• Wild Wolf: The Great Civil War Rivalry
by Ronald Wolford Blair (Acclaim Pr, 2015). |
| Slick down my hair for the camera? Forget it! |
Kentucky's Union soldiers and regiments have finally been getting more attention in recent years and that's a good thing. Frank Lane Wolford, a conservative Unionist lawyer from Adair County, answered the call early in the war, leading the First Kentucky Cavalry with some distinction as its colonel from 1861-1864. His enduring notoriety stems both from his clashes with Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan and the war policies of President Lincoln. Like many of his fellow Kentuckians loyal to the U.S., Wolford did not support emancipation and the recruitment of black soldiers, but he was particularly vocal in his opposition and it resulted in his removal from the service in 1864. Wild Wolf (Acclaim Press, 2015), written by Ronald Wolford Blair, is a biography that delves deeply into the colonel's military and political careers. How the usual pitfalls of biography written by ancestors are handled remains to be seen (I haven't read any of it yet). There's no bibliography present to grab a quick snapshot of the research depth but a superficial glance through the endnotes doesn't raise any obvious concerns. I definitely plan on reading it.
Must read book. A must for any civil war library. Even though Mr. Blair is a descendent of Col. Wolford there is clearly not bias shown. Very good research especially when that research is buried and not easy to find. I would pay double the price for this book to have it in my library. It will be a permanent book in my Civil War section. Very good job.
ReplyDeleteI'm having a tough time getting thru it due to the writing style. I could try to explain but I'm a terrible writer myself. One thing I can say is that references to Wolford vs Morgan are sometimes tough to follow. I will definitely keep it as a reference though as the detail is incredible.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall exactly what put me off of it, but I didn't finish it either (thus the lack of a review on the site).
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