Details on the weapons, uniforms, and equipment of these legendary regiments Coverage of both little-known and famous campaigns in the West After the Civil War, the American army was drastically reduced in size. By 1866 only ten regiments of cavalry were available for active duty west of the Mississippi, but they became legends of military history. This volume draws together more than 100 rare images to reveal the American cavalrymen as they appeared throughout the turbulent campaigns in the West. It shows the men, their uniforms, and equipment as they actually appeared. The cavalry were heavily involved in fighting Indians across the Mississippi, forming punitive columns and pursuing bandits along the Mexican border and, in a less glamorous role, serving as garrisons in forts dotted along Americas expanding and untamed frontier.