Regular Army O!: Soldiering on the Western Frontier, 1865–1891

by Douglas C. McChristian

“The drums they roll, upon my soul, for that’s the way we go,” runs the chorus in a Harrigan and Hart song from 1874. “Forty miles a day on beans and hay in the Regular Army O!” The last three words of that lyric aptly title Douglas C. McChristian’s remarkable work capturing the lot of soldiers posted to the West after the Civil War. At once panoramic and intimate, Regular Army O! uses the testimony of enlisted soldiers—drawn from more than 350 diaries, letters, and memoirs—to create a vivid picture of life in an evolving army on the western frontier.

After the volunteer troops that had garrisoned western forts and camps during the Civil War were withdrawn in 1865, the regular army replaced them. In actions involving American Indians between 1866 and 1891, 875 of these soldiers were killed, mainly in minor skirmishes, while many more died of disease, accident, or effects of the natural environment. What induced these men to enlist for five years and to embrace the grim prospect of combat is one of the enduring questions this book explores.

Going well beyond Don Rickey Jr.’s classic work Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay (1963), McChristian plumbs the regulars’ accounts for frank descriptions of their training to be soldiers; their daily routines, including what they ate, how they kept clean, and what they did for amusement; the reasons a disproportionate number occasionally deserted, while black soldiers did so only rarely; how the men prepared for field service; and how the majority who survived mustered out.

In this richly drawn, uniquely authentic view, men black and white, veteran and tenderfoot, fill in the details of the frontier soldier’s experience, giving voice to history in the making.

Genres: History

784 pages, Hardcover

Published May 4, 2017

Reviews

[Marshall Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding social history of the US Army during the Indian wars after 1865. This book is not about the battles, but about the lives of the soldiers who served on the frontier.

[KM]

TLDR: History enthusiasts will enjoy the deep dive into the subject matter, while historians and students will find the lack of thematic argument frustrating.

Full review:
Not going to give a star rating. Mileage with this book will vary depending on the reason the reader has for picking it up.

For the history enthusiast looking to immerse themselves in this time period, Regular Army O! will be a very in depth look at the state of the US army following the Civil War, the experiences of soldiers from the time of their enlistment through their training and service on the frontier, and their relationships with both the native tribes as well as US civilians. It's a very balanced work in that it makes the effort to be fair to all perspectives.

For the career historian or student, the serious detractor of this book is that it's not making a thematic argument. It's reconstructing a particular group in a particular time period, but not positioning itself in relation to other works on the same subject matter. For that reason it works best as supplementary anecdotal reference material. It's length (600 pages of text with an additional 100 plus pages of notes and index), hampers its attractiveness in academia since the same information could be sought in other works that are presenting a thesis and responding to other scholarship in the field.

As a history student new to this topic and asked to review this book, I found it to be a comprehensive primer that might inspire further avenues of reading and study. However, I probably might have skipped it had I been already familiar with the time period and writing a paper for the reasons listed above.

[Mark Eickhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding, well-written, well-researched book. McChristian takes the reader into the regular day-to-day life of an Army enlisted soldier between 1865-1891. He starts at the beginning with a soldier's recruitment and the enlistment process and how that worked, to their basic training, travel to their assigned regiments, typical duties and life in garrison, what they ate, how they were paid, and even how they got their clothes washed. He also covers things like promotion and awards, military justice, life in the field, duties of specialized positions like bandsman and buglers, and the separation process.

[John Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is the most comprehensive narrative on America's Army during the Indian wars that I've ever read. The amount of research that McChristian did is mind boggling. I really appreciated the first person accounts of the men's daily lives in every aspect from the time they enlisted to their discharge and even their lives after the Army. The author's descriptions based on the immense amount of research that he has done puts the reader right there with the soldiers of that time. Great book! (less)

[Shae Weide · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quintessential book on the life of the Soldier on the western frontier. This should be a required part for any western historians library. Ranks up with “40 Miles a Day”, and Utleys 2 volume set “Frontier Regulars” and “Frontiersmen in Blue”. McChristian uses many journals, diaries, and letters for first person accounts of life in the Army from post Civil War until 1891. Chapters are broken down by subject from recruiting, medicine, officers and NCOs, recreation, combat, etc. Great read and the bibliography is replete with other fascinating books to read.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read on the history of the U.S. Army and the common soldier. Goes way past most standard these are the officers and how they lived blah blah.

A classic and a book I highly recommend

[Tim Allen Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!