The Indian War of 1864

This is the memoir of a young cavalry officer serving on the Plains at the end of the Civil War. It is very interesting in the way it depicts day to day life, and merges the two conflicts. I was not aware, for example, that the Union was so concerned about Confederate attempts to ally with Indian tribes.
Having said this, I caution, that it's not exactly like reading about Custer. The most exciting encounter with the Indians involves Ware and his troop trying to make a mad dash for the fort before the Indians have time to persue, and the major accomplishment is replacing the telegraph wires that the Cheyennes destroyed. Thus I would not recommend this for an individual new to the topic of the Indian Wars, but if you're at the point where you want to delve deeper, and get more insight into the times, this is a very valuable work.

Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska around the Platte river --1864. Cheyenne, Sioux, Pawnee, Kiowa, and others. Wagon trains from horizon to horizon. Confederate deserters. How to build a fort. Drunken troopers. A prairie fire moving at the speed of a train. A fort surrounded by thousands of Indains. Watching the beaver play. Surrounded by wolves. Brave soldiers. An incompetent officer. The secret society. A phonetic roster of Indian scouts. Hunting buffalo. The price of bacon, flour, rice, coffee, and other supplies. The different landscapes described. Tracking and running from Indians. An "accidental suicide." Premonitions. Real people as they really lived. A thousand vignettes as seen by Captain Eugene Ware of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry.