Book excerpt: The discovered memoirs of cavalryman William Woods Averell, has been considered an important addition to historic literature. His memoirs captures the mood of America during a decade of growth and destruction, through West Point, the Indian Wars, the expanding West, and the Civil War. To complete the story of Averell's life, the editors have added an introduction detailing his early years, as well as an epilogue recounting his controversial removal from command by General Philip Sheridan and his later career as an entrepreneur and diplomat.