Edwin C. Bearss was Research Historian for Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi.Arrell Morgan Gibson (1921-1987) was the George Lynn Cross Research Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma. He was the author of many books on western history, including The Chickasaws, The Life and Death of Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain, and Oklahoma: A History of Five Centuries, all published by the University of Oklahoma Press.

A valuable addition to western military history . . . a fine example of how local history should be written. The authors demonstrate that, 'through the portals of Fort Smith, one can see the panorama of Southwestern history unfolding.'"" - Western Historical Quarterly""For everyone interested in the frontier Southwest and the Civil War."" - Civil War History

Edwin C. Bearss was Research Historian for Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi.Arrell Morgan Gibson (1921-1987) was the George Lynn Cross Research Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma. He was the author of many books on western history, including The Chickasaws, The Life and Death of Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain, and Oklahoma: A History of Five Centuries, all published by the University of Oklahoma Press.

A valuable addition to western military history . . . a fine example of how local history should be written. The authors demonstrate that, 'through the portals of Fort Smith, one can see the panorama of Southwestern history unfolding.'"" - Western Historical Quarterly""For everyone interested in the frontier Southwest and the Civil War."" - Civil War History

Edwin C. Bearss was Research Historian for Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi.Arrell Morgan Gibson (1921-1987) was the George Lynn Cross Research Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma. He was the author of many books on western history, including The Chickasaws, The Life and Death of Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain, and Oklahoma: A History of Five Centuries, all published by the University of Oklahoma Press.

A valuable addition to western military history . . . a fine example of how local history should be written. The authors demonstrate that, 'through the portals of Fort Smith, one can see the panorama of Southwestern history unfolding.'"" - Western Historical Quarterly""For everyone interested in the frontier Southwest and the Civil War."" - Civil War History