cover image Nelson A. Miles and the Twilight of the Frontier Army

Nelson A. Miles and the Twilight of the Frontier Army

Robert Wooster. University of Nebraska Press, $40 (403pp) ISBN 978-0-8032-4759-8

This comprehensively researched biography serves as the definitive account of a major U.S. military figure. Nelson Miles (1839-1925) established himself between 1865 and 1900 as a successful ``Indian fighter'' as well as a military politician, becoming the Army's commanding general in 1895. However, his abrasive, contentious personality made him many enemies. According to Wooster, a professor of history at Corpus Christi State University in Texas, Miles's unbroken record of victories in the Plains Indian Wars reflected tactical skills, concern for logistics and an ability to inspire the men under his command. Miles was also a vociferous critic of the corruption, incompetence and brutality that accompanied the government's Indian policies. Too much a part of his milieu to transcend it, he was an archetype, symbolizing the best and the worst of the Old Army. Illustrations not seen by PW. History Book Club selection. (May)