Black Gun, Silver Star: Bass Reeves—Life & Legend | Art Burton

Extended Synopsis

In the late nineteenth century, Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves was known as the most formidable peace officer in Indian Territory. His accomplishments are made all the more remarkable by his origins: Reeves spent his early life enslaved in Arkansas and Texas before rising to prominence as a lawman out of Fort Smith under the infamous "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker. Black Gun, Silver Star sifts through generations of fact, legend, and institutional erasure to uncover the truth about this extraordinary American hero.

Physically powerful, a master of disguise, skilled with firearms, and fluent in Creek and other regional Native languages, Reeves was exceptionally adept at apprehending outlaws. In this updated edition, author Art T. Burton traces Reeves's journey from slavery and Civil War soldiering to his legendary career. Furthermore, a new afterword explores Reeves's historical presence in national media and his rightful, growing resurgence in modern popular culture, including television, comics, and video games.