My Army Life and the Fort Phil Kearney Massacre

First published in 1910, Frances C. Carrington's "My Army Life and the Fort Phil Kearney Massacre recounted the author's adventures as an army wife on the Great Plains, but also sought to set the record straight on her second husband's involvement in the Fetterman fight. As the wife of Lt. George Washington Grummond, Frances traveled with her husband to Fort Phil Kearney in Wyoming in 1866 where he was killed in the Fettennan incident just a few months later. She eventually married the post commander, Col. Henry B. Carrington, after the death of his first wife, Margaret, who had befriended and cared for Frances during her brief, tragic episode at the frontier post. Frances's narrative recalls the wonder and worries of a naive young bride during the fateful days of 1866. From her voyage to Wyoming to her encounters with unfamiliar peoples and strange landscapes, Frances's vivid prose examines not only the everyday workings of a frontier army post but also the political and social intrigue behind one of the most controversial military defeats in Western history.

Shannon Smith Calitri is a professor of history at Oglala Lakota College.

"[Carrington''s descriptions of Western army life are illuminating, earthy and remarkable with keen observations. . . . An intriguing and informative read."--Chuck Lewis, "True West"--Chuck Lewis "True West "