Flashman and the Redskins
Encyclopedia
Flashman and the Redskins is a 1982 novel
by George MacDonald Fraser
. It is the seventh of the Flashman
novels.
of the supposed discovery of a trunkful of papers detailing the long life and career of a Victorian officer, this series centres around Flashman, the bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays
. The papers are attributed to him, who has grown from the schoolboy of Thomas Hughes
's novel into a well-known and much decorated military hero. The book begins with an explanatory note detailing the discovery of these papers.
The story proper begins with Flashman fleeing with Susie Willinck (a New Orleans madam, aka "Miss Susie"), as described at the end of Flash for Freedom!
. They cross the continent to join the California Gold Rush
, meeting several well-known personalities of the American West in 1849 and 1850. The story resumes in 1875, when he takes part in the Battle of the Little Bighorn
the following year. It also contains a number of notes by Fraser, in the guise of editor, giving additional historical information on the events described.
, where she intends to set up shop and make a bundle from goldminers. As wagoncaptain, Flashman is nominally in charge of his and Susie's (now his wife) collection of women, supplies, and sex toys, and the other forty-niners and invalids looking for a better life, but he depends on the guidance of Richens Lacey Wootton
to see them through. Unfortunately, Wootton becomes stricken with cholera
. Flashman is left to get everyone to Bent's Fort in safety, which Comanche
s make difficult for him. Eventually, they reach Santa Fe, New Mexico
, where Flashman absconds with two thousand dollars made from selling one of the prostitutes, Cleonie, to Navajo
s.
For safety in the wilderness, Flashman falls in with a group of travellers, but he discovers then to be scalp-hunters when they attack a band of Apache
s. Flashman joins in but refuses to take any scalps or rape the captive women, which saves him when the scalp-hunters are killed by the rest of the tribe on their return. He ends up marrying Sonsee-Array, the daughter of chief, Mangas Coloradas
, and becoming friends with Geronimo
. Eventually, he escapes and is saved by Kit Carson
on the Jornada del Muerto
.
In 1875, Flashman returns to America with his wife, Elspeth. He meets George Armstrong Custer
and Mrs. Arthur B. Candy, the former slave Cleonie, both of whom lead him into disaster. He travels to Bismarck, North Dakota
, in order to meet with Mrs. Candy and pursue a carnal relationship, but, at her connivance, he is kidnapped by Sioux
and kept captive at Greasy Grass. He escapes just in time to see the defeat and death of Custer and to be partly scalped himself by his own illegitimate son from Cleonie, Frank Grouard
, who by choice has been living as an Indian
. Thus, the book ends with Flashman discovering that he left more behind in America in 1850 than two jilted wives.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by George MacDonald Fraser
George MacDonald Fraser
George MacDonald Fraser, OBE was an English-born author of Scottish descent, who wrote both historical novels and non-fiction books, as well as several screenplays.-Early life and military career:...
. It is the seventh of the Flashman
Harry Paget Flashman
Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE is a fictional character created by George MacDonald Fraser , but based on the character "Flashman" in Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work by Thomas Hughes ....
novels.
Plot introduction
Presented within the frameFrame story
A frame story is a literary technique that sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory or main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of shorter stories...
of the supposed discovery of a trunkful of papers detailing the long life and career of a Victorian officer, this series centres around Flashman, the bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays
Tom Brown's Schooldays
Tom Brown's Schooldays is a novel by Thomas Hughes. The story is set at Rugby School, a public school for boys, in the 1830s; Hughes attended Rugby School from 1834 to 1842...
. The papers are attributed to him, who has grown from the schoolboy of Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes was an English lawyer and author. He is most famous for his novel Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. It had a lesser-known sequel, Tom Brown at Oxford .- Biography :Hughes was the second son of John Hughes, editor of...
's novel into a well-known and much decorated military hero. The book begins with an explanatory note detailing the discovery of these papers.
The story proper begins with Flashman fleeing with Susie Willinck (a New Orleans madam, aka "Miss Susie"), as described at the end of Flash for Freedom!
Flash for Freedom!
Flash for Freedom! is a 1971 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. It is the third of the Flashman novels.- Plot introduction :Presented within the frame of the supposedly discovered historical Flashman Papers, this book describes the bully Flashman from Tom Brown's Schooldays...
. They cross the continent to join the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, meeting several well-known personalities of the American West in 1849 and 1850. The story resumes in 1875, when he takes part in the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
the following year. It also contains a number of notes by Fraser, in the guise of editor, giving additional historical information on the events described.
Plot summary
In his haste to leave New Orleans and the threat of imprisonment, Flashman agrees to shepherd Susie Willinck and her company of prostitutes to SacramentoSacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, where she intends to set up shop and make a bundle from goldminers. As wagoncaptain, Flashman is nominally in charge of his and Susie's (now his wife) collection of women, supplies, and sex toys, and the other forty-niners and invalids looking for a better life, but he depends on the guidance of Richens Lacey Wootton
Richens Lacey Wootton
Richens Lacy Wootton , often referred to as "Uncle Dick" Wooton, was an American frontiersman born in Virginia, but lived most of his life in Colorado....
to see them through. Unfortunately, Wootton becomes stricken with cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
. Flashman is left to get everyone to Bent's Fort in safety, which Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
s make difficult for him. Eventually, they reach Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, where Flashman absconds with two thousand dollars made from selling one of the prostitutes, Cleonie, to Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
s.
For safety in the wilderness, Flashman falls in with a group of travellers, but he discovers then to be scalp-hunters when they attack a band of Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
s. Flashman joins in but refuses to take any scalps or rape the captive women, which saves him when the scalp-hunters are killed by the rest of the tribe on their return. He ends up marrying Sonsee-Array, the daughter of chief, Mangas Coloradas
Mangas Coloradas
Mangas Coloradas, or Dasoda-hae , was an Apache tribal chief and a member of the Eastern Chiricahua nation, whose homeland stretched west from the Rio Grande to include most of what is present-day southwestern New Mexico...
, and becoming friends with Geronimo
Geronimo
Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
. Eventually, he escapes and is saved by Kit Carson
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
on the Jornada del Muerto
Jornada del Muerto
The Jornada del Muerto in the U.S. state of New Mexico was the name given by the Spanish conquistadors to the Jornada del Muerto Desert basin, and the particularly dry stretch of a route through it.The trail lead northward from central Spanish colonial New Spain, present-day Mexico, to the farthest...
.
In 1875, Flashman returns to America with his wife, Elspeth. He meets George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
and Mrs. Arthur B. Candy, the former slave Cleonie, both of whom lead him into disaster. He travels to Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
, in order to meet with Mrs. Candy and pursue a carnal relationship, but, at her connivance, he is kidnapped by Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
and kept captive at Greasy Grass. He escapes just in time to see the defeat and death of Custer and to be partly scalped himself by his own illegitimate son from Cleonie, Frank Grouard
Frank Grouard
Frank Grouard was a Scout and interpreter for General George Crook during the American Indian War of 1876.-Early years:...
, who by choice has been living as an Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. Thus, the book ends with Flashman discovering that he left more behind in America in 1850 than two jilted wives.
Fictional characters
- Harry Paget FlashmanHarry Paget FlashmanSir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE is a fictional character created by George MacDonald Fraser , but based on the character "Flashman" in Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work by Thomas Hughes ....
- The hero or anti-heroAnti-heroIn fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're... - Elspeth - His loving and possibly unfaithful wife.
- Susie B. Willinck - A brothelBrothelBrothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
owner and former prostitute. One of Flashman's "wives". - Cleonie Grouard/Mrs. Arthur B. Candy - One of Susie Willinck's prostitutes.
- Sonsee-Array, Daughter of Apache chief Mangas Colorado and Flashman's "wife".
Historical characters
- Jim BridgerJim BridgerJames Felix "Jim" Bridger was among the foremost mountain men, trappers, scouts and guides who explored and trapped the Western United States during the decades of 1820-1850, as well as mediating between native tribes and encroaching whites...
- Mountain man who confirms Flashman as suitable to be a wagon-captain - Spotted TailSpotted TailSiŋté Glešká was a Brulé Lakota tribal chief. Although a great warrior in his youth, and having taken part in the Grattan massacre, he declined to participate in Red Cloud's War, having become convinced of the pointlessness of opposing the white incursions into his homeland; he became a...
- A BruléBruléThe Brulé are one of the seven branches or bands of the Teton Lakota Sioux American Indian nation. They are known as Sičháŋǧu Oyáte , or "Burnt Thighs Nation," and so, were called Brulé by the French...
Lakota who Flashman initially meets in 1849, and then in 1875 at a wedding in ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He may or may not have slept with Elspeth. - John Joel GlantonJohn Joel GlantonJohn Joel Glanton was an American member of the U.S. Army during the mid-19th century, a soldier of fortune and mercenary, and later led the Glanton Gang of scalp hunters in the Southwest.-Early life and education:...
- Scalphunter who Flashman falls in with. He describes Glanton (who he refers to as Gallantin) as "a burly fellow with feathers in his hat and two pistols belted over his frock-coat; when he turned I saw he had a forked beard and a great red birth-mark over half his face - a Sunday school-teacher, devil a doubt." Flashman is deceived into joining a scalp-hunt, an affair that results in his capture by the Apaches. - Mangas ColoradasMangas ColoradasMangas Coloradas, or Dasoda-hae , was an Apache tribal chief and a member of the Eastern Chiricahua nation, whose homeland stretched west from the Rio Grande to include most of what is present-day southwestern New Mexico...
- Apache chief. Flashman is terrified by his physical appearance, and says, "He was a fine psychologist...an astute politician, and a bloody, cruel, treacherous barbarian who'd have been a disgrace to the Stone Age." Flashman eventually finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced to wed Colorado's daughter. - GeronimoGeronimoGeronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
- Referred to in the novel as "the Yawner," Geronimo appears as one of Flashman's Apache captors and, later, friends. Though Flashman is open about his loathing for the Apache, he also refers to Geronimo as his "closest Indian friend." Flashman also refers to his relationship with Geronimo in the early 1900s, nearly half a century after their time together. - Kit CarsonKit CarsonChristopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
- Carson makes a cameo in which he rescues a terrified Flashman from a group of pursuing Apache braves. Later, Flashman, while sitting with Carson, is mistaken for the legendary frontiersman by a drunken gold miner. - Lucien MaxwellLucien MaxwellLucien Bonaparte Maxwell was a rancher and entrepreneur who at one point owned more than . Along with Thomas Catron and Ted Turner, Maxwell was one of the largest private landowners in United States history....
- Maxwell is briefly part of Carson and Flashman's travelling party. - Philip SheridanPhilip SheridanPhilip Henry Sheridan was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S...
- William Tecumseh ShermanWilliam Tecumseh ShermanWilliam Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
- John PopeJohn Pope (military officer)John Pope was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He had a brief but successful career in the Western Theater, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the East.Pope was a graduate of the United States Military Academy in...
- George CrookGeorge CrookGeorge R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
- Crazy HorseCrazy HorseCrazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
- Sioux leader who Flashman meets twice only briefly, first as a child in the company of Spotted Tail, and later during his captivity at Greasy Grass. Flashman describes him as "young and wiry, lean-faced and lank-haired and without paint - but with those eyes he didn't need any." - Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
- President of the United States during the present novel, but Flashman evidently knows him from before. He says, "Grant was the same burly, surly bargee I remembered, more like a city storekeeper than the first-rate soldier he'd been and the disillusioned President he was." - William B. AllisonWilliam B. AllisonWilliam Boyd Allison was an early leader of the Iowa Republican Party, who represented northeastern Iowa for four consecutive terms in the U.S. House before representing his state for six consecutive terms in the U.S. Senate...
- Flashman accompanies him to Fort RobinsonFort RobinsonFort Robinson is a former U.S. Army fort and a present-day state park. Located in the Pine Ridge region of northwest Nebraska, it is west of Crawford on U.S. Route 20.- History :...
and translates in his negotiations with the Sioux for the Black HillsBlack HillsThe Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
. Flashman calls him "a Senator of unusual stupidity and flatulence". In an uncharacteristic show of sympathy for the Black Hills Sioux, Flashman suggests that had Allison been less sanctimonious, the entire war could have been avoided. - Alfred TerryAlfred TerryAlfred Howe Terry was a Union general in the American Civil War and the military commander of the Dakota Territory from 1866 to 1869 and again from 1872 to 1886.-Early life and career:...
- Red CloudRed CloudRed Cloud , was a war leader and the head Chief of the Oglala Lakota . His reign was from 1868 to 1909...
- George Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
- American soldier famous for his Last Stand at Greasy GrassBattle of the Little BighornThe Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
. Flashman is acquainted with him from the American Civil War and clearly finds him annoying but also refers to him as a good cavalryman. Flashman refers to Custer as "a reckless firebrand who absolutely enjoyed warfare, and would have been better suited to the Age of Chivalry, when he'd have broken the Holy Grail in his hurry to get at it." When, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Flashman urges Custer to retreat, he is rebuffed—a decision that clearly resulted in the subsequent massacre of the 7th Cavalry at Last Stand Hill. - Elizabeth Bacon CusterElizabeth Bacon CusterElizabeth Bacon Custer was the wife of General George Armstrong Custer. After his death, she became an outspoken advocate for her husband's legacy through her popular books and lectures...
- Thomas CusterThomas CusterThomas Ward Custer was a United States Army officer and two-time recipient of the Medal of Honor for bravery during the American Civil War...
- Boston CusterBoston CusterBoston Custer was the youngest brother of U.S. Army General George Armstrong Custer and two-time Medal of Honor recipient Captain Thomas Custer...
- Marcus RenoMarcus RenoMarcus Albert Reno was a career military officer in the American Civil War and in the Black Hills War against the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne...
- Frederick BenteenFrederick BenteenFrederick William Benteen was a military officer during the American Civil War and then during the Black Hills War against the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne. He is notable for being in command of a battalion of the 7th U. S...
- Myles KeoghMyles KeoghMyles Walter Keogh was an Irishman who fought in Italy during the 1860 Papal War before volunteering for the Union side in the American Civil War . During the war years, he was promoted from the rank of Captain to that of Major, finally being awarded the brevet rank of Lieutenant Colonel...
- James CalhounJames Calhoun (soldier)James Calhoun was a soldier in the United States Army during the American Civil War and the Black Hills War...
- Henry Armstrong ReedHenry Armstrong ReedHenry Armstrong Reed was the nephew of George Armstrong Custer, Thomas Custer, and Boston Custer. Although not an official soldier, he was killed along with them at the Battle of the Little Bighorn at the age of 18....
- John GibbonJohn GibbonJohn Gibbon was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
- George YatesGeorge Yates*Classic Battles: Little Big Horn 1876, Peter Panzieri, ISBN 1-85532-458-X*Crazy Horse and Custer, Stephen E. Ambrose, 1975, ISBN 0-385-47966-2*Cavalier in Buckskin, Robert M. Utley, 1988, ISBN 0-8061-2150-5...
- Chief GallChief GallGall Lakota Phizí, was a battle leader of the Hunkpapa Lakota in the long war against the United States. He was one of the commanders in the Battle of Little Bighorn.-Early years:...
- Wild Bill Hickock
- Richens Lacey WoottonRichens Lacey WoottonRichens Lacy Wootton , often referred to as "Uncle Dick" Wooton, was an American frontiersman born in Virginia, but lived most of his life in Colorado....
- Frank GrouardFrank GrouardFrank Grouard was a Scout and interpreter for General George Crook during the American Indian War of 1876.-Early years:...
- In Flashman and the Redskins, Grouard is revealed to be Flashman's illegitimate son. MacDonald Fraser takes significant liberty in adapting Grouard's personal history so as to complete the novel's story. For example, Grouard is portrayed as having a HarvardHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
education and having a friendly relationship with Spotted TailSpotted TailSiŋté Glešká was a Brulé Lakota tribal chief. Although a great warrior in his youth, and having taken part in the Grattan massacre, he declined to participate in Red Cloud's War, having become convinced of the pointlessness of opposing the white incursions into his homeland; he became a...
.