December 26th, 2007
Review – Blood and Thunder
Blood and Thunder
by Hampton Sides
It’s hard to come up with enough superlatives to describe this book. Hampton Sides has written a book about the life of Kit Carson and the period of American history that Carson lived in that can only be described as perfect. Sides tells us not just the story of Kit Carson but also the many other fascinating characters who shaped the history of the Southwest. He keeps the story moving by concentrating on the key events of the 1840s and 1860s that led to the US conquering the West from Mexico and the battles that eventually led to the decline of the Native population.
Kit Carson is an amazing character. He was a trapper, guide, scout, explorer, soldier, husband, and father and Sides gives us glimpses into every one of these aspects of Carson’s life. The first half of the book covers the early years of Carson’s life leading us to the Mexican-American War. The campaigns during the war in New Mexico and California are both covered in some detail. The defeat of Mexico led to the US seizing New Mexico and California and with it the problems of dealing with the Native Americans who lived there, especially the Navajos. For many years, the Navajos had fought with the settlers in New Mexico. Although the Mexican settlements such as Santa Fe and Taos were outside of the Navajo nation, the Mexicans attacked Navajos to sell them as slaves and Navajos attacked and killed Mexicans, stealing their sheep and crops.
The second half of the book deals with Kit Carson the soldier and the battles of the Civil War as Confederate Texans invaded New Mexico and the Najavos took advantage of this period to increase their attacks on Americans. This eventually led to a determination to solve the Navajo “problem” once and for all. Sides tells us of the good and bad intentions on both sides of the conflicts with the Navajos and how ultimately even the best intentions proved fatal to the Native Americans. The overall effect is to give us a much deeper understanding of the time and place that Sides discusses. I have to admit that I approached this book with few expectations because the history of the West had never been of much interest to me but Sides quickly pulled me into the story. I can heartily recommend it to anyone.
Tags: books, review, southwest, Kit Carson, Navajos
