THE TRAPDOOR SPRINGFIELD from the Little Bighorn to San Juan Hill by John Langellier. Osprey Publishing’s Weapon series. Softbound, 7” x 10”, 80 pages. This dependable, hard-hitting, all weather , single shot weapon was carried by the US infantry and cavalry on hundreds of frontier engagements from the Great plains to the Mexican border and beyond. When the United States entered the world stage as an international power during the war with Spain in 1898, the tried and true veteran had its swansong. Written by historian who has spent a half century researching and writing about the post Civil War US Army, this study weaves the narrative of the Springfield trapdoor’s development and impact into the larger story of westward expansion in the U.S.       6