Despite the somewhat misleading title (for example, the Apache Wars ended in the 1880s), this is an excellent study of the relations between whites and the Nez Perce tribe, with emphasis on the 1877 war.
Of all our Indian conflicts, the Nez Perce War was probably the saddest and most unnecessary. The greed of whites led to governmental injustices that, in turn, drove this peaceable tribe to resist. This unfairness of fate makes the Nez Perce story so interesting and sad. And their 1,500-mile trek to the Canadian border reminds us of the Cherokees’ Trail of Tears and the exile of the Navajos to the Bosque Redondo. But in this dogged pursuit by the Army, the Nez Perce Chiefs Joseph, Looking Glass and White Bird held their own against Gens. Howard, Gibbon and Miles.
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