The U.S. Army in the West, 1870-1880: Uniforms, Weapons, and Equipment (review)

346CIVIL WAR HISTORY between plantation labor and domestic production" (132). In the antebellum years slaves' domestic subsistence production was encouraged, but postwar planters severely limited domestic production as a source of competition. Saville's portrayal reveals the variety of ways resourceful freedpeople circumvented such restrictions to develop independent household economies. Systematic discussion of how the internal redistribution of the black population affected its economic prospects regionally would have added a useful dimension. The strength of this work is that Saville documents the assertive behavior of laboring freedpeople who boldly promoted their vision of freedom at the "grass-roots" level. Its focus is not narrowly economic, and, to her credit, the author relates social themes such as kinship and community institutional growth to her subjects' elemental condition as workers. The need for selfprotection spawned independent militia units on the Sea Islands and political associations, while frustrated desires for land and schools contributed to political activism. These efforts, combined with the church, gave voice to rural working-class concerns even before the black community had achieved formal political rights. Saville's work makes a significant contribution to the literature on the origins of the postwar agricultural labor system. Bernard E. Powers, Jr. College of Charleston The U.S. Army in the West, 1870-1880: Uniforms, Weapons, and Equipment. By Douglas C. McChristian. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995. Pp. 384. $39-95) In his memoirs of Gen. George Crook's campaign against the Sioux in 1876, correspondent John Finerty commented on the appearance ofthe soldiers in the field by writing, ". . . as for the uniform the absence thereof is a leading characteristic ofthe service. Perhaps this is all the better, for a more disfiguring costume than the fatigue dress ofthe United States Army the imagination of the most diabolically inclined of existing tailors could not conceive." Indeed, the cavalrymen and doughboys of the frontier military took to the field wearing a wide array ofoutfits and carrying a variety ofsmall arms and accoutrements that lacked any semblance of standardization or uniformity. In The U.S. Army in the West, 1870-1880: Uniforms, Weapons, and Equipment , Douglas C. McChristian examines and offers explanations for the haphazard nature of military uniforms, armament, and accoutrements during the post-Civil War era. McChristian, former historian at the Little Bighorn National Battlefield, brings a wealth of knowledge and years of experience as a student and collector of militaría to the subject. His treatment of the material culture of the frontier army builds upon the earlier work of many noted military artists and scholars such as Randy Steffen, Lisle Reedstrom, and Gordon Chappell. In fact, in many ways McChristian's book transcends these earlier studies, since most BOOK REVIEWS347 of his predecessors relied largely on artistic recreations of the clothing and equipment. Instead, McChristian's book is lavishly illustrated with over two hundred photographs of the actual uniforms, weapons, belts, haversacks, holsters , tin cups, canteens, rifles, and other items of military life. Central to the author's theme is a running discourse on the military procurement system during the period. Throughout the narrative McChristian points out that the army faced inefficiency, waste, corruption, nepotism, and stupidity in trying to outfit its troops. In addition, the army also had to contend with a stingy Congress that believed military appropriations held a low priority. The author's discussion of this exasperating procurement system will likely evoke images of those legendary $400 toilet seats supposedly purchased by the military in the 1980s. Despite all of the obstacles that the army faced in equipping its soldiers, McChristian maintains that developments in military goods made in the 1870s led to important modifications that helped bring standardization to the service in a later generation. While The U.S. Army in the West is certainly a welcome addition to the literature in the field, it is not a book designed for the general reader interested in the Indian-fighting army. Much of the author's descriptions of military hardware and uniforms are highly technical in nature, and discussions regarding the intricacies ofmilitary procurement may be viewed as somewhat tedious. Nonetheless, the book does serve as a fascinating and valuable reference source for advanced students of the...