The Boys of Company K: Ohio cavalry Soldiers in the west during the Civil War

by Lee M. Cullimore

The Boys of Company K shows how life was for the common soldier on the dangerous western prairies. The men faced the threat of hostile Indians, disease, and unpredictable Wyoming weather. Follow the boys on their journey from Hillsboro, Dayton, Cincinnati and other Ohio, Kansas and Nebraska towns to Fort Laramie, Fort Halleck, the Powder River, and other frontier locations. Accounts are taken from first-hand sources such as newspaper articles, personal journals, and military records.

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2012

Reviews

[John Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The author did considerable research in being able to portray these soldiers and the historical events in 1865 Wyoming. His focus on Company K and in particular several members of that company helped the flow of the book in re-telling some of the events associated with the Bozeman and Oregon trails. I also appreciated the insight as to the daily lives of the soldiers. Highly recommend for those interested in military history and the Indian war of the 1860's.

[Schoppie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee M. Cullimore's book about Company K 11th Ohio Cavalry is a fine study of the unit and a good read. Most histories of these troops focus on the regimental level, but Cullimore goes even deeper into the lives of private soldiers in this more focused study.

The author uses letters from the troops to family members and to newspapers in their hometowns in Ohio, as well as diaries and appropriate secondary sources, to describe and document the service of the company in what is now Wyoming during the Civil War. While there were occasional and minor mistakes in the way of a few names and army ranks, the research is well done.

Of particular interest, are the chapters dealing with the construction and garrisoning of Fort Halleck, near Elk Mountain in Wyoming, and those which deal with the Powder River Expedition of 1865. While other books by Robert Huhn Jones and David E. Wagner also deal with that campaign, Cullimore's book adds further primary sources to the study of the subject. Those who are interested in reading accounts of the lives of individual soldiers on the American Frontier will find much of interest in this book. The dangers of soldiering in the winter in the Rocky Mountain are especially well documented, as well as the tedium of daily duties at Forts Halleck and Laramie.

Far from just a "battle history" of the unit, the author does a great job keeping the lives of the soldiers tied to their home state of Ohio. While they did not get the same attention as other Civil War troops who served against the Confederates in the South, these horse soldiers deserve credit and praise for a job well done in a theatre of war far from the notice of most Americans at that time.

Highly recommended!