Western Wars

Walking to Hell is the story of Ezekial McNair, a description of his Tom Sawyer-like upbringing and his life in the Confederate infantry, fighting in a war he didn’t understand, for a cause he didn’t know, but confident it was his path to heroism and glory. He did become a hero, but only by accident, in a battle that would haunt him his entire life.

The year was 1865, and the Civil War had just grown to a close. The surrender was on May 9, 1865. General Lee had surrendered to General Grant, and I had been there to witness it, although I was just one of several hundred onlookers in Appomattox, Virginia, and I was glad the war was finally over. My name is James Timmons. I fought for the Union. I’m from the great state of Kansas, where my family owns a farm in the southeastern part of the state. It had become a state while I was away fighting in the war.

Young Dakota Creed lost his family, saw friends die in the Civil War, and spent time in an illegal Union prison. Now, after the war, he has a dream: to build an empire of land, cattle, and horses and find a woman to spend his life with, all in the dangerous surroundings of Texas and the Indian Territory. His dreams and his plans are challenged at almost every turn. Will he ever be able to accomplish what he has set out to do, rescue his fellow prisoners and build the empire of his dreams? Will he even survive the attempt? 

In Dying to Learn, Michael Hunzeker develops a novel theory to explain how wartime militaries learn. He focuses on the Western Front, which witnessed three great-power armies struggle to cope with deadlock throughout the First World War. Through careful study of the British, French, and German experiences, the book provides a model that shows how a resolute focus on analysis, command, and training can help prepare modern militaries for adapting amidst high-intensity warfare in an age of revolutionary technological change.

It was supposed to be a cozy winter in their new cabin, but it started with a cantankerous grizzly wreaking havoc on everything. After a trading foray to visit the Salish, everything seemed to get turned upside down. They found themselves in contested territory with a band of young bucks from the Siksika band that sought to gain scalps and captives from their sworn enemies, the Salish. And that wasn’t enough to upset their peaceful plans, but when Gabe found out the Blackfoot had stolen the mares bred by his stallion and were carrying foals that belonged to him, it became personal.

When Matt Reed returns from Vietnam, eager to get back to the Wyoming family ranch and forget the horrors of war, he finds the ranch stripped of livestock and his father a mere shadow of his former self. The new bank president, Paul Pringle, is a former high school nemesis and the man who married Matt's girlfriend after Matt was sent to a distant and unpopular war. Determined to foreclose - and gain access to the Reed Ranch's rich mineral deposits - Pringle gives Matt a very short time to raise a whole lot of money.

Dunn’s life becomes forever entwined with the rough and tumble prairies of the Nueces Strip of 1860. As an immigrant-turned-lawman, Dunn continues his quest to deliver justice, as murderers, swindlers, whores, robbers, and savages are wrapped into this exciting tale set on the Texas frontier stretching from Corpus Christi west to Laredo and south to Brownsville.