General William S. Harney: Prince of Dragoons by George Rollie Adams (review)

highly structuralassumptions thatgovernmuch of the writingon indigenous-newcomer relations: thatculturalgroupswere linkedtoeconomic and political activities, thatAmerican Indians and newcomers operated in separate spheres, and that the arrival of Europeans was, automatically, the defining eventor process ina region'shistory. He hasmanaged towrite a book that isat once sen sitive tobroad cultural and social processes and structuresand rooted inan understanding of the importance of individual actions and pivotal events.Perhapsmost significantly, he tacklesdi rectly the assumption that indigenous peoples were preoccupied with protecting theirculture fromexternal influences,demonstrating instead a high level of choice, agency, and flexibility in theirreactions to biological, technological, and economic changes. Common and Contested Ground makes a valuable contribution towest ernhistoriography and presents a respectfuland well-argued challenge to some of the most fun damental assumptions governing thewriting of indigenous history and the history of Indian newcomer relations in North America. General William S.Harney: Prince of Dragoons By George Rollie Adams University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 2001. Photographs, maps, notes, bibliography, index. 409 pages. $50.00 cloth. Reviewed by Robert Carriker Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington Biographies are a terrifieresource. They put a human face on national events that would otherwise be just another historical inci dent. Like thepeople theyexamine, of course,not all biographies are created equal. General Will iamS.Harney isa good case inpoint. It issuch an exceptionally readable book, based upon such re liable sources andwith suchwell-chosen illustra tions andmaps, that it makes most other biog raphies of nineteenth-century military figures seem lacking.The book isbased on a strongly researched doctoral dissertation completed in 1983,and Adams took his time rethinking and rewriting. William S.Harney (1800-1889) was a complex and fairly irascible character, so the maturity thatAdams added tohis insightsdur ingthese many yearshas been worthwhile. Entering theU.S. Army afterthe War of 1812 as a non-West Point second lieutenant,Harney had to earn everypromotion he received during forty-five yearsof active service. Yet,he alsomade friends.He servedwith Andrew Jackson in the wars against theCreek Indians, and he rubbed shoulderswith Captain Abraham Lincoln dur ing the Black Hawk War. He led troops in the Second Semin?leWar, the Mexican War, and the so-called Mormon War. No one doubted the man s courage under fireor disparaged his rec ommendations forimprovements intrainingand equipment forthe men. His unorthodox riverine tactics for combat in swamps saved lives. Less acclaimed were his humane ideas about how to treat Indians with justice and respect.Harney commanded and devised thestrategy forthelarg estandmost successfulpre-CivilWar campaign against theSioux Indians, but, tohis chagrin,he could notwin a lastingpeace. Actually, he could not achieve a lastingpeace inthe Dakotas or any where else. Named commander of the newly cre ated Department of Oregon in 1858,Harney reached FortVancouver at the tail end of the Coeur d'Alene IndianWar that associated the names ofEdward Steptoewith humbling defeat, GeorgeWright with unconditional victory,and PeterDe Smet,not William Harney,with negoti ated peace. There immediately followed theSan Reviews 285 JuanIslands disputewith Great Britain, and this timeHarney's "diplomacy" almost pushed the United States into war. Exasperated, the secretary ofwar reassignedHarney in i860 to theDepart ment of the West, headquartered inSt.Louis. The Civil War did not benefit Harney's career, al thoughhewas one of only fourwith the rankof general intheregular U.S. Armywhen theconflict began. Blamed for the secession ofMissouri ? Harney was falselythought tobe a Confederate sympathizer because of his ties to slaveholding in-laws ? in amater of months he was relieved ofhis command, officially retiringin1863.In 1867, Harney returned to public service as part of an Indian peace commission, and, fora brief time, he administered a Sioux reservation inDakota Territory.Inhis private life, he divorced hiswife andmarried his housekeeper ? decidedly non Victorian conduct?and generallykept tohim self. Having penned no journals during his years inuniform and having kept only a fewpersonal papers,Harney had nothing to editor publish as reminiscence ? or apologia ? an activity that consumed many ofhis fellow retiredofficers. As a source of good anecdotes about himself,how ever,Harney amused only one journalist,who recorded only a few tales forpublication in 1878. To achieve thisbiography, Adams had todelve deeply intounpublished sources in eight states and theNational Archives. Serious scholars are gratefulforhis efforts...