Robert M. Utley (1929–2022) served in the National Park Service for 25 years in various capacities, including Chief Historian from 1964 to 1972. Since his retirement from the federal government in 1980, he has devoted himself full-time to historical research and writing with a specialty in the American West. He is author, among many articles and books he has published, of Cavalier in Buckskin: George Armstrong Custer and the Western Military Frontier, Revised Edition; Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life; Lone Star Lawmen: The Second Century of the Texas Rangers; and The Commanders: Civil War Generals Who Shaped the American West. A founder of the Western History Association, Utley has served on its governing council and as its president.

“With his characteristic depth of knowledge and crisp, clear prose, Robert Utley provides a vivid group portrait of the Union generals who went west after the Civil War. A pleasure to read and an essential resource, The Commanders will take a prominent place on my bookshelf.”—T. J. Stiles, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Custer’s Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America“Foremost western military historian Robert Utley turns his practiced eye to the frontier army’s top brass—the generals commanding the departments responsible for the conduct of the Indian wars. Utley’s critical examination of the brigadier generals who helped shape the American West concludes with a tough, unbiased ranking. His intriguing insights into the generals’ abilities, character flaws, and overall performance may just surprise you.”—Andrew E. Masich, author of Civil War in the Southwest Borderlands, 1861–1867“This book provides readers with a breadth that has not existed previously except in full biographies. Robert Utley’s many decades of research and writing—virtually a lifetime devoted to history and historic preservation—further enhance the value of his conclusions.”—Jerome A. Greene, author of American Carnage: Wounded Knee, 1889

Robert M. Utley (1929–2022) served in the National Park Service for 25 years in various capacities, including Chief Historian from 1964 to 1972. Since his retirement from the federal government in 1980, he has devoted himself full-time to historical research and writing with a specialty in the American West. He is author, among many articles and books he has published, of Cavalier in Buckskin: George Armstrong Custer and the Western Military Frontier, Revised Edition; Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life; Lone Star Lawmen: The Second Century of the Texas Rangers; and The Commanders: Civil War Generals Who Shaped the American West. A founder of the Western History Association, Utley has served on its governing council and as its president.

“With his characteristic depth of knowledge and crisp, clear prose, Robert Utley provides a vivid group portrait of the Union generals who went west after the Civil War. A pleasure to read and an essential resource, The Commanders will take a prominent place on my bookshelf.”—T. J. Stiles, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Custer’s Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America“Foremost western military historian Robert Utley turns his practiced eye to the frontier army’s top brass—the generals commanding the departments responsible for the conduct of the Indian wars. Utley’s critical examination of the brigadier generals who helped shape the American West concludes with a tough, unbiased ranking. His intriguing insights into the generals’ abilities, character flaws, and overall performance may just surprise you.”—Andrew E. Masich, author of Civil War in the Southwest Borderlands, 1861–1867“This book provides readers with a breadth that has not existed previously except in full biographies. Robert Utley’s many decades of research and writing—virtually a lifetime devoted to history and historic preservation—further enhance the value of his conclusions.”—Jerome A. Greene, author of American Carnage: Wounded Knee, 1889

Robert M. Utley (1929–2022) served in the National Park Service for 25 years in various capacities, including Chief Historian from 1964 to 1972. Since his retirement from the federal government in 1980, he has devoted himself full-time to historical research and writing with a specialty in the American West. He is author, among many articles and books he has published, of Cavalier in Buckskin: George Armstrong Custer and the Western Military Frontier, Revised Edition; Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life; Lone Star Lawmen: The Second Century of the Texas Rangers; and The Commanders: Civil War Generals Who Shaped the American West. A founder of the Western History Association, Utley has served on its governing council and as its president.

“With his characteristic depth of knowledge and crisp, clear prose, Robert Utley provides a vivid group portrait of the Union generals who went west after the Civil War. A pleasure to read and an essential resource, The Commanders will take a prominent place on my bookshelf.”—T. J. Stiles, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Custer’s Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America“Foremost western military historian Robert Utley turns his practiced eye to the frontier army’s top brass—the generals commanding the departments responsible for the conduct of the Indian wars. Utley’s critical examination of the brigadier generals who helped shape the American West concludes with a tough, unbiased ranking. His intriguing insights into the generals’ abilities, character flaws, and overall performance may just surprise you.”—Andrew E. Masich, author of Civil War in the Southwest Borderlands, 1861–1867“This book provides readers with a breadth that has not existed previously except in full biographies. Robert Utley’s many decades of research and writing—virtually a lifetime devoted to history and historic preservation—further enhance the value of his conclusions.”—Jerome A. Greene, author of American Carnage: Wounded Knee, 1889