Marinus Willett never attained more than the rank of lieutenant colonel during the Revolutionary War, although many (myself included) would argue that he accomplished far more with far less than any of his contemporaries on the American side. For that he deserved the honor of rank commensurate with his abilities and accomplishments. But Willett was not a complainer; he was the quintessential doer. He was the model citizen-soldier.

It was the supreme compliment to him to be referred to as "the Devil" to the British and their Iriquois allies, not because of any atrocities attributed to him but because of his bravery, tenacity, resourcefulness, and tactical skill. The drubbings he was able to inflict on them gave him somewhat of a supernatural aura in the eyes of his enemies. Contrasting the British/Indian opinion of him, the largely German Americans who inhabited the Mohawk Valley referred to him as the "Saviour of the Mohawk Valley" for his accomplishments on behalf of the American side there.

Willett was a master of small unit tactics, able to rapidly assemble, deploy, and engage his tiny forces against numerically superior forces...and soundly thrash them! His ability to convert from a defensive stance to a stubbornly aggressive offense was a key element to his success in keeping his enemies off balance and systematically defeat them. Without him, the American presence on the New York frontier would have surely collapsed, opening the way for the British to take Albany and Massachusetts, thus perhaps altering the course of the war.

Mr. Lowenthal's engaging book brings to life one of the most unrecogized heroes of America's most important (but also most unrecognized) military conflicts.

This is a wonderful story of an unlikely romance in the Ozark Mountains, a place that time has passed by and forgotten traditions are still commonplace. You will find yourself or someone that you know in the simple goodness of early rural America.

I have been a "student" of the Indian raids along the Little Blue in Nebraska in 1864 and have written and lectured on the subject for the past 9 years. Even my own publication falls way short of this new book. The history of the raids has needed someone to present it using no frills, no embellishments - just hard, cold facts supported by good documentation. The author has done just that and with the flair of a storyteller, the fascinating account of the events leading to and after the conflict is flawlessly unveiled in the book. The real heart of this book though is in Part II, presented in a nearly blow by blow "you are there" view of each of the attacks on stage stations and road ranches by Cheyenne and Sioux warriors. No other accounts have told this story with the thorough and painstaking examination given it by the writer. Drawing upon a vast body of military records, manuscripts, government publications, newspapers, periodicals, books, and other documentation, he has sifted meticulously through half-truths, outright untruths, shaded truths, and filled in with factual material where none was available or had been omitted in previous accounts. The remarkable research has resulted in a work that sheds a new and delightfully comprehensive light upon this period of American history.

For those who know (or wish to learn about) the whys and wherefores of the white-Indian relations from the time of the colonists and through the final conflict at Wounded Knee in 1890, it is put into perspective with this work. The book is divided into four parts, followed with an epilogue and appendices. Part I gives an overview of the development of white-Indian relations and interactions, presided over by government intervention from the 1600s up to the 1860s and the eve of the raid or massacre along the Little Blue. Unfolded in Part II is an amazingly accurate and detailed description of each day of the raid and immediate aftermath taking place from August 7th through August 19th. Beginning on the 7th, Cheyenne and Sioux warriors attacked numerous road ranches along the Little Blue and vast amounts of property and goods were destroyed. Commerce and travel along the route west from Missouri and Kansas through Nebraska and Colorado came to a halt. Hundreds of people were affected, many lost their lives, several women and children were captured and held hostage - some for as long at nine months.

Part III describes the panic and some levelheaded preparation and fortification of their homes by people living in the outlying areas of the actual raids. Accounting of press coverage given to the events, military campaigns to seek out and punish the Indians is given by the author before chapters on the captives and their unplanned for journey against their will.

For those interested in the ordeal and aftermath of the captivity of those mentioned, the book is a goldmine of information. Of the known captives (Lucinda, Isabelle and Willie Eubank, Ambrose Asher, Laura Roper, Nancy Morton, Daniel Marble) all survived and were released to military authorities. All returned home to relatives except Daniel Marble and Isabelle Eubank, who lived for only a short time after reaching Denver where they were brought by Major Edward W. Wynkoop, the commander at Fort Lyon in Colorado Territory. Nancy Morton was held 6 months and finally reached Fort Laramie in Wyoming, as did Lucinda and Willie Eubank who were brought there by their captors in May of 1865. For those interested in the history of the Sand Creek Massacre and Black Kettle's role in the events of 1864, it may be a surprise to learn that he was one of those greatly responsible for negotiating the release of the captives to Major Wynkoop near Hackberry Creek in western Kansas in September of 1864. Colonel Chivington and the First Colorado Volunteers ultimately attacked him and his fellow tribesmen in late November 1864.

Part IV of the book describes the aftereffects of the raids with concluding stories about many of the individuals who had lived in the valley of the Little Blue as well as others who impacted the story. Summation is given the Lemmon, Roper, Martin, Eubank, Morton, Emery, Mudge, Comstock, Baker, Artist, Gilbert, Hunt, Palmer, Bainter, Uhlig, Metcalf, Morrow, McDonald, Gilman and Marble families. What became of those military and governmental officials like Colonel Summers, Generals Samuel Curtis and Robert Mitchell, John Evans, and John Milton Chivington is discussed. A concluding chapter describes one former captive's return to the site of her capture that had occurred 64 years before.

Appendix A lists the known casualties of the raid, including those killed, mortally wounded, wounded and captured. This list is incredibly valuable for those trying to make sense of all the names and dates. Appendix B is a list of the military troop dispositions of company units and commanding officers. The photographs and illustrations are fine and their clarity is very good. Although a few typos crop up here and there in the text and one map on page 174 erroneously lists Nuckotte County instead of Nuckolls County, there is nothing about the book that needs much improvement. I loved the book and learned a lot from it that even I, after nearly 10 years of studying this topic, did not know.

No bookshelf of individuals interested in American west history should be without this awesome piece of research and easy to read style of writing. I highly recommend the book and give it my highest endorsement.

Launching what promises to be a memorably impressive series titled "Frontier Classics" from Stackpole Books, Massacres Of The Mountains: A History Of The Indian Wars Of The Far West 1815-1875 by J.P. Dunn, Jr. is an acclaimed and scholarly military study which was originally published in 1886. This new, affordable, 816 page, paperback edition features an new introduction by Western Historian David Dary and presents a meticulous and extensive accounting of Indian-white conflict in western America. As informative today as it was a hundred years ago, and enhanced with 160 b/w illustrations, Massacres Of The Mountains is a strongly recommended acquisition for personal and academic American History and Native American Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

McMahon's historical fantasy is written with accuracy, wit, lyricism, and great insight. The book follows Gordon McKay's travails in his fantastic plan to create a planned community based around bee-raising in Kansas in the 1850s. He recruits a number of strange characters to aid him in his Quixote-esque quest. An incredible book that hopefully will one day be recognized for its true brilliance. You needn't be a bee fan to appreciate its elegance; I'm not. On a par with other gems like Marilynne Robinson's "Housekeeping".

A must read for any physician considering a career change to medical management. This compilation, edited by Dr. Arthur Lazarus, is the Bible for physician executive career development. I recommend it all my colleagues.

This book connects conflict mediation with spiritual growth. I found it extremely insightful. Not always easy reading, it takes a bit of time to digest, but this man has a very deep knowledge of both conflicts and human consciousness. This book is a guideline to changing the way you behave when you have conflicts, or to help others that have conflicts. One of the best books I read in the past few years.

Joseph Thomas Heath describes in detail the areas in and around Lakewood/Steilacoom in Washington State and the good and bad as a poineering farmer/rancher in the South Sound. Through the eyes of a devout Englishman you will see the Steilacoom Indians, thier friends, and thier foes,the hassles and benefits of living near Fort Nisqually,and the heartbreaking approach and eventual possesion of the Americans from Oregon. This was a Lakewood/Steilacoom full of Prarie lands,woodlands,undeveloped lakeshores,creekbanks,and bubbling artisian wells.A place where wolves roamed and Eagles were "as thick as crows".

You will have no trouble imagining the people and places in this book with Elaine Schulte's descriptions. This book has adventure, but most importantly, focuses on a family's choice to keep trusting God during their many trials. It is refreshing to find a book that has romance that is not trashy, but true and pure. This is one of my favorites in the Pioneer Series, and I have all of the books in this series.

Well-written, balanced, and insightful. I especially appreciated the perspective, as it gave a truly unbiased view.