But here he tells the epic story of the American West in clear and simple prose. (Although I loved "Hellbound on his Trail," I wasn't so impressed with his literary style. But I found this book was written well, too. Hampton Sides is a great writer because he's a great story-teller. Rich in detail and spanning more than three decades, this is an essential addition to our understanding of how the West was really won. Sides shows us how this illiterate mountain man understood and respected the Western tribes better than any other American, yet willingly followed orders that would ultimately devastate the Navajo nation. Fueled by the new ideology of “Manifest Destiny,” this land grab would lead to a decades-long battle between the United States and the Navajos, the fiercely resistant rulers of a huge swath of mountainous desert wilderness.Īt the center of this sweeping tale is Kit Carson, the trapper, scout, and soldier whose adventures made him a legend. In the summer of 1846, the Army of the West marched through Santa Fe, en route to invade and occupy the Western territories claimed by Mexico.
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