General Crook and the Western Frontier

by Charles M. Robinson III

General George Crook was one of the most prominent soldiers in the frontier West. General William T. Sherman called him the greatest Indian fighter and manager the army ever had. And yet, on hearing of Crook’s death, the Sioux chief Red Cloud lamented, "He, at least, never lied to us." As a young officer in the Pacific Northwest, Crook emphasized training and marksmanship--innovative ideas in the antebellum army. Crook’s career in the West began with successful campaigns against the Apaches that resulted in his promotion to brigadier general. His campaign against the Lakota and Cheyennes was less successful, however, as he alternately displayed deep insight, egotism, indecision, and fear. Charles M. Robinson pieces together the contradictions of Crook’s career to reveal that although the general sometimes micromanaged his campaigns to the point that his officers had virtually no flexibility, he gave his officers so much freedom on other occasions that they did not fully understand his expectations or objectives. Crook resented any criticism and was quick to blame both subordinates and superiors, yet Robinson shows that much of Crook’s success in the Indian wars can be attributed to the efforts of subordinate officers. He also details Crook’s later efforts to provide equal rights and opportunities for American Indians. General Crook and the Western Frontier , the first full-scale biography of Crook, uses contemporary manuscripts and primary sources to illuminate the general’s personal life and military career.

408 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2001

About the author

Charles M. Robinson III was an American author, illustrator, and adventurer. He was a history instructor with South Texas College in McAllen, Texas, until early 2012 and was a member of the 2010 Oxford Round Table. He was a graduate of St. Edward's University and the University of Texas–Pan American.

He wrote several books that focused on the American Old West, as well as the American Civil War and the Spanish conquest of Mexico. He also wrote magazine articles on seafaring, sailing, hunting, guns, and antique automobiles. In 1993 he was awarded the T. R. Fehrenbach Book Award by the Texas Historical Commission.

Robinson passed away in 2012 due to complications from lung cancer.

Reviews

[Efrem Sepulveda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Robinson's tome on General Crook was a fascinating account about an Indian fighter who was harsh with his adversaries, yet earned the respect of Native Americans for his honestly toward them. The Sioux chief Red Cloud was quoted as saying that at least General Crook never lied to him. Born in Ohio in 1828, George Crook grew up on farm near present day Dayton. The book does not contain much information about his youth, but has extensive details about his military career after West Point.

His exploits included protecting settlers in the region along the California-Oregon border; his campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War which included being embarrassingly captured by raiders during his sleep and his successes in fighting Indians in Arizona while suffering setbacks in his campaigns against the Lakotas in Wyoming and Montana. Military politics was also a way of life for Crook as he had conflicts with General Sheridan regarding claims of successes in Virgina during the War Between the States and bitterness between him and General Nelson Miles regarding the handling the last campaigns against the Apaches in southeastern Arizona and subsequent forays into Mexico.

As stated, General Crook was firm against the Indians. He knew that the white man would eventually overwhelm the frontier and had the honesty to explicitly state to the Indians that the they would have to surrender the majority of lands to the white man. He did not sugarcoat the situation with promises of the tribes not being molested forever. Once vanquished, Crook advocated humane treatment for the peoples and was instrumental in supporting Ponca chief Standing Bear's right to be honored as a person before the law.

The book balanced Crook's behavior portraying him neither as a vile evil person nor as a holy saint. The book has 311 pages of text plus extensive end notes, bibliography and index. I recommend this volume to anyone interested in a well-researched biography of an Indian War general.