The True Exploits of Ben Arnold (Annotated)

Step into the real Wild West through the eyes of a man who lived it.

Ben Arnold was the contemporary of legends—Wild Bill Hickok, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Buffalo Bill Cody, George Armstrong Custer, and Frank Grouard—and carved his own place in the untamed frontier of Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas.

A Civil War veteran turned gold miner, cowboy, lawman, and army scout, Arnold’s life reads like an epic novel of the American West. He was there during the defining moments of western history, riding with General George Crook during the 1876 Big Horn and Yellowstone Expedition, when Custer fell at the Little Bighorn and Crook battled Crazy Horse at the Rosebud.

What makes Arnold’s story unforgettable is his rare perspective. Unlike many frontier chroniclers, he lived among—and even had family ties with—the Native American tribes of the Plains. His memoir delivers a sympathetic, unvarnished portrait of Indian life, even as he witnessed its heartbreaking decline under the pressure of expansion and war.

For readers who crave true frontier adventure, this is more than just history—it’s the firsthand account of a man who survived its dangers, knew its heroes and villains, and walked the line between two worlds.

Perfect for fans of Old West memoirs, Native American history, Custer’s Last Stand, frontier scouts, and 19th-century American adventure.