Margaret Irvin Carrington

AB-Sa-Ra-Ka or Wyoming Opened: The Classic Account of A U. S. Army Officer's Wife on the Great Plains During the Indian War Margaret Irvin Carrington

A classic of the early history of Wyoming

This well known account of army life on the western frontier, by the wife of Colonel Henry B. Carrington the post-commander of Fort Phil Kearney during 'Red Cloud's War' of 1866-68, appears in this Leonaur edition in its revised form, having been substantially enhanced by Colonel Carrington himself after his wife's death in 1870. This additional material provides much additional and valuable historical information that will interest any student of the events of the period. Colonel Carrington was a central personality in the events described in Margaret Carrington's book because, with her two children, she accompanied her husband as he built the fort and commanded the soldiers who would defend this dangerous outpost in Wyoming. She shared his experiences of the ensuing conflict and, as the fort was all but under siege by Plains Indian tribes, of the well known 'Wagon Box Fight' and more significantly the disaster that was the infamous 'Fetterman Massacre.' Margaret Carrington wrote her journals at the suggestion of General Sherman who had the foresight to consider that doing so was a useful occupation for all officers' wives. Thus we may thank Sherman for not only ensuring posterity was provided with the minute detail of life on a frontier army post often absent from first hand narratives, but also-if inadvertently-that some of the most notable events in the history of the U. S Army's struggle with the Sioux and their allies were chronicled.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.