Cavalry Yellow and Infantry Blue

"An officer is more than a pair of shoulder straps," writes Constance Altshuler in her introduction to this remarkable book. Drawing together biographical data collected over a lifetime of research, the author has created a worthy companion to her earlier works, Chains of Command: Arizona and the Army, 1856-1875 and Starting with Defiance: Nineteenth Century Arizona Military Posts. Here the focus is on individual lives. Cavalry Yellow & Infantry Blue presents concise, insightful biographies of army officers serving in Arizona between 1851, when the first American post was established, and 1886, when Geronimo's surrender officially ended the Indian Wars.
Most of the officers "had careers ranging far beyond the borders of the Territory. Their collective experience included every major army action from the War of 1812 through World War I, from the Staked Plains to Wounded Knee, from France to China." Taken together, their contributions changed history. Altshuler carefully sets out the personal record of success and failure - documenting promotions and court-martials, victories and defeats, births and tragic deaths. An indispensable text for researchers, Cavalry Yellow & Infantry Blue will challenge the reader's understanding of well-known army figures while inspiring a closer look at the courageous roles of lesser-known men.