Thursday, February 25, 2010
Booknotes: "Nevada Military Place Names of the Indian Wars and Civil War"
Publications dealing with the Civil War years in Nevada don't exactly burn up the stacks, but some action did occur there. Rushed into statehood just prior to the 1864 presidential election (read into that what you will), the Nevada Territory had already contributed two battalions (one each of infantry and cavalry) and over 1,000 men to the Union cause. Daniel C.B. Rathbun's Nevada Military Place Names of the Indian Wars and Civil War (Yucca Tree Press, 2002) explores many of the sites associated with these men and the many California volunteers that assisted them in protecting settlements and travel routes from hostile Indians (and perhaps the occasional secession rabble rouser). The sites are organized alphabetically, with annotated text descriptions ranging from a few paragraphs to a few pages. It is more encyclopedia than tour guide. Period and modern photographs are numerous, as well as plats and maps associated with a number of forts and camps. The book is out of print, but it worth picking up if you're interested in the war in the Far West.