Buffalo Days: Forty Years in the Old West / Bookcrop (ePub)

"There is no greater living authority on the Plains Indians, none who fought them harder... perhaps our last glimpse of the stirring drama which won the West." - J. G. HARBORD, Major General

"Commander of a company of Indian scouts...tells the story of the buffalo, mining, General Custer, Buffalo Bill, Jim Bridger, the Ghost Dance." -Independent-Record (Helena, Montana), Sept. 17, 1972

"Wheeler's experience in cattle raising when the Middle West was very wild, his service as a scout in Indian campaigns, and subsequently as a cavalry officer." -Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 28, 1925

"Colonel Wheeler's book 'Buffalo Days' ...brings a vivid realization of the many perils of Indian fighting." -The Grove (Oklahoma) Sun, Aug. 5, 1926

How did the heroics of a frontier Kansas cattleman and post trader vault him into a commission with the famous Fifth Cavalry and a leading role in the Indian Wars of the 1870s?

In 1925, former cowboy, rancher, bullwhacker, Rocky Mountain miner, post-trader, Indian scout, and cavalry officer Col Homer W. Wheeler would write of his many hair-raising adventures on the Plains and Rocky Mountain frontier in his narrative titled, "Buffalo Days: Forty Years in the Old West."

In introducing his book a fellow cavalry officer writes:

"Homer W. Wheeler... became a part of that wild life, marching, scouting, fighting, raising cattle, riding to the rescue of Sandy Forsyth in the Arickaree fight, known and trusted by Sheridan, Merritt, Crook and Mackenzie. For his volunteer part in the desperate fight on Sappa Creek, Kansas, in April, 1875, he was offered a commission in the Fifth Cavalry....There is no greater living authority on the Plains Indians, none who fought them harder and, when they were vanquished, did more to civilize and lead them into the best ways of the white man.... It is perhaps our last glimpse of the stirring drama which won the West...by one who himself played a man's part on that stage."

About the author:

Homer W. Wheeler was born May 13, 1848 - and died April 11, 1930, was an American military officer and author. A veteran of the American Indian Wars and Spanish-American War, he attained the rank of colonel and wrote several books, including memoirs of his experiences on the western frontier of the United States in the late 1800s.

In June 1868, Wheeler accepted the offer of employment at the trading post of Fort Wallace, Kansas. After arrival at Fort Wallace, Wheeler became friendly with William Comstock, the post's guide and American Indian interpreter. Wheeler accompanied Comstock on several hunting and scouting trips, which equipped Wheeler with a working knowledge of the local terrain and the culture of the local Indians. During his time at Fort Wallace, Wheeler also became acquainted with Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody while they were employed as Army scouts.

In September 1868, Wheeler volunteered for one of three expedition that attempted to rescue U.S. troops following the Battle of Beecher Island. As the conflict with Indians in the area continued to grow, Wheeler was employed several times to carry messages from Fort Wallace to other posts and return with replies as local Army commanders worked to coordinate their activities.