The Arikara War: The First Plains Indian War, 1823

by William R. Nester

The Arikara The First Plains Indian War, 1823 by William R. Nester.

Genres: History

Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

William Nester, PhD is a Professor of Government and Politics at St. John’s University. He is the author of twenty-five books that explore varying dimensions and subjects of international relations and power. He taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London from 1987 to 1989, and since then at St. John's University.He received a BA in international studies and history from Miami University of Ohio, and a MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Reviews

[Greg Strandberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book I read all but 40 pages or so. I was mainly interested in the buildup to the Arikara War, not the actual conflict, though this book does a good job on that as well from the skimming I did.

You get a lot of detailed info on who was trapping upriver, and the actual dollar amounts they earned on all the packs they brought down.

It's important to realize the causes of the animosity the Arikara felt toward whites. We had constant trade traffic going by their village since the 1790s, they had a serious smallpox outbreak because of this, one of their chiefs went to Washington and died there, and they were attacked by some military men in 1808 or so.

In the 1830s a final smallpox outbreak came, and the Arikara combined with the Mandan and Hidatsa.

It's surprising it took until 1823 for this 'war' to take place. It was more a battle, really.

[Stew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the only book I know of recounting the first so-called war on the plains between Native Americans and the U.S. Army. Because of that, it is a valuable addition to our knowledge of plains history.
All the facts are there. The problem is that is as dry as it gets when it comes to writing. There is some 120 pages of background until the author actually makes it to the battle. The "war" between the U.S. Army, and its Lakota and fur trapper allies and two Arikara villages was really one battle and not much of one at that. Without the extensive (yet informative background material) I'm not sure there was enough to sustain a book-length work.