Life of a Soldier on the Western Frontier (Nonfiction)

The primary purpose of the Western frontier army was to subdue Indians. The reason it took so long was because the Indians could probably smell those guys coming. Soldiers were required to wash their faces and hands once a day, their feet twice a week, and they also had to take a weekly bath. All such ablutions were rare, however, because of water shortage, therefore picking lice from their clothing and bodies became a daily ritual. Beyond sharing the cleanliness of Western soldiers, Agnew has compiled a veritable encyclopedia of military life and Indian warfare that is one of the most all-encompassing, informative books on frontier militaria that a Western buff could ever want.