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five years a dragoon 49 to 54 and other adventures on the great plains

by percival green lowe

Books » History » Americas

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“Five Years A Dragoon: ‘49 to ‘54 and other Adventures on the Great Plains” by G. Percival describes, in a lucid clear style, the American military experience for an ordinary soldier during the period from 1849 onward. It is a fascinating read of a lesser-known era of American history, darkened by the events of the Civil War. The author, who had joined the pre-Civil War US Army as a dragoon, represents an evocative look at the personalities, the forts and geographical features of the era.

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...aciuSvS, and though very cau- tious and slow in my movements my horse suddenly began to slide and in a moment nothing but my head was alwve water. But tlie noble animal l)eing a well trained swimmer came up as suddenly as lie went down and sti'iuk out boldly for the oposite sliore, wbieli he made safely about one hun- dred yards lower dowm. Though I had navigated the quick- sands of the riatte and Repuliliean and had been in water so deep that my horse had to swim from one sandbar to another, this was my first experience in swinuning a horse in a rapidly flowing stream, and tbe venture was so sudden that the good horse-sense of the noble brute under me was my only salvation. In that minute of peril to both of us, I thought of all the rules of action in similar emergencies that 1 had ever heard, the main point being to cling to the mane and the saddle and leave the horse as free as possible, guid- ing him only to give the right direction. In this case the current took him on to a...