Nez Perce Summer, 1877: The U.S. Army and the Nee-Me-Poo Crisis

Greene, Jerome; Josephy, Alvin

This book is a military history of the U.S. Army and the Nee-Me-Poo crisis of 1877. It is this study, "Historic Resource Study: The U.S. Army and the Nee-Me- Poo Crisis of 1877: Historic Sites Associated with the Nez Perce War," completed in 1996, upon which this book is based. That study was, as is the book that follows, necessarily, a military history, based upon the voluminous body of documentary materials that comprise the history from that perspective, as compared to the relative scarcity of materials that embrace the Nez Perce viewpoint. Nevertheless, Nee-Me-Poo perspective is vital to gaining a comprehensive understanding of the events of 1877, and fortunately, through the efforts of Lucullus V. McWhorter, Walter M. Camp, Edward S. Curtis, and others who actively sought out Indian recollections during the early years of the twentieth century, an important reservoir of firstperson participant reminiscences exists that has been incorporated into this study to ensure perspectives from both sides. Similarly, the accounts of participants from other tribes have been included whenever available. Further, because past and recent histories of the Nez Perce struggle have relied heavily upon previously published secondary works, the present study has concentrated more exclusively on archival materials, published government records, and participant accounts, many never before used. With hopes for achieving greater objectivity about the war, the study has refrained from using published secondary renditions beyond those needed to establish background.

Nez Perce Summer, 1877: The U.S. Army and the Nee-Me-Poo Crisis

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