"Kit Carson's role in the conquest of the Navajo during and after the Civil War remains on of the most dramatic and significant episodes in the history of the American West. Hampton Sides portrays Carson in the larger context of the conquest of the entire West, including his frequent and often lethal encounters with hostile Native Americans. Unusually, Sides give full voice to Indian leaders themselves about their trials and tribulations in their dealings with the whites. Here is a national hero on the level of Daniel Boone, presented with all of his flaws and virtues, in the context of American People's belief that it was their Manifest Destiny to occupy the entire West. (Howard Lamar, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History, Yale University)