Blood and Thunder

By Hampton Sides

A legendary scout's choices shape the fate of the Navajo in the American West.

4.3/5 Goodreads · 21,151 ratings

575 pages

$20.00Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

In 1846, the Army of the West embarks on a mission to seize Mexican territories, igniting a fierce conflict with the Navajo. Kit Carson, a legendary scout, navigates this tumultuous era, torn between his respect for the tribes and his duty to devastating orders. As Manifest Destiny drives expansion, Carson's actions will alter the course of history. Will he reconcile his role in the conquest with his understanding of the land and its people? This gripping tale spans decades, revealing the true cost of the American conquest of the West.

From the publisher

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - From the author of Ghost Soldiers comes an eye-opening history of the American conquest of the West–“a story full of authority and color, truth and prophecy” (The New York Times Book Review). In the summer of 1846, the Army of the West marched through Santa Fe, en route to invade and occupy the Western territories claimed by Mexico. Fueled by the new ideology of “Manifest Destiny,” this land grab would lead to a decades-long battle between the United States and the Navajos, the fiercely resistant rulers of a huge swath of mountainous desert wilderness. At the center of this sweeping tale is Kit Carson, the trapper, scout, and soldier whose adventures made him a legend. Sides shows us how this illiterate mountain man understood and respected the Western tribes better than any other American, yet willingly followed orders that would ultimately devastate the Navajo nation. Rich in detail and spanning more than three decades, this is an essential addition to our understanding of how the West was really won.

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