“The Indian is superior to our soldier in all fighting qualities, with the exception of discipline,” many American officers admitted, considering the redskins to be the best cavalry in the world. It took the US regular army more than half a century to defeat them. Why did the fighting against the “savages” take so long, and why did the “military strategy of civilized peoples” turn out to be practically useless in the Wild West? How did the Indians of the Great Plains manage to hold off superior enemy forces for decades and defeat West Point graduates more than once? What is the meaning of the Indian proverb “Today is a good day to die” and what did the famous Sioux chief Sitting Bull mean when he said: “Pale faces, in my opinion, have no heart - they are as if lifeless”? Is it true that the whites began to win victories over the redskins only by adopting their tactics and calling on the Indian scouts, but the main weapon of the Yankees was European diseases, from which the Native Americans had no immunity?In this encyclopedia, you you will find answers to any questions about the military art of the Wild West, whether it be the motives and rules of war or its magical component, the weapons and tactics of the Indian tribes, the upbringing and training of warriors, methods of fighting, attitudes towards death, the custom of scalping, etc. volume of information, this book has no equal not only in Russian, but also in American literature. Collector's edition on top quality coated paper illustrated with hundreds of exclusive reproductions and photographs.