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(More customer reviews)Randolph Marcy, an army cavalry officer, wrote this book (1859) when it became apparent to him that nobody better qualified was going to do the job. He intended for the book to serve as a manual for those who were going to travel westward by wagon train over rugged territory inhabited by hostile indians. A glance at his index reveals the information and actions he deemed vital: choosing a route and a group leader, selecting wagons and draft animals, buying provisions, supplies, equipments, personal clothing and weapons, march procedures, herding and guarding animals, organizing a first-aid kit, treating snakebites, selecting campsites, pitching tents, building fires, fording rivers, etc.
When Marcy explains the value of a qualified leader-guide, and the merits of having people with hunter-woodsman skills, he deviates somewhat and talks at length about indians. Eastern indians differ greatly from western indians, he explains, and all indians have natural skills of tracking and navigating uncharted territory that white men can rarely emulate. He describes indian tracking techniques, their use of smoke signals and sign language, and their battle tactics - simular in certain respects to those used by Arab guerrillas. He describes how they hunt the bigger animals - the buffalo, bears, deer, antelopes and bighorn sheep.
In brief, this little book (230 pages)- written for the 'prairie traveler' by a man who'd 'been there and done that' is entertaining, fascinating, and informative. Read it and you'll view those old western movies through new eyes.
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