In the summer of 1846, the Army of the West marched through Santa Fe, en route to invade and occupy the Western territories claimed by Mexico. Fueled by the new ideology of “Manifest Destiny,” this land grab would lead to a decades-long battle between the United States and the Navajos, the fiercely resistant rulers of a huge swath of mountainous desert wilderness.
At the center of this sweeping tale is Kit Carson, the trapper, scout, and soldier whose adventures made him a legend. Sides shows us how this illiterate mountain man understood and respected the Western tribes better than any other American, yet willingly followed orders that would ultimately devastate the Navajo nation. Rich in detail and spanning more than three decades, this is an essential addition to our understanding of how the West was really won.
Chapter 2. The Glittering World
Chapter 3. The Army of the West
Chapter 6. Who Is James K. Polk?
Chapter 8. The Ruling Hand of Providence
Chapter 10. When the Land Is Sick
Chapter 12. We Will Correct All This
Chapter 14. The Uninvaded Silence
Chapter 15. On the Altar of the Country
Chapter 16. A Perfect Butchery
Chapter 17. The Fire of Montezuma
Chapter 18. Your Duty, Mr. Carson
Chapter 19. Daggers in Every Look
Chapter 20. Men with Ears Down to Their Ankles
Chapter 21. The Hall of Final Ruin
Chapter 23. The Grim Metronome
Chapter 24. Lords of the Mountains
Chapter 25. The Devil’s Turnpike
Chapter 28. El Crepusculo + Photo Insert 1
Chapter 30. Time at Last Sets All Things Even
Chapter 32. The Finest Head I Ever Saw
Chapter 36. The Fearing Time + Photo Insert 2
Chapter 37. People of the Single Star
Chapter 38. The Sons of Some Dear Mother
Chapter 40. Children of the Mist
Chapter 41. General Orders No. 15
Chapter 45. The Condition of the Tribes
Chapter 46. Crossing Purgatory