MILITARY HISTORY OF THE WEST

"Sheridan's Saber: The 4th Cavalry Regiment in 1874"

By William Van Horn

ABSTRACT: In 1874 Ranald Mackenzie's 4th United States Cavalry Regiment engaged in operations ranging from small scouting patrols to the campaigning of the Red River War. The regiment's operations are examined and compared to those of other regiments in the same period. The effectiveness of the 4th Cavalry in the field is explained, with emphasis on the role of Mackenzie.

KEY WORDS: Ranald Mackenzie; 4th Cavalry; Red River War; Indian Wars
 

"'Ladies' of the Frontier Forts"

By Verity McInnis

ABSTRACT: Officers' wives enjoyed no regulatory protections within western army posts. Seeking to restructure frontier society, they connected into the existing military code of honor and applied chivalric imagery to their new surroundings. By promoting the nobility of their husbands' roles, the erstwhile campfollowers discreetly repositioned themselves as "ladies."

KEY WORDS: officers' wives; women; frontier; U.S. Army
 

"Base Instinct: Phoenix and the Fight Over Luke Field, 1946-1948"

By Matthew G. McCoy

ABSTRACT: Like many cities after World War II, Phoenix faced closure of some of its military bases. City leaders battled the federal government over Luke Field and neveer succeeded in their goal of taking ownership of the facility. But their efforts kept the base in condition for reactivation during the Cold War and forged closer ties with the federal government.

KEY WORDS: Phoenix, Arizona; Luke Field; civil-military relations; War Assets Administration; World War II
 

"Captain Daniel Scully's Diary of the Red River Campaign, 1864"

Edited by Arthur W. Bergeron Jr.

ABSTRACT: Captail Daniel Scully's diary describes the activities of the 2nd Louisiana Heavy Artillery Battalion during the Red River Campaign of 1864. His account provides information on some aspects of that operation and details about his unit found nowhere else.

KEY WORDS: Civil War; Red River Campaign; Confederate army; heavy artillery

Abstracts and key words for articles in all issues published since
volume 19 (1989) are available at http://www.hist.unt.edu/MHW/Main.htm