US Cavalryman, 1865-90

The period 1865-90 was one of unparalleled change in American frontier history. This span of 25 years witnessed the end of the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the plains Indians, the colonisation of the West by white settlers, and the first experience of the US army in fighting a form of irregular warfare for which its soldiers and commanders were untrained, and its equipment unsuited. That they acquitted themselves so well in the face of bureaucratic meddling, poor supply and appalling climatic conditions, speaks highly of the tenacity and physical toughness of the volunteers who served in the West during campaigns such as the Comanche Campaign (1867-1875), the Red River War (1874-1875), the Nez Perce War (1877), and the Ghost Dance War (1890-1891) among others.