In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant sent O.O. Howard, widely known as the "Christian general", as an ambassador of peace to the western Indian tribes. Famous Indians Chiefs I Have Known is Howard's account of his journey. He tells of his peace agreement with the great Apache chief Cochise; describes his pursuit of Joseph and the surrender of the Nez Perce chief, who became his friend; and provides a poignant glimpse of the defeated Apache war leader Geronimo, selling canes and autographs. Equally impressive are his portraits of Winnemucca of the Piutes, the Sioux chiefs Red Cloud and Sitting Bull, and his descriptions of meetings with Washakie of the Shoshones, Pasqual of the Yumas, Antonio of the Pimas, Santos and Pedros of the Apaches, Manuelito of the Navajos, three Indians women--Sarah Winnemucca, granddaughter of the Piute chief, and Mattie, her sister-in-law—both of them powerful peacemakes in their own right. Included are chapters on the Seminole chief Osceola and the Modoc chief Captain Jack, famed for their resistance to white domination.

In the introduction, Bruce J. Dinges, editor of publications at the Arizona Historical Society, discusses Howard's career and sets his book in historical context.