Give Me Eighty Men: Women and the Myth of the Fetterman Fight

Give Me Eighty Men: Women and the Myth of the Fetterman Fight (Women in the West)

â€œWith eighty men I could ride through the entire Sioux nation.â€ The story of the Fetterman Fight, near Fort Phil Kearney in present-day Wyoming in 1866, is based entirely on this infamous declaration attributed to Capt. William J. Fetterman. Historical accounts cite this statement in support of the premise that bravado and contempt for the fortâ€™s commander, Col. Henry B. Carrington, compelled Fetterman to disobey direct orders from Carrington and lead his men into an ambush by an alliance of Plains Indians.
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In the aftermath of the incident, Carringtonâ€™s superiors positioned him as solely accountable for the â€œmassacreâ€ by suppressing exonerating evidence. In the face of this betrayal, Carringtonâ€™s first and second wives came to their husbandâ€™s defense by publishing books presenting his version of the deadly encounter. Although several of Fettermanâ€™s soldiers and fellow officers disagreed with the womenâ€™s accounts, their chivalrous deference to womenâ€™s moral authority during this age of Victorian sensibilities enabled Carringtonâ€™s wives to present their story without challenge.
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In this fascinating book, Shannon D. Smith reexamines the works of the two Mrs. Carringtons in the context of contemporary evidence. Fetterman emerges as an outstanding officer who respected the Plains Indiansâ€™ superiority in numbers, weaponry, and battle skills. Give Me Eighty Men both challenges standard interpretations of this American myth and shows the powerful influence of female writers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Country USA
Brand Bison Books
Manufacturer Bison Books
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 40 illustrations
Model 40 illustrations
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780803234253
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	Bison Books
Manufacturer	Bison Books
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	40 illustrations
Model	40 illustrations
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780803234253
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

Give Me Eighty Men: Women and the Myth of the Fetterman Fight (Women in the West)

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