In this Book
- Ordered West: The Civil War Exploits of Charles A. Curtis
- Book
- 2017
- Published by: University of North Texas Press
summary
During the Civil War, Charles Curtis served in the 5th United States Infantry on the New Mexico and Arizona frontier. He spent his years from 1862 to 1865 on garrison duty, interacting with Native Americans, both hostile and friendly. Years after his service and while president of Norwich University, Curtis wrote an extensive memoir of his time in the Southwest. This memoir was serialized and published in a New England newspaper and so remained unknown, until now. In addition to his keen observations of daily life as a soldier serving in the American Southwest, Curtis’s reminiscences include extensive descriptions of Arizona and New Mexico and detail his encounters with Indians, notable military figures, eccentrics, and other characters from the Old West. Among these many stories readers will find Curtis’s accounts of meeting Kit Carson, the construction of Fort Whipple, and expeditions against the Navajo and Apache. In Ordered West, editors Alan D. Gaff and Donald H. Gaff have pulled together the pieces of Curtis’s story and assembled them into a single narrative. Annotated with footnotes identifying people, places, and events, the text is lavishly illustrated throughout with pictures of key figures and maps. A detailed biographical overview of Curtis and how his story came to print is also included.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Introduction
- pp. 1-20
- 1. The Adventure Begins
- pp. 21-35
- 2. Across the Plains
- pp. 36-49
- 3. Along the Santa Fé Trail
- pp. 50-61
- 4. Into New Mexico
- pp. 62-72
- 5. Arrival in Santa Fé
- pp. 73-91
- 6. Albuquerque and the Rio Grande
- pp. 92-101
- 7. Arrival at Fort Craig
- pp. 102-111
- 8. On the March
- pp. 112-123
- 9. Encounter with Apaches
- pp. 124-130
- 10. Las Cruces and Mesilla
- pp. 131-142
- 11. New Mexico Stories
- pp. 143-150
- 12. Across the Jornada Del Muerto
- pp. 151-160
- 13. From Peralta to Fort Marcy
- pp. 161-171
- 14. Quartermaster Duty
- pp. 172-183
- 15. Romantic Entanglements
- pp. 184-192
- 16. En Route to Conejos
- pp. 193-204
- 17. No Potatoes, But a New Assignment
- pp. 205-217
- 18. Indian Attack at Los Valles Grandes
- pp. 218-226
- 19. Pueblos and Navajos
- pp. 227-238
- 20. Indians of New Mexico
- pp. 239-247
- 21. Lost in the Wilderness
- pp. 248-253
- 22. Winter Quarters
- pp. 254-263
- 23. Return to Jemez
- pp. 264-276
- 24. Good-Bye to Los Valles Grandes
- pp. 277-288
- 25. Departure from Albuquerque
- pp. 289-296
- 26. Headed for Fort Wingate
- pp. 297-305
- 27. Inscription Rock
- pp. 306-315
- 28. Sightseeing and a Captive Boy
- pp. 316-326
- 29. Coues and Consequences
- pp. 327-335
- 30. Colorado Chiquito and a Porcupine
- pp. 336-345
- 31. Troubles with Coues and Indians
- pp. 346-357
- 32. Arrival at Fort Whipple
- pp. 358-368
- 33. Building a Fort
- pp. 369-377
- 34. The Missing Mail Carrier
- pp. 378-383
- 35. Horse Flesh
- pp. 384-396
- 36. A Bad Day Fishing
- pp. 397-408
- 37. Cash and Carrying on
- pp. 409-418
- 38. Life in Prescott
- pp. 419-430
- 39. Fight at Red Rocks
- pp. 431-439
- 40. Politics and Punishment
- pp. 440-449
- 41. Into the Desert
- pp. 450-460
- 42. Water in Several Forms
- pp. 461-467
- 43. La Paz
- pp. 468-478
- 44. Major Thompson’s Scout
- pp. 479-492
- 45. Last Days at Fort Whipple
- pp. 493-505
- 46. Doctor Coues in Charge
- pp. 506-519
- 47. A Change in Command
- pp. 520-534
- 48. California and Home
- pp. 535-545
- Bibliography
- pp. 546-560
Additional Information
ISBN
9781574416824
Related ISBN(s)
9781574416695
MARC Record
OCLC
990337068
Pages
704
Launched on MUSE
2017-06-28
Language
English
Open Access
No