Commander and Builder of Western Forts

During his thirty-eight-year career as a military officer, Henry Clay Merriam received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Civil War, rose to prominence in the Western army, and exerted significant influence on the American West by establishing military posts, protecting rail lines, and maintaining an uneasy peace between settlers and Indians. Jack Stokes Ballard's new study of Merriam's life sheds light on the experience of the western fort builders, whose impact on the US westward expansion was just as lasting as that of Indian fighters such as Custer.