If you want to read an amazing bit of history the nephew of the Modoc's chief wrote An Indian History of the Modoc War [ http://amzn.to/1PLxP4m ] which is a fascinating historical document.
The Modoc war has all the elements of great opera, doomed heroes on both sides, people who were sharply aware of the forces that governed their lives but unable to turn aside their fate. Grand battles, a long siege; betrayals and redemptions.
The Modocs were by any measure an amazingly effective fighting force, they fought an entire US cavalry platoon to a standstill at their stronghold.
The Modoc war has all the elements of great opera, doomed heroes on both sides, people who were sharply aware of the forces that governed their lives but unable to turn aside their fate. Grand battles, a long siege; betrayals and redemptions.
The Modocs were by any measure an amazingly effective fighting force, they fought an entire US cavalry platoon to a standstill at their stronghold.