About this project
This project is a digital creative project that is the capstone for my graduate studies at Ball State University. This project examines the public perception and the army's perception of the cavalry's role in the American Indian Wars following the American Civil War between 1865 and 1877. During this time period General Phil Sheridan was a commader of the Department of the Missouri and had commanded the cavalry during the American Civil War. As an officer who led these forces in battle and impacted military strategies, Sheridan is a valuable reference point throughout these years when examining changes to the cavalry. By examining primary sources from the period and using text analysis this project shows how the public discourse on the cavalry and how they were used in the American West changed over time.
My name is Nathan Adams and at the time I created this project, I was a graduate student at Ball State Univeristy pursing a M.A. in Digital History. I graduated from Ball State Univeristy in 2017 with a B.S. in History and minors in Political Science and Creative Writing. My B.S. studies focused on the changing military strategies of the Second World War with emphasis on the use of Airborne Infantry. My area of study in the graduate program is nineteenth-century American history with a focus on the evolution of American cavalry during the last half of the century.
Acknowledgements
I would first like to thank my project advisor Dr. Douglas Seefeldt for his guidance, assistance, and encouragement during my studies as a graduate student. I would also like to thank Dr. Abel Alves and Dr. Nicole Etcheson for thier encouragment and guidance during my studies. I would also like to Angela Gibson, GIS specialist, University Libraries, Ball State University for her help with the maping portion of the project. I would also like to thank the Bracken Library of Ball State Univeristy for the countless resources they provided me during my studies. My fellow graduate students in nineteenth-century U.S. History Jacob Klinger and Nathan Runda, thank you for being excellent sounding boards, providing me with leads, and stimulating conversation. Lastely I would like to thank my family and friends for their encouragement and support in this process. Especially my mother and father for their countless hours of help transcribing documents. I could not have done this without all of you.