Zane Grey called his copy of this book "one of the prized volumes of my Western library" and it is almost unique. On 9/11 in 1874, a lone wagon with a family of nine was ambushed in western Kansas, the parents and three of the older children were killed, and a massive manhunt that mobilized armies across the west was put into action. The two youngest girls were rescued in a daring attack that earned the commander a Congressional Medal of Honor. The older girls were surrendered the following spring.

The story is told from the perspective of the oldest surviving daughter by her niece. I appreciated it because I like to go to the source (I read 19th century books as a hobby) and this gives a first-person account of what it was really like to live in the Cheyenne culture in the mid 1870's. It is balanced in the sense that it is honest and not written to incite hostility or revenge. I have other manuscript reports of this incident and this is consistent with them.

The new introduction by Peter Cozzens is very helpful in filling in some facts--not all of them very pleasant. He also broadens the perspective to include events and movements that are beyond the scope of the original book.

One of the most worthwhile parts of the book is just the amazing resiliancy of the German (the "Ger" is pronounced hard as in "Grape") girls. Despite amazing trauma, they grew up to live relatively normal, happy, long lives. It's worth reading, even if you are not primarily a historian.