Poetic violence in a desolate world

This is only the second McCarthy novel I've read so far. I must say that I was taken aback, at first, by his writing style. You have to be a careful reader to enjoy his work. This isn't just some Harry Potter skim-fest where you can skip to the good parts. For me, so far, this book is a sumptuous, bloody feast and I'm enjoying my journey through "a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane." Not that McCarthy would ever set anything off with quotes. I'm about 2/3 of the way through. Like Braden said, Glanton and the Judge, the Delawares and others in the scalping party are all historical figures from the 1840s.