Forts an der Frontier
Die Befestigungen und militärischen Stützpunkte in den Gebieten der amerikanischen Frontier sind oftmals Schauplätze von Western in Kurzgeschichten, Romanen, Comics oder audiovisuellen Medien.
Sie sind aber auch in nichtfiktionalen Medien, also in Sach- und Fachbüchern oder filmischen Dokumentationen ein Thema, welches für historisch Interessierte, für Freunde der architectura militaris oder Autoren belletristischer Texte (z. B. Westernromane) von Bedeutung ist. Vermittelt werden hier historische Informationen und das notwendige Hintergrundwissen sowie die wichtigen Sachkenntnisse, die es den Verfassern von Geschichten über den amerikanischen Westen erst ermöglichen, das zu schreiben, was ihre Leser erwarten.
Aus der durchaus erfreulich großen Zahl von Sachbüchern (zumeist leider nur in englischer Sprache) seien die drei Bände von Ron Field herausgegriffen, die zwischen 2005 und 2011 in der Fortress-Serie bei Osprey veröffentlicht wurden. Wie alle Titel der Reihe zeichnen sie sich durch knappe, prägnante Texte und zahlreiche anschauliche Illustrationen (zeitgenössische Abbildungen; farbige Rekonstruktionszeichnungen) aus.
(Karl Jürgen Roth)
| Ron FIELD - Forts of the American Frontier 1776-1891: California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. - Illustrated by Adam Hook London: Osprey 2011 (64, ill. - 18,5 x 24 cm) [= Fortress 105] "This title explores the contribution made by settlers, explorers, traders and goldseekers of various nations to the nascent architecture of the West Coast of the United States. In doing so, it charts the progress westwards of those who claimed new land as their own, and defended it with forts and blockhouses, and the resulting conflicts with indigenous Native American peoples. Packed with detailed illustrations, this book provides a fascinating study of the westward advance of modern America, and covers sites such as Fort Point at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, the Presidio of San Francisco, Fort Guijarros in San Diego, California, Fort Humboldt in Eureka, California, Sutter's Fort, the 19th-century agricultural and trade colony in California, and Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Washington and Oregon." (englischer Werbetext bei Amazon) |  |
| Ron FIELD - Forts of the American Frontier 1820-91: Central and Northern Plains. - Illustrated by Adam Hook London: Osprey 2005-2 (64, ill. - 18,5 x 24 cm) [= Fortress 28] "A major period of westward expansion took place in the United States during the first half of the 19th century. Fur trading, the coast-to-coast railroad, the California gold rush and the removal of Native American tribes both facilitated and encouraged America's "manifest destiny" to become a transcontinental nation. The task of protecting the settlers from the tribes that inhabited the Great Plains fell to the US Army, and to do this an extensive network of permanent forts was created via construction and acquisition. This title examines why the forts were built, as well as their design, defensive features and the role they played in the settlement of the American West. The daily lives of the garrison soldiers and fort inhabitants are also covered, together with the fighting witnessed at key sites." (englischer Werbetext bei Amazon) |  |
| Ron FIELD - Forts of the American Frontier 1820-91: The Southern Plains and the South. - Illustrated by Adam Hook London: Osprey 2006 (64, ill. - 18,5 x 24 cm) [= Fortress 54] "During the early decades of the 19th century, the Southern Plains of the North American continent were only occasionally visited by explorers, trappers, traders, and missionaries. The first trading posts and forts were built then, such as Adobe Walls in the panhandle of North Texas, and Tubac Presidio in New Mexico. During the 1840s, when the 'Great American Desert' became the scene of an inexorable westward expansion, European pioneers and settlers flooded overland from the eastern seaboard. As they headed west, these settlers invaded and absorbed the traditional lands of the Native American. Via a series of Acts passed by Congress, many members of the Five Civilized Tribes (the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole) were moved to reservations. It was hoped that a Permanent Indian Frontier guarded by a line of military forts would separate the Indian from the 'white man' forever. Numerous posts were built to police the southern end of this frontier between 1820 and 1840. Following the establishment of the Republic of Texas in 1836, and the Mexican War of 1846-48, the lands and wealth then acquired lured many more migrants to the Southwest. The resulting trails first breached and then destroyed the Permanent Indian Frontier. The US Government constructed a line of forts on the Texan frontier in 1848-49 to protect traders and settlers. This chain, which included forts Graham, Worth, Gates, Crogham, Inge and Duncan, extended for more than 800 miles. In 1850-52 it became necessary to erect another line of posts 200 miles further west, in order to keep pace with the rapidly advancing frontier and protect against the marauding Kiowas and Comanches. To combat constant Apache and Navajo raids, a network of posts was built in New Mexico throughout the remainder of 1850s. During the Civil War, the Texan forts seized and occupied by Confederate forces came under regular attack from marauding Indians. Also, in 1864, Kiowa and Comanche attacks on Santa Fe wagontrains on the borders of New Mexico Territory prompted a punitive expedition led by Colonel Christopher "Kit" Carson which led to the First Battle of Adobe Walls. This book is a detailed exploration of the design and development and operational histories of all of these forts and defensive systems." (englischer Werbetext bei Amazon) |  |
