Bozeman Trail upon the northern plains. Beginning with hostilities in Colorado in 1864 that culminated in the vicious attack of Col. John Chivington at Sand Creek upon a camp of southern Cheyenne and Arapaho, McDermott traces the war of vengeance that followed in 1865. A united campaign of northern and southern Cheyenne, northern Arapaho, and various groups of western Sioux, joined by trader George Bent and his sons, entered into a conflict against American settlers and the army that extended from the Missouri River in Kansas and Nebraska to the eastern front range of Colorado and north to the Powder River country of Wyoming. This book is a welcome companion to McDermott's 1998 A Travel Guide to the Indian Wars of the West. Recommended for academic and public libraries.-Nathan E. Bender, Buffalo Bill Historical Ctr., Cody, WY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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