John Gregory Bourke

Biography

John Gregory Bourke (1846–1896) joined the Union Army as a young officer and quickly became known not just for his courage under fire but also for his vivid writings on life at the frontier. His experiences alongside General Crook inspired a series of detailed journals that later made him a respected ethnologist of the American Southwest.

Bourke traveled widely, documenting Native American customs with deep empathy while maintaining the highest standards of military discipline, and his published works continue to inform scholars even as he rests among his comrades at Arlington National Cemetery.