Lead and Powder - Paperback

by Dorman Lowell Jr. Chasteen (Author)

This is a post-Civil War Western centered in western Kansas and Indian Territory. It involves life on the very fringe of America in a world without laws or social structure. The main character is all-in-one a Southern draftee, a galvanized Yankee, and a deserter from both the South and North Armies. He would prefer to just be left alone as he tries to make a new life in the West doing an unpleasant, dangerous task: hostage rescue. It involves trade and warfare with Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, and other tribes. It includes facts about these Indians which are not commonly known.

The main character swept by events into situations and deeds that no one in his right mind would choose if an alternative were available. He tries to live through them as best he can and maintain a sense of honor, but he is capable of great brutality when he thinks it is required. It deals with gun-running, whiskey sales, hostage recovery and with the outlaws who often hid in this environment.