The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West

In The Three-Cornered War, Megan Kate Nelson reveals the fascinating history of the Civil War in the American West. Exploring the connections among the Civil War, the Indian Wars, and western expansion, Nelson reframes the era as one of national conflict, involving not just the North and South, but also the West. Based on letters, diaries, military records, oral histories, photographs, and maps - and told through the experience of nine participants, from Texas legislator John Baylor and Union Army wife Louisa Canby to Chiricahua Apache chief Mangas Coloradas and New Mexico surveyor general John Clark - this captivating history expands our understanding of a series of battles for the West, and reveals how individuals fought for self-determination and control of the region.