Talk:Ranald S. Mackenzie

America's greatest Indian fighter?
Let's ignore for the moment the right or wrong of our treatment of the Native Americans during the Indian wars. If anyone deserves the names of America's "greatest Indian fighter", it is Ranald S. MacKenzie. When Custer blew it at the Little Big Horn in 1876, it was MacKenzie the Army sent for due to the stellar reputation he already had in fighting the tribes. What a shame that history remembers George Armstrong Custer for his blundering in the Black Hills and forgets the many victories that Mackenzie gave the Army during the Indian Wars. Mackenzie graduated at the top of his 1862 West Point class while Custer graduated at the bottom. Both reached Major General of Volunteers at the same age during the Civil War. Yet popular history remembers the great failure and ignores this successful leader, as exemplified by the length of their Wikipedia pages. Mackenzie's many wounds suffered during the Civil War and the Indian Wars in the service of his country contributed greatly to his later insanity due to the pain he endured. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 02:00, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

It's also worth remarking that Mackenzie lacked a political patron (unlike Custer and many other officers who rose quickly in rank during the Civil War). Even Grant had a patron, though in fairness he didn't seem to seek one.Intothatdarkness (talk) 15:25, 3 August 2010 (UTC)

According to "Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe" by S. C. Gwynne, Ulysses S. Grant was a big patron of Mackenzie. Gwynne also hypothesizes in great detail, with evidence, that Mackenzie's insanity was not caused by syphilis. He concludes that the Army knew all about syphilis and would have correctly diagnosed it. Instead, he states that his mental breakdown was more likely caused by PTSD, head injuries, and the chronic pain he suffered. Mackenzie's relative obscurity is of interest and deserves more depth here along with his devastating impact on the Comanche people. Joel.sbateman (talk) 18:34, 6 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Gwynne actually got his PTSD theory from Robinson, who was the first to articulate it. I happen to agree, but there are other theories out there as well. Grant didn't start backing Mackenzie until after the Civil War. There is some evidence to suggest that Emory Upton might have been a backer of Mackenzie (although they were close in age and rank). Intothatdarkness 21:25, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

Additions to Indian Wars section
There are some omissions and a general lack of citations in the Indian Wars section of this article. I hope to broaden the bib section and add some more content over the next couple of weeks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Intothatdarkness (talk • contribs) 22:00, 23 July 2010 (UTC)