The Diaries of John Gregory Bourke, Volume 2: July 29, 1876, to April 7, 1878

by Charles M. Robinson III (Editor), John G. Bourke

John Gregory Bourke kept a monumental set of diaries as aide-de-camp to Brigadier General George Crook. This second volume (of a projected set of six) opens as Crook prepares for the expedition that would lead to his infamous and devastating Horse Meat March. Although Bourke retains his loyalty to Crook throughout the detailed account, his patience is sorely tried at times. Bourke's description of the march is balanced by an appendix containing letters and reports by others such as Lt. Walter Schuyler and Surgeon Bennett Clements. The diary continues with the story of the Powder River Expedition, culminating in Bourke's eyewitness description of Col. Ranald Mackenzie's destruction of the main Cheyenne camp in what became known as the Dull knife Fight. Bourke finishes this volume with a retrospective of his service in Tucson, Arizona. Each volume in the series is extensively annotated and contains a biographical appendix on Indians, civilians, and military personnel named in the volume.

560 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2005

About the author

Charles M. Robinson III was an American author, illustrator, and adventurer. He was a history instructor with South Texas College in McAllen, Texas, until early 2012 and was a member of the 2010 Oxford Round Table. He was a graduate of St. Edward's University and the University of Texas–Pan American.

He wrote several books that focused on the American Old West, as well as the American Civil War and the Spanish conquest of Mexico. He also wrote magazine articles on seafaring, sailing, hunting, guns, and antique automobiles. In 1993 he was awarded the T. R. Fehrenbach Book Award by the Texas Historical Commission.

Robinson passed away in 2012 due to complications from lung cancer.