THE UNREGIMENTED GENERAL: A Biography of Nelson A. Miles

by Virginia W. Johnson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 21, 1962

Compliments to the author of this really first rate biography of the famed Nelson Miles---Civil War hero, Indian fighter, leader of the Spanish-American struggle of 1898. Part I of the work deals with Miles' New England childhood, his enlistment in the Volunteer Army in 1861, and his consequent fantastic rise to a Major Generalcy by the age of 27. It is Part II however which contributes most to history. Helped greatly by a series of letters written by Miles to his wife and only recently uncovered, the book tells of Miles' assignment to the West as a regular Colonel, his fights against the Kiowas and Comanches in 1874, his chase after Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse following the Custer Massacre, and his later fight with Geronimo and the ""human tiger"" Apaches in the 1880s. Here it is easy to see why this brilliant, brave man eventually won a Lieut. Generalcy by his superiority as a soldier while a compassionate human being. Miles' fight for Indian rights against treacherous politicians, his assignment to the Spanish American War, and his years of retirement make a fitting coda to this remarkable story.

Pub Date: Aug. 21, 1962

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1962

Categories: NONFICTION