SEVENTH SON ~ Non Fiction

Nez Perce Lost Cause, 1877

Tells the remarkable story of a historical collision between two opposing cultures and the highly controversial use by the United States Army of employing Indian scouts to fight as mercenaries. This practice divided the Indian nations and effectively ended any possibility of the tribes banding together to drive the white invaders from Indian lands. After a string of broken promises by the United States government, Chief Joseph and the non-treaty Nez Perce Indians were forced to give up their lands and traditional way of life. In a futile attempt to avoid war with Army forces directed by Civil War General Oliver Otis Howard, the Nez Perce embark on a 1,170-mile flight that ended abruptly only 40 miles shy of freedom in Canada. This ugly conflict has proven to be one of our nation’s most defining moments, and one of our most shameful failures.