In the centuries of war between Indians and whites one episode is surely epical: the flight of the Nez Perce. Provoked by bad treaties and bitter memories, in 1877 a few Nez Perce raided homesteads in Idaho and killed their inhabitants. The raid quickly escalated into a series of skirmishes, and at last involved Chief Joseph and the ablest Nez Perce warriors in a prolonged chase by the army for over a thousand miles through Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The band of Nez Perce astonished military experts by their tactical ingenuity, swift maneuvers, daring, and endurance. By the time the chase concluded, barely forty miles from the Canadian border, the Nez Perce had left behind a record of heroic sacrifices, spectacular escapes, and incredible courage.

Colonel Mark H. Brown, an expert in strategic intelligence, reviewed the military records, journal accounts, and personal testimonies to write this exact and candid study of the flight of the Nez Perce.

"The Flight of the Nez Perce stands head and shoulders above other recent publications on the subject. Brown has shown great diligence in securing materials, keen judgment in evaluating what he has found, and above all, intellectual honesty in transcribing and interpreting his selections."—San Francisco Chronicle