The author has done an excellent job in recreating what took place when the government decided to relocate the Nez Perce Tribe. He first gives you back ground on General Howard on some of his failures after the Civil War when he was in charge of reconstruction. Because of those in the East he was sent to command the North Pacific which would put him in direct line with this Tribe and with Chief Joseph. What we learned in school so many years ago is nothing to what you will gather in this book. The author takes you through each character which at first seems long, but he has a point because there comes a time when they all will come together. From the first time General Howard meets Chief Joseph he is amassed that he and his brother speak and understand English so well. Later when they are making their arguments to the General about the rules of man needing to be followed it is like the General and his men around him don’t understand what they are talking about. After years of living together finally an Indian is killed by a settler mainly because he is scared and the General does nothing after they had brought an Indian form their tribe who was guilty of a crime. The Chief wanted the white man punished by the same rules as the man from his tribe, but nothing happened to the settler. When he was killed Chief Joseph said it could have been stopped if you would have followed the some rules for the white man. Then the General came back and wanted to move the Tribe in order to ease tension. Chief Joseph said no, move the white for his Tribe had been there for many, many, years and even helped Lewis, and Clark. The President Jefferson thanked his grandfather and so not only is his tribe tied to this land, but tied to the country. The General of course said no and from June of 1877 to Oct 1877 he led them in a series of battles until finally surrendering. The Nez Perce were finally sent to what now is Oklahoma, and after years of going to Washington Chief Joseph was finally able to get the Tribe moved back to the Northwest even though it was not their original land. You also see the General Sherman had a lot to do with how the Native American’s were treated so poorly. Over all a good book.

A well researched and easy to read account of events that occurred during the last of the great Indian wars of the 19th century. I always find Native American history fascinating, and wish that it was discussed more in school without having to take specific courses on the subjects. This title provided a variety of insights from different historical accounts and assists in providing different viewpoints. I believe this title will appeal to a number of readers including those who find U.S., Native American, and U.S. government history interesting. A good addition to a public or academic library.