Few casual readers of American history are aware of Fort Union, New Mexico, and its history. Many would probably confuse it with another Fort Union on the headwaters of the Missouri also important, but not as vital to the history of the West as the Fort Union near Las Vegas, New Mexico.
It was inevitable that the United States would dominate the Southwest. The military was used to achieve this goal, and the story of military operations in the Southwest is centered on Fort Union. Founded in 1851, the fort was the supply post and focal point for dealing with the Spanish and Indian...

I am Shanghai Pierce, Webster in Cattle, by God, Sir. And, in truth, he was. Part rascal, part gentleman, part poseur, part just himself of all the colorful Texas figures following the Civil War none was as loud, garish, and funny as Shanghai Pierce, who left Rhode Island penniless and became one of the Big Pasture Men of southern Texas.
At six foot, four, Shanghai Pierce was big, rich, and selfish, but he could also be kind. His cunning was seldom matched, and business, whether it involved a quarter-million-dollar loan or a twenty-five cent pair of socks, was his lifeblood.
In...