Listed below are the books or forthcoming works of the authors who, so graciously, give of their time and expertise by contributing to the scholarly discussion here at the "History-Sites.com" Civil War Message Boards.
The titles of the books below are active links, where online purchasing is available. For privately published books, without online purchasing, ordering instructions are included at the end of the listing. For "out of print" books the link is to "Bookfinder.com" where a search for used books is possible.
Please show your appreciation for these authors and enhance your Civil War and Genealogical book collection by ordering these titles.
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Bourland in North Texas and Indian
Territory |
From the Author
I have transcribed 225 militia listings and the
militia correspondence of 34 counties of North Texas in order to
interpret THE BOURLAND PAPERS -- about 200 Civil War era documents, 43
of which are not in the OFFICIAL RECORD, but should be. Topics that I
have addressed extensively are: the Brush Battalion; Quantrill in North
Texas; gruesome details of four Kiowa-Comanche Indian raids into North
Texas including the 1864 Battle of Elm Creek; 1862 Tonkawa Massacre in
Anadarko, I.T.; Camp Napoleon Compact Meeting attended by 5,000 to
7,000 Indians plus J.W. Throckmotton in now Grady County, OK; and the
Confederate treaties with the tribes of Indian Territory, especially
the Reserve Tribes of the Leased Lands.
Starvation in Indian Territory among all of the tribes is a central theme of my book.
About 70 % of my 998-page study is from handwritten records and about 90 % is from contemporaneous sources. It addresses the Civil War era between Oklahoma City & Dallas and Texarkana & Childress, Texas. My book is described on my web site, www.bourlandcivilwar.com .
More Generals in Gray
by Bruce S. Allardice.
From Booklist
It is a popular misconception that Confederate military forces were
models of efficiency and dash, contrasting with Union forces hindered
by bureaucratic bungling and political meddling. As Allardice
illustrates, the same maladies plagued Confederate armies; the
promotion procedure for generals was particularly cumbersome and
subject to the whims of politicians within and without the military
structure. In this series of biographical sketches, Allardice examines
the careers of 137 of the more obscure Confederate generals, most of
whom were appointed outside the usual process, which required approval
of the Confederate Congress. While many of Allardice's subjects seem to
have earned their obscurity, some are notable and rather intriguing
personalities. His sketches are likely to interest both general readers
and Civil War scholars.
Jay Freeman
From Book News, Inc.
Following the now classic biographies of 425 Confederate generals in
Ezra J. Warner's Generals in Grey (1959), Allardice profiles another
137 who attained their rank without presidential appointment. Among
them are some generals who were in service to an individual state but
not to the Confederacy, some appointed by military authorities but not
the president, and some who claimed to have been appointed by the
president but any record of such an appointment was lost in the chaotic
last days of the war.
Ingram
This masterful study brings to light a class of officers never before
covered in any book: the Confederacy's "other" generals. For each of
the 137 generals profiled--including Raphael Semmes, Francis Bartow,
Henry Kyd Douglas, and Tom Munford--Allardice presents a substantial
biographical sketch and a short bibliography. 108 halftone photos.
From Bruce Allardice
This book contains biographies of 640 men and women who, in the
author's opinion, are the most noted Civil War era figures buried in
the state of Texas. Included are generals, soldiers, politicians, and
authors, Union and Confederate. Each person has a short biography, with
a photo of the gravesite and directions on where they are buried.
The publisher is Hill College Press. The book sells for $30.00, and can be ordered from Hill College Press or Jim Mundie Books.
Hill College Press
PO Box 619
Hillsboro, TX, 76645
Tel: 254-582-2555
Jim Mundie Books
jimmundie@aol.com
Tel: 281-531-8639
Ambush at
Williamsville
by Richard L. Armstrong
During the spring of 1862, Union troops under the command of Brigadier General Robert H. Milroy occupied Monterey and McDowell in Highland County. Having a difficult time obtaining supplies (forage and rations) for the horses and men of his command, Milroy decided to live off the land. As a result, in late April 1862, a foraging party visited the village of Williamsville, in the Northern part of Bath County, to collect food for themselves and their animals. A train of 26 wagons, guarded by ten men of the 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was loaded with grain and other supplies and started back to McDowell on the morning of April 26th.
The Bath Cavalry learned of the "raid" by the Yankees and set out to punish them. It is said that John T. Byrd, a local farmer, carried the news of the raid to the Bath Cavalry. A detachment of that company concealed themselves in the brush along the road and at an opportune moment, opened fire upon the guards and wagon drivers. Two men were killed (a father and his son from Pennsylvania), and several wounded. A number of other men were taken prisoner and sent to Richmond.
This book is out of print! The details of the ambush at Williamsville is included in more detail in The Battle of McDowell.
11th Virginia CavalryThe 11th Virginia Cavalry, part of the famous Laurel Brigade, was created in early 1863 from the 17th Battalion Virginia Cavalry and two companies from the 5th Virginia Cavalry. Most of these companies formerly belonged to the 7th Virginia Cavalry - Ashby's old regiment.
The book contains a textual history of the regiment from its first organization as the 17th Battalion Virginia Cavalry until the close of the war. The history of the individual companies prior to be a part of the 17th Battalion is included as well. There are a number of photographs of the veterans of the 11th Virginia Cavalry, and roster of all the known (or suspected) members of the regiment.
Battle of McDowellThe Battle of McDowell was the beginning of Major General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's famous Valley Campaign of 1862. In early April 1862, Union forces commanded by Brigadier General Robert H. Milroy occupied the town of Monterey, in Highland County, Virginia. Confederate forces, commanded by Brigadier General Edward "Alleghany" Johnson, fell back from their quarters at Camp Alleghany to the top of Shenandoah Mountain. On April 12, 1862, a skirmish took place at Monterey. Edward Johnson's men were forced to retire. Seven days later, the Confederates abandoned their position on Shenandoah Mountain (Fort Johnson), and fell back to Valley Mills and West View, near Staunton.
About the middle of April 1862, General Milroy advanced his forces to occupy the village of McDowell. A few days later (April 26), the Ambush at Williamsville took place. Meanwhile, General Jackson began his movement to join Edward Johnson near Staunton.
On the morning of May 7, 1862, the forces of Edward Johnson encountered the advance outposts of Milroy's Army at West Augusta and Rodger's Toll House. The Valley Army followed Johnson's command on the way to McDowell. The Confederates pushed on and crossed the Shenandoah Mountain that day, then halted for the night. Early on the morning of May 8, 1862, Johnson's command advanced to Sitlington's Hill (overlooking McDowell) and took possession of that point. As the day progressed, the Battle of McDowell took place and continued until nightfall.
25th Virginia Infantry and 9th Battalion Virginia InfantryThe 25th Virginia Infantry was formed at Huttonsville, [West] Virginia in June 1861 of companies from Virginia and present-day West Virginia. The regiment was sent to Rich Mountain. Several of the companies took part in the Battle at Rich Mountain on July 11, 1861 and others surrendered to General McClellan's forces at Beverly on July 13, 1861. A total of five companies (half the regiment) was lost at this point.
The 9th Battalion Virginia Infantry was also created in June 1861, from companies left over from the formation of the 25th and 31st Virginia Regiments. These companies were all from Northwestern Virginia and was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George W. Hansborough.
In the spring of 1862, just prior to the Battle of McDowell, the 9th Battalion was consolidated with the 25th Virginia Infantry to bring it back to full company strength (10 companies).
The 25th Virginia Infantry served throughout the war with distinction and honor. At the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864, it again suffered a crippling blow - again loosing most of the regiment as prisoners of war.
The book contains a textual history of the regiment from the time it was organized until the close of the war. There are photographs of the veterans of the regiment. A roster of all the known (or suspected) members of the regiment is included.
7th Virginia CavalryThe 7th Virginia Cavalry was formed early in the war and placed under the command of Colonel Angus W. McDonald. One of the company commanders was Turner Ashby, who later commanded the regiment and became a Brigadier General.
This book details the history of all 26 companies of the 7th Virginia Cavalry from the time of their formation until the close of the war. In the spring of 1862, following the untimely death of Ashby, the regiment was divided into two regiments (7th and 12th Regiments) and a battalion (17th, later the 11th Virginia Cavalry).
The book contains a textual history of the regiment from its organization until the close of the war. There are photographs of the veterans of the regiment. A roster of all the known (or suspected) members of the regiment is included.
19th and 20th Virginia CavalryThe 19thth Virginia Cavalry was created in the spring of 1863 from men who had served in the 3rd Virginia State Line (disbanded in 1863). Colonel William L. Jackson was assigned to command the regiment. Colonel Jackson was a cousin of "Stonewall" Jackson, and was called "Mudwall" and "Brickwall." Most of the men in this regiment lived in Northwestern Virginia.
The 20th Virginia Cavalry was formed in the fall of 1863 and was commanded by Colonel W. W. Arnett. Both of these regiments served under Colonel Jackson as part of Jackson's Brigade, until the close of the war.
The book contains a textual history of the regiment from its organization until the close of the war. There are photographs of the veterans of the regiment. A roster of all the known (or suspected) members of the regiment is included.
26th Virginia CavalryThe 26th Virginia Cavalry was formed in February 1865, from two battalions of Colonel William L. Jackson's Cavalry Brigade. The 46th Battalion and 47th Battalion were both created in late 1863. The men attached to these commands were from a wide area, ranging from southwest Virginia to the Ohio River, in the new state of West Virginia.
The book contains a textual history of the regiment from its organization until the close of the war. There are photographs of the veterans of the regiment. A roster of all the known (or suspected) members of the regiment is included.
West Virginian vs. West Virginian: The Battle of BulltownWest Virginian vs. West Virginian: The Battle of Bulltown tells the story of Colonel William L. "Mudwall" Jackson's attack the Union garrison at Bulltown, Braxton County, West Virginia. The fight took place on October 13, 1863.
The Civil War in Bath County, VirginiaThe Civil War in Bath County, Virginia tells of the events taking place in Bath County, Virginia during the Civil War, 1861 - 1865.
Included in the book is a short biographical sketch of the tragic Terrill Family of Bath. This family provided four sons to the war effort - three fought for the South and one fought for the North. The father, Colonel William Henry Terrill, a lawyer, served the Confederate States as provost marshal of Bath County. One son, William Rufus Terrill, graduated from West Point and made a career in the United States Army. When the war began, he chose to remain "loyal" to the United States. He attained the rank of Brigadier General by the fall of 1862, and in the battle of Perryville, Ky., in October 1862, he was killed.
His brother, James Barbour Terrill, graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and worked his way up to the rank of Brigadier General. He was killed in May 1864, on the same day as his appointment was approved by President Jefferson Davis. His younger brother, Philip Mallory Terrill, served in the 25th Virginia Infantry, the 62nd Virginia (Mounted) Infantry, and in the 12th Virginia Cavalry. He was killed near Winchester in November 1864.
The only one of the four to survive the war was Doctor George P. Terrill, of Salem, Virginia. He served as the colonel of the home guard.
Roll of Casualties: The McDowell Campaign, April 12 - May 9, 1862This book is rather unique (In my opinion) in the fact that it lists all the known losses among the Union and Confederate troops engaged in the Battle of McDowell and the events occurring just before and after the battle. It covers the skirmish at Monterey, Virginia on April 12, 1862,the skirmish at Williamsville, Virginia (April 26, 1862), the fighting east of Shenandoah Mountain on the day prior to the battle of McDowell and the rear guard action near Monterey on May 9, 1862.
The book lists the soldiers alphabetically and gives their company and regiment, along with their rank at the time of the battle. Information about their being killed, wounded, died of wounds or whether they were taken prisoner appears, along with their approximate age at the time of the battle is listed.
Statistical data concerning the losses is compiled into tables following each section.
Surprise! The Confederate Raids on Randolph, W. Va. 1864-1865During the last year of the War Between the States (August 1864 – January 1865), Confederate forces conducted three raids into Randolph County, West Virginia. Two of the raids were successful, resulting in the capture of prisoners and much needed property. Captain Hill’s raid of October 29, 1864 was a disaster for the Confederates.
The first raid occurred on August 24, 1864 against a small detachment of the 8th Ohio Cavalry at Huttonsville, West Virginia, about eleven miles south of Beverly. The raid was an unqualified success for Confederate Captain Hannibal Hill.
The second raid took place at Beverly in the early morning hours of October 29, 1864. Once again Captain Hannibal Hill led a detachment of Confederates from twenty one different units to this land of plenty. The raid, a complete surprise and unlike the August raid, this one ended in complete failure.
The third and final raid, conducted by Major General Thomas L. Rosser on January 11, 1865, was a complete surprise and a success. Attacking at an early hour on a freezing, snowy winter morning, the Confederates captured a large number of men from the 8th Ohio Cavalry and the 34th Ohio Infantry. As a result of the raid, both commanders of the Ohio regiments were dismissed from the service.
Upon learning of the disaster at Beverly, Major General Philip H. Sheridan commented: “I advised General Crook sometime ago to break up the post at Beverly; it is of no use, and is bait for the enemy, both from position and gross carelessness, and want of discipline on the part of the troops.”
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From H. Grady Howell,
Jr.
"The strength of this work, besides being primary source
material, rests squarely in the depth and accountability of the
accompanying narrative and footnotes meticulously researched by Joe and
LaVon Ashley . . . . As no definitive history of the Thirtieth
Mississippi currently exists, this work will serve to fill the gap. I
am proud to have this work in my library and urge other Civil War
buffs, Southerners, and particularly Mississippians, interested in our
collective past, to add it to theirs!"
From The Author
The authors have compiled a chronological account of Davis' Confederate
service from March 1862 to May 1865 and annotated the diary entries he
recorded from July 1864 to May 1865. This book is a biography of Attala
County, Mississippi, resident William Van Davis (1828-1884) and a brief
regimental history of the 30th Mississippi Infantry. Also included in
this book are maps of Davis' journey, 30 illustrations, a biographical
list of 250 civilians and soldiers (100 Mississippi soldiers), a muster
roll of the 30th Mississippi , and an index. Copyright 2001; 6 x
9 paperback; 296 pages
The book is $19.95 plus $4.00 S & H. Make check or money order payable to Standing Pine Press and mail to:
Standing Pine Press
P.O. Box 25458
Colorado Springs, CO 80936-5458.
Or, call 1-800-624-0281 to order from The Citizen Tribune, Morristown, TN; or call 1-800-366-7619 to order from Lemuria Bookstore, Jackson, MS.
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A Thrilling Narrative: The Memoir of
a Southern Unionist
edited by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. |
Book Description
A never-before-seen and firsthand look into the dissent of one Southern
soldier.
This Civil War memoir of Capt. Dennis E. Haynes is both unique and rare. Not only did few southern unionists write of their experiences after the war, Haynes's is the only publication by a Louisiana unionist. Furthermore it is the only account by a member of the First Louisiana Battalion Cavalry Scouts, a unit that existed for less than three months and saw its only real action during the Red River Campaign of 1864.
Haynes's memoir is a historic collection of his wartime experiences as a unionist in the Confederate South. Among his writings, Haynes describes how he opposed the secession of Texas and thus became a hunted man. He also tells of his narrowing odyssey to reach Union troops in Louisiana. Every step of the way, Haynes provides details, sometimes graphic, of the harassment and cruelty he and many others like him suffered at the hands of his Confederate neighbors.
Arthur W. Bergeron Jr. is an
archivist with the United States Army Military History Institute at
Carlisle Barracks, Pa. and the author of a number of books, including
"The Civil War in Louisiana."
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The Civil War in Louisiana: Military
Activity
edited by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. |
SYNOPSIS
The Bayou State inevitably became a target for Union land and naval
military operations because of its strategic position at the mouth of
the Mississippi River as well as the importance of New Orleans as a
manufacturing, banking, and trade center. Though not generally thought
of as a major battleground during the Civil War, Louisiana was the
scene of four military campaigns and 566 military actions of varying
size and significance. Thus Louisiana's military role played an
integral part in the outcome of the war and had repercussions that
extended well beyond the state line.
This volume demonstrates the Union's focus on dividing the Confederacy
and securing land access by water. Many battles discussed herein detail
encounters with Confederates determined to preserve their land and
livelihood. Despite the importance of the 'Mighty Mississippi' in the
Union campaign to quell the rebellion. Federal troops struggled to
capture territory along Louisiana's many rivers, swamps and low-lying
bayous. This volume offers not only an excellent sample of the state's
military experience during the Civil War, but it also highlights the
participation of both black Union and Confederate troops (including
neighboring Texans), analyzes the career of General Richard Taylor,
explores the consolidation of Union troops and the activities of
Jayhawkers, and discusses the construction and use of Confederate
earthwork fortifications. Moreover, this edition provides a glimpse of
both sides of the battlefield and of life on the homefront for
Louisiana's inhabitants who faced both violence and economic ruin.
This copy belongs on the bookshelf of any individual interested in
Louisiana's Civil War military experience. This edition takes the
reader beyond the Union occupation of New Orleans and the Battle of
Baton Rouge and into the trenches, small towns, and backwater areas of
Louisiana's bloody skirmishes between Union and Confederate forces.
Volume V, Part A of the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Series in
Louisiana History
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The Civil War in Louisiana:
The Homefront
edited by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. |
SYNOPSIS
The Civil War wrought extensive damage throughout Louisiana and created
widespread hardship and suffering for those living in a war zone. In
this volume, Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. outlines the impact of the War
Between the States on Loui-siana's politics, economy, and society.
While not a major battleground, the state was of critical strategic
importance to both the Union and the Confederacy because of its vital
waterway, the Mississippi River.
A state divided, with Union forces occupying New Orleans and Baton
Rouge and a separate Confederate government administering in the
state's central and northern regions, Louisiana's fragmented political
apparatus worked to alleviate the stresses of war on the state's
civilian population. The Pelican State's rural Union and Confederate
governments also schemed to control the regional economy, most notably
its human capital, slaves, and its major money-maker, cotton.
The ravages of war left many Louisianians without food, shelter, or a
means of support. This volume highlights the problems created by the
Union's naval block-ade in the port of New Orleans and the destruction
of the state's transportation infra-structure, which created pockets of
impoverished people. With the invading Union troops came waves of black
refugees, newly freed from their lives of slavery and ill-equipped to
support themselves. Contributing to the bleak economic situation in
larger Louisiana cities, these freedmen also needed the food, shelter,
and clothing provided by the wartime administrations.
The Home Front presents the reader with a broad picture of life in
Louisiana from 1861 to 1865 and illustrates the state's critical
importance to the formation of the Confederate States of America and
the preservation of the United States of America. By moving the focus
behind the battle line, this volume reveals the dispa-rate loyalties
and experiences of the peoples of Louisiana during the Civil War.
Editor Arthur Bergeron has collected the best recent scholarship on
Louisiana's economic, political, and social systems during the War
Between the States. This landmark work is essential for every Civil War
library.
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Confederate Mobile by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. |
This is the only complete
study of the Confederate defense of Mobile, Alabama, ever written.
Mobile was an important city to the Confederacy strategically because
of its status as a blockade running port and railroad center. The Union
high command recognized the importance of Mobile but did not organize a
serious attack on it until relatively late in the war. Although
blockade running was ended by the Battle of Mobile Bay in August 1864,
Mobile remained in Confederate hands until April 12, 1865. This book
traces the development of the Confederate defenses of the city and
tells the stories of the Battle of Mobile Bay and the final campaign
against Mobile in March and April 1865 (Spanish Fort and Blakely).
This description written by
the author, Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. - December 5, 1997
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Black Southerners in Gray :
Essays on Afro-Americans in Confederate Armies edited by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. |
The first serious, scholarly
look at a forgotten aspect of the Civil War. Eleven essays by five
authors detail the experiences of Black Southerners as servants and
soldiers in the Confederate army. One reviewer has written that Black
Southerners is "an important contribution to the study of a war where
race is a central issue".
From the Publisher
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Guide to Louisiana Confederate
Military Units 1861-1865
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An indispensible source on
the Civil War.
This book provides brief histories of all of the military units
contributed to the regular Confederate army by the state of Louisiana.
Each history consists of a list of field officers and company
commanders (including company nicknames) and a bibliography of
published sources on the unit. Historian Robert K. Krick, in a review,
stated that the book is such an important research tool that he owns
two copies, one on each floor of his home.
This description written by
the author, Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr.
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The Civil War Reminiscences of Major
Silas T. Grisamore, C.S.A.
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From Book News, Inc.
Much of Grisamore's service during the war was as a quartermaster,
first for the 18th Louisiana and later for an infantry brigade and an
infantry division. Articles he wrote after the war appeared in the
Weekly Thibodaux Sentinel (southern Louisiana) from December 1867
through April 1871, and are here reprinted--edited and with
annotations. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Louisianians in the Civil War
(Shades of Blue and Gray Series)
Edited with an Introduction by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. and Lawrence Lee
Hewitt
From the Univ. of
Missouri Press Website
Louisianians in the Civil War brings to the forefront the suffering
endured by Louisianians during and after the war-- hardships more
severe than those suffered by the majority of residents in the
Confederacy. The wealthiest southern state before the Civil War,
Louisiana was the poorest by 1880. Such economic devastation negatively
affected most segments of the state's population, and the fighting that
contributed to this financial collapse further fragmented Louisiana's
culturally diverse citizenry. The essays in this book deal with the
differing segments of Louisiana's society and their interactions with
one another. Louisiana was as much a multicultural society during the
Civil War as the United States is today. One manner in which this
diversity manifested itself was in the turning of neighbor against
neighbor. This volume lays the groundwork for demonstrating that
strongholds of Unionist sentiment existed beyond the mountainous
regions of the Confederacy and, to a lesser extent, that foreigners and
African Americans could surpass white, native-born Southerners in their
support of the Lost Cause. Some of the essays deal with the attitudes
and hardships the war inflicted on different classes of civilians
(sugar planters, slaves, Union sympathizers, and urban residents,
especially women), while others deal with specific minority groups or
with individuals. Written by leading scholars of Civil War history,
Louisianians in the Civil War provides the reader a rich understanding
of the complex ordeals of Louisiana and her people. Students, scholars,
and the general reader will welcome this fine addition to Civil War
studies.
Boone's Louisiana Battery: A History
and Roster
by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. and Lawrence Lee Hewitt
Elliott's Bookshop Press, Baton Rouge, La., 1983.
Miles' Legion: A History and Roster
by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. and Lawrence Lee Hewitt
Elliott's Bookshop Press, Baton Rouge, La., 1986.; 76 pages,
illustrations
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The 4th
Michigan Volunteers Infantry
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“Friend Starr
May 10 1861
Come as soon as you can…Bring a blanket, a good undershirt, 2 if you wish, a good pair of drawers, leave you best clothes at home I don’t think the war will last six months.
Don H. Knipple”
Eli Starr, future recruit for the 4th Michigan Infantry fought at New Bridge as a Sergeant. Killed at Malvern Hill fourteen months after his enlistment on July 1, 1862. The 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry was one of the first Michigan regiments to answer President Lincoln’s call for troops in 1861. The regiment sent over 1000 young boys and men to serve in this elite unit. The regiment served from June 1861 through June 1864. It was subsequently reorganized around a core of 129 veterans into the 4th Michigan Veteran Volunteers and served in the Western Theater. In regards to: The 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry: The battle of New Bridge, Virginia. Martin Nino Bertera focus primarily on the 4th Michigan role during their action at New Bridge, on May 24, 1862 just five miles outside the Confederate capital in Richmond Virginia.
Under the command of Colonel Dwight A. Woodbury, the 4th Michigan would suffer casualties but not as severe as they would be in future battles such as, Gains Mill, Malvern Hill, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Wilderness. However, the battle itself would have a pronounce effect on the future history of the United States. This occurred by a chance meeting and a lasting friendship between Captain George A. Custer and a Lieutenant in company A of the 4th Michigan Infantry, George Yates. Yates would die in command of the Band Box Troops of the 7th Calvary at the Little Big Horn in 1876, not more then 40 yards from General Custer.
This is one of the few battles in the Civil War, which never has received any attention until Mr. Bertera’s study. At the time of battle The New York Herald said of the affair: “The most important skirmish that has occurred between our troops and the rebels in front of Richmond took place this morning.” The aim of this book: The 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry: The battle of New Bridge, Virginia is chronicle their service in this battle, and to ensure that history accurately records the brave and honorable service they performed for the sake of their country.
Book Description:
112 pages, Numerous
photographs, some never in print before, fully footnoted, regimental roster,
index, Michigan at its best.
Praise for “The 4th Michigan Infantry - At the Battle of New Bridge Virginia.”
Jeff Daniels, Actor & star of the movies “Gettysburg” & “Gods & Generals”: “Great book and a very good read.”
Robert Krick, Historian, National Park Service, Richmond, Va.: “I can say that you have done good work figuring out what happened, and where it happened. I’ve not seen this much detail on the episode anywhere else, and in that regards you have done the historical world a service.”
Brad Graham, C.E.O. “Media Magic Productions” Documentary Film maker: “one of the best single actions histories I have read. Finely crafted - illuminating in the big picture views and riveting in all its detail. Fair and balanced yet engaging as thorough as the most analytical narratives about our Civil War.”
Charles Lindquist, Curator Lenawee County Historical Museum: “It is hard to see how the story of this battle could be told better told than it is by historian Martin Bertera. Based on solid research, this history is clearly written and tells an absorbing story. With George A. Custer being involved, how could the story not be absorbing.”
To order, send an email to Mr. Bertera at berteramarty@aim.com .
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Ingram
Confederate infantryman Ujanirtus C. Allen wrote his wife twice weekly
before he was killed at Chancellorsville. Whether focused on the war or
on his farm and family, Ugie Allen exhibits a talent for communicating
his observations and opinions. His letters make a valuable resource for
Civil War enthusiasts and social and military historians. Photos and
drawings.
From LSU Press
“This Georgian’s letters offer a rich slice of Southern soldier
experience expressed by an observant, smart, company-grade officer.
Ugie Allen’s battle accounts of Cross Keys, Gaines’s Mill, Cedar
Mountain, Antietam, and Fredericksburg are vividly descriptive
contemporary accounts of considerable value.”
—Robert K. Krick, author of Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain
Orphaned at age three, Ujanirtus C. Allen grew up in foster homes and boarding schools. In the spring of 1861, when he turned twenty-one, “Ugie” inherited a substantial estate in Troup County, Georgia, replete with slaves, livestock, and machinery. Unfortunately for Allen, the outbreak of war made it impossible to build the stable life and permanent home he so desperately wanted for himself, his wife, Susan, and their infant son.
In April, 1861, Allen, fueled by pride and patriotism, joined the Ben Hill Infantry, which eventually became Company F, 21st Georgia Volunteer Infantry. He wrote his wife twice weekly, penning at least 138 letters before he received a mortal wound at Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863. Allen’s ability to convey his observations and feelings on a variety of topics and his vivid descriptions of his environment sets Campaigning with “Old Stonewall” apart from other collections of Civil War letters.
More than simply personal, Ugie’s missives to his beloved Susie abound with vibrant portrayals of wartime Richmond and the beautiful Virginia countryside as well as battlefields such as Cross Keys, Gaines’s Mill, Cedar Mountain, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. Allen was a discerning observer of people, as evinced by his deft characterizations and gossipy accounts of regimental officers, lowly privates, and generals from Stonewall Jackson to Robert E. Lee. Allen was responsible for dozens of enlisted men, and his correspondence makes clear the myriad duties of a company-grade officer in the Confederate army.
Editors Randall Allen and Keith S. Bohannon expertly weave Allen’s letters with valuable commentary and annotations. Whether focused on the war or on his farm and family, Ugie Allen exhibits a talent for communicating his observations and opinions, making Campaigning with “Old Stonewall” a valuable resource for Civil War enthusiasts and social and military historians.
The Giles, Allegheny
and Jackson Artillery
by Keith S. Bohannon
This book is part of the
Virginia Regimental Histories Series, published by H. E. Howard, Inc
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The “official” history of the 22nd Iowa, written 100 years ago, published now for the first time. Illustrated, maps, notes, bibliography, index, paperback, 256pp.
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From the publisher:
Vivid and lively letters from a young Confederate in Lee's Army.
In the spring of 1861 a 22-year-old Alabamian did what many of his friends and colleagues were doing, he joined the Confederate Army as a volunteer. The first of his family to enlist, William Cowan McClellan, who served as a private in the 9th Alabama Infantry regiment, wrote hundreds of letters throughout the war, often penning for friends who could not write home for themselves. In the letters collected in John C. Carter's volume, this young soldier comments on his feelings toward his commanding officers, his attitude toward military discipline and camp life, his disdain for the western Confederate armies, and his hopes and fears for the future of the Confederacy.
McClellan's letters also contain vivid descriptions of camp life, battles, marches, picket duty, and sickness and disease in the army. The correspondence between McClellan and his family dealt with separation due to war as well as with other wartime difficulties such as food shortages, invasion, and occupation. The letters also show the rise and fall of morale on both the home front and on the battlefield, and how they were closely intertwined.
Remarkable for their humor, literacy, and matter-of-fact banter, the letters reveal the attitude a common soldier in the Army of Northern Virginia had toward the day-to-day activity and progression of the war. John C. Carter includes helpful appendixes that list the letters chronologically and offer the regimental roster, casualty/enlistment totals, assignments, and McClellan's personal military record.
About the Author
John C. Carter is a Civil War enthusiast and independent researcher employed by
Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia.
42nd Virginia Infantry
by John D. Chapla
This book is part of the Virginia Regimental Histories Series,
published by H. E. Howard, Inc
This is the story of the men of the 42nd Virginia Infantry, who entered the service in July 1861 with more than 860 men drawn from Henry, Patrick Bedford, Roanoke, Campbell, Franklin and Floyd counties. Fighting initially under the command of Lee and Loring in the Cheat Mountain and Sewell Mountain campaigns during the summer and fall of 1861, the regiment joined Stonewall Jackson's Army of the Valley District in December 1861. Initially a reluctant, even rebellious, member of Jackson's Foot Cavalry, the 42nd endured the Romney Campaign. At Kernstown in March 1862 it earned Jackson's praise for helping to save the army. Thereafter it fought as a part of Jackson's division, and its successors, for the remainder of the war in the Valley Campaign, Seven Days, Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Paynes Farm, and the Wilderness. Virtually destroyed when it was overrun with Johnson's division at the Mule Shoe Salient near Spotsylvania Court House, the regiment, never again numbering more than 150, traipsed the Valley of Virginia with Jubal Early in 1864, returning to the Petersburg trenches in December. Hatcher's Run and Fort Stedman were the last of the bloody way stations preceding the regiment's surrender at Appomattox. There, just one officer and 12 armed men of the 42nd remained in the line of battle. In nearly four years of bloody conflict, more than 1,460 men served in the regiment and nearly 31 per cent died as a result.
48th Virginia Infantry
by John D. Chapla
This book is part of the Virginia Regimental Histories Series,
published by H. E. Howard, Inc
In late July 1861, the 48th
Virginia Infantry, "raised to strike for Old Dominion and Southern
rights," departed southwest Virginia for its first campaign. This
is the story of that regiment, which was initially comprised of more
than 830 men from Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth and Washington
counties. These "Mountain Boomers," as one member dubbed them,
were a fine set of men, but "rough as bears." Tough to
discipline, but always tough in a fight, the regiment fought its first
battles under Lee and Loring in western Virginia during the summer and
fall of 1861. Joining Stonewall Jackson's Army of the Valley
District in December 1861, the 48th suffered through the Romney
Campaign, but missed the Kernstown battle. From then on to the
end of the war, however, the regiment fought as part of Jackson's Foot
Cavalry, later the Second Corps, at McDowell,
Winchester, Cross Keys and Port Republic, Seven Days, Cedar Mountain,
Second Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville,
Gettysburg, Paynes Farm, the Wilderness and the Mule Shoe Salient near
Spotsylvania Court House. Nearly destroyed in that latter battle
when Johnson's division was overrun, the 48th was reduced to less than
the size of a company. That remnant fought with Jubal Early
throughout the Valley Campaign of 1864 and returned to the Petersburg
trenches in December 1864. Hatcher's Run and Fort Stedman were
its two last major battles before surrendering at Appomattox.
There, at the end, only 45 men remained out of the more than 1,300 who
had served in the regiment. During nearly four years of arduous
service, nearly 18 percent of the unit
died from battle, disease, or exposure as prisoners of war.
50th Virginia Infantry
by John D. Chapla
This book is part of the Virginia Regimental Histories Series,
published by H. E. Howard, Inc
"The Bloody Half Hundred," as the men of the 50th Virginia came to call themselves, organized in July 1861 from companies recruited in Lee, Wise, Washington, Tazewell, Smyth, Grayson, Carroll, Pulaski, Patrick, Amherst and Nelson counties. As initially organized, the regiment had 10 infantry companies, numbering about 900, and three troops of cavalry. As part of John B. Floyd's brigade, the 50th's first battles at Cross Lanes, Carnifex Ferry and Gauley Bridge were part of Floyd's unsuccessful fall-1861 effort to control the Kanawha Valley. In early 1862, the regiment fought bravely at Fort Donelson and in the retreat from there trekked overland more than 260 miles to Chattanooga. Reorganized in May of 1862, the 50th fought at Princeton and Lewisburg and joined William W. Loring's fall-1862 campaign that captured Charleston, W.Va. Shipped east to reinforce Confederate forces on the Blackwater River, the 50th fought a small bloody affair in January 1863 at Kelly's Store near Suffolk. Returning briefly to southwestern Virginia in March 1863, the 50th was soon ordered east again to join John M. Jones' brigade in Stonewall Jackson's Second Corps. Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Payne's Farm heavily bloodied the regiment. In May 1864, the 50th, roughly handled at the Wilderness, fought well, but briefly before being overrun with Johnson's division at the Mule Shoe Salient near Spotsylvania Court House. The remnant of the 50th fought as part of the Second Corps through Jubal Early's Valley Campaign. Transferred to Wharton's division in October 1864, the 50th stood fast during the rout at Cedar Creek and remained in the Valley when the Second Corps returned to Petersburg in December 1864. In March 1865, the debacle at Waynesborough ended the war for most of the 50th. Survivors continued serving with Gen. John Echols in southwest Virginia until his army disbanded near Christiansburg in April 1865. Of the 1,734 men who served in the regiment during the war, nearly 25 per cent died as a result of battle, disease, or exposure as prisoners of war.
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Cut to Pieces and Gone to Hell The Civil War, Race Relations, and the Battle of Poison Spring edited by Mark Christ
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From the publisher's
website:
Dogwood trees were in full bloom as Union General Frederick Steele led
8,500 soldiers out of comfortable quarters in Little Rock and into the
pine and scrub woodlands of southwest Arkansas. Steele's intended
target was Shreveport, Louisiana. He planned to join another Union
force coming from Fort Smith, bringing his projected complement to
12,500 troops, and then link with another Federal army in Louisiana.
What Steele did not know at the outset of his ill-starred expedition
was that the history about to be generated would be one of the darkest
hours of American military and race-relations history. Neither Steele
nor his Confederate counterparts envisioned the battle that took place
near Camden, Arkansas, on April 18, 1864. Certainly neither man
anticipated the slaughter of black Union soldiers that took place
during a rout of Yankee forces by Confederate troops.
What actually happened during that campaign? What made Confederate
soldiers react so violently to the presence of former slaves in Union
uniforms? Why were usual rules of engagement ignored? What is there to
yet be learned from a reconstruction of the battle and its aftermath?
These central questions revolve around a letter from the battlefield,
full of vivid detail and haunting candor, and dissected in this new
study.
Published by August House Books
Getting Used to Being Shot At: The
Spence Family Civil War Letters
edited by Mark Christ
From the book jacket:
The Spences were a wealthy family who owned land, slaves, and
the main hotel in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. With their successful careers
and extensive property, they were among Clark County's most prominent
families when the shadow of secession fell across Arkansas. Four years
later, Arkadelphia would be ravaged by war, and brothers Tom and Alex
Spence would lie in soldiers, graves, far from home.
Mark Christ has assembled the Spence brothers' powerful letters from a collection in Arkansas's Old State House Museum, weaving in other letters from their extended family and friends. He provides brief but thorough introductions to each chapter as well as evocative photographs.
The Spence's letters bear witness to the Civil War of the common soldiers and junior officers of the Army of Tennessee. Alex Spence saw action at Shiloh and most of the other major engagements of that army, while his brother Tom fought in Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. They also marched literally thousands of miles, spent weeks in camp, and relied on infrequent travelers to carry precious letters to and from home. They detailed to the family not only the many battles in which they served, but also the hardship of campaigning, the pride of serving in battle-proven units, and the pain of losing comrades to bullets and disease. The story moves chronologically from the outset of war to the final letter from Alex's grieving fiancée.
Published by the University of Arkansas Press
From the University of Arkansas Press website:
Rugged and Sublime explores Arkansas's major clashes and
locales of the Civil War. Richly illustrated with maps and photographs
and containing an appendix of Civil War properties in Arkansas, it is
especially useful as a guidebook to the Civil War battlefields of
Arkansas. 1994, 192 pages
Published by the University of Arkansas Press
From the University of
Arkansas Press website:
A collection of essays and photographs, historic and modern, that
sketches Arkansas history through its preserved buildings and areas.
Sentinels of History was conceived of as a way to mark the turn of the millennium by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. This generously illustrated book contains thirty-nine essays, each of which showcases an important Arkansas site and is written by a noted authority. Also included is a location map for these sites and a full appendix providing location information, county by county, for the more than two thousand surviving properties in Arkansas (as of June 1999) that appear on the National Register. The essays are as wide-ranging as Roger Kennedy's placement of the Toltec Mounds at the time of Charlemagne, Donald Harington's sensitive look at the "bigeminal" architecture of the Wolf dogtrot cabin, and Neil Compton's egalitarian tribute to the Boxley Valley Historic District on the Buffalo National River.
At least one current color photo of the site and one historic image are included with each essay. In addition, illustrations of the locations or structures listed in the appendix are scattered throughout sections. In all, Sentinels of History serves as a lavish inventory of historic properties in Arkansas at the end of the twentieth century. 360 pages, 190 illustrations
Published by the University of Arkansas Press
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A History of the 15th
South Carolina Infantry 1861-1865 by James B. Clary
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From the author:
This military history uses primary sources
to document the events of the 15th South Carolina Infantry from the beginning to
the end of the American Civil War. In addition, the 586 page book includes
personal biographies of the 1,442 men who served in the Regiment during the War.
The 15th South Carolina’s initial trial-by-fire occurred on Hilton Head Island
during the Battle of Port Royal Sound on November 7, 1861. As part of Lee’s Army
beginning in July 1862, they served in Longstreet’s corps in all of the battles
from 2nd Manassas onward. In November 1862, the 15th South Carolina wa assigned
by General Lee to Brigadier General Joseph Kershaw’s famous South Carolina
brigade. Following the battle of Gettysburg, the 15th South Carolina and
Kershaw’s brigade as part of Longstreet’s corps were sent to the Western Army.
In April 1864, they returned to Lee’s army where they fought in the Overland
Campaign. In August of 1864, the 15th South was ordered to the Shenandoah
Valley. In January of 1865, General Lee returned Kershaw’s brigade to South
Carolina to oppose Major General Sherman’s army during his march through the
Carolinas. The 15th South Carolina was surrendered, along with the remaining men
of Kershaw’s brigade to General Sherman at Greensboro, NC on April 26, 1865.
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Faces of the Civil War An Album of Union Soldiers and Their Stories by Ronald S. Coddington
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From the authors
website:
The Johns Hopkins University Press is pleased to announce the
publication of Faces of the Civil War: An Album of Union
Soldiers and Their Stories by Ron Coddington. The book is a
collection of more than seventy profiles and original images of Civil
War Union Volunteers who enlisted, served, and fought, who were
wounded, captured, and died of their wounds or disease, an those who
survived. It is scheduled for release in September 2004. Michael
Fellman, author of The Making of Robert E. Lee and editor of Around
the World with General Grant, will write the foreword.
Ron Coddington, 40, is an author and visual journalist. He has a
fifteen year newspaper career, and has worked for USA Today, the San
Jose Mercury News, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, and Knight
Ridder/Tribune Information Services. He writes Faces of War, a
regular column appearing in the monthly newspaper the Civil War News.
He lives in Arlington, Virginia with his wife Anne.
From Ed Bearss, Chief Historian Emeritus, National Park Service
Ron Coddington has authored a tour-de-force comparable to
that scored by William A. Frassanito with Gettysburg: A Journey in
Time some three decades ago. Instead of contemporary photographs,
coupled with current photos, underscoring the horrific impact on the
landscape, Coddington employs cartes de visite of the
participants proudly posed in their uniforms to introduce each. A brief
narrative, much of it drawn from the veteran's service and pension
records, follow each photo. The photos and the narrative are
complimentary and enable the reader to better understand the grim
realities that confronted Civil War soldiers and sailors and their
loved ones on the battlefield, in the camp, on the march, in the
hospital, and also on the home front. Sad to say, a number of the
veterans haunted by wartime injuries and experiences will have
difficulties adjusting to life as a civilian. This is an aspect of the
veteran's life that is
frequently ignored, but thanks to Coddington is not ignored.
Battle on the Bay: The Civil War
Struggle for Galveston
by Edward T. Cotham, Jr.
Book Description
"Devotees of American Civil War literature should find their horizons
broadened and their understanding of the war enhanced by this book."
-Donald S. Frazier, author of Cottonclads! The Battle of Galveston and
the Defense of the Texas Coast
The Civil War history of Galveston is one of the last untold stories from America's bloodiest war, despite the fact that Galveston was a focal point of hostilities throughout the conflict. As other Southern ports fell to the Union, Galveston emerged as one of the Confederacy's only lifelines to the outside world. When the war ended in 1865, Galveston was the only major port still in Confederate hands.
In this beautifully written narrative history, Ed Cotham draws upon years of archival and on-site research, as well as rare historical photographs, drawings, and maps, to chronicle the Civil War years in Galveston. His story encompasses all the military engagements that took place in the city and on Galveston Bay, including the dramatic Battle of Galveston, in which Confederate forces retook the city on New Year's Day, 1863.
Cotham sets the events in Galveston within the overall conduct of the war, revealing how the city's loss was a great strategic impediment to the North. Through his pages pass major figures of the era, as well as ordinary soldiers, sailors, and citizens of Galveston, whose courage in the face of privation and danger adds an inspiring dimension to the story.
An independent scholar of Civil War history and former president of the Houston Civil War Roundtable, Ed Cotham is also active in the movement to preserve Civil War sites. He lives in Houston.
Published by the University of Texas Press
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Sabine Pass; The Confederacy's
Thermopylae
by Edward T. Cotham, Jr.
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From the Publisher
In an 1882 speech, former Confederate president Jefferson Davis made an exuberant claim: "That battle at Sabine Pass was more remarkable than the battle at Thermopylae." Indeed, Sabine Pass was the site of one of the most decisive Civil War battles fought in Texas. But unlike the Spartans, who succumbed to overwhelming Persian forces at Thermopylae more than two thousand years before, the Confederate underdogs triumphed in a battle that over time has become steeped in hyperbole. Providing a meticulously researched, scholarly account of this remarkable victory, Sabine Pass at last separates the legends from the evidence. In arresting prose, Edward T. Cotham, Jr., recounts the momentous hours of September 8, 1863, during which a hanful of Texans -- almost all of Irish descent -- under the leadership of Houston saloonkeeper Richard W. Dowling, prevented a Union military force of more than 5,000 men, 22 transport vessels, and 4 gunboats from occupying Sabine Pass, the starting place for a large invasion that would soon have given the Union control of Texas. Sabine Pass sheds new light on previously overlooked details, such as the design and construction of the fort (Fort Griffin) that Dowling and his men defended, and includes the battle report prepared by Dowling himself. The result is a portrait of a mythic event that is even more provocative when stripped of embellishment.
Published by the University of Texas Press
NEW RELEASE!!!
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The Southern Journey of a Civil War Marine:
The Illustrated Note-Book of Henry O. Gusley (Clifton and Shirley Caldwell Texas Heritage Series) by Edward T. Cotham, Jr. |
Book Description
"Journals of nineteenth-century U.S. Marines are rare, and Henry
Gusley's is a truly outstanding account of the shipboard experiences and
observations of an enlisted marine.... Edward Cotham's scholarship in the
introduction and in annotating the journal is outstanding, and he has drawn on
the appropriate sources. This is one of the best jobs of editing in the field."
—Joseph G. Dawson III, Professor of History, Texas A&M University
"I found Gusley's 'notebook' fascinating, informative, and ultimately moving.... Civil War historians will find the information about the inner workings and day-to-day life aboard U.S. naval vessels patrolling the Gulf of Mexico and the major river systems of the Trans-Mississippi interior highly informative.... This book should also find a popular audience. Bright, literate, constantly upbeat, and good-humored despite the many difficult circumstances he found himself in, Gusley is good company for his readers." —Patrick Kelly, Associate Professor of History, University of Texas at San Antonio
On September 28, 1863, the Galveston Tri-Weekly News caught its readers' attention with an item headlined "A Yankee Note-Book." It was the first installment of a diary confiscated from U.S. Marine Henry O. Gusley, who had been captured at the Battle of Sabine Pass. Gusley's diary proved so popular with readers that they clamored for more, causing the newspaper to run each excerpt twice until the whole diary was published. For many in Gusley's Confederate readership, his diary provided a rare glimpse into the opinions and feelings of an ordinary Yankee—an enemy whom, they quickly discovered, it would be easy to regard as a friend. This book contains the complete text of Henry Gusley's Civil War diary, expertly annotated and introduced by Edward Cotham. One of the few journals that have survived from U.S. Marines who served along the Gulf Coast, it records some of the most important naval campaigns of the Civil War, including the spectacular Union success at New Orleans and the embarrassing defeats at Galveston and Sabine Pass. It also offers an unmatched portrait of daily life aboard ship. Accompanying the diary entries are previously unpublished drawings by Daniel Nestell, a doctor who served in the same flotilla and eventually on the same ship as Gusley, which depict many of the locales and events that Gusley describes. Together, Gusley's diary and Nestell's drawings are like picture postcards from the Civil War—vivid, literary, often moving dispatches from one of "Uncle Sam's nephews in the Gulf."
Published by the University of Texas Press
NEW RELEASE!!!
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Duty and Honor: A Novel of the Civil War
by Michael J. Deeb
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Synopsis
In the summer of 1862, the United States is torn by Civil War, and what
was supposed to be a short conflict has turned into a bloody campaign on both
sides. Teenage farm boy Michael Drieborg lives with his family in Michigan and
longs to join the cause, but he can’t justify abandoning his parents or the
farm.
But fate intercedes one Saturday morning on the family’s weekly visit to town.
Michael saves a young boy from being bullied. Unfortunately, he strikes the
bully – the son of the town’s banker – and is arrested and charged with assault.
He was given two choices: go to jail or join a Union cavalry unit being formed
in Grand Rapids. Against the wishes of his parents, Michael leaves home and
marches off to war.
Thus begins the story a naïve farm boy’s journey to becoming a seasoned Union
cavalryman. From the harshness of training camp and the intrigues of Washington
DC to falling in love with a congressman’s daughter and the horrific reality of
leading troops into battle, Duty and Honor reveals one man’s dignity and
sacrifice in the midst of tragic upheaval.
Bio
A Grand Rapids, MI native, Dr. Deeb was educated in the area’s parochial schools
earning his undergraduate degree from Aquinas College. He earned a Masters
Degree from Michigan State University and a Doctorate from Wayne State
University. For the majority of his teaching career, he taught American history.
Flags of Civil War Alabama
by Glenn Dedmondt
From the Pelican
Publishing Website
Flying high above us and waving in the wind, flags are reminders of
what we stand for. They stir the most patriotic emotions within the
human heart, and the battle flag often evokes those as strong today as
during the War for Southern Independence.
Every flag has a unique story. Those that survived the war are featured in this book with color illustrations and a brief history of their units. They are presented chronologically, and each flag is shown in its original design. Cavalry, infantry, artillery and naval flags are included, along with those that did not belong to any particular unit. There are photographs showing patterns of wear, damage, or artwork associated with each. Those that did not survive are illustrated--recreated from the thorough description that is left of them.
Glenn Dedmondt, a lifelong resident of the Carolinas and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, shares his passion for the past as a teacher of South Carolina history. He holds a bachelor of science degree in elementary education, is published in Confederate Veteran magazine, and is the author of The Flags of Civil War South Carolina, also published by Pelican.
Flags of Civil War South Carolina
by Glenn Dedmondt
From the Pelican
Publishing Website
Over South Carolina's capitol dome fly three flags: the United States
flag, the flag of South Carolina, and the Confederate battle flag. This
unique distinction among American capitols has led to its fair share of
controversy. The battle flag often evokes as strong emotions today as
during the War for Southern Independence.
Many other flags have represented the state and its citizens, however. After five years of locating, measuring, and determining the historical significance of more than one hundred flags displayed during the War Between the States, the author presents-for the first time anywhere-every known South Carolina Civil War flag in existence today. These include: the Lone Star and Palmetto Flag, the first Southern flag hoisted over Fort Sumter; the Charleston Depot battle flag, carried by the French-speaking Lafayette Artillery; and the naval Jack, flown only on a ship of war when in port.
Much more than a historical examination, The Flags of Civil War South Carolina stands as a tribute to the men who bore these colors . . . men who were the heart of the regiment, the soul of the battle line, and the focus of the enemy's fire.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Glenn Dedmondt, a lifelong resident of the Carolinas and member of the
Sons of Confederate Veterans since 1986, shares his passion for the
past as a teacher of South Carolina history. Dedmondt, who has a
bachelor of science degree in elementary education, has been published
in Confederate Veteran magazine. He also is the author of Southern
Bronze, the history of South Carolina's Garden Battery.
From the Palmetto
Bookworks Website
In the spring of 1862, Hugh Garden returned home to Sumter, South
Carolina from service with the 2nd South Carolina Regiment in Virginia.
His mission was to recruit a company of artillery. After a summer of
recruiting and procurement of equipment, he and the newly commissioned
Garden's (S.C.) Artillery Company returned to Virginia in time to
participate in the 2nd Battle of Manassas.
Their subsequent service took them through all the major campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia. They were last off the field at Sharpsburg, farthest to advance at Gettysburg, first to retaliate at the Crater, fought one of the last artillery engagements of the war on April 8, 1865, and was one of the largest artillery companies to lay down their arms at Appomattox.
Southern Bronze is the story of these citizen-soldiers and the remarkable officers who molded them through example and deed into a fighting force worthy of honor and remembrance.
The Author
Glenn Dedmondt attributes the beginning of his fascination with history
to his fourth grade teacher, Catherine Feagan, "from whom I first heard
of Robert E. Lee and Pickett's charge."
Glenn received his B.S. in Education from Southern College in Tennessee and is a history teacher. He has written articles for Confederate Veteran and Civil War Times Illustrated and is a member of the Living History Association, the South Carolina Federation of Museums, and the M.W. Gary Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. His avocations are historical research and, as a living historian, is Commander of the Palmetto Battalion Light Artillery and Ferguson's Artillery Company.
Glenn is married with two sons and lives in Johnston, South Carolina.
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The Flags of Civil War North Carolina
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From the Pelican
Publishing Website
Flags stir powerful emotions, and few objects
evoke such a sense of duty and love of one’s homeland. In April 1861,
the first flag of a new republic flew over North Carolina. The state
had just seceded from the union, and its citizens would soon have to
fight for their homes, their families, and their way of life.
The Flags of Civil War North Carolina is the history of this short-lived republic (which later joined the Confederacy), told through the banners that flew over its government, cavalry, and navy. From the hand-painted flag of the Guilford Greys to the flag of the Buncombe Riflemen--made from the dresses of the ladies of Asheville--this collection is an exceptional tribute to the valiant men who bore these banners and to their ill-fated crusade for independence.
NEW LISTING!!!
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The Fighting 10th
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From the publisher's
website
During or after the Civil War, no official history
was ever written on this Missouri Union Cavalry Regiment.
This book hopefully
will accomplish this. While the Regimental
records now lay at the bottom of the
NEW REPRINT!!!
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Yankee Autumn in Acadiana
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NEW LISTING!!!
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The Guns of Port Hudson
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NEW LISTING!!!
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The Guns of Port Hudson
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Soldier of Tennessee: General Alexander P. Stewart
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From the publisher
As one of the few higher-ranking officers in the Army of Tennessee to avoid
controversy, General Alexander P. Stewart (1821-1908) was an outstanding but not
outrageous leader. In this masterly biography, Sam Davis Elliott traces the life
of this undeservedly obscure general from his early years at West Point through
his involvement in nearly all of the battles fought by the Army of Tennessee to
his postwar career as an educator and Civil War park commissioner. More than the
story of one man, Soldier of Tennessee poignantly conveys the triumphs and
failures of the Confederate effort in the West and a divided nation's efforts at
reconciliation.
From Booklist
Elliott chronicles a distinguished yet unsung military career, adding
usefully to knowledge of the Civil War in the West. A graduate of West Point,
Alexander P. Stewart (1821-1908) spent most of his civilian career as a
professional educator. In the war, he went with his native Tennessee and became
one of the Confederacy's highest ranking officers, rising from major of
artillery to lieutenant general as the last field commander of the Army of
Tennessee. His career is scantily documented (e.g., no physical description of
him survives), yet he appears to have been a sound tactician, taken good care of
his men, and avoided the political backbiting that disfigured the careers of so
many other western Confederates. After the war, he returned to teaching as a
professor at Ole Miss. Resigning in 1886, he later completed his public career
by establishing the Chickamauga Battlefield Park for the National Park Service.
A straightforward and useful biography of a straightforward and useful man.
Roland Green
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Doctor Quintard, Chaplain C.S.A and |
From the publisher
Trained as a physician and ordained an Episcopal priest, Charles Todd
Quintard (1824–1898) was a remarkable man by the standard of any generation.
Born, raised, and educated in the North, he migrated to the South to pursue a
medical career but was inspired by the bishop of Tennessee to serve the church.
When Tennessee seceded from the Union in May 1861, Quintard joined the
Confederate 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment as its chaplain and during the
maelstrom of the Civil War kept a diary of his experiences. He later penned a
memoir, which was published posthumously in 1905.
Sam Davis Elliott combines a previously unpublished portion of the diary with Quintard’s memoir in Doctor Quintard, Chaplain C.S.A. and Second Bishop of Tennessee. Quintard offers an unusual perspective and insightful observations gained from ministering to soldiers and civilians as both a priest and a physician. With thoughtful editing and annotating, Quintard’s writings provide a valuable window into the high command of the Army of Tennessee at some of its more critical junctures and substantial detail of the last eight months of the war in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.
Quintard was present during the early fighting in Virginia, marched into Kentucky with Braxton Bragg, attended to the wounded at Murfreesboro and Chickamauga, witnessed two Confederate retreats from Middle Tennessee, and watched the Federal armies overrun the Deep South in the spring of 1865. He met such diverse personages as Robert E. Lee and Federal Major General James H. Wilson; prayed with Bragg, Leonidas Polk, and John Bell Hood; shared a bed once with Nathan Bedford Forrest; and performed the sad duty of conducting the funerals of Patrick Cleburne and others killed at Franklin, Tennessee. Throughout his military service, he organized hospitals and relief efforts, filled in as a parish priest, and served as chaplain at large of the Army of Tennessee.
After the war, Quintard became the prime mover in the revival of Leonidas Polk’s dream of an Episcopal Church–sponsored University of the South, and in 1865 he was consecrated bishop of Tennessee, a position he held until his death. These interesting and lively war-year remembrances of one of the Confederacy’s most exceptional characters shed new light on the little-known western theater’s military, civilian, and religious fronts.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
“Elliott has reproduced and annotated Charles Todd Quintard’s memoir of the Civil War, originally published posthumously in 1905, adding excerpts from Quintard’s previously unpublished diary covering the fall of 1864 and spring of 1865. . . . His work represents the discipline of historical editing at its finest.”—Journal of Church and State
“One of the most remarkable figures in the Episcopal Church in the nineteenth-century South, Charles Todd Quintard enjoyed a varied career as a physician, priest, military chaplain, bishop, and educator. . . . Military historian Sam Davis Elliott has performed an important service to scholars by bringing Quintard’s writings back into print. . . . Doctor Quintard is a significant and useful source that helps expand historians’ understanding of the Confederate ‘Lost Cause’ and its defenders.”—Anglican and Episcopal History
“Here is an insider’s perspective, both diary and memoir, on crucial events and personalities, amplified by the insightful annotations of editor Sam Elliott. This is a valuable tool for viewing the politics and atmosphere at the Army of Tennessee’s headquarters in 1864.” —Wiley Sword, author of The Confederacy’s Last Hurrah
“Dr. Charles T. Quintard, surgeon and chaplain, served in the larger capacity of spiritual leader and confidant to the generals of the Confederate Army of Tennessee. The strength of his narrative is in his remarkable candor and rich anecdotal stories. Sam Elliott’s edited and expanded edition is must reading for any serious student of the Army of Tennessee, from its glory days in Kentucky in 1862 to the bitter end in 1865. ” —Larry J. Daniel, author of Shiloh
“Sam Davis Elliott has done a tremendous service to students of the Civil War by editing the memoirs of Episcopal priest Charles Todd Quintard. Anyone interested in religion in the Confederacy, the Army of Tennessee, and the western theater of the Civil War should own this book.” —Keith Bohannon, coeditor of A Georgian with “Old Stonewall” in Virginia
Sam Davis Elliott is the author of Soldier of Tennessee: General Alexander P. Stewart and the Civil War in the West and a practicing attorney in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Hollywood Cemetery Her Forgotten
Soldiers:
Confederate
Field Officers at Rest
by Chris Ferguson
NEW RELEASE!!!
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Southerners at Rest: The Confederate Dead at Hollywood Cemetery by Chris L. Ferguson
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From the publisher
During the Civil War, thousands of Southerners never learned the fate of
family members who served in the Confederate army. As the war dragged on,
wagonloads of corpses continued to arrive at the gates of Richmond, Virginia’s
Hollywood Cemetery. Unfortunately, well-intentioned individuals carved wrong or
misspelled names into the soldiers’ wooden headboards. This mistake caused the
bodies of numerous fathers, sons and brothers to be lost to the ages. Now,
thanks to the detective work of Hollywood Cemetery expert Chris Ferguson, many
modern-day families have an opportunity to discover the location of their
missing Confederate ancestors.
Ferguson’s new hardback book, Southerners at Rest: Confederate Dead at Hollywood Cemetery, updates the inaccurate 1869 list of Hollywood’s war dead. Ferguson’s massive research compiled a roster of almost 14,000 Confederate soldiers and officials who are buried there. Over 100 soldiers’ photos, many never before published, also add a face to the war’s many sad stories.
Richmond National Park Service historian Robert E.L. Krick penned the foreword for the book. He considers this work to be “the first comprehensive and accurate roster of Confederate soldiers buried in the South’s greatest cemetery.”
The easy-to-use roster is alphabetized by each soldier’s last name. Additional information includes the veteran’s unit, birth date, death date and most importantly – his burial location. A sidebar also adds nuggets of information for these men who came from every southern state. Numbered notes point the reader toward the source of Ferguson’s discoveries. This one-of-a kind resource includes a map of the soldiers’ section to send family members in the right direction as they walk the beautiful grounds of Hollywood in search of their Confederate veterans.
Southerners at Rest is Chris Ferguson’s third book. He is a Confederate records expert, Hollywood Cemetery authority, and tour guide. His first book covered the Confederate field officers buried at Hollywood Cemetery. Ferguson then teamed up with Robert K. Krick for another book which listed the Confederate dead from the Battle of Gettysburg. Ferguson is an Atlanta native, and he now lives in Winchester, Virginia.
Southerners at Rest is available for $34.95 in fine bookstores or by visiting Angle Valley Press at http://www.anglevalleypress.com or calling 1+800-247-6553.
Southerners at Rest: Confederate Dead at Hollywood Cemetery by Chris L. Ferguson. First Edition. 8.5 x 11 hardback, 336 pages, 103 photos, 1 map, bibliography.
NEW RELEASE!!!
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Red Clay To Richmond by John J. Fox, III  2005
Winner of the
James I Robertson, Jr. Literary Prize for Confederate History
Your purchases, through these links, help to financially support History-Sites.Com. Or you can order Red Clay To Richmond (through author's website) |
Forgotten Georgia
Confederates Remembered
A large void exists in Georgia Civil War history. Even though Georgia
supplied the third highest number of soldiers for the Confederate Cause, only a
handful of Georgia unit histories have ever been recorded. Thousands of
twenty-first century Georgians desire to know more about their soldier ancestors
but cannot find information. They yearn to know where and why their great-great
grandfathers fought; were they wounded or killed; where was their final resting
place? Others wonder what Civil War Georgia home-life was like for the wives and
children left behind. John Fox provides answers to these questions and more in
Red Clay to Richmond: Trail of the 35th Georgia Infantry Regiment, C.S.A.
In 1861, thousands of Georgians left their homes and plunged themselves into a
fight with an unknown future. Unfortunately, many of their stories of valor and
even dishonor are still hidden in attics and dusty archives and are waiting to
be found and told. Fox’s discovery of many unpublished letters and diaries
written by 35th Georgia veterans ensures that their never-before-told-story will
finally have an audience. This unit numbered 1,330 soldiers during the four long
years of war, and almost half of these men failed to return home.
They fought at many bloody places under the command of famous men like Stonewall
Jackson, A.P. Hill and Robert E. Lee. When the handful of 35th Georgia survivors
surrendered in 1865, they could proudly say that no enemy hand ever touched
their banner during combat. This comprehensive 496-page hardback brings their
voices to life and follows them from their 1861 enlistment through four long
years of illness, exhaustion, starvation and death. Now, present day Georgians
will be able to use this book as a resource for years to come thanks to the 22
maps, 74 photos and soldiers’ roster.
John J. Fox, a Richmond, Virginia native, has been a lifelong student of the
Civil War. He lived in the Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia areas for thirteen
years and is a former member of the Atlanta Civil War Roundtable. After
graduation from Washington & Lee University, he served in the U.S. Army for
seven years as an armor officer and aviator. Fox now lives with his family in
Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
Reviews
"John J. Fox has taken the sublime and the mundane, and woven them
together masterfully to capture the true essence of one of the great
stalwart regiments of Robert E. Lee’s vaunted Army of Northern
Virginia. The 35th Georgia fought and endured with the very best of
Lee’s legions, and yet they went largely unheralded until John J. Fox
rescued them from obscurity, to give them their just due. His research
is impressive, his style graceful, and his story compelling. This saga
of a fighting regiment will be an ideal addition to any library of the
heart-rending conflict of 1861-1865."
Frank A.
O’Reilly - Historian and Author of The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on the
Rappahannock
"The veteran soldiers of the 35th Georgia furled their torn but stainless banner at Appomattox Court House in 1865. Thanks to John Fox, it is proudly flying again in the pages of Red Clay to Richmond. After discovering a forgotten trove of soldiers’ letters and diaries, Fox has unfurled their banner in a skillfully edited and narrated account that gives these Georgians full voice in describing their war. They fought at places with famous bloody names: Seven Pines, Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Shenandoah Valley, the Wilderness and Petersburg. This is a book for the Army of Northern Virginia and for the state of Georgia."
Brandon H. Beck - Author of Third Alabama: The Civil War Memoir of Brigadier General Cullen Andrews Battle, CSA.
NEW LISTING!!!
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The 148th PA Volunteers: The Story of Company I
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Description
THE 148th PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS: THE STORY OF COMPANY I. 1998 by Alice Jane
Gayley. This company was recruited in Brookville, Jefferson County, PA, on July
7, 1862, under the command of Captain Silas Marlin. After many years of
research, Ms. Gayley has compiled the complete story of this company's
engagements from Chancellorsville and Gettysburg to Appomattox where the
soldiers witnessed the surrender of the Confederate Army. She has also updated
the company roster with additional details on each soldier. Includes photos,
charts and references. 125 pages, 8½ x 11 softbound
Vicksburg And The War
by Gordon A. Cotton and Jeff T. Giambrone
The people of Vicksburg voted against secession, but they became enthusiastic Confederates once Union forces arrived. Even months of intense battle, a forty-seven-day siege, and numerous casualties did not dampen their spirits. Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863, and then endured years of Federal occupation. This collection of stories, photographs, and illustrations chronicles the unfailing Confederate spirit of the city, despite its defeat on the battlefield.
Beneath Torn And Tattered FlagsThis authoritative work is a must read for the descendants of these gallant men or for the Civil War enthusiast.
NEW RELEASE!!!
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The 55th North Carolina in the Civil
War
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Description
With the advent of the Civil War in 1861, young men from both
Confederate and Union states rushed to volunteer for military duty in a
war that many believed would be quickly resolved. The spring of 1862,
however, brought the realization that not only was the conflict going
to last longer than expected, but additional troops would be needed on
both sides. It was at this time that the 55th Regiment North Carolina
Troops entered the war. Composed primarily of farmers and tradesmen,
the regiment also presented a microcosm of the Tar Heel State with a
regionally diverse membership from more than 20 counties. Along with
these members came an equal variety of political ideologies, social
institutions and range of economic stability—all differences that faded
in the face of a common enemy. Finding motivation for their fight in a
simple defense of their homes and families, the men of the 55th North
Carolina made significant contributions to the Confederate cause,
fighting—and often dying—in some of the war’s bloodiest conflicts.
From its formation in 1862 through its dissolution in 1865, this comprehensive history tells the story of the men who served in the 55th North Carolina. Drawing on letters, memoirs, diaries and recollections, it depicts the Civil War through the eyes of the soldiers, enhancing modern-day understanding of what it was like to fight for the Confederate States of America. While providing information on the battles in which the 55th North Carolina took part (including the little known Suffolk campaign), the main focus of the work is the everyday life of the men—the ever-present influence of politics and religion as well as the effects of disease and combat. Appendices provide a breakdown of the companies in the regiment; the regimental roster; a list of men who died of disease; and a record of the men from the 55th who were killed in battle. Contemporary photographs are also included.
About the Author
Jeffrey M. Girvan is an Adjunct instructor at George Mason University and
teaches history in Prince William County, Virginia. He lives in Manassas,
Virginia.
An interesting and useful
genealogical research aide, this unit history contains the records of
1,133 young Alabama men who joined the war late, fought in battle and
were captured at Blakeley, Alabama. Upon capture, they were sent as
prisoners to Ship Island near Biloxi, Mississippi. Of these young men,
many being 17 or younger, almost all survived the war, which makes
their records interesting and important to researchers. This work
contains muster rolls and rosters, and service records for the 2nd
Alabama Regiment Reserves, which was organized in August 1864. Its
designation changed between March and May 1865 to the 63rd Alabama
Infantry Volunteers. Many of the service record entries include the
soldier’s name, company, rank, date mustered, a physical description,
where he was stationed, when and why he was released from the service,
and place of residence. Also included are some records for the 89th,
94th and 95th Alabama Militias. This book contains illustrations of the
U.S. Hospital Steamer, D.A. January and the flag of the 2nd Alabama
Reserves/63rd Infantry CSA. 2001, 234 pp., 8.5x11, illus., paper
Heritage Books
This is a short history, followed by an extensive unit roster and military service records for one of the 63 Alabama Infantry regiments to fight for the Confederacy. The 38th guarded Mobile, and later fought at Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, the battles from Dalton to Atlanta, followed by a return to Tennessee where it saw combat at Columbia, Franklin, and Nashville. It returned to Mobile and fought at Spanish Fort at the end of the war. Various appendices round out the book.
Gracie's Pride: The 43rd Alabama Infantry Volunteers"Gracie's Pride: The
43rd Alabama Infantry Volunteers" published by White Mane
Publishing Co. of Shippensburg, PA. It is similar to my book "Southerners
at War - the 38th Alabama Infantry Volunteers". It has a short
history and thorough roster with transcribed service records of 1260
men who served in the regiment. For the most part the men were from
Mobile, Marengo, Greene, Tuscaloosa, Jefferson and Fayette Counties in
Alabama. The 43rd Ala. Regiment was organized in 1862 by Colonel
Archibald Gracie. Gracie was a Mobile merchant who was a native of New
York and was later promoted to Brigade Commander. The 43rd joined the
Kentucky Campaign then fought with honor at Chickamauga. They were
transferred to Virginia and spent eight months in the trenches of
Petersburg where General Archibald Gracie was killed by enemy shell.
Col. Y. M. Moody of Marengo Co. was promoted to Brigadier General to
lead Gracie's {Moody's) Brigade until they surrendered with Lee at
Appomattox C. H. The 43rd only surrendered 70 men and 16 officers when
they stacked their arms on April 9, 1865.
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Southern Boots and Saddles:
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Book Description:
This book
contains transcribed military service records of 1,611 dedicated, brave
Southern men who served with the Fifteenth Confederate Cavalry. These
men, for the most part, came from the Gulf Coast of Northwest Florida,
South Alabama and Southeast Mississippi. Alphabetically arranged
entries identify the men associated with the regiment and contain
varying amounts of military and personal data. A short history of the
regiment and its movements precede the service records. The story of
the regiment and men of the Fifteenth Confederate Cavalry-First
Regiment Alabama and Florida Cavalry-is preserved on these pages. The
Fifteenth Confederate Cavalry was organized and formed in 1863 from
existing smaller, but experienced, Alabama and Florida Cavalry units.
The first muster roll was on September 12, 1863, at Camp Halls Mill,
Alabama, west of Mobile. This Southern cavalry regiment rode with and
under the command of Colonel Henry "Harry" Maury. They served and
fought along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Pensacola, Florida, and
were engaged at the Battles of Spanish Fort and Blakeley, Alabama, in
April 1865. They were surrendered in May of 1865 as part of Lieutenant
General Richard Taylor's Confederate Army of Alabama, Mississippi and
East Louisiana. This is the author's fourth book on Confederate
regiments with Alabama ties. ----, 8½x11, paper, 230 pp.
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Clarkson's Battalion C.S.A. A Brief History and Roster by David L. Haimerl
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From the introduction:
“Colonel James J. Clarkson was
authorized to raise a cavalry battalion of six companies in the dark
days following the Confederate defeat at the battle of Pea Ridge,
Arkansas, March 7 & 8, 1862. As the research progressed, I realized
too many factors influenced the battalion’s history to merely drop the
reader into Act III of a six act Shakespearean tragedy. Too many
questions would arise in the reader’s consciousness without pertinent
answers: what factors inspired the Federals to invade the Indian
Territory; why were there conflicts between Colonels Drew’s and Watie’s
regiments; what led to the shortage of Confederate formations in
northwest Arkansas and the adjacent areas; and what were the
underpinnings of the chaotic Confederate command structure? Of
necessity, a lengthy ‘setting the stage’ is required to provide a firm
foundation for understanding the circumstances and situations in which
the battalion operated.
"Thus,
the primary audience for this work is the typical family historian
whose ancestor served in Clarkson’s Battalion, yet has limited
knowledge of the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi theater. A
secondary audience is the military scholar and, with luck, I’ve
inserted enough rough diamonds to quench their thirst for new knowledge
and further avenues of investigation.
“This work could vaguely be termed a primer for the Civil War in the Indian Territory in 1862. It is my deep hope, through this work, to not only increase the knowledge of this little-known unit and its service to the Confederacy, but to bring the fascinating Civil War fought west of the Mississippi River to light. Admittedly, it lacks the ‘grandeur’ of the larger battles and campaigns fought in the primary Eastern theater and secondary Western theater. The Trans-Mississippi theater was an ugly war more reminiscent of the anti-partisan campaign fought throughout the Balkans from 1941 through 1945 in World War Two. It was truly brother against brother in many instances, with suppressed, seething animosities stretching back to the removal of the Five Civilized Tribes from their eastern homelands, and the ‘Bleeding Kansas’ period awaking with the advent of open hostilities after Fort Sumter. Add to this volatile mix individuals and small groups whose sole motive was personal profit at the expense of the unfortunate.”
Clarkson’s Battalion (225 pages) is the first work to examine the history of this
obscure unit in detail and provide a comprehensive roster. Furthermore
it offers:
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The
Battle of Hanover Court House Turning Point of the Peninsula Campaign, May 27, 1862 by Michael C. Hardy
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From the Publisher
After a year of fighting, armies on
both sides of the American Civil War had abandoned their early optimism
regarding a swift conclusion. Beset by military and political pressures, General
George B. McClellan committed his Army of the Potomac to the Peninsula Campaign,
with the ultimate goal of capturing Richmond and destroying the surrounding
Confederates. Hampered by Lincoln's demand for troops to protect Washington, a
limited Union Army engaged Confederate forces in a series of engagements in and
around the community of Hanover Court House, Virginia, eventually forcing a
Confederate retreat but missing the critical opportunity to press on and capture
Richmond. It was an opportunity that would never come again, leading to three
more years of protracted conflict, the rise of Robert E. Lee as Confederate
commander, and a missed chance that haunted McClellan for the rest of his life.
Researched from official reports as well as contemporary accounts, this is the
first detailed look at the battle most widely known as Hanover Court House and
Slash Church. The opening chapters set the stage for this crucial battle and
outline the events that led up to May 27, 1862, and the high tide of the
Peninsula Campaign. The book's main focus is the series of battles that took
place between the forces of Union V Corps commander Fitz John Porter and
Confederate general Lawrence O'Bryan Branch. Photographs of the battle's central
participants are included, along with appendices featuring the official reports
of commanders and lists of casualties from both sides.
Civil War historian Michael C. Hardy is the author of The Thirty-seventh North
Carolina Troops (2003). His articles have appeared in nationally syndicated
magazines, and he frequently presents lectures and interpretive programs on
Appalachia's role in the Civil War. He lives in western North Carolina.
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Remembering North Carolina's Conferates (Images of America) by Michael C. Hardy
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From the Publisher
The American Civil War was scarcely
over when a group of ladies met in Raleigh and began to plan commemoration for
the honored Confederate dead of North Carolina. In 1867, they held their first
memorial service. Two years later in Fayetteville, the first monument to the
state’s fallen Confederate soldiers was erected. Over the next 14 decades,
countless monuments were commissioned in cemeteries and courthouse squares
across the state. Following Reconstruction, the veterans themselves began to
gather in their local communities, and state and national reunions were held.
For many of the Confederate veterans, honor for their previous service continued
long after their deaths: accounts of their sacrifice were often chiseled on
their grave markers. The images within this book - photographs of veterans and
reunions, monuments, and tombstones - are but a sampling of the many ways that
the old Confederate soldiers are commemorated across the Old North State.
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The Thirty-seventh North Carolina
Troops Tarheels in the Army of Northern Virginia by Michael C. Hardy
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From the McFarland Publishers
Website:
North Carolina contributed
more of her sons to the Confederate cause than any other state. The
37th North Carolina, made up of men from the western part of the state,
served in famous battles like Chancellorsville and Gettysburg as well
as in lesser known engagements like Hanover Courthouse and New Bern.
This is the account of the unit’s four years’ service, told largely in
the soldiers’ own words. Drawn from letters, diaries, and postwar
articles and interviews, this history of the 37th North Carolina
follows the unit from its organization in November 1861 until its
surrender at Appomattox. The book includes photographs of the key
players in the 37th’s story as well as maps illustrating the unit’s
position at several engagements. Appendices include a complete roster
of the unit and a listing of individuals buried in large sites such as
prison cemeteries. A bibliography and index are also included.
Civil War historian Michael C. Hardy has written for such publications as North & South and America’s Civil War. He frequently presents lectures and interpretive programs on Appalachia’s role in the Civil War. He lives in western North Carolina.
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Of Savage Fury The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky by Anthony Hawkins
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From the author:
OF SAVAGE FURY THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND, KENTUCKY has 408
pages, events leading up to the battle, lots of pictures of the
soldiers, maps and original artwork, the story of the battle taken from
the words of the soldiers themselves, color pictures of the original
battleflags and a killed and wounded list for both sides.Available in
softback for $30 postpaid or hardback for $40 postpaid.
Order from:
Hawkins Historical Publications
P.O.Box 63
Ashcamp, KY 41512
benjhill@hotmail.com
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"I Have Seen The Monkey Show", The Civil War Letters of Thomas Warrick of the 34th Alabama Volunteer Infantry by Elaine Hendricks
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From the author:
Over 100 letters written by Thomas Warrick of Company C, including
a few written to Thomas Warrick by relatives back home. Time period
covered from March 1862 through March 1865, a few weeks before the
surrender. The call went out in March of 1862 for volunteers for the
war. The men of Coosa, Tallapoosa, Russell, and Montgomery counties
answered the call and the 34th Alabama Volunteer Infantry
Regiment was formed in April of 1862. Thomas’ letters, written
faithfully about once a week, detail the movement and daily life of the
members of the 34th. Thomas Warrick wrote of his Coosa
County relatives in the war: Wes Brown, Henry Warrick, Ab Wideman,
Horatio Thornton, James Wideman, Major M. (Dick) Thornton, James
Thornton, Green Hines, Lewis Warrick, and a few others.
153 pages, 8 ½ x 11, plastic comb binding. Cost $20 each book plus $4 for mailing.
To order send $24 in check or money order (preferred payment) to:
Elaine Hendricks
205 North Holiday Drive
Dadeville, AL 36853
Tel. 256-825-0870
ehend@lakemartin.net
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Voices from Company D |
Book Description
As part of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Guards marched under
Stonewall Jackson and Jubal Early and fought throughout the war in such
battles as Seven Pines, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, and
finally Petersburg, where all but one of the Guards were captured.
While their diaries impart a wealth of information about these and
other critical military engagements, they also convey the full range of
the wartime experience: from terror to boredom, pride to regret,
victory to defeat. About the execution of a deserter, one Greensboro
Guard writes, "Sad & heart-sickening scene! I felt the moment after
the volley was fired, an indescribable & mixed sensation of
sickness & horror at the sight."
Readers will find singular descriptions of the towns and countryside
the men saw, of battlefields and camps, of civilians caught in the path
of the war. The diarists also commented on such topics as politics,
religion, the home front, the presence of slaves alongside the troops,
prices and inflation, troop morale, and leisure activities from reading
to gambling. Voices from Company D is a companion volume to Guarding
Greensboro, also by G. Ward Hubbs. Together the books tell a
fascinating story of the Guards and their hometown, from the unit's
first muster in the early 1820s through the postwar era.
An unprecedented contribution to the field of Civil
War history, Voices from Company D collects writings from the
diaries of eight members of the Greensboro Guards, Fifth Alabama
Infantry Regiment. Woven into a single chronological narrative, these
writings provide a unique perspective not only on many of the war's
battles and campaigns but also on aspects of life and culture in the
nineteenth-century South, including friendship and kinship, duty and
honor, and commitment and sacrifice.
About the Author
G. Ward Hubbs is an assistant professor and
archivist at Birmingham-Southern College.
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Guarding Greensboro:
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As Hubbs follows the Guards through their
Civil War campaigns, he keeps an eye on the home front: on how
Greensborians shared a sense of purpose and sacrifice while they dealt
with fears of a restive slave populace. Finally, Hubbs discusses the
postwar readjustments of Greensboro's veterans as he examines the
political and social upheaval in their town and throughout the South.
Ultimately, Hubbs argues, the Civil War created the South of legend and
its distinctive communities.
About the Author
G. Ward Hubbs is an assistant professor and
archivist at Birmingham-Southern College
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Tears on the Bluestone |
Book Description
Tears on the Bluestone tells the
overlooked, little-known story of the militia, guerrillas, and veterans of
Mercer County, West Virginia. More importantly, it is the tragic account of the
individual men and families whose lives were altered forever by the American
Civil War and its aftermath. A glorious, short-lived war was a hopeful, naive
fantasy. Lives were lost; property and homes were ruined; friendships and
families were shattered. This book provides a comprehensive look at the Flat Top
Copperheads, a guerrilla unit frequently mentioned in the diary of future
President Rutherford B. Hayes of the 23rd Ohio Infantry. Includes over 100
archival photographs, maps, and illustrations;
440 pages, 6" x 9", jacket-hardcover binding.
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For
Cause & For
Country A Study of the Affair at Spring Hill and the Battle of Franklin by Eric A. Jacobson You may also purchase this book through the |
From the publisher:
The battles at Spring Hill and Franklin, Tennessee were watershed moments in American Civil War history. Thousands of veterans and recruits, as well as former West Point classmates, found themselves moving through Middle Tennessee in the last great campaign of a long and bitter war. Replete with bloodshed and controversy, the battles led directly to the conclusion of action in the Western Theater. Long ignored and seldom understood, Spring Hill and Franklin stand as one of the most compelling episodes of the Civil War.
Through exhaustive research and the use of sources never before published, the story of both battles comes vividly to life in this remarkable book. The lost opportunity at Spring Hill is evaluated in detail and the truth of what happened there may at last be discovered. The horrific battle at Franklin is told like never before. From what motivated John Bell Hood to make the attack, to the vital role of Union regiments either forgotten or ignored, the reader will see the confrontation in an entirely new light. Events such as the assault on the Union left flank, the attack made by the Confederate Missouri Brigade, General John Adams’ death, and General William Bate’s assault are given the thorough examination they have so long been denied.
The book numbers 519 pages, contains over 325 material sources, and is illustrated with black and white, as well as color, photographs. Released by O’More Publishing the book could well become the definitive work on the subject.
For Cause and For Country offers a balanced and richly detailed study of these crucial battles. Students of Spring Hill and Franklin will appreciate the dearth of new information and may conclude that these battles had a greater scope than even they realized. Those not familiar with the story will find themselves drawn to the amazing events of late 1864, when Middle Tennessee stood center stage as the country defined itself through blood and fire.
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McGavock
Confederate Cemetery A Revised and Updated Compilation by Eric A. Jacobson |
From the publisher:
For sale is a new, hardcover, author signed
copy of The McGavock Confederate Cemetery: A Revised and Updated Compilation.
This book details how the largest private, military cemetery in the United
States was organized and established, and how it was cared for in the decades
following the Civil War. Included is a full and accurate list of the Confederate
soldiers buried in the cemetery. A must have for historians and descendants.
Includes an introduction by Robert Hicks, author the best selling historical
novel The Widow of the South. The book's length is 168 pages and includes
several black and white photos and eight pages of vivid color photos.
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The Battle Rages Higher:
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Peculiar Honor: A History of the 28th
Texas Cavalry
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The 28th Texas Cavalry (dismounted), a unit of Walker's Texas Division, campaigned in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas in some of the fiercest yet least-studied battles of the Civil War. Part of the division known as "Walker's Greyhounds" because of their amazing mobility and marching stamina, the men of the 28th helped preserve Texas from Federal invasion. By blending traditional narrative history with a quantitative approach, this book examines common soldiers in terms of their social, mental, and political worlds, creating an invaluable portrait of the men fighting in the Trans-Mississippi theater.
1997 Winner of the
Ottis Lock Award for the Best Book on East Texas History
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Widows by the Thousand:
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This collection of letters written between Theophilus and Harriet Perry during the Civil War provides an intimate, firsthand account of the effect of the war on one young couple. Theophilus Perry was an officer with the 28th Texas Cavalry, a unit that campaigned in Arkansas and Louisiana as part of the division known as "Walker's Greyhounds." Letters from Theophilus Perry describe his service in a highly literate style that is unusual for Confederate accounts. He documents a number of important events, including his experiences as a detached officer in Arkansas in the winter of 1862–1863, the attempt to relieve the siege of Vicksburg in the summer of 1863, mutiny in his regiment, and the Red River campaign up to early April 1864, just before he was killed in the battle of Pleasant Hill. Conversely, Harriet Perry's writings allow the reader to witness the everday life of an upper-class woman enduring home front deprivations, facing the hardships and fears of childbearing and childrearing alone, and coping with other challenges resulting from her husband's absence.
The fourth volume in the Civil War in the West Series, Widows by the Thousand elucidates aspects of the war in western states and territories. By using U.S. census records, service records, and other sources to identify the people mentioned in the letters, Johansson makes a significant contribution to the literature. And by placing the letters in the context of the Civil War, she has revealed a fascinating portrait of the impact of the conflict on one family that suffered tragedy and loss.
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That Body of Brave Men:
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"This is a unique book, one that combines an account of the only brigade of Union regular troops to serve in what first was the Army of the Ohio and then the Army of the Cumberland with a history of the major military operations conducted by those armies in the West from 1861 to 1864. Awesomely researched, splendidly written, and filled with perceptive interpretations by its author, a West Point-trained officer in today's army, this is a volume that all serious students of the Civil War should read and retain."
Albert
Castel
Author of the Lincoln
Prize-winning
Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864
"Far too long has the contribution of the U.S. Regulars in
the Civil War's Western Theater been overlooked. Now, thanks to
the brilliant research and graphic writing of Mark Johnson, we can
better understand this long neglected and important subject.
Reflecting its fascinating detail and insightful analysis, this book
deserves a place on every history buff 's bookshelf."
WILEY SWORD
Author of the award-winning book,
Embrace an Angry Wind
"Thoroughly researched and powerfully annotated,
Johnson's deft writing style takes us painlessly through the politics,
training and combat actions of these long-forgotten brave men and their
often controversial officers."
THOMAS P. LOWRY, MD
Author of six books on the Civil War, including Abraham
Lincoln and Military Justice.
Book Review
While the Regulars made up approximately 3% of the
total forces in the Civil War they are rarely mentioned in Civil War
literature and when they are the information is usually sketchy or
erroneous. This book not only brings light to a story that has remained
hidden for 138 years, but it also explains why the fascinating story of
the Western Regulars was never been told before. This book will appeal
to any Civil War reader interested in the Western Theater, the Regular
Army, or the cultural conflicts between the Regulars and Volunteers and
how they continued to cast shadows over the truth for over a century.
Mark Johnson brings new perspectives to major western campaigns/battles
such as Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Tullahoma, Chickamauga,
Chattanooga and Atlanta. While these battles have all received at least
one book length study the significant contributions of the Regulars was
rarely acknowledged. Scorned by the volunteer units for their high
standards and uncompromising values, the Regulars were ignored or
maligned in post war literature that predominately focused on
trumpeting the stories of volunteer units to local/state audiences. The
Regular's professionalism made those who survived reluctant to tell
their own stories. The author's extensive use of primary source
material from the National Archives and many obscure collections brings
life to this important story through the voices of men never heard from
before. The nicely annotated maps are not only original, but a cut
above what is being published by even the most notable contemporary
Civil War authors. These maps along with extensive notes and appendices
allow the reader to drill down into the details and further contribute
to the insightful nature of this remarkable book. One of the sub-themes
of this book is the results of changing standards in recruitment and
training. As the Regular Brigade went through rebuilding cycles to
replace its loses it was gradually degraded by Federal regulations that
made it more difficult to recruit quality men. It is a lesson that is
still applicable today for those who need to be reminded that
diminished training, pay and enlistment enticements will eventually
impact the quality of the military. I look for this book to promote the
image of the Regular Brigade into the ranks of other notable units such
as the Iron Brigade and Irish Brigade. It is the complete historical
package. A story never told before using original material and told
comprehensively through the voices of the men who have until now been
lost to history.
Mark Johnson, Major, US Army has created a masterfully written, well researched study of an all but overlooked force of men, the Regulars who served in the United States Army, and fought in what was considered the "western" theater of operations of the Civil War - Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, etc. This book is a rarity in the field of Civil War literature, unlike the plethora of books that continue to plow the same ground with some variations on a theme, "That Body of Brave Men" details the history of a unit that is effectively unknown to all but the most serious students of the conflict - the Regular Brigade of the Army of the Cumberland, the 15th 16th, 18th and 19th United States Infantry Regiments. Not only does this work detail the units, officers and men in a candid and forthright manner, it provides the reader with an excellent understanding of the battles and campaigns that made up the war for Kentucky, Tennessee and the march on Atlanta. I would be remiss if I did not note that the Major Johnson provides a reader, through his writing style, and his maps which I consider to be some of the best ever presented in a Civil War unit or battle history, with an excellent view of the war in the West from a strategic, operational and most especially unit level. But most of all he tells the story of the men who served in these units through their own words, he shows you the life of a Regular through their eyes, whether it be in bivouac, on the drill field or in combat, and he does so in a masterful style. As someone who had the honor and privilege to assist Major Johnson with this project, and has spent a lifetime studying the Civil War, I have found that on rare occasion, every now and again an exceptional work of Civil War history comes along, this is one of those books.
Hardcover: 784 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 2.22 x 9.32 x 6.42; Publisher: DaCapo Press; (September 2, 2003)
UPCOMING RELEASE!!!
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No Pardons to Ask, nor Apologies to
Make
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From the
University of Tennessee Press website:
William Henry King began war service in 1862 in Louisiana
and ended it in 1865 in Camden, Arkansas. During this period he
chronicled action in the Trans-Mississippi theater, producing a diary
that yields one of the most important accounts from a Confederate
enlisted man.
No Pardons to Ask, Nor Apologies to Make is a gritty look into the life of a soldier, with no romantic gloss. While most journals record the mundane day-to-day routine, King's consistently detailed entries-notable for their literary style, King's venomous wit, and his colorful descriptions-cover a wide array of matters pertaining to the Confederate experience in the West.
King's observations about his superiors, the Confederacy, contraband, and the underreported Trans-Mississippi campaign are especially striking. Though his long service demonstrates a certain loyalty to the Confederate cause, he writes sharp criticisms of his superiors, of military discipline, and of contemporaneous social and class conditions. His discontent is rooted within a fiery sense of independence that conflicts with centralized authority, whether it takes the form of military, government, or class control.
Few published diaries capture the tension and turmoil that existed in the Southern ranks or the class resentment that festered in some quarters of the Confederacy. No Pardons to Ask, Nor Apologies to Make makes an important contribution to understanding how class functioned in the Confederate command and also provides a much-needed account of action in the Trans-Mississippi theater, where the primary sources are extremely slim.
Gary D. Joiner is chief operating officer of
Precision Cartographics in Shreveport, Louisiana, and assistant
professor of history at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. He is
the author of One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End: The Red River
Campaign in 1864, winner of the 2004 Albert Castel Award and the 2005
A. M. Pate, Jr., Award.
A former journalist, Marilyn S. Joiner transcribed the bulk of the King
diary. She is a native of Mansfield, Louisiana, the site of the last
decisive Confederate victory of the Civil War.
Clifton D. Cardin is the
official Bossier Parish historian and the production coordinator in the
Telecommunications Department of Bossier Parish Community College,
Bossier City, Louisiana. He is the author of numerous books, including
Bossier Parish, Proud to Be in Bossier, and Bossier Parish History:
1843-1993, The First 150 Years.
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One Damn Blunder From Beginning To End
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Edwin Bearss, Chief Historian Emeritus, National
Park Service Taking its title from Sherman’s blunt description, One Damn Blunder
from Beginning to End: The Red River Campaign of 1864 is a fresh
inspection of what was the Civil War’s largest operation between the
Union Army and Navy west of the Mississippi River. In a bold, but
poorly managed effort to wrest Louisiana and Texas from Confederate
control, a combined force of 40,000 Union troops and 60 naval vessels
traveled up the twisting Red River in an attempt to capture the capital
city of Shreveport. Gary D. Joiner provides not a recycled telling of the campaign, but
a strategic and tactical overview based on a stunning new array of
facts gleaned from recently discovered documents. This
never-before-published information reveals that the Confederate army
had laid a clever trap by engineering a drop in the water level of the
Red River to try to maroon the Union naval flotilla. Only the equally
amazing ingenuity of the Union troops saved the fleet from certain
destruction, despite a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Mansfield. The Red River campaign had lasting implications. One Damn Blunder
from Beginning to End magnifies just how devastating the diversion of
so many men and so much material to this failed campaign was to the
Union effort in the pivotal year of 1864. Because of the Union Army’s
failures, Northern plans to capture Mobile were scrapped. Military
careers were made and lost. And at time when the Confederacy was
teetering on the brink of oblivion, Southern morale was bolstered. Joiner puts together a compelling description of what was one of the
most important military operations conducted west of the Mississippi.
The fierce military action, the squabbling of the leaders on both
sides, and most importantly, essential new knowledge of the Confederate
defensive preparations are all contained in the pages of this new book.
Civil War buffs and military enthusiasts will revel in this in-depth
look at this critical, but previously overlooked campaign.
"A masterful narrative history of the 1864 Red
River Campaign."
Stacy D. Allen,
Historian, Shiloh National Military Park
"Provides a detailed and long-needed modern
analysis of this controversial and sadly neglected campaign. Military
history at its best."
Book Description
In the spring of 1864, as the armies of Grant and
Lee waged a highly scrutinized and celebrated battle for the state of
Virginia, a no- less important, but historically obscured engagement
was being conducted in the pine barrens of northern Louisiana. In a
year of stellar triumphs by Union armies across the South, the Red
River Campaign stands out as a colossal failure. General William
Tecumseh Sherman’s scathing summation describes it best, "One damn
blunder from beginning to end."
About the Author
A professional cartographer, Gary D. Joiner is the
geographic information systems coordinator at Louisiana State
University in Shreveport where he also teaches Civil War and Louisiana
history. He has served as a consultant to the Louisiana Department of
Recreation and Tourism in identifying Red River Civil War sites
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The Red River Campaign: |
“Readers will delight in this collection of essays written by prominent scholars of the Red River Campaign. Their pens reflect the intimacy with which they know their subject, and each entry provides unique perspectives and insights available in no other publication. This revised edition of The Red River Campaign: Union and Confederate Leadership and the War in Louisiana unravels the complexities of this highly controversial, politically motivated, and always fascinating operation.”
Terrence Winschel
Author of Triumph & Defeat: The Vicksbury Campaign
and chief historian at Vicksburg National Military Park
The Red River Campaign was originally published as an edition of a journal, Civil War Regiments. Due to demand for the journal, it has been republished with additions by Parabellum Press, a publishing company organized by Joiner to publish work of historical significance. The original journal has been updated to include a foreword by preeminent civil war historian Ed Bearss, historian emeritus of the National Park Service, and a driving tour essay penned by Joiner.
Essays include On to the Red River (foreword) by Edwin C. Bearss; A Colonel Gains His Wreath: Henry Gray and his Louisiana Brigade at the Battle of Mansfield, April 8, 1864 by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr.; The Union Naval Expedition on the Red River by Gary D. Joiner & Charles E. Vetter; A Death at Mansfield : Colonel James H. Beard and the Consolidated Crescent Regiment by Theodore P. Savas; Occupation: Lt. Charles W. Kennedy and 156th New York Infantry in Alexandria edited by Edward Steers; Touring the Red River Campaign by Gary Joiner; Over 25 pages of maps and photos
Red River Steamboats; Images of
America
By Gary D. Joiner and Eric Brock
from Civil War Book
Review
Shreveport, the Confederate capital of Louisiana, is situated
along the Red River, which invited a string of Civil War naval battles.
This generously illustrated book collects photos of participating
transport vessels, hospital ships, ironclads, and gunboats
Historic Shreveport-Bossier City (non
Civil War)
By Gary D. Joiner and Marguerite R. Plummer
Excellent illustrated history of Shreveport & Bossier City and local business profiles
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Campbell Brown's Civil War: |
From the Louisiana
State University Press website:
The
Civil War writings of G. Campbell Brown—cousin, stepson, and staff
officer of famed Confederate General Richard S. Ewell—provide a
comprehensive account of the major campaigns in the north Virginia
theater. Terry L. Jones has performed an invaluable service by
gathering these widely scattered but oft-cited primary sources into a
deftly edited volume.
Brown’s memoir details his service under Ewell during the campaigns of First Manassas, the Shenandoah Valley, the Seven Days, Second Manassas, and Gettysburg, and under Joseph E. Johnston at Vicksburg. His correspondence and memoranda form a suspenseful recounting of the Overland Campaign, the siege of Richmond, and a harrowing retreat that ended with the capture of Brown and Ewell at Sayler’s Creek just three days before Robert E. Lee’s surrender. Their subsequent three-month captivity in Fort Warren, Massachusetts, is documented in Brown’s letters.
Leaders such as Ewell, Johnston, Lee (whose daughter Brown tried to marry), “Stonewall” Jackson, and Jubal A. Early come to life in rich anecdotes and occasional critiques of their wartime actions. A southern aristocrat from Tennessee, Brown exhibits a grasp of the nuances of military protocol that is as compelling as his descriptions of battlefield horrors.
Brown’s eagerness to report all he sees—from the quotidian to the bloodcurdling—makes his writings among the finest to come out of the Civil War. Scholars will want copies of this volume at close hand for ready reference, and buffs will treasure the play of a nimble mind over a dire and fascinating time.
Praise for the Book
“Serious students of the [Civil War] have long known that Campbell Brown’s manuscript memoir belongs in the top tier of such accounts. . . . From the moment it was published Campbell Brown’s Civil War assumed a place of honor on the short shelf of the very best Army of Norther Virginia books. There it is destined to remain.” —Civil War History
“Campbell Brown witnessed much of the Civil War in Virginia at close range and from an ideal vantage point. . . . The young officer’s relentless intellectual curiosity and dazzling knack for caricature resulted in an absolutely splendid memoir, written soon enough after the war to be fresh and immediate. Brown’s manuscript had been one of the half-dozen best unpublished Confederate sources in existence; now it is one of the very best published Confederate sources available.”—Robert K. Krick, author of Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain
“Occasionally poignant, often humorous, and always entertaining, Campbell Brown’s Civil War will immediately assume a place among the Civil War’s premier firsthand accounts.”—Donald C. Pfanz, author of Richard S. Ewell: A Soldier's Life
“Civil War historians have valued the collected papers of Campbell Brown—his memoirs, correspondence, diary, and memoranda—for many years. Being at once instructive and entertaining, these writings by an observant, articulate, and insightful young staff officer provide a frank and fresh assessment of Confederate strategy and many Confederate leaders. Supplemented in this published form by the illuminating commentary and comprehensive notations of Terry Jones, Brown’s papers are now more valuable than ever for researchers, and they provide a rare treat for anyone interested in the military conduct of the war.”—Daniel E. Sutherland, author of Seasons of War: The Ordeal of a Confederate Community, 1861–1865
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Lee's Tigers: |
From the Louisiana
State University Press website:
“In an effort to glorify the exploits of the Louisiana troops,
some historians have glossed over their criminal behavior, treating
very lightly the negative aspects of the Tigers. According to the
author such apologies are unnecessary because ‘. . . Confederate
commanders time and again called on them in the most desperate
situations.’ It was the Tigers who blunted the initial Federal assault
at First Manassas, played an important role in Jackson’s Valley
campaign, held fast at Spotsylvania’s Bloody Angle, fought hand to hand
at Fort Stedman, and led Lee’s last offensive at Appomattox. This is an
excellent work, thoroughly researched, and well written. Lee’s
Tigers is the first comprehensive study of all the Louisiana units
operating under General Lee.”—Civil War History
“Jones’s resourceful work in manuscript collections has turned up enough letters, diaries, muster rolls and other primary source material to present a coherent record of these ten regiments and five battalions that served under Lee. Lee’s Tigers gives them their due.”—Washington Post Book World
Terry L. Jones , professor of history at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, is the editor of The Civil War Memoirs of Captain William J. Seymour: Reminiscences of a Louisiana Tiger and Campbell Brown’s Civil War: With Ewell and the Army of Northern Virginia.
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The A to Z of the Civil War:
Volume 1 (A-L) and Volume2 (M-Z) by Terry L. Jones
Your purchases, through these links, help to financially support History-Sites.Com. |
"...a primary reference work previously only affordable by institutions and collectors. Now in an economical new format for the amateur Civil War historian." - Jim Martin
From the publisher
The Civil War was the most
traumatic event in American history, pitting Americans against one another,
rending the national fabric, leaving death and devastation in its wake, and
instilling an anger that has not entirely dissipated even to this day. Thus, it
is essential to have a resource that can inform about this terrible war clearly
and objectively, providing the indispensable details while also offering an
overall view. This nearly impossible task has been attempted frequently but
rarely accomplished as well as by the Historical Dictionary of the Civil War,
which now appears as a somewhat abbreviated A to Z of the Civil War.
An overview of the war is provided in the fairly extensive introduction,
covering the causes, the course of the war, and the conclusion. It is then
followed—sometimes almost day-by-day-in the chronology. Hundreds of
cross-referenced dictionary entries, taking up over 1,500 pages, fill in the
basic details on persons, places, events, institutions, battles, and campaigns.
The bibliography directs readers to other sources of information.
About The Author
Terry L. Jones is professor of history at the University of Louisiana
at Monroe. He has published three previous books on the American Civil War.
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The Civil War Memoirs of Captain
William J. Seymour: |
From the Louisiana
State University Press website:
Seymour's are the only memoirs by any field or staff officer
of the first Louisiana Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia, and
his reports of battle and activity in Virginia are a wellspring of
information on the war in the East and on the role played by Louisiana
enlisted men and officers in these military actions.
From the Critics
Library Journal
Seymour, a New Orleans newspaper editor, served as an aide to
Brigadier General Harry T. Hays, commander of the 1st Louisiana Brigade
of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, from early 1863 to late
1864. Seymour's staff officer perspective provides glimpses of the Con
federate command system, scenes of camp life, and key battles in the
East. He writes with the journalist's eye for detail albeit also with a
matter-of-fact tone. His account of the battle at Fort Jackson below
New Orleans is the only known Confederate first-person account of this
bat tle. Astutely edited and copiously explicated, Seymour's memoirs,
based on his private contemporary journal, are a key primary source for
scholars and buffs alike. For research and specialized libraries.--
Thomas E. Schott, Office of History, 17th Air Force, Sembach, Germany
Booknews
The memoirs--based on a diary--of a newspaper editor who served as
a Confederate officer. Among other distinctions, his is the only known
narrative of length by a Confederate at Fort Jackson (aside from
official reports) or by any field or staff officer in the famed 1st
Louisiana Brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia. Annotation c. Book
News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Cemetery Hill: |
From the publisher
The fight for Cemetery
Hill was long and bloody—whoever controlled the hill would win the
battle of Gettysburg.
The battle of Gettysburg included many dramatic and controversial moments, several of which involved Cemetery Hill. This book covers in detail the three-day struggle for that crucial high ground from the soldiers' point of view. Using official reports, letters, diaries, and memoirs, it tells how and why the generals made crucial decisions and what it was like to be a soldier involved in the bloody hand-to-hand fighting.
The May 17th, 1864 raid at Madison Station by the 5th Alabama
Cavalry., using compiled Official Records, relates the attack on the
13th Illinois Infantry guarding the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. There are brief histories of the 5th Alabama Cavalry and the 13th
Illinois along with BIOS of the commanders. Short histories of the
Union units stationed in and around Madison Station during the Civil
War are included. There are other stories of individuals relating to
"The Affair". A roster of the 5th Alabama Cavalry is included along with a roster
of Stuarts Battalion of the 5th Alabama. The 5th Alabama Cavalry
Regiment was composed of men from the north and north west counties of
Alabama. The cost is $12.50 per copy. Please include $3.50 for shipping and
handling. Send check or money order payable to the Madison Station
Historical Preservation Society to:
The Affair At Madison Station, Alabama - Before And After
from the Madison Station Historical Preservation Society
L. C. Lanphere
@MSHPS
120 Bellingham Dr.
Madison, AL 35758
by Rose Mary Lankford
From Roy Bird of the
Kansas State Library
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF QUANTRILL'S GUERRILLAS is a rare effort spurred by
and influenced by geneology. Researcher Rose Mary Lankford states in
her forward "it was because of researching my husband's family tree
that I became involved with this work." She has compiled one of the
most thorough examinations of the Missouri Civil War guerrillas ever.
Not only does it list most of William Clarke Quantrill's associates
than any other work, it also includes places, events, battles, and
other men and women whose lives were touched by the guerrillas.
"Although, I personally lean toward the guerrillas," she writes, "I
tried to tell it like it was, whether it was good or bad." She
accomplished her goal with a remarkably balanced, unbiased portrait of
the lives of hundreds of those young men and the horrific period in
which they lived and died.
"It is alphabetical in dictionary format and is relatively well indexed by Lankford herself. Privately published and photocopied with a comb binding...it will be an outstanding addition to these collections in public or academic libraries and is highly recommended for its content. It's also great reading for Civil War buffs...
This book sells for $37.00
(USA only) which includes postage. Order direct from the author:
Rose Mary Lankford
Rt. 1 Box 114-A
Evening Shade, AR 72532
NEW RELEASE!!!
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Disunion, War, Defeat, and
Recovery in Alabama: The Journal of August Benners, 1850-1885 Edited by Glenn Linden & Virginia Linden
Your purchases, through these links, help to financially support History-Sites.Com. |
From the Publisher
Disunion, War, Defeat, and
Recovery in Alabama offers a rare look into the life of a Civil War
character many would say they love to hate: the plantation owner. A
slave-owning, cotton grower, Augustus Benners recorded decades of his mostly
gritty and unglamorous plantation life. Simultaneously, his entries unveil the
self-portrait of a complex and troubled man. Struggling to meet the demands of
family, farm, and community, Benners remained haunted by fear and self-doubt in
his quest for peace and stability.
A devoted husband and father, Benners’s tragedy of loss is almost Shakespearean in scope. He touchingly recounts the deaths of dear ones: five children in the space of eleven years; his wife returning from Texas; and a long-time favorite hand (“he never referred to them as slaves”), Kit Jones, whose passing moved Benners to write “his place cannot be filled.”
How poignant we find Benners’s comment on slave-owning: “I could wish I had never seen a Negro and don’t in the least doubt I would have been more of a man if not a better one if I had never owned one.”
Deft editing, annotation, and explanatory notes by Glenn and Virginia Linden complement and elucidate Benners’s historical accounts. Just when you think you have this nineteenth-century Southern icon neatly stereotyped, the editors let Benners surprise you with revelations as to his spiritual side...his fascination with astronomy and roller skating...or one more rendition of his unflagging resentment toward Ulysses S. Grant.
GLENN M. LINDEN is associate professor of History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he has taught since 1968. He has authored, edited, or co-edited seven books including three in the Civil War period—Voices from the Gathering Storm, the Coming of the Civil War; Voices from the House Divided, the United States Civil War as Personal Experience; and Voices from the Reconstruction Years, 1865–1877.
VIRGINIA LINDEN has a BA from the University of Washington and an MA in sculpture from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She has worked on eight books with Glenn editing and researching.
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Organizational Summary Of Military
Organizations From Georgia |
"Organizational Summary Of Military Organizations From Georgia In The Confederate States Of America" is a new 340 page, softback, Georgia Civil War reference book. Using the Index you can look up Regiments, Battalions, Militia, company names and go to page showing a brief explanation of the organization of that unit.
For ordering information, price quote and
current shipping costs. Send a self addressed stamped envelope to:
192 Sequoia Dr., N. E.
Marietta, Georgia 30060-7214
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The Uncivil War: |
From the publisher
The Upper
South--Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia--was the scene of
the most destructive war ever fought on American soil. Contending
armies swept across the region from the outset of the Civil War until
its end, marking their passage at Pea Ridge, Shiloh, Perryville, and
Manassas. Alongside this much-studied conflict, the Confederacy also
waged an irregular war, based on nineteenth-century principles of
unconventional warfare. In The Uncivil War, Robert R. Mackey outlines
the Southern strategy of waging war across an entire region, measures
the Northern response, and explains the outcome.
“Some historians have speculated about why the Confederacy did not
make greater use of guerrilla warfare. Robert Mackey demonstrates that
Southern partisans and raiders did practice irregular war on a larger
scale. . . . This book offers a fresh perspective on the Civil War.”
James M. McPherson, author of The Illustrated
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
“A much-needed and important addition to the literature on a very
misunderstood—yet significant—facet of the Civil War.”
William B. Feis, author of Grant’s Secret
Service: The Intelligence War from Belmont to Appomattox
“The first scholarly attempt to grapple with the complexities of the
guerrilla war across the Upper South. His conclusions will serve as a
touchstone for future research.”
Daniel Sutherland, editor of Guerrillas,
Unionists, and Violence on the Confederate Home Front
Robert R. Mackey, a Major in the U.S. Army, has been an army officer
since 1988 and serves as a strategic plans and policy specialist at the
Pentagon. The Uncivil War is based on his dissertation and is required
reading at the Army’s Command and General Staff College and the
Advanced Military Studies programs.
NEW RELEASE!!!
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Earthen Walls, Iron Men; Fort DeRussy, Louisiana and the Defense of the Red River by Steven M. Mayeux
Your purchases, through these links, help to financially support History-Sites.Com.
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From the Publisher
“This book will be of great use
to historians of the western theatre of the Civil War, to the reader of
nineteenth-century history, and to students of the undergraduate and graduate
levels."
Gary D. Joiner, author of Through the Howling Wilderness: The 1864 Red River
Campaign and Union Failure in the West
Earthen Walls, Iron Men tells the story of Fort DeRussy, Louisiana, a
major Confederate fortification that defended the lower Red River in 1863-64
during the last stages of the Civil War. Long regarded as little more than a
footnote by historians, the fort in fact played a critical role in the defense
of the Red River region. The Red River Campaign was one of the Confederacy's
last great triumphs of the war, and only the end of the conflict saved the
reputations of Union leaders who had recently been so successful at Vicksburg.
Fort DeRussy was the linchpin of the Confederates' tactical and strategic
victory.
Steven M. Mayeux does more than just tell the story of the fort from the
military perspective; it goes deeper to closely examine the lives of the people
that served in-and lived around-Fort DeRussy. Through a thorough examination of
local documents, Mayeux has uncovered the fascinating stories that reveal for
the first time what wartime life was like for those living in central Louisiana.
In this book, the reader will meet soldiers and slaves, plantation owners and
Jayhawkers, elderly women and newborn babies, all of whom played important roles
in making the history of Fort DeRussy. Mayeux presents an unvarnished portrait
of the life at the fort, devoid of any romanticized notions, but more accurately
capturing the utter humanity of those who built it, defended it, attacked it,
and lived around it.
Earthen Walls, Iron Men intertwines the stories of naval battles and military
actions with those human elements such as greed, theft, murder, and courage to
create a vibrant, relevant history that will appeal to all who seek to know what
real life was like during the Civil War.
Steve Mayeux is a graduate of LSU and a former Marine officer. His work as an
agricultural consultant in the central Louisiana area for the past thirty years
has given him a great appreciation for the history and geography of the lower
Red River.
NEW LISTING!!!
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Elkhorn Tavern, 1860; The Pea Ridge Community By Patrick L. & Sharolyn S. McCoy |
About Elkhorn Tavern
This publication is a must for any Arkansas family history researcher or
history buff! Over three years and 1,000's of hours of research have gone into
this book. It contains a complete transcription of the 1860 census of Mount
Vernon & Sugar Creek townships near the battlefield at Elkhorn Tavern, a
significant conflict and early turning point in the Civil War west of the
Mississippi River. Each of the 172 households has been carefully researched with
name transcriptions including accepted surname spellings. Also included, when
known, are the maiden names of wives, former wives, former married names of
spouses for widowed or remarried women, explanation of relationships in single &
multiple family households and family locations in the 1850 census. This work,
however, is more than a census transcription. Elkhorn Tavern, 1860 is also a
storybook of the families who lived and received their mail at Pea Ridge,
Arkansas that summer before the Civil War began. Families hailed from the states
of North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana,
Illinois and Mississippi to name a few.
The Civil War
This uniquely difficult aspect of Civil War research provides a story in
itself for each household. When the Civil War came to this obscure Arkansas
stage stop in March of 1862, many of the men had already enlisted in some branch
of military service. To that end, Elkhorn Tavern, 1860 also includes the service
records of eligible age males who served in the Civil War with additional
information and notes from family histories, pension applications and other
recollections of period participants.
NEW RELEASE!!!
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53rd Regiment Alabama Volunteer
Cavalry and M. W. Hannons Cavalry Brigade, Army of Tennessee, C.S.A. by Robert G. McLendon, Jr. |
From the Author/Publisher:
The 53rd Alabama
was a mounted unit from its origin. Although it was originally recruited under
the Partisan Ranger Act, it was placed in regular cavalry service after it’s
official designation as a regiment. Serving under such legendary cavalry leaders
as Frank Armstrong, Phillip Roddey, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, John
Herbert Kelly, Alfred Iverson, P. M. B. Young, and Wade Hampton, it saw action
in the hardest fighting from north Alabama, through the Atlanta Campaign, and
into the Carolinas. Hannon’s brigade, consisting of the 53rd Alabama,
24th Batt’n Alabama Cavalry, 11th Georgia Cavalry, and
Roswell (Georgia) Batt’n, faced the enemy for the last time in South Carolina,
ten days after the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Not only is this book the
story of specific cavalry units that served under M. W. Hannon, it is also a
study of Western Theater cavalry in general, as well as a general overview of
activities in and out of the army. ( 577 pages)
To order this book, contact:
Bob McLendon
Conecuh River Depot Military Museum
1305-A South Brundidge St.
PMB 105
Troy, AL 36081
Tel:
(334) 566-8488 or cell: (334) 372-2399
Email: blackhorse43@hotmail.com
Campaigning With General Marmaduke:
Narratives and
Roster of the 8th Missouri Cavalry, CSA
by James E. McGhee
Jim again does an excellent job on this primary source material. Included is everything that appeared on the data cards within the roster. The text is derived from two diaries, which tell of day to day activities of Jeffer's 8th Cavalry. Fully foot-noted and indexed. Soft-cover. $14.95.
Service With The Missouri State Guard
by James E. McGhee
The memoirs of Brigadier General James Harding, the latest offering from Oak Hills Publishing, is the fascinating memoir of a Missouri officer who participated in many tumultuous events in Missouri and Arkansas in 1861-1862. In his detailed account, Harding recalled his service as quartermaster general of the Missouri State Guard, certainly one of the Civil War's most unique organizations. The men of the pro-Southern State Guard fought bravely at Carthage, Wilson's Creek, Lexington and Pea Ridge, demonstrating admirable tenacity while enduring great hardships.
Missouri Confederates:Jim has gathered references to the elusive Confederate records for years and has finally put them in manuscript form for all! The units are broken down by artillery, cavalry, infantry, etc. Then into individual numbered or named forces. Descriptive table of contents and full index has been added for easy searches. Full size format, 8 1/2 x 11 inches. 126 pages of text.
Stoddard GraysThis is a listing of the men of Stoddard County, Missouri who served in various regiments of the Confederate Army. SC 8_ X 11 inches.
Sterling Price's Lieutenants; A Guide to the Officers and Organizationby Richard C. Peterson, James E. McGhee, Kip A. Lindberg, and Keith I. Daleen. Two Trails Publishing, Shawnee Mission, KS.
Voices of the Swamp Fox Brigade: Supplemental Letters, Orders and DocumentsPublished by Blue and Grey Bookshop, Independence, MO, 1999. Map, notes, paperback, 57pp.
If I Should Live: A History of the Sixteenth Arkansas Infantry Regiment From The Book Jacket
"In the fall of 1861. . . over a thousand men gathered to form the ten
companies of the Sixteenth Arkansas Infantry. They were from Carroll,
Johnson, Madison, Pike, Searcy, Van Buren, Washington, and what later
became Logan and Stone Counties. The soldiers fought at Sugar Creek,
Pea Ridge, Corinth, Farmington, Iuka, and Port Hudson. This book tells
their story in a moving narrative interwoven with excerpts from diaries
and letters and notations from original records. . . the author also
supplies an extensive bibliography and an extremely detailed roster of
these brave soldiers. This book is an important addition to the
military history of Arkansas and the Confederacy."
Published by Arkansas Research, P. O. Box 303, Conway, Arkansas 72032 Cost is $ 24.50.
Johnson County, Missouri During the Civil War
Fine history of a war ravaged county in Missouri. Extensive research, maps, notes and bibliography, primarily focusing on the guerrilla actions in Johnson County, Mo.
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Guerrilla Warfare in Civil War
Missouri, 1862 |
The author utilizes both well-known and obscure sources (including military and government records, private accounts, county and other local histories, period and later newspapers, and secondary sources published after the war), to identify which Southern partisan leaders and groups operated in which areas of Missouri, and describe how they operated and how their kinds of warfare evolved. The actions of Southern guerrilla forces and Confederate behind-enemy-lines recruiters are presented chronologically by region so that readers may see the relationship of seemingly isolated events to other events over a period of time in a given area. The counteractions of an array of different types of Union troops fighting guerrillas in Missouri are also covered to show how differences in training, leadership, and experiences affected behaviors and actions in the field.
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Southwest Virginia's Railroad: |
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The Civil War in Appalachia: Collected Essays |
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A Southern Boy in Blue: |
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Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle |
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Politics And Culture of the Civil War Era: |
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Forest Haven Soldiers: |
An amazing
history of the first pioneer veterans of the Sleeping Bear Dunes
National Lakeshore in
"Forest
Haven Soldiers provides stories, period photographs, newspaper
clippings and data about these men that would interest anyone
researching their family roots." - The Bay Area Times.
"Overmyer's keen interest in those soldiers'
lives has taken him across the country researching archives, diaries,
and rare photographs." -
"Leelanau's pipeline to the Civil War" - The Leelanau Enterprise
"Local
writer Leonard G. Overmyer III has written an interesting and
meticulously researched collection of historical vignettes and photos..." - Glen Arbor Sun
"Overmyer
has created a vivid and compelling glimpse into our history. Crammed with rare photographs and
never-before-told stories of local Civil War heroes and pioneers of the
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the book chronicles
participation of area soldiers in the most impassioned, devastating war
in American history." - WHATSUP North Magazine
"Besides being good reading, the wealth of
painstakingly researched and compiled data is a gold mine for
genealogists tracing their ancestral history." - LeeMuse
Newsletter
SHORT AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
: Author Leonard G. Overmyer III grew up
in the Grand Traverse Region of NW lower
Michigan. Having grown up hearing the
genealogical histories of his own family, as well as other pioneers of
his home community, eventually led him to gather information for
"Forest Haven Soldiers" while researching for a Masters Degree. He continues to live in
A history of the German settlement and community around Cole Camp, Missouri, 1830-1950. Contains two chapters on the Civil War in the area; The Battle of Cole Camp and the Guerrilla war in the area. It also includes a large Annex on the Battle of Cole Camp describing research and references; an expansion of the chapter on the battle for more serious students of the Civil War in Missouri. Published by the City of Cole Camp, MO. 1989, 366 pages,hard cover.
Price: $38.00, includes S&H.
Ordering:
The Cole Camp Low German Club
c/o Mildred Heimsoth
P.O. Box 65
Cole Camp, MO 65325
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QUANTRILL OF MISSOURI:
Your purchases, through these links, help to financially support History-Sites.Com. |
From the publisher
One will not find the name of William Clarke Quantrill in the pantheon
of noble Civil War personalities but instead near the top of the list of its
notorious scoundrels. For nearly 150 years he has been scorned as the devil
incarnate, loving -- and loved by -- no one. Most historical accounts portray
him as a sadistic, pitiless, bloodthirsty killer. That image, however, does not
ring true when weighed against the man's wartime accomplishments, contends
author Paul R. Petersen. As Petersen studied the man who affected the conduct of
the war in Missouri more than anyone else, he asked, "How could this so-called
fiend have been a respected schoolteacher? How could he have organized and led
up to four hundred men in the most noted band of guerrilla fighters known to
history? How could he be so hated by his own men and still lead them in the van
of the most renowned battles through Missouri, winning victories over superior
Union forces? Mothers entrusted their sons to him. Others served him as spies.
Women willingly tended his wounded, and his followers even guarded him in
battle. Most of his people were God-fearing farmers... God-fearing, righteous
people who would not have followed a depraved, degenerate, psychotic killer."
Much of the lore about Quantrill that has been accepted as fact was recorded by
those who fought against him during the war. In short, the victors wrote the
history. Although most historians have generally described a benign spirit that
prevailed after the war, this view ignores the long-seated rivalries and
personal feuds that characterized the Kansas-Missouri frontier before the
conflict and fueled the fighting there. In this region of the country, it can be
said that the war began in the mid-1850s, not 1861. The Civil War in Missouri
was vastly different from the set-piece encounters in Virginia and Tennessee.
Here the conflict was personal, and no injury was ever forgotten or forgiven. In
that environment, Quantrill's accomplishments rivaled those of John S. Mosby's
partisan rangers and Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry, but Quantrill's victories
are labeled as massacres, and his men are judged to be murderers. In the end,
after perusing numerous archives and weighing the memoirs of several of
Quantrill's guerrillas, Petersen discovers a vastly different Quantrill than the
man generally described in Civil War scholarship. Instead of a cutthroat, he
finds a leader who assessed the border situation and devised an effective
military solution. The result was what we know now as modern guerrilla warfare.
About the Author
PAUL R. PETERSEN is a lifelong resident of Jackson County, Missouri, near
where William Quantrill lived and his band of guerrillas operated. A highly
decorated officer of the U.S. Marine Corps, Peterson is well equipped to
understand the nature of the warfare that took place in Missouri during and
after the Civil War. He lives in Raytown, Missouri.
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QUANTRILL IN
TEXAS: THE FORGOTTEN CAMPAIGN
Your purchases, through these links, help to financially support History-Sites.Com. |
Product Description
The second of a three-volume work that examines the life of one of the
most controversial figures of the Civil War, Quantrill in Texas: The Forgotten
Campaign documents a part of William C. Quantrill's life and career that has
largely been ignored by historians. Indeed, Quantrill's most unrecognized
accomplishments outside his adopted state of Missouri occurred in Texas, not in
Kansas or Kentucky.
Quantrill in Texas corrects that oversight, carefully exploring for the first
time the places and people associated with the guerrilla leader as he moved
south during the winter to a safer environment in Texas. The result is a
surprising addition to the Quantrill legacy.
His first experience in Texas and his subsequent trips to and from the state
reveal that he became acquainted with the noted personalities who lived there.
His battles and skirmishes along the way increased his reputation among the
citizenry as word spread of his victories throughout the South.
The arrival of Quantrill and his men was welcomed by those who lived in north
Texas. While most historians depict him as resting in exile, he occupied himself
with battling cattle thieves, warding off Indian attacks, hunting down deserters
and draft dodgers, and even quelling riots on behalf of the Confederate cause.
Careful research in the official records, local historical records, and
archaeological excavations reveals that Quantrill and his men thwarted two known
Federal invasions of Texas.
About the Author
Paul R. Petersen is a highly decorated retired officer of the U.S.
Marine Corps and a lifelong resident of Jackson County, Missouri, near where
William Quantrill lived. The author of Quantrill of Missouri: The Making of a
Guerrilla Warrior, he lives in Raytown, Missouri.
New Release!!!
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THE WOMEN WILL
HOWL
Your purchases, through these links, help to financially support History-Sites.Com. |
From the publisher
In July 1864, General William T. Sherman ordered the arrest and
deportation of hundreds of women from the villages of Roswell and New
Manchester, Georgia. Branded traitors for their work in the cotton mills which
supplied much needed material to the Confederacy, these innocent civililians
were torn from their homes and shipped to cities in the North. Drawing on new
material not yet published and an exhaustive search of primary sources, this new
book by Mary Deborah Petite focuses on the tragic events at Roswell and New
Manchester, but encompasses much more. The dramatic story begins with the
founding of the Roswell "colony" in the 1830s and continues through the dark
days of July 1864 to the war's end and the rebuilding of the Roswell mills. The
book includes information on many of the mill workers and explains why the names
and experiences of so many others have been lost to history.
Dispelling myth and mystery, The
Women Will Howl presents a true and accurate history of this unforgettable
story.
I Acted from Principle
- The Civil War Diary of
Dr. William M. McPheeters,
Confederate Surgeon in the Trans Mississippi
edited by Cynthia DeHaven Pitcock and Bill J. Gurley
2003
Winner of the Basil W. Duke Award
from the
Military Order of the Stars and Bars
From the University of
Arkansas Press website:
The first known daily account of the western Civil War by a
Confederate doctor
At the start of the Civil War, Dr. William McPheeters was a distinguished physician in St. Louis, conducting unprecedented public-health research, forging new medical standards, and organizing the state's first professional associations. But Missouri was a volatile border state. Under martial law, Union authorities kept close watch on known Confederate sympathizers. McPheeters was followed, arrested, threatened, and finally, in 1862, given an ultimatum: sign an oath of allegiance to the Union or go to federal prison. McPheeters "acted from principle" instead, fleeing by night to Confederate territory. He served as a surgeon under Gen. Sterling Price and his Missouri forces west of the Mississippi River, treating soldiers' diseases, malnutrition, and terrible battle wounds.
From almost the moment of his departure, the doctor kept a diary. It was a pocket-size notebook which he made by folding sheets of pale blue writing paper in half and in which he wrote in miniature with his steel pen. It is the first known daily account by a Confederate medical officer in the Trans-Mississippi Department. It also tells his wife's story, which included harassment by Federal military officials, imprisonment in St. Louis, and banishment from Missouri with the couple's two small children. The journal appears here in its complete and original form, exactly as the doctor first wrote it, with the addition of the editors' full annotation and vivid introductions to each section.
Cynthia DeHaven Pitcock is a
historian of medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences.
Bill J. Gurley is a Civil War enthusiast and a professor of
pharmacology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
New Release!!!
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The
Burning of Dayton, Missouri - Jan. 1, 1862 |
From the author
Volumes have been written about the Civil War but little had been
written about the important little town of Dayton Missouri, located in extreme
Southern Cass County. Dayton sits on the Cass/ Bates County line, bordered by
the Grand River. During the Civil War, the Dayton Crossing was one of the few
places to cross the Grand River, and was the scene of many skirmishes.
The town of Dayton began in 1857 and by 1860 there were 47 businesses, homes and buildings in the thriving little town. It was a major North/South route for Confederates and Confederate recruiters as well as a major route for Jayhawkers & Union troops into Missouri. The people of the Dayton area saw more than their share of indignities during this period of history, although until recently their story went untold.
The worst of these atrocities happened on January 1, 1862 while the Missouri State Guards were recruiting at the mercantile store in Dayton. When word of the recruiting reached the Kansas leader Jennison, he immediately sent his Jayhawkers to check on the matter. With Daniel Anthony in charge, they were to make an expedition from Morristown, Missouri (near present day Freeman, MO in Cass County) to Rose Hill in Johnson County, Missouri, by way of Dayton Crossing. The Jayhawkers burned the town of Dayton and Columbus on their way to Rose Hill and then returned by way of Harrisonville. Anthony, his two hundred men and a twelve-pound howitzer came into the town of Dayton and burned forty-six houses and buildings. There was only one home left standing in the town, that home belonged to a Union man by the name of William Byler. The home is still there!
In December 2006, Cass County resident, Jackie Polsgrove-Roberts, published a book on the Burning of Dayton, Missouri. This book includes the history leading up to the Civil War, skirmishes during the war in the area and many first hand accounts of the outrages on the people there. For the first time in nearly 150 years, the reader becomes aware of the suffering of the people here, even before General Order Number 11 was issued !
About the author
Jackie Polsgrove-Roberts was born
and raised in Buchanan County, Missouri. She and her husband Jay Roberts are a
husband and wife research team. They are experienced genealogical researchers
with a combined total of over fifty years in the field.
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Cush: A Civil War Memoir
by Samuel H. Sprott, edited by Andrew Quist and Louis Smith
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Cush was a mixture of corn meal, water, and bacon grease cooked over an open fire by confederate soldiers. That the editors have taken this title for the book indicates the emotional impact of Sprott's Civil War Memoirs. Not only do we march and eat this mixture with Sprott, but we witness with him the first execution of confederate deserters, the bewilderment and frustration of battling infantrymen with what they considered the inane orders from above, the bravery-and the foolhardiness-that war inevitably brings. This memoir follows the Sumter regiment from its first training sessions to its duty in Mobile near the war's end.
Samuel H. Sprott was born on June 24, 1840, in Sumter County Alabama. Sprott attended local schools and compleated his education at Barton Academy in Mobile. In the Spring of 1862 Samuel Sprott joined the South Sumter Guards. Sprott enlisted as a private but was quickly elevated to rank of 3rd sergeant by his fellow soldiers. The following year Sprott was promoted to Lieutenant. When he surrenered in Salisbury, North Carolina in May 1865, Sprott had attained the rank of Captain of Company A 40th Alabama Regiment.
After the war, Sprott taught school and studied law. In 1867 he was admitted to the bar and began a practice in Livingston, Alabama. In 1968 Sprott married Leonora Brockway of Gaston, Alabama. They had six children, two sons and four daughters. On April 12, 1916, Samuel Sprott died in Jasper, Alabama, at the home of his eldeset daughter, Mrs. Augusta Belle Long.
This is a war memoir that moves humans to the front lines, rather than battles and strategies. It is a memoir written thirty years after the fact with all the humor, irony, and pathos that one would expect sush a removal to bring. Being aware that three decades would also bring lapses of memory, Sprott enlisted the aid of fellow veterns, who regularly sent emendations to his weekly writings in the local newspaper. The collation and publication of this journal one hundred years later is not only a boon to American Civil War buffs, it is a boon to all Americans as an aid to understanding our own past
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Shock Troops of the Confederacy: |
Book Description
In "Shock Troops of the Confederacy" author Fred Ray narrates the development of the Army of Northern Virginia's sharpshooter battalions and their tactical use on the battlefield. The book also tells the human story of the sharpshooters themselves, who describe in their own words what it was like to be in the thick of battle, on the skirmish line, and at their lonely picket posts.
The book breaks new ground in military history, and in the Civil War, while reinterpreting many of its major battles. Characterized by one reviewer as "the most significant small unit tactical analysis of the Army of Northern Virginia ever written," the book tells the story of the elite group of men who, whether screening Stonewall Jackson's flank march at Chancellorsville or leading the last desperate assault at Fort Stedman, led the Army of Northern Virginia in the advance, protected it at rest, and covered its retreat.
While researching a family history project, author Fred Ray found that one of his ancestors, Lieutenant Jason O. Patton, had commanded a Confederate sharpshooter company. He soon found that although little had been written about them (the last book, written by a former sharpshooter, appeared in 1899), they played an important and sometimes pivotal role in many of the battles and campaigns of 1864 and 1865. By the end of the war the sharpshooters were experimenting with tactics that would become standard practice fifty years later, making them the predecessors of the special operations soldiers of today. Drawn from across the brigade, only the best men were accepted, and any who failed to meet the high standards were sent back to their regiments. All sharpshooters underwent rigorous training in marksmanship and skirmish drill.
The sharpshooters found ready employment in the Overland campaign, in the trenches of Petersburg, and in the fast-moving Shenandoah campaign of 1864. Commanders at Petersburg used them to scout and capture prisoners, and the sharpshooters did much of the fighting in the endless skirmishes of Jubal Early's Valley campaign. As the numbers and quality of the Confederate infantry continued to decline late in the war, the burden of combat fell more and more on the elite sharpshooter battalions.
Making extensive use of unpublished source material, "Shock Troops of the Confederacy" covers the development of the Army of Northern Virginia's sharpshooter battalions, the weapons they used, how they trained with them, and their tactical use on the battlefield. It also tells the human story of the sharpshooters themselves, who describe in their own words what it was like to be in the thick of battle, on the skirmish line, and at their lonely picket posts.
A comprehensive history of
the elite troops of the Confederacy, as well as an essential reference
for historians, enthusiasts, and reenactors.
"A most welcome and long overdue study of a neglected subject." -
Jeffry Wert, author, The Sword Of Lincoln: The Army of the Potomac.
"Tells the story of the Army of Northern Virginia's sharpshooter
battalions for the first time." - Robert K. Krick, author, The
Smoothbore Volley that Doomed the Confederacy.
"Provides our first and most detailed to date look at the development
of the concept and practice of Civil War sharpshooting." - William C.
Davis, author, Look Away! A History of the Confederate States of
America.
"Without doubt the most significant small unit tactical analysis of the
Army of Northern Virginia ever written." - Joseph G. Bilby, author,
Civil War Firearms.
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Spartan Band: |
From the publisher's
website
In Spartan Band (coined from a chaplain's eulogistic
poem) author Thomas Reid traces the Civil War history of the 13th Texas
Cavalry, a unit drawn from eleven counties in East Texas. The cavalry
regiment organized in the spring of 1862 but was ordered to dismount
once in Arkansas. The regiment gradually evolved into a tough,
well-trained unit during action at Lake Providence, Fort De Russy,
Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry, as part of Maj. Gen. John
G. Walker's Texas division in the Trans-Mississippi Department.
Reid researched letters, documents, and diaries gleaned from more than one hundred descendants of the soldiers, answering many questions relating to their experiences and final resting places. He also includes detailed information on battle casualty figures, equipment issued to each company, slave ownership, wealth of officers, deaths due to disease, and the effects of conscription on the regiment's composition.
THOMAS REID teaches history at Lamar University, where he received his Master of Arts degree. Formerly an employee of the Department of the Army, he served six years on active duty and sixteen in the Army Reserve. He lives in Woodville, Texas.
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August Willich's Gallant Dutchmen: |
From the publisher's website
Civil War letters from soldiers serving in a German regiment
Organized by Colonel August Willich, a former Prussian army officer who led troops during the German Revolution of 1848, Indiana’s German 32nd Indiana regiment fought in the Western Theater of the Civil War. The 32nd Indiana forged an enviable combat record on the battlefields at Rowlett’s Station in Kentucky; at Shiloh, Stones River, and Missionary Ridge in Tennessee; and at Chickamauga and Pickett’s Mill in Georgia.
The letters collected here originally appeared in German in wartime issues of German American newspapers. These rare documents connect the contemporary reader to the world of the patriotic immigrant soldier and his hard-fighting regiment, revealing personal motivations, wartime experiences, opinions, ethnic pride, and bravery, as this regiment engaged in some of the most bitter fighting in the West. These gripping letters also provide insight into the social, political, and cultural dimensions of the war and reveal the competing ethnic identities, nativism, and immigrant acculturation of late-nineteenth-century America. The Germans of the 32nd Indiana proved themselves to be “Gallant Dutchmen” in the fight to save the Union.
Gallant Dutchmen is a valuable addition to Civil War studies and will also be welcomed by those interested in ethnic and immigration studies.
Joseph R. Reinhart is an independent scholar who has specialized in Civil War research.
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The Boys Who Feared No Noise |
Published by Beargrass Press on December 21, 2000 in a hardcover book containing 489 pages, 17 territorial maps, 11 battle maps, 41 photos and engravings, endnotes, full roster, and index. Based on more than 90 primary sources and containing a host of quotations and detailed information gleaned from diaries, letters and other documents penned by men who fought in the regiment, this comprehensive history of one of the finest fighting regiments in the Union's main Western army is a must for persons interested in the 6th Kentucky and others interested in Kentucky's Civil War history.
The price is $34.95 plus $3.00 S&H.
To order send check or money
order to:
Beargrass Press
8420 Oxford Woods Court
Louisville, KY 40222
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Two Germans in the Civil War |
John Daeuble’s richly
detailed diary entries and Gottfried Rentschler’s lengthy letters,
written for a German-language newspaper, are important additions to the
still-incomplete mosaic of the Civil War, not only because of their
engaging content but also because they help fill significant voids
created by an almost complete lack of published sources from Kentucky’s
Union soldiers and by the shortage of primary source materials about,
the diary and letters cover the participation of the two immigrants in
the historic battles around Chattanooga, the pursuit of Longstreet’s
corps in East Tennessee, and Sherman’s grueling Atlanta campaign.
Praise for this Book
"Joseph Reinhart has provided us with an invaluable collection of Civil
War soldiers' firsthand accounts. The words of Daeuble and Rentschler
not only offer valuable glimpses into the life of the average soldier
in the Western Theatre, but even more significantly illuminate some of
the differences between German-American and Anglo-American troops.
Expertly translated from the original German, Reinhart's edited
compilation of these important letters and diary entries eloquently
reminds us that the Civil War was not simply a struggle between North
and South, but also a period of competing ethnic identities, nativism,
and immigrant acculturation."—Christian B. Keller, Co-author of Damn
Dutch: Pennsylvania Germans at Gettysburg
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The Defense of Vicksburg: A Louisiana
Chronicle |
From the Texas
A&M University Press Consortium Website:
The Defense of Vicksburg is the story of the Louisiana
soldiers who fought at Vicksburg, as told through their letters,
diaries, and remembrances. Most histories of this famous Civil War
siege have been written by the victors; this one presents a day-by-day
account from the Confederate vantage point. Indeed, these long-dead men
come to life as we read their experiences and perceptions told in their
own voices, which ring clear and true.
In 1862 the Dixie Rebels of DeSoto Parish left for New Orleans. They and other Louisianians were formed into regiments and dispatched to Vickbsurg. In the year that followed, the troops witnessed the shelling of Vicksburg by Union gunboats, the outbreak of disease, the lonely heroics of the Confederate ironclad Arkansas, the daily drudgery of camp life, and Jeff Davis’s visit to the beleaguered city.
With immediacy and in riveting detail, several correspondents describe daily life in the trenches from their individual perspectives during each of the forty-seven days of the siege. And their stories do not end with the capitulation of the city. An epilogue follows the troops as they return home and then continue their service for the balance of the war. Their experiences transcended their own worlds, and these young men of Louisiana still have something important to tell us.
ALLAN C. RICHARD, JR., and MARY MARGARET RICHARD are graduates of Louisiana Tech and live in Shreveport, Louisiana. Active in several historic organizations and societies, they share a mutual love of history and the Civil War.
N
ew Release!!!
Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand:
The
Renowned Missouri Bushwhacker
Edited by Kirby Ross
From the publisher's
website
Most Civil War historians now agree that the guerrilla
conflict shaped the entire war in significant ways. Some of these
"bushwhackers"--Forrest, Quantrill, Mosby--have become quite famous.
Illiterate Sam Hildebrand, one of Missouri's most notorious
guerrillas--often compared to "Rob Roy" and the subject of dime
novels--was one of the few to survive the war and have his story taken
down and published. Shortly after this he was killed in a barroom
brawl.
Hildebrand's reign of terror gave the Union army fits and kept much of Trans-Mississippi, especially Missouri, roiling in the 1860s. Over seven years of fighting he and his men killed dozens of soldiers and civilians, whites and blacks; he claimed to have killed nearly one hundred himself. He was accused of many heinous acts.
The historical significance of Hildebrand's story is substantial, but his bloody tale is eminently readable and stands quite well on its own as a cold-blooded portrait of a violent time in American history. Hildebrand's world is truly ruthless and his story brutally descriptive in its cooly detached rendering of one man's personal war.
Published in 1870, Hildebrand's autobiography has long been out of print and has been a rare and highly prized acquisition among Civil War historians and enthusiasts.
“A superb modern edition of a rare 1870 imprint . . . a vivid impression of a boastfully murderous mentality unique in Civil War historiography.”
Michael Fellman, author of The Making of Robert E. Lee and Inside War: The Guerrilla Conflict in Missouri During the American Civil War
“This is a must
book for all interested in separating the fact from fiction regarding
Civil War guerrilla warfare and those who waged it.”
Albert Castel, author of William Clarke Quantrill: His Life and Times
“An exciting ‘read’ combined with the truth behind Hildebrand’s story.”
—Robert
R. Mackey, author of
The Uncivil War: Irregular Warfare in the Upper South, 1861–1865
Author/historian Kirby Ross is the recipient of a Kansas Governor’s Proclamation for his first book, The True Life Wild West Memoir of a Bush-popping Cow Waddy. He is a feature writer for the online magazine CivilWarStLouis.com and lives in Kirwin, Kansas.
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Missouri Civil War Reader, Volume 1 |
From the Civil War St.
Louis Website:
Volume I includes:
The Fight for Missouri by Thomas L. Snead, 1886
The Struggle for Missouri by John McElroy, 1909
The Story of a Border City During the Civil War by Galusha
Anderson, 1908
The Crisis by Winston Churchill, 1901
Basil Duke in Missouri by Gen. Basil Wilson Duke, 1911
and, as a bonus
selection, the extremely rare
The Brown-Reynolds Duel: A Complete Documentary Chronicle of the
Last Bloodshed Under the Code Between St. Louisans,
by the
Franklin Club of St. Louis, edited with an explanatory narrative by
Walter B. Stevens, 1911
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Noted Guerillas and a Terrible
Quintette
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From the Civil War
St. Louis Website:
"Noted Guerrillas, or the Warfare of the Border", John N. Edwards,
1877, 488 Pages, 26 illustrations.
Quantrill (“Quantrell”), Bloody Bill Anderson, George Todd, Arch Clements, Fletch Taylor, Jesse James, Frank James, Cole Younger, John Jarrette, Arthur C. McCoy, John Thrailkill —they’re all here, described by a man who knew them. Hundreds of desperate battles, big and small, are described, including the sack of Lawrence, Kansas, the Centralia massacre, and the deaths of Quantrill, Bloody Bill Anderson, and George Todd.
Noted Guerrillas is a genealogist’s dream, with names of lesser-known individual Civil War participants flying thick and fast all over the place.
Unlike some reprints that have been offered of Noted Guerrillas, our edition contains all of the original illustrations, scanned at high quality.
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Confederate Women of Missouri
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From the Civil War St.
Louis Website:
Includes:
“Reminiscences of the Women of Missouri During the Sixties”, Various
authors, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Missouri Division, 1913.
Two Photos (Mary J. Louden & Margaret McLure) not in original
publication that are new for this edition.
and
"Order No. 11", Caroline Abbot Stanley, 1904, fictional
novel, 420 Original Pages, 4 illustrations by Harry C. Edwards.
Along the Road to Glory
by Anthony Rushing
1,000 Saline County Confederate Soldiers and histories of their regiments and companies. 103 pages, maps
Ranks of HonorA Regimental History of the Eleventh Arkansas Infantry Regiment and Poe's Cavalry Battalion, C.S.A., 1861-1865 (Out of Print);Little Rock: Eagle Press, 1990, maps, illustrations, index. Primarily made up of companies from Saline, Ouachita, Hot Spring, Columbus & Hempstead Counties, AR.
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Rain, Mud and Swamps: |
Book Description
My book is about the 31st Missouri Infantry Regiment during America's
Civil War. They were part of the 1st and at times the 3rd Brigades, 1st
Division, 15th Army Corps. They were a Federal unit that fought at
Vicksburg Mississippi, Atlanta Campaign in Georgia, Lookout Mountain
and Missionary Ridge Tennessee, March to the Sea, March through South
Carolina and North Carolina and were in the Grand Review in Washington
D.C. There are quotes in it from the diaries, letters, unpublished
manuscripts, period newspaper articles and Official Records. Major
General Peter J. Osterhaus' 1864 diary is quoted. The diary of Colonel
A. J. Seay 32nd Missouri Infantry Regiment is quoted. Colonel Seay
became the Colonel of the 31st Missouri Infantry Regiment when the 31st
Missouri and the 32nd Missouri Infantry Regiment were consolidated into
a six company Battalion in November 11, 1864. Also quoted is the
following. January-March 1865 diary of my great-great Grandfather
Private Fielding Jenkins Smith of Company F. Letters of Private Henry
Kuck Company G, German immigrant to his wife in Carondelet, Missouri.
Diary of Lieutenant William H. Lynch Company I 32nd Missouri Infantry
and some more references of men in the regiment or in one way or
another affiliated with the regiments. There are 20 photos, 20 maps and
a complete roster of men in the regiment. There are nineteen chapters
and each chapter is titled after the battles they were in except
Chapter 1 and Chapter 19.
About the Author
I am the great-great Grandson of Fielding Jenkins Smith who was a
Private in Company F, 31st Missouri Infantry Regiment. As my
great-great Grandfather, I grew up near what is now called Bland,
Missouri and now live within forty-five miles of Bland. I graduated
Bland High School in 1970 and attended Southwest Missouri State
University for one year. I have been married to my wife, Mary, for 29
years. We have three children and three grandsons. I have been employed
at Daimler-Chrysler in Fenton, Missouri for 28 years. I have always
been interested in the Civil War and love to read or watch almost
anything that has to do with any part of American Military History.
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Sixty-Six Miles In Thirty-Nine Hours |
Book Description
History of the retreat from Fort Davidson to Leasburg Missouri.
General Thomas Ewing and the Union force surrounded at Fort Davidson in
Pilot Knob, Missouri escaped the Confederate forces of General Sterling
Price on September 28, 1864. They made their escape being closely
followed by the cavalry divisions of Major General John S. Marmaduke and Brigadier General Jo Shelby.
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Twenty-Seventh Louisiana Volunteer Infantry
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From the publisher
The Twenty-seventh
Louisiana Volunteer Infantry was the first infantry division assigned to the
defense of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Inspired by his great-grandfather, Burlin
Moore Scriber, who served as a corporal in the Louisiana Infantry’s Company B,
the author documents the undaunting courage of this regiment during the
forty-seven-day siege by Union soldiers before the surrender of Vicksburg.
Mr. Scriber, graduating at the top of the 1992 class of the Louisiana Peace
Officers Standards and Training Academy, is a former deputy sheriff of Orleans
Parish, Louisiana. His career as a security, safety, and loss-prevention manager
includes serving as the security manager for the Queen of New Orleans/Hilton
Flamingo Casino and the security and loss-prevention manager for Jazzland Theme
Park/Six Flags New Orleans. He is a member of the American Society of Industrial
Security and the National Association of Chiefs of Police. A native of
Louisiana, he and his wife currently reside in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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The Fourth Louisiana Battalion in the Civil War: |
Description
The first section of this book follows the Fourth
Louisiana Battalion from Louisiana’s secession through Richmond, South
Carolina’s coastal defense, Vicksburg, the campaigns of the Army of Tennessee,
and the final surrender at Gainesville, Alabama. The second section is a
detailed biographical register covering commanding officers, staff, color
bearers and soldiers who served the battalion. Information for each man includes
military record, civilian history, pension information and burial location.
About the Author
Freelance security consultant Terry G. Scriber and his wife
Theresa Arnold-Scriber both reside in Knoxville, Tennessee. They are the
authors of Ship Island, Mississippi (2008).
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EW RELEASE!!!|
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Ship Island, Mississippi: |
From the Publisher
Ship Island was used as a French base of operations for Gulf Coast maneuvers and
later, during the War of 1812, by the British as a launching point for the
disastrous Battle of New Orleans. But most memorably, Ship Island served as a
Federal prison under the command of Union Major-General Benjamin F. Butler
during the Civil War. This volume traces this fascinating and somewhat sinister
history of Ship Island, which lies about 12 miles off the Mississippi Gulf
Coast. After discussing the impact that early Southern abandonment of the island
ultimately had on the course of the war, it describes the unhealthy atmosphere
and inhumane treatment of prisoners, which earned Butler the nickname of 'The
Beast." The main focus of the book, however, is a series of rosters of the men
imprisoned. Organized first by the state in which the soldier enlisted and then
by the company in which he served, entries are listed alphabetically by last
name and include information such as beginning rank; date and place of
enlistment; date and place of capture; physical characteristics; and, where
possible, the fate and postwar occupation of the prisoner. A list of Union
soldiers who died while serving on garrison duty is also provided.
Pea Ridge : Civil War Campaign in the
West
by William L. Shea and Earl J. Hess
From the University of
North Carolina Press
The 1862 battle of Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas was one of the
largest Civil War engagements fought on the western frontier, and it
dramatically altered the balance of power in the Trans-Mississippi.
This study of the battle is based on research in archives from
Connecticut to California and includes a pioneering study of the
terrain of the sprawling battlefield, as well as an examination of
soldiers' personal experiences, the use of Native American troops, and
the role of Pea Ridge in regional folklore.
"A model campaign history that merits recognition as a major contribution to the literature on Civil War military operations."--Journal of Military History
"Shines welcome light on the war's largest battle west of the Mississippi."--USA Today
"With its exhaustive research and lively prose style, this military study is virtually a model work of its kind."--Publishers Weekly
"A thoroughly researched and well-told account of an important but often neglected Civil War encounter."--Kirkus Reviews
"Offers the rich tactical detail, maps, and order of battle that military scholars love but retains a very readable style combined with liberal use of recollections of the troops and leaders involved."--Library Journal
"This book is assured of a place among the best of all studies that have been published on Civil War campaigns."--American Historical Review
"Destined to become a Civil War classic and a model for writing military history."--Civil War History
"A campaign study of a caliber that all should strive for and few will equal."--Journal of American History
"An excellent and detailed book in all accounts, scholarly and readable, with both clear writing and excellent analysis. . . . Utterly essential . . . for any serious student of the Civil War."--Civil War News
War in the West : Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove
In early 1862 Union forces
under Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis drove Confederate forces out of
Missouri and into Arkansas. This history details the Confederates' two
failed attempts to recover the border state that year, at two rocky
battlefields atop the Ozark plateau in northwestern Arkansas: Pea Ridge
and Prairie Grove.
From McWhiney Foundation Press
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Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle
for the Mississippi River
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The struggle for control of the Mississippi River was the longest and most complex campaign of the Civil War. It was marked by an extraordinary diversity of military and naval operations, including fleet engagements, cavalry raids, amphibious landings, pitched battles, and the two longest sieges in American history. Every existing type of naval vessel, from sailing ship to armored ram, played a role, and military engineers practiced their art on a scale never before witnessed in modern warfare. Union commanders such as Grant, Sherman, Farragut, and Porter demonstrated the skills that would take them to the highest levels of command. When the immense contest finally reached its climax at Vicksburg and Port Hudson in the summer of 1863, the Confederacy suffered a blow from which it never recovered. Here was the true turning point of the Civil War.
This fast-paced, gripping narrative of the Civil War struggle for the Mississippi River is the first comprehensive single-volume account to appear in over a century. Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle for the Mississippi River tells the story of the series of campaigns the Union conducted on land and water to conquer Vicksburg and of the many efforts by the Confederates to break the siege of the fortress. William L. Shea and Terrence J. Winschel present the unfolding drama of the campaign in a clear and readable style, correct historic myths along the way, and examine the profound strategic effects of the eventual Union victory.
William L. Shea is a professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He is the coauthor of Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West. Terrence J. Winschel is a historian at Vicksburg National Military Park. His books include Triumph and Defeat: The Vicksburg Campaign.
From University of Nebraska Press
Blessed Are The Peacemakers
by Joe W. Smith
From the McCleery & Sons Publishing website:
Blessed Are The Peacemakers is a rousing tale of adventure that exceeds even the scope of "The Outlaw Josey Wales," one of the classic books about guerrilla warfare in the Trans-Mississippi. The book traces the heroic and tragic tale of Rit Gatlin from his enlistment in the Confederate Army in Little Rock, to his tragic loss of a leg in a Kentucky battle, and his subsequent return to the Ozarks. This could have been an entire book by itself, but it is merely the beginning as Rit becomes engaged in guerrilla warfare against ruthless raiders who follow no flag but their own. Rit becomes involved with a Cherokee warrior who left the Trail of Tears to find a home in the Ozarks, an escaped slave of Zulu heritage and another runaway slave who joins the Union army and confronts his former master.
The narrative also features authentic historical personages, including Wild Bill Hickok, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and Major Jacob Wolf, a Prewar Indian agent (who built the oldest house still standing in Arkansas.)
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The Stone's River
Campaign 26 December 1862 - 5 January 1863 by Lanny Kelton Smith
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From the Author
Limited to 330 copies, this 732 page volume is a detailed study of the Union
forces in the Stone’s River Campaign. It is the culmination of almost six years
of exhaustive and meticulous research, rich in primary source material, and
extensively footnoted. The book is so structured that it can be read as a
narrative or used as a quick reference. The movements and actions of units down
to and including the regimental level are covered in detail. The topographical
sketch of the battlefield by Captain Nathaniel Milcher, Chief of Topographical
Engineers, Fourteenth Army Corps, was used for a general map of the battlefield
as well as for forty-five other maps that accompany the text.
This work covers and includes several important actions in the battle that heretofore have been glossed over or completely ignored. It also does away with long established myths and inaccuracies that have come to be accepted as fact. No effort was spared to provide an unbiased account and to avoid "ifs." Whenever uncertainty regarding an event or situation was encountered, the author followed the direction that available evidence pointed, with the reader recognizing such by the frequent use of "evidently" or "apparently."
The appendices includes the organization of the Fourteenth Army Corps and its losses, along with information on treatment of the wounded and burial of the dead.. In the index, with personal names are included their rank and the unit to which they belonged.
A second volume covering the Army of Tennessee in the Stone’s River campaign will follow, and at this time is well along.
Note: Hardcover - 723 Pages (Blue Cloth - Gold Lettering) Self-Published ISBN: 978-1-56837-407-9 Dimensions: 11.25 x 8.75 x 1.75 inches Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
Ordering Information: The book is $60.00 plus $4.00 S & H. Please make check or money order payable to Lanny K. Smith and mail to:
Lanny K. Smith
697 Redbud Lane
Jasper, TX 75951
For additional information, please feel free to contact the author at: lannysmith1861@hotmail.com
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No Such Army Since the Days of Julius Caesar:
Sherman's Carolinas Campaign from Fayetteville to Averasboro (Discovering Civil War America) by Mark A. Smith and Wade Sokolosky |
Book Description
General William T. Sherman's 1865 Carolinas Campaign receives scant
attention from most Civil War historians, largely because it was overshadowed by
the Army of Northern Virginia's final campaign against the Army of the Potomac.
However, a careful examination of this campaign indicates that few armies in all
of military history accomplished more under more adverse conditions than did
Sherman's.
Mark A. Smith and Wade Sokolosky, both career military officers, lend their
professional eye to the critical but often overlooked run-up to the seminal
Battle of Bentonville, covering March 11-16, 1865. Beginning with the capture of
Fayetteville and the demolition of the Arsenal there, Smith and Sokolosky
chronicle the Battle of Averasboro in greater detail than ever tackled before in
this, the third volume of Ironclad's "The Discovering Civil War America Series."
In the two-day fight at Averasboro, Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee's Corps conducted
a brilliantly planned and well-executed defense in depth that held Sherman's
juggernaut in check for two full days. Having accomplished his objective, Hardee
then broke off and disengaged. This delay permitted General Joseph E. Johnston
to concentrate his forces in preparation for what became the Battle of
Bentonville. The book includes new maps, abundant illustrations, and a detailed
driving and walking tour for dedicated battlefield stompers.
Southerners in Blue: They Defied the
Confederacy
by Don Umphrey
Cracks in the Confederacy
usually don’t show up in American History 101 or even 102. But they are
what the author discovered when doing research on his great-grandfather
in the Civil War. Though this ancestor lived in Alabama, he and many of
his neighbors were called Tories because of their allegiance to a
strong Union. Hostilities grew as these Union-minded southerners balked
at serving in the Confederate army. Some donned Union uniforms and
subsequently paid the ultimate price for their convictions. When these
men went off to the Union army, their families suffered as Confederates
confiscated their belongings. As the war heated up, individuals
committed atrocities against people they’d known for years. The
conflict was truly neighbor-to-neighbor. Lawlessness finally reigned as
the families of both Confederate and Union soldiers were terrorized.
Animosities were so great when the war was over, most survivors
wouldn’t talk about what had happened. The silence continued for
generations. The author spent some eight years piecing together this
true story. He used his great-grandfather’s written memories and many,
often obscure documents
A true story...
The amazing and miraculous true story of Clyde Thompson. He killed two men when he was 17 years old. The year was 1928 and the place was rural west Texas. He was nearly lynched while awaiting trial and then was sent to death row.
Thompson’s killing streak didn’t stop there. Nor did his desire to escape from prison. Prison officials finally gave him The Meanest Man in Texas moniker, and the prison chaplain said he was a man without a soul. Without hope, Thompson reached out for help. Then his life started to change.
New Release!!!
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Hell's Broke Loose in Georgia: |
From the University of Georgia
Press website:
A new kind of regimental history that reveals soldiers’ inner
struggles and longings
"Darling, I never wanted to gow home as bad in my life as I doo now and if they don’t give mee a furlow I am going any how." Written in December 1862 by Private Wright Vinson in Tennessee to his wife, Christiana, in Georgia, these lines go to the heart of why Scott Walker wrote this history of the Fifty-seventh Georgia Infantry, a unit of the famed Mercer’s Brigade.
All but a few members of the Fifty-seventh lived within a close radius of eighty miles from each other. More than just an account of their military engagements, this is a collective biography of a close-knit group. Relatives and neighbors served and died side by side in the Fifty-seventh, and Walker excels at showing how family ties, friendships, and other intimate dynamics played out in wartime settings. Humane but not sentimental, the history abounds in episodes of real feeling: a starving soldier’s theft of a pie; another’s open confession, in a letter to his wife, that he may desert; a slave’s travails as a camp orderly.
Drawing on memoirs and a trove of unpublished letters and diaries, Walker follows the soldiers of the Fifty-seventh as they push far into Unionist Kentucky, starve at the siege of Vicksburg, guard Union prisoners at the Andersonville stockade, defend Atlanta from Sherman, and more. Hardened fighters who would wish hell on an incompetent superior but break down at the sight of a dying Yankee, these are real people, as rarely seen in other Civil War histories.
Scott Walker is the pastor of First Baptist Church of Waco, Texas. His great-great-grandfather was a member of the Fifty-seventh Georgia Infantry.
Brilliant Victory:
The book chronicles the successful raid led by Confederate brigadier generals Richard M. Gano and Stand Watie. On September 19, 1864, their rag tag force consisting of 2,000 Texas and Indian troops, surprised and captured a Union supply train of 300 wagons, including 1,800 mules and horses at the Cabin Creek station, Cherokee Nation. Watie and Gano’s men made it safely back to the Confederate lines with 130 wagons filled with much need supplies and 740 mules. The captured supplies were later estimated to have been worth more than $1.5 million in 1864 dollars. In a congratulatory order published in October of 1864, Lieutenant General Edmund Kirby-Smith, the commander of all Confederate forces west of the Mississippi River, noted the success of "one of the most brilliant raids of the entire war." Watie, Gano and their respective commands received a special commendation from the Confederate Congress in January of 1865 for the capture of the wagon train.
Warren documents the events leading up to the capture of the wagon train at Cabin Creek, including the battle at Flat Rock, which occurred north of present-day Wagoner, Oklahoma. At Flat Rock, black soldiers of Company K, First Kansas Colored Infantry were massacred by the bloodthirsty Confederate troops.
The author also writes about the Union forces attempt to recapture the wagon train at Pryor Creek. "It’s a great story," Warren said. "It’s amazing what Watie and Gano’s men accomplished. The Texans and Indians didn’t really trust one another, and yet they worked together to go far behind enemy lines and capture a very valuable wagon train."
An authority on the Civil War battles at Cabin Creek, Warren has made presentations to historical and genealogical groups throughout Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas. Currently, Warren is writing a screenplay about the Cabin Creek battle. This is his first book, but it’s not his first project on the Civil War in Indian Territory. In 1992, Warren and Rick Harding of Bartlesville, Oklahoma released the 90-minute television documentary "Last Raid at Cabin Creek," which Warren wrote and co-produced. Videotapes of the program have been sold to libraries across the country. The videotape has also been successful in the home video market. The documentary has won numerous awards, including recognition from the state of Oklahoma. The program was added to the collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of American History in 1998.
The book is hardback, 8½" by 11", 230 pages with photographs, maps, appendices and index, ISBN 0-944619-665. The book also features the partial war diary of Richard M. Gano, highlighting his early service in the early Indian Wars on the Texas plains and as the Lieutenant Colonel of the 7th Kentucky Cavalry, which was attached under General John Hunt Morgan’s command.
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A History of Southern Missouri and
Northern Arkansas:
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From the publisher
Originally published in 1907 and now reprinted for the first
time, this is the only account published by a Union guerrilla in the
border region of the central Ozarks, where political and civil violence
lasted from the Civil War well into the 1880s.
There were probably many people who wanted to shoot Billy Monks. He was
a Union patriot and skilled guerrilla fighter to some, but others
called him a bushwhacker, a murderer, and a thief. His was a very
personal combat: he commanded, rallied, arrested, killed, quarreled
with, and sued people he knew. His life provides a striking example of
the cliché that the war did not end in 1865, but continued
fiercely on several fronts for another decade as partisan factions
settled old scores and battled for local political control.
This memoir was Monks’s last salvo at his old foes, by turns
self-defense and an uncompromising affirmation of the Radical Union
cause in the Ozarks. The editors include a new biographical sketch of
the author, fill in gaps in his narrative, identify all the people and
places to which he refers, and offer a detailed index. Monks himself
illustrated the volume with staged photographs of key events re-created
by aged comrades who appear to have been just barely able to hoist the
muskets they hold as props.
“A riveting story and a valuable research tool.”
—Daniel Sutherland, Civil War in the West series editor
“William Monks’s compelling memoir of the Civil War and its
aftermath in Missouri and Arkansas contains little about marching
armies and set-piece battles, but it presents a fascinating account of
ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times. Here is a glimpse of
the real war in the Trans-Mississippi where arson and ambuscades were
commonplace events and everyone had a score to settle.”
—William Shea,
co-author of Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West (North Carolina,
1992).
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A History of the 31st Georgia
Volunteer Infantry: |
This new regimental history of an outstanding combat unit is based on a wide array of primary source material. Mr. White's meticulous research has uncovered soldiers' letters, newspaper accounts, diaries, pension records, magazine articles and other obscure material. From this tapestry of rich resources, Mr. White has detailed the history of the gallant 31st Georgia Infantry. An extensive roster follows the text. Initially organized in November 1861 to defend Georgia's threatened coast, the 31st Georgia Volunteer Infantry would see its active service with the Lawton-Gordon-Evans brigade, probably the largest such command in the entire Confederate army. As part of Stonewall Jackson's Foot Cavalry, the regiment distinguished itself the first year at Cold Harbor, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg and Fredericksburg. Led by Clement A. Evans, it received formal commendations for spearheading the dramatic recapture of Marye's Heights during the Chancellorsville Campaign. Colonel Evans lowered the Stars and Stripes flying over York, Pennsylvania, just prior to his command's actions the first day at Gettysburg, where Jubal Early reportedly called it the bravest regiment he had ever seen. The 31st Georgia in 1864 was heavily engaged in the series of battles at Wilderness and Spotsylvania; it also participated in Early's Valley Campaign with action at Monocacy, Kernstown, Third Winchester and Cedar Creek. It was part of the vanguard in the daring assault on Fort Stedman, the last major offensive by the Army of Northern Virginia. Only 66 from the regiment were armed and in the line of battle at Appomattox Court House, where some of the members are believed to have fired the last rounds of the war; they were in combat, even as Lee was surrendering to Grant. Of the 1,179 men and boys known to have belonged to the Columbus, Georgia, based organization, 365 died in the service, a 31% mortality rate.
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Remembering Georgia's Confederates |
Dr. David N. Wiggins, author of the celebrated Carroll and Haralson Counties in Vintage Postcards, has compiled this pictorial tribute to his home state’s Confederate legacy. The volume features vintage images of many of Georgia’s soldiers—famous and lesser-known, young and old, survivors and those who never returned. Other views depict survivors in their later years, at postwar gatherings, memorial services, parades, and dedications that reunited them.
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Georgia's Confederate Monuments and
Cemeteries |
About the Author
Dr. David N. Wiggins, the author of Carroll and Haralson Counties in
Vintage Postcards and Remembering Georgia’s Confederates, has compiled
this pictorial tribute to the memory of Georgians who represented his
beloved home state while in the service of the Confederate States of
America. The author presents what he believes to be the most complete
listing of Georgia Confederate monuments and cemeteries published to
date and shares many images previously unpublished.
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Soldiers of the Southern Cross: |
FROM THE AUTHOR
A 334
page indexed military history with rosters and information on over
3,000 Confederate soldiers from Tallapoosa County, Alabama and the
organizations with which they were associated. Includes previously
unpublished wartime letters and 14 wartime photographs. Documents the
killed, wounded, and captured, as well as those who died from sickness
- at least 828 Tallapoosa County soldiers died during the war from
various causes. The product of over ten years exhaustive research using
mostly primary source material, it is an excellent resource for
genealogists, Civil War historians and anyone interested in the history
of east central Alabama. Provides background information on the social
and political culture of the county in 1860, and chronicles the
military events which effected the people of the county both at home
and at the front. Documents Lt-Colonel Michael J. Bulger’s role with
the 47th Alabama at Little Round Top, and describes the skirmish at
Stowe’s Ferry during Rousseau’s Raid in 1864 - among other events. Soft
cover, 11 x 14.5 inches, perfect bound 60lb acid free stock.
Copyrighted and privately published by the author. Not available in
bookstores, limited quantity available.
Books can be purchased directly from the author for $35.00 each, plus $4.00 for shipping. Personal checks or money orders accepted.
Mail to:
William Gregory Wilson
PO Box 1420
Alexander City, Alabama 35011
gwilson38801@yahoo.com
New Book Listing!!!
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Virginia Regimental History Series Index A-D
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Index to the Virginia Regimental History
Series, with introduction and key to units and geography. 1st of 4 volumes.
New Book Listing!!!
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Virginia Regimental History Series Index,
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Continuation of the index to the Virginia Regimental History Series, Volume II, surnames E to L.
New Book Listing!!!
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Virginia Regimental History Series Index,
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Continuation of the index for the Virginia
Civil War Regimental History Series
New Book Listing!!!
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Virginia Regimental History Series Index,
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Final volume of the index to the Virginia
Regimental History Series, covering surnames R to Z. Total size of this index
is 2789 pages.
New Book Listing!!!
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6th Battalion Confederate Cavalry
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This is a history of the 6th Battalion
Confederate Cavalry, a unit composed of men from Virginia and Kentucky. This
unit operated in Southwest Virginia; participated in Wheeler's Raid in October
1863; accompanied John Hunt Morgan on his last Kentucky raid, and remained behind
the lines to disrupt Federal Army operation in Kentucky during the last nine
months of the American Civil War. This book is referenced, and includes a detailed
roster of the men who served in it.
New Book Listing!!!
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McRae's Battalion North Carolina Cavalry
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McRae's Battalion North Carolina Cavalry operated in western North Carolina during the Civil War, primarily as the Confederate government's agent in suppressing dissent, and enforcing the Conscript Act. Troops were recruited from Alleghany, Ashe, Burke, and other western North Carolina Counties.
New Book Listing!!!
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French's Battalion Virginia Infantry
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A brief, but comprehensive history of this short-lived Confederate unit is presented for your consideration. Led by Wise County, Virginia lawyer, James Milton French, and recruited from the remnants of the Virginia State Line, French's Battalion survived about two months. Captured almost en masse in their first engagement at Pikeville, Kentucky in April 1863, these men were sent to Camp Chase, Ohio. After being exchanged later in the year, most joined Clarence Prentice's 7th Battalion Confederate Cavalry.
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Gettysburg's
Forgotten Cavalry Actions:
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"We
Have It Damn Hard Out Here":
The Civil War
Letters of Sergeant Thomas W. Smith,
6th Pennsylvania Cavalry
by Eric J. Wittenburg
67 insightful letters by a sergeant of one of the finest volunteer cavalry regiments of the Civil War
One
of Custer's Wolverines:
The Civil War
Letters of Brigadier General
James H. Kidd, 6th Michigan Cavalry
by Eric J. Wittenburg
Known primarily for his 1876 defeat at Little Big Horn, George Armstrong
Custer is receiving renewed interest for his successful Civil War generalship.
He led the Michigan Cavalry Brigade in more than sixty battles and skirmishes.
Forming perhaps the finest single cavalry brigade in the war, these soldiers proved
themselves and earned the nickname of “Custer’s Wolverines.”
Among the Wolverines was James Harvey Kidd. A newspaperman by training, Kidd wrote
long, eloquent letters to his friends and family in which he detailed the conditions
and experiences of life in the field.
Under
Custer's Command:
The Civil War
Journal of James Henry Avery
by Eric J. Wittenburg
George Armstrong Custer's fabled Fifth Regiment fought with great distinction throughout the war and suffered the third highest total of men killed in the entire Union cavalry. A twenty-four year old farmer from Hopkins, Michigan, named James Henry Avery was one of Custer's feared "wolverines." Besides eloquently describing his personal experiences, Sergeant Avery's wartime journals and postwar reminiscences provide uniquely detailed descriptions of Civil War cavalry movements and the only known account that addresses the escape elements of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry on the first day of the Battle of Trevilian Station.
At
Custer's Side:
The Civil
War Writings of James Harvey Kidd
by Eric J. Wittenburg
A companion volume to One of Custer's Wolverines. Includes Kidd's post-war writings.
Glory
Enough for All:
Sheridan's
Second Raid and the
Battle ofTrevilian Station
by Eric J. Wittenburg
After the ferocious fighting at Cold Harbor, Virginia, in June, 1864, Union Lieut.
Gen. Ulysses S. Grant ordered his cavalry, commanded by Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan,
to distract the Confederate forces opposing the Army of the Potomac. GLORY ENOUGH
FOR ALL chronicles the battle that resulted when Confederate cavalry pursued and
caught their Federal foes at Trevilian Station, Virginia--perhaps, the only truly
decisive cavalry battle of the American Civil War. Eric J. Wittenberg tells the
stories of the men who fought there, including eight Medal of Honor winners and
Confederate who death at Trevilian Station made him the third of three brothers
to die in the service of Company A of the 4th Virginia Cavalry. It also addresses
the little-known but critical cavalry battle at Simaria (St. Mary's) Church on
June 24, 1864, where Union Brig. Gen. David M. Gregg's division was nearly destroyed.
The only modern strategic analysis of the battle, GLORY ENOUGH FOR ALL challenges
prevailing interpretations of General Sheridan and of the Union cavalry. Eric
J. Wittneberg shows that the outcome of Trevilian Station ultimately prolonged
Grant's efforts to end the Civil War.
With
Sheridan in the Final Campaign Against Lee
by Frederic
C. Newhall; Edited by Eric J. Wittenburg
After enlisting in the elite Sixth Pennsylvania
Cavalry Regiment of the Army of the Potomac, Frederick Newhall (1840-1898) quickly
rose to company commander and eventually to provost marshal and assistant adjutant
general at Cavalry Corps headquarters. There, riding alongside Major General
Philip H. Sheridan- the dynamic, inspirational bantam who led the Union cavalry
to glory in 1864 and 1865-Newhall witnessed the inner workings of Union cavalry
operations and many of the important events that spurred the end of the Civil
War. A highly intelligent observer, he published the details of his experiences
in 1866, before time could dull his memory. This new edition of Newhall's memoir,
carefully edited by Eric J. Wittenberg, makes his revealing eyewitness account
widely available once again.
Newhall had both Sheridan's ear and confidence during the campaign from Petersburg
to Appomattox in April 1865. He was sent by the general to convey information
directly to Ulysses S. Grant and George Meade, and he was present with Sheridan
during Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Loyal to the last,
Newhall vigorously defended Sheridan's controversial relief of Major General
G.K. Warren from command of the Fifth Corps after the Battle of Five Forks on
April 1, 1865.
Wittenberg has carefully transcribed and annotated Newhall's original text,
adding maps, photographs, a preface, a biographical sketch of Newhall, an order
of battle, and a selected bibliography. He also includes the text of a pamphlet
that Warren printed defending himself and criticizing Sheridan, and Newhall's
response to it.
An enlightening insider's view of Union leadership during the Civil War's denouement,
Wittenberg's excellent edition of Newhall's lively and descriptive commentary
rescues an important and informative perspective from the vault of history.
Protecting
the Flanks:
Then Battles
for Brinkerhoff's Ridge and
East Cavalry Field, Battle of Gettysburg,
July 2-3, 1863
by Eric J. Wittenburg
The role played by the Federal cavalry at the Battle of Gettysburg has been long overlooked. This insightful new study pays tribute to the role played by the men of Brig. Gen. David M. Gregg’s Second Cavalry Division for the magnificent job that they did protecting the Union flank on the second and third days at the Battle of Gettysburg. Had they failed, the outcome of the battle might have been quite different. This book evaluates those actions and places them in their proper historical context.
Little
Phil:
A Reassessment
of the Civil War Leadership
of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan
by Eric J. Wittenburg
Unlike generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman, whose controversial
Civil War-era reputations persist today, Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan has been
largely untouched by controversy. In LITTLE PHIL, historian Eric J. Wittenberg
reassesses the war record of a man long considered one of the Union Army’s
greatest generals.
From his earliest days at West Point, Phil Sheridan refused to play by the rules.
He was fortunate to receive merely a suspension, rather than expulsion, when
as a cadet he charged a superior officer with a bayonet. Although he achieved
fame as a cavalryman late in the Civil War, Sheridan actually began the conflict
as an infantry commander and initially knew little of the mounted service. In
his first effort as a cavalry commander with the Army of the Potomac in the
spring of 1864, he gave a performance that Wittenberg argues has long been overrated.
Later that year in the Shenandoah Valley, where Sheridan secured his legendary
reputation, he benefited greatly from the tactical ability of his subordinates
and from his huge manpower advantage against the beleaguered Confederate troops
of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early.
Sheridan was ultimately rewarded for numerous acts of insubordination against
his superiors throughout the war, while he punished similar traits in his own
officers. Further, in his combat reports and postwar writings, he often manipulated
facts to show himself in the best possible light, ensuring an exalted place
in history. Thus, Sheridan successfully foisted his own version of history on
the American public. This controversial new study challenges the existing literature
on Phil Sheridan and adds valuable insight to our understanding of this famous,
but altogether fallible, warrior.
The
Union Cavalry Comes of Age:
Hartwood
Church to Brandy Station, 1863
by Eric J. Wittenburg
In The Union Cavalry Comes of Age, award-winning
cavalry historian Eric J. Wittenberg provides a long-overdue challenge to the
persistent myths that have unfairly elevated the reputations of the Confederate
cavalry’s "cavaliers" and sets the record straight regarding the evolution
of the Union cavalry corps. He highlights the careers of renowned Federal officers,
including George Stoneman, William W. Averell, Alfred Pleasonton, John Buford,
and Wesley Merritt, as well as lesser-known characters such as Col. Alfred Duffie,
a French expatriate who hid an ugly secret. Wittenberg writes a lively, detailed
account of a saber-slashing era in which men fought for duty, honor, and bragging
rights. Indeed, a taunting note left behind by Confederate brigadier general
Fitzhugh Lee on a raid at Hartwood Church, Virginia, in 1863 sparked Northern
retaliation at the Battle of Kelly’s Ford. The Federal cavalry then evolved
during the trials of Stoneman’s Raid, with their hard work culminating
in the Battle of Brandy Station, where they nearly broke the unsuspecting Confederates
in a fourteen-hour maelstrom that is considered the greatest cavalry battle
ever fought in North America.
A skillfully woven overview, this unforgettable story also depicts the strategic
and administrative tasks that occupied officers and politicians as well as the
day-to-day existence of the typical trooper in the field. The Union Cavalry
Comes of Age shows that Northern troopers began turning the tide of war much
earlier than is generally acknowledged and became the largest, best-mounted,
and best-equipped force of horse soldiers the world had ever seen.
New Book Listing!!!
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African Creeks: Estelvste and the Creek Nation (Race and Culture in the American West Series) by Gary Zellar
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Book Description
Among the Creeks, they were known as Estelvste--black people--and they
had lived among them since the days of the first Spanish entradas. They spoke
the same language as the Creeks, ate the same foods, and shared kinship ties.
Their only difference was the color of their skin. This book tells how people of
African heritage came to blend their lives with those of their Indian neighbors
and essentially became Creek themselves. Taking in the full historical sweep of
African Americans among the Creeks, from the sixteenth century through Oklahoma
statehood, Gary Zellar unfolds a narrative history of the many contributions
these people made to Creek history.
About the Author
Gary Zellar holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Arkansas,
Fayetteville. The author of several articles and numerous presentations on the
African Creeks.
