The American Army in Transition, 1865-1898

(Hardback)

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The last thirty-five years of the nineteenth century were a time of dramatic change for the U.S. military, including the Reconstruction of the South after the Civil War; fighting the Indian Wars of 1865 through 1890; and shifting military personnel concerns and increased responsibilities, including law enforcement, protection of the National Parks, and border patrols. As the century's end neared, the army faced increasing retrenchment and increased advocacy for veteran's causes when the Civil War veteran population aged. This book illustrates the lives of the average soldier and his family, his involvement with the community, and his contributions and needs as a veteran. The late nineteenth century in American military history is not as well known as others. Relying on documents, diaries, newspaper accounts, and family histories, Tate also includes a timeline, a topically arranged bibliography, and a comprehensive index.

Reviews

Tate describes the daily lives of officers and enlisted men in a period marked by wars against hapless indigenous and indignant imperialists. He examines the role of the family, the acquisition of traditional and new identities as soldiers, the shifts in purpose and mission, the promotion of Army life as patriotic and fulfilling by those who were not themselves in the life, the role of recreation, and the societal attitudes that were restated on the battlefield into slaughter. * Reference & Research Book News *

Author Bio

Michael L. Tate is Professor of History at University of Nebraska, Omaha. Among his previously published books are The Frontier Army in the Settlement of the West and Indians and Emigrants on the Overland Trails: Myths Reexamined.