John D. McDermott (1935-2016) was a historian and administrator with the National Park Service and the President's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. His numerous published books and articles on the American West include Red Cloud's War: The Bozeman Trail, 1866-1868. R. Eli Paul heads the Missouri Valley Special Collections at the Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri. He is the author of Blue Water Creek and the First Sioux War, 1854-1856, coauthor of Eyewitness at Wounded Knee, and editor of the Autobiography of Red Cloud: War Leader of the Oglalas. Sandra J. Lowry (1943-2016) was a librarian for more than thirty years in the Research Library at the Fort Laramie National Historic Site.
Description
"Of the three U.S. military disasters in the wars with the Lakota/Sioux (Grattan, Fetterman, Custer), the first is the least studied or understood, even though it set in motion the events that led to the following two. This marvelous sourcebook rectifies that historical fault with its exhaustive presentation of accounts and reports from all sides surrounding the August 1854 slaughter of Lt. John Grattan's detachment near Fort Laramie. The editors provide informative annotations and context to create a treasure trove that will be mined by generations of readers and researchers." - Paul Andrew Hutton, author of Phil Sheridan and His Army and The Apache Wars "McDermott, Paul, and Lowry's documentary history is a model of what can be done using primary sources to make compelling history that delivers a story with all the drama of fiction." - Will Bagley, author of With Golden Visions Bright Before Them: Trails to the Mining West, 1849-1852 "This thoughtful, spritely rendition of the Grattan affair is far and away the best yet, and destined to become the standard. The editors' introduction is without question the most comprehensive and lucid telling of the episode in the literature." - Paul L. Hedren, author of Powder River: Disastrous Opening of the Great Sioux War "This engaging collection of historical accounts will enhance a range of courses examining the West or American Indians. Its uncluttered editorial style permits students to develop their own conclusions regarding frontier politics, economics, race, and religion. In short, this volume offers more than the Gratton fight, more than an evolution of facts and rumors, and more than a Mormon's cow. It is a valuable and welcomed addition for those teaching, researching, and writing about the American West." - Western Historical Quarterly