Five Years a Cavalryman (Abridged, Annotated)

A highly-amusing, unsentimental view of frontier army life in the 19th century, Harry McConnell's classic memoir of his years in the 6th United States Cavalry is a treasure for readers and historians alike. A Civil War veteran, McConnell hints at mysterious but unnamed reasons why he left his wife and child to join the U. S. Army and head to the Wild West (they joined him later). But with wit and clarity, he paints a picture of life in a rough regiment of men who mostly couldn't find occupation elsewhere but in the frontier army. Among the topics upon which he turns his wit are army procurement and record keeping, the cruelty and capriciousness of some officers, the official policies in force at the time toward Indians, and the simple life of staying alive in dangerous conditions, including under fire. But he also writes of the famous men he met, the heroic comrades with whom he served, and the great love he came to have for Texas. In all, it is a rollicking and exciting ride through a time and place that no longer exists.