Fighting Rebels and Redskins: Experiences in Army Life of Colonel George B. Sanford, 1861-1892 (review)

BOOK REVIEWS347 however, out of individuals' political and economic ambitions, fears of losing land area to surrounding states and territories, and an honest desire for greater self-government. Amidst a sometimes confusing and perhaps excessive mass of names mentioned in connection with statehood campaigns Thomas Catron stands out for length of concern and influence. Catron constantly sought statehood to promote the value of his vast land holdings and the interests of the railroads he represented as an attorney. He aimed too at advancing his political ambitions which led him to domination of the territorial Republican party as its national committeeman, and to service as United States district attorney and as territorial delegate to Congress. Ultimately he won election as one of New Mexico's first United States Senators in 1912. Questionable interpretations in this study are few. Larson seems to accept RamsdelTs confusion of the plantation system with slavery in discussing the possibility of its spread to New Mexico. The author suggests strong nativist sentiment against New Mexico, but there appears little reason to emphasize its connection to Populism through "Sockless Jerry" Simpson. Most important, Larson does not develop the connection between federal patronage, state and national politics, and statehood efforts as fully as possible. It seems clear, for instance, that McKinley rejected Catron's recommendation for territorial governor because he had favored Reed as the Republican nominee in 1896 and the new President sought to strengthen his control of party machinery. The only important manuscripts to escape Larson's impressive research appear to be the William G. Ritch collection in the Huntington Library. The author's failure to use some recent biographies and studies of the Civil War in New Mexico does not weaken the quality of his account. Consultation of Jim B. Pearson, The Maxwell Land Grant (1961), and Holman Hamilton, Prologue to Conflict: The Crisis and Compromise of 1850 (1964), would have added depth to his treatment of those topics. Nevertheless this volume is the most complete study of New Mexico statehood efforts and a sound contribution to our knowledge of the process by which territories became members of the Union. Alwyn Barr Texas Technological University Fighting Rebels and Redskins: Experiences in Army Life of Colonel George B. Sanford, 1861-1892. Edited by E. R. Hagemann. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1969. Pp. xiii, 355. $7.95.) This volume contains two separate accounts of the military career of Colonel George B. Sanford. The first is an extended introduction by E. R. Hagemann, Chairman of the Department of English in the University of Louisville; the second, "Experiences in Army Life," is Sanford's own story of Civil War cavalry service. 348civil war history The primary purpose of the introduction, one-third of the volume, is the reconstruction of Sanford's frontier military career, 1865-1892. Only a few of the colonel's manuscripts on this long service are available ; therefore, Hagemann researched a wide variety of materials in an attempt to round out the biography. But there is still much unknown. As Hagemann concludes, "He [Sanford] remains enigmatic." (p. 105) A secondary aim of the introduction is to rescue Sanford from oblivion and portray him as a conscientious and competent soldier. From the author's narrative it seems that Sanford's campaigns against the Apaches in the Southwest in the 1860's were more successful than those against the Nez Perce and Bannocks in the Pacific Northwest in the 1870's. Hagemann describes the same general conditions found in other studies: the difficult and sometimes dangerous frontier duty, the boring life at remote forts, the frequently unproductive cavalry operations, the slow promotions, and the inner turmoil of sensitive officers who sympathized with Indians. A few extraneous paragraphs, a few unsupported thoughts attributed to Sanford, and a few factual errors—the Nez Perce did not engage in a "rampage" (p. 41), Fort Lapwai was not located on the Snake River (p. 18) and the Yakima Indian Reservation was not located in Oregon (p. 58)—detract from the narrative. Some of Hagemann's conclusions seem inappropriate. For example, his peculiar statement that "It always comes as a shock to discover that not all officers love war, enjoy killing, hanker after...