John Horton Slaughter typified the 19th century rawhide-tough breed who settled and tamed the wild Southwest border country. He was born in 1841 in...
John Slaughter – Part 1
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Civil War
The Power of Pictures
The very best historical photographs from our treasured vaults define our idea of the West. In honor of our 70th year, the editors of True West have...
Wagons Ho!
True West's historians reveal the real history behind Taylor Sheridan’s 1883. Hollywood producers, directors and writers have often attempted...
The Indian Civil War
For the Cherokee, the conflict pitted brother against brother. The Civil War not only split the United States, but it also tore apart various Indian...
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Known as the “Wizard of the Saddle” for his ingenious tactical use of cavalry forces during the Civil War, Confederate General Nathan Bedford...
What is Sowbelly?
Do you remember the lyrics from a verse in the song, "Old Chisholm Trail," "Bacon and beans most every day, we'll soon be eatin' that prairie hay,...
The 1841 “Mississippi” Rifle
This handsomely rugged 1840s muzzleloader was prized by frontiersmen and military riflemen alike and helped phase out the smoothbore musket. ...
Go West, Young Man! The Holliday connection, from Georgia to Texas.
Phillip Brassell was a doctor in Fayette County, Georgia in the years after the Civil War. And he was sick--tuberculosis, made worse by the climate....
Leather Cartridge Belts and Corrosion
A question came in the other day from a True West Magazine reader. “I've noticed that my leaving a cartridge in a leather gunbelt for an extended...
The Baron, the Cow-boys and the Trail Boss
I’ve read more than one article (including items from your books) about James Addison Reavis, the so-called “Baron of Arizona.” Which side did he...
Red Badge of Courage
The young men of a divided nation answered the call of war 160 years ago, and their youthful visages before going to battle still haunt us today. At...
Military Sockets
During the Civil War cavalry troopers carried their carbines in what were called sockets. These were leather rings only about three or four inches...