Military: Military-Indian Conflicts

Fort Larned National Historic Site

"Standing on the summit of the hill that overlooks the plain of Larned as we approach it from the eastward, our eyes were gladdened by the sight of the fort, and close to it could be traced the tortuous course of the Pawnee Fork. As we advanced nearer to the fort, we obtained a better view of its surroundings. The banks of the Pawnee, whose waters flow form the slopes of the rocky mountains, are adorned with plant, umbrageous shrubbery, and patriarchal trees, whose freshness pleasingly contrasts with the naked tops of the hills in the distance. The spot on which the fort is situated is a green oasis in the Sahara of bleached grass. Beautiful as the plain is at present, it was lovelier by far before the volunteer soldiers came and destroyed more than two-thirds of the trees that lined the Pawnee«s banks. From the tops of one of the barracks can be seen a wide area, stretching away in all directions, the hills swelling into every variety of form, until the indistinct outline of their summits blends with the sky where it touches the horizon. The course of the Pawnee may be traced by the trees, whose dark foliage indicate the windings of the stream. The whole, to be appreciated, must be seen as we saw it just then, in the approaching twlight, through a bright, clear atmosphere, and amidst the opening foliage and bursting blossoms of early spring."

Related Links:

• A Guide To Readings In American Military History
• Civic Engagement with the Community at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
• Custer Battlefield National Monument - Historical Handbook Series (1)
• Custer Battlefield National Monument - Historical Handbook Series (2)
• Forlorn Hope: A Study of the Battle of White Bird Canyon Idaho
• Fort Davis National Monument - Historical Handbook Series
• Fort Laramie National Monument - Historical Handbook Series
• Nez Perce Summer, 1877: The U.S. Army and the Nee-Me-Poo Crisis
• Teaching With Historic Places: Military History Lesson Plans


Online Books:
• Boots and Saddles: or Life in Dakota with General Custer