Scouting for the Bluecoats: Navajos, Apaches, and the U.S. Military, 1873-1911 - Paperback

by Robert S. McPherson (Author)

"With more than twenty books published about the Navajo people, Robert S. McPherson is one of the most prolific contemporary writers concerning their history and culture. Scouting for the Bluecoats addresses a little-known and, until now, undocumented story of an estimated five hundred Navajos employed by the United States Army, primarily in the campaigns against the Apaches between 1873 and 1886. The author takes us with these scouts as they guide U.S. soldiers into the deserts, canyons, and mountains of New Mexico, Arizona, and Northern Mexico; he also provides a solid context about the origin of the Navajos and Apaches, their intertribal conflicts, and their elements of shared culture. Once again McPherson demonstrates his skill as a master historian, his understanding of these people, and a meaningful context for this long-neglected story of warrior-soldiers whose fieldcraft and dedication proved critical in shaping relations between the military and two Indian tribes in the Southwest."
-Kent Powell, Senior historian at Utah Division of State History and editor of Utah State Historical Quarterly (retired)

Author Biography

Robert S. McPherson is professor emeritus of history at Utah State University, Blanding Campus and has published widely on Navajo and Ute history and culture.