The American Soldier, 1866-1916: The Enlisted Man and the Transformation of the United States Army

by John A. Haymond

Overview

In the years following the Civil War, the U.S. Army underwent a professional decline. Soldiers served their enlistments at remote, nameless posts from Arizona to Alaska. Harsh weather, bad food and poor conditions were adversaries as dangerous as Indian raiders. Yet under these circumstances, men continued to enlist for $13 a month.

Drawing on soldiers' narratives, personal letters and official records, the author explores the common soldier's experience during the Reconstruction Era, the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War and the Punitive Expedition into Mexico.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476632087
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	03/19/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	341
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John A. Haymond is a conflict historian; his research focuses on the history of the U.S. Army, the laws of war and the impact of war on society. He retired from the army in 2009 and resides in Yelm, Washington.
John A. Haymond is a conflict historian; his research focuses on the history of the U.S. Army, the laws of war and the impact of war on society. He retired from the army in 2009 and resides in Yelm, Washington.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction: History and Heritage
 1. After Appomattox: The Army in Decline
 2. Fetterman’s Chance: The Fight on Lodge Trail Ridge
 3. Joining Up: Enlisting in the Army
 4. Against the Odds: The Hayfield and Wagon Box Fights
 5. Drill and Marksmanship: Learning the Soldier’s Trade
 6. Soldiering on the Frontier: “Bring enough money to pay your own funeral expenses”
 7. Shoulder Straps and Chevrons: Privates, NCOs and Officers
 8. Books and Baseball: Soldiers’ Entertainments
 9. Bacon, Bread and Coffee: Army Rations
10. “The curse of the army”: Alcohol and the Soldier
11. Hard, ­Horse-Killing Marches: Campaigning on the Frontier
12. Crime and Punishment: “A 24-pound ball on a ­six-foot chain”
13. Patrol, Pursuit and Skirmish: The Nature of Combat in the Indian Wars
14. The Desertion Problem: “Giving the army the grand bounce”
15. The Color Line: The Army and Race
16. “Mr. Lo”: The Soldier and the Indian
17. Politics and a Massacre: The Army’s Quest for Control of the Indian Bureau
18. “A damned big fight”: The 7th Cavalry at the Little Big Horn
19. The End of an Era: The Pine Ridge Campaign and Wounded Knee
20. The War with Spain: A Different Army for a Different War
21. Waiting in the Wings: The ­Spanish-American War in the Training Camps
22. Scandal and Reform: The Aftermath of the ­Spanish-American War
23. “A diabolical threat”: The ­Anti-Canteen Campaign
24. Soldiers of Empire: The Army in the Philippines
25. The War in the Philippines: “Battles we never enlisted for…”
26. Into Mexico: The 1916 Punitive Expedition
Conclusion: The Gathering Storm
Appendix: Major Campaigns and Combat Engagements of the Indian Wars, 1866–1890
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Haymond focuses on the daily lives of enlisted personnel, who did their service in frontier outposts in the US and the Territory of Alaska.... a rewarding study...recommended”—Choice

From the Publisher