During the mid-nineteenth century; a quarter of a million travelers—men; women; and children—followed the “road across the plains†to gold rush California. This magnificent chronicle—the second installment of Will Bagley’s sweeping Overland West series—captures the danger; excitement; and heartbreak of America’s first great rush for riches and its enduring consequences. With narrative scope and detail unmatched by earlier histories; With Golden Visions Bright Before Them retells this classic American saga through the voices of the people whose eyewitness testimonies vividly evoke the most dramatic era of westward migration.Traditional histories of the overland roads paint the gold rush migration as a heroic epic of progress that opened new lands and a continental treasure house for the advancement of civilization. Yet; according to Bagley; the transformation of the American West during this period is more complex and contentious than legend pretends. The gold rush epoch witnessed untold suffering and sacrifice; and the trails and their trials were enough to make many people turn back. For America’s Native peoples; the effect of the massive migration was no less than ruinous. The impact that tens of thousands of intruders had on Native peoples and their homelands is at the center of this story; not on its margins.Beautifully written and richly illustrated with photographs and maps; With Golden Visions Bright Before Them continues the saga that began with Bagley’s highly acclaimed; award-winning So Rugged and Mountainous: Blazing the Trails to Oregon and California; 1812–1848; hailed by critics as a classic of western history.
#2140160 in Books University of Oklahoma Press 1999-10Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.11 x 6.36 x 9.34l; #File Name: 0806131586384 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This book got an excellent review by Roger Cunningham in The Journal of America's ...By Mary G. RamstetterThis book got an excellent review by Roger Cunningham in The Journal of America's Military Past. (Post Library; Winter 2015) My husband purchased the book as a result of having seen a reenactment of Buffalo Soldiers at a Brewster Higley Reunion in Kansas. Although we are somewhat familiar with the countryside where the soldiers in this book were stationed; to experience it through their accounts took us on quite an adventure. The book is beautifully written. Mr. Kenner has a good story to tell; and he tells it very well.12 of 13 people found the following review helpful. A superb narrativeBy Zuwena PackerKenner's book is an excellent narrative which chronicles the actual experiences of the buffalo soldiers and the white officers who served with them. The book is a pleasure to read because it goes beyond the dates and battles; opting instead to recreate their foibles and shortcomings as well as their valor and heroism. It takes a true historian to give the rest of us glimpses into such humanity.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Classic Study of Blacks and Whites in the Frontier ArmyBy A. A. NofiA Summary of the review on StrategyPage.Com:'The first paperback edition of the classic study first published some fifteen years ago. In this work Prof. Kenner broke new ground in the study the Frontier Army’s black cavalrymen by weaving together an account of their activities on the plains during the last of the Indian wars with a look at the relationships between the officers and the men who served in the 9th Cavalry. There are many battles; both physical and moral; with Native Americans of course; but also with bigots and racists; civilians; soldiers; politicians; and journalists. There are a lot of heroes; black and white; and some cowards as well in both groups. Kenner also usefully compares some of the experiences of the black troopers with those of their white comrades; demonstrating that poor treatment of troops; white or black; was rather a commonplace in the Old Army; complaints by black troops of receiving inferior mounts or rations were echoed by white troops throughout the period. This is an excellent work on the Frontier Army; giving us a look at many officers who had gained fame in the Civil War or would go on to do so in the Spanish-American and Philippine Wars.'For the full review; see StrategyPage.Com
