In their own words 2

the long version

From the California Gold Rush to the gunfighters of Texas to the Sioux Wars of the Northern Plains, here are the most vital, colorful chapters of American history - told in vivid detail by the settlers, soldiers, and Native Americans who lived them. Historian T. J. Stiles weaves these fascinating first-person accounts into a sweeping narrative - presenting them chronologically and linking them together with insightful editorial notes. Their words document the history of the American West - the real stories of battles waged for land, power, and freedom on the great frontier...The Oregon Trail, Custer's last stand, the Apache struggle and the Geronimo campaign, Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War, the last ride of the Dalton Gang, the Sand Creek Massacre, the building of the railroads, the struggle of Chief Joseph...