Lt. Col. Richard Irving Dodge s journals, written with utter candor for his eyes only, are the fullest firsthand account we possess of Gen. George Crook s Powder River Expedition against the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians, which culminated in Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie s resounding destruction of Dull Knife s forces on November 25, 1876. Editor Wayne R. Kime, with his customary flair, has transcribed the journals from Dodge s pocket-size notebooks and has provided a pertinent introduction and well-crafted, thoroughly illuminating annotations.

Dodge s journals will clearly prove useful to...