Enter to win! Enter to win a copy of

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

Miles and miles of cactus and sand stretched out before a small caravan making its way across the Arizona Territory to an army post in Prescott. Frances Ann Boyd, a petite woman barely past twenty, cast a worried glance at her husband, Orsemus, driving their wagon. The young lieutenant kept his eyes fixed on the rugged trail. Three mounted soldier escorts led the train along the dangerous path toward a canyon in the near distance. It was six o’clock in the evening and, apart from the sound of the wagon wheels bumping along the rugged terrain and the horses’ hooves clopping over rocks, all was quiet.

Frances eyed the horizon before them then disappeared into the wagon. She picked up two sabers lying next to a trunk, unsheathed them, and thrust them out either side of the back of the wagon. From a distance she hoped it would look like they were armed with more travelers who were ready to do battle with the Apache. “Unless they come very close,” she thought, “the dim light would favor our deception.”

To learn more about Frances Boyd and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

Time to win! This month enter to win a copy of

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

The distant cadence of drums from the nearly deserted town of San Antonio de Bexar sent a shiver of fear through Juana Navarro Alsbury. She clutched her baby son closer and strained to hear. Mexican president and general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, enemy of her uncle and her husband, had come when least expected, bringing thousands of men, artillery, and a thirst for vengeance. The baby wailed at the nearby roar of the exploding powder from the cannon mounted at one corner of the Alamo.

That shot signaled defiance by the Texians and Tejonas holed up in the old mission. Juana soothed the baby and waited, holding her breath, for Santa Anna’s response.

It was said he had 1,000 troops, cavalry, and cannon at his command. Inside the crumbling fortress were several dozen women and children protected by fewer than 200 defenders. Juana’s new husband, Dr. Horatio A. Alsbury, had galloped off to find volunteers to join the fight, leaving Juana and the baby behind.

To learn more about Juana Navarro Alsbury and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

Enter to win. This month enter to win a copy of

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

“Lozen is my right hand…strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy. Lozen is a shield to her people.” Apache War Chief Victorio, June 1880

Lozen was a born a member of the Mimbres tribe of Apache in 1827. Her family lived near Ojo Caliente in New Mexico. Her father was a leading member of his band, and her mother was a well-respected woman. Not unlike most Indian children at that time, Lozen learned to ride a horse when she was very young. By the age of eight, she was considered an expert rider. From early on it was clear to her parents that she would not assume the traditional female role. She loved hunting and playing rough games with her brother Victorio, and the other boys in the tribe. Her skills with a bow and arrow and a sling were exceptional. Like her father and his father before him she was a born warrior.

To learn more about Lozen and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

Enter to win. This month enter to win a copy of

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

Susan Shelby Magoffin gazed around the small, white-plastered room in Santa Fe and wondered if she might die there. No one seemed sure where the Mexican army was, or how soon a battle might commence. But there was no doubt about the danger to herself and her husband now that her brother-in-law had been taken by the Mexicans as a spy. As she had since the start of her honeymoon journey, Susan recorded the day’s events in her journal.

December 1846, Tuesday 1^st. News comes in very ugly today. An Englishman from Chihuahua, direct, says that the three traders, Dr. Conley, Mr. McMannus and brother James, who went on ahead to Chihuahua have been taken prisoners, the two former lodged in the calboza [jail] while Brother James is on trial for his life.

The messenger who brought the ominous news had gone, but the impact of the latest information from Chihuahua still reverberated like an alarm bell. The fate of everyone associated with James Magoffin was in the balance. What if her own dear, husband, Samuel, left her behind to ride to his brother’s aid? They had been married less than a year, and despite their strange honeymoon, she could not bear to be parted from the man she called mi alma, my soul.

She would insist on going, too, she thought. After traveling thousands of miles across wild and dangerous terrain and through the lands of unfriendly Native Americans on her prairie honeymoon, she had proved her courage to herself and her husband. She had survived the hazardous 2,000-mile-journey despite raging storms, wild beasts, hostile tribes, outlaws, and the awful, waterless desert they had traversed a few weeks before.

To learn more about Susan Shelby Magoffin and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

I had the pleasure of being part of the upcoming program Legend and Lies: Into the West which debuts Sunday, April 12. I’m anxious to see how it all turned out and excited about being a part of the next series Fox will be doing entitled Hollywood Shootouts. Hope you’ll tune in.

Fox News Channel Press

Press Releases from Fox News Channel

FOX NEWS CHANNEL TO DEBUT 10-WEEK RUN OF HISTORICAL EPISODIC SPECIALS LEGENDS & LIES ON SUNDAY, APRIL 12th

Executive Produced by FNC’s Bill O’Reilly

FOX News Channel (FNC) will present a 10-week run of historical episodic specials entitled, Legends & Lies: Into the West, with the first installment debuting on Sunday, April 12^th from 8-9PM/ET, announced Bill Shine, Senior Executive Vice President, FOX News. Executive produced by FNC’s Bill O’Reilly, the hour-long episodes will recount the tales of the greatest characters of America’s Wild West, including Jesse James, David Crockett, Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid.

In making the announcement, Shine said, “We are thrilled to present our viewers with insight that defined the West’s past and pay tribute to some of the most notorious American trailblazers.”

Each week, Legends & Lies will feature a portrayal of the critical moment that made each American hero renowned, along with first-hand accounts from direct descendants and historians. Coupling that with the support of archival photographs and special effects, viewers will see the forensic science and hear the analysis, giving them a chance to decipher the true story behind each hero and separate the legend from the lie.

Two original episodes will run back-to-back for the premiere week with brand new episodes debuting every following Sunday. Legends & Lies will also be presented during additional weekend programming including, Saturdays at 8PM/ET and on Sundays at 9PM/ET. The docu-style series is produced by Warm Springs Production, which is known for such programs as The History Channel’s Mountain Men, Animal Planet’s American River Renegades and HGTV’s Log Cabin Living.