Michael Burlingame: "The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln"

While viewing a CSPAN2 Booktv program last year(I wish I could remember which one), a historian mentioned that Michael Burlingame was working on a multivolume biography of Lincoln. Unfortunately, since that time I haven't seen any further mention of such a project.

Michael Burlingame's The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln (University of Illinois Press, 1994) is my favorite 'Lincoln book'. It's been called a psycho-biography. This is unfortunate in some ways because the book isn't a biography in the classic sense and so many previous authors, perhaps in an attempt to make their mark in a crowded field, have vastly overreached when constructing their conclusions from the available evidence. Right or wrong, the psycho- prefix has reflexively become a bit of a pejorative term in the minds of many readers. In my opinion, Michael Burlingame's work in this regard is among the best out there. His measured approach takes neither criticism nor praise too far and he generally avoids the overreaching conclusions mentioned above that harm the credibility of so many writers (at least that's my memory of it).

Inner World is a collection of excellent essays dealing in turn with AL's ambition, anger, and depression; along with his attitude toward marriage, women, parenting and slavery. My personal favorite is the very first chapter, which traces Lincoln's development from party hack to statesman. Burlingame marks the transformation in the context of a midlife crisis of sorts. I was immediately hooked as this aspect of Lincoln's political development was something I had never seen in any other scholarship--although admittedly I don't read the majority of the new Lincoln stuff that spews forth every year. On the other hand, in Inner World, some important issues were left out. One notable omission was a self-contained essay on Lincoln and religion/spirituality.

Frequent scans through the upcoming and new release CW books on Amazon seems to reveal a marked uptick in Abe Lincoln 'issue books' over the past year or so. I hope readers don't confuse The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln with Tripp's The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln.

Siege of Corinth

Next month will see Corinth's turn to be introduced by the Civil War Campaigns and Commanders series with Campaign for Corinth: Blood in Mississippi. Although the almost two month long campaign commonly called the 'Siege of Corinth' is introduced, the book's focus appears to be on the later events in the area during September and October of the same year--the battles of Iuka, Corinth, and Davis Bridge. Unfortunately, at least as far as I know, no book length study of the Siege of Corinth exists. This is a significant gap in the military historiography of the war. To me, the campaign is worthy of study on several levels:

• The operation was massive in scale (up to 120,000 Federals and 75,000 Confederates); and who knows if these numbers are even accurate, and, additionally, I've never seen a detailed order-of-battle anywhere.


• We have the interesting and unique opportunity to study Halleck as field commander; and, furthermore, all the 'big men' from the U.S. side--Pope, Grant, Buell, Thomas, Sherman--were in the field together for the only time during the war.


• The Union advance was in short stages with the completion of fortified lines at each halt. This use of fortifications on the offensive was novel for the period and deserves a detailed examination. (We need Earl Hess here!)


• The political, social, and military consequences of the war's first mass bloodletting at Shiloh (including the handling of Grant) could be studied to good effect at this moment.


• It was perhaps during this campaign more than any other that disease had the greatest influence on the condition of the opposing armies. The swampy terrain's insect denizens and lack of potable water put men in the hospital by the tens of thousands. A medical study of this campaign could probably fill a book of its own.


• The railroad junction at Corinth was one of the 'great points' of the Confederacy and a detailed reevaluation of the periods immediately before, during, and after the siege may provide some rich ground for a fresh strategic analysis.

The lack of a signature battle or truly any significant fighting at all (the fight at Farmington won't cut it) has probably contributed to this campaign being ignored relative to the other western campaigns in 1862. It's a shame.

Review: "Donnybrook"

[Donnybrook: The Battle of Bull Run, 1861 by David Detzer. (Harcourt, Inc, 2004. Pp. 512, $28.00, Hardback, photos, notes. ISBN 0-15-100889-2)

The Battle of Bull Run is so full of drama, controversy, and interesting personages that there always seems to be room for a fresh interpretation. Professor David Detzer, whose previous Civil War book Allegiance was well received, has entered the mix with a new history of the battle that challenges many of the conclusions of prior authors. The jacket boldly proclaims that Donnybrook is the “first major history of Bull Run to detail the battle from its origins through its aftermath”. Questionable premise aside, the result is a bit of mixed bag.

Donnybrook is not a classic battle study, but rather a vibrant narrative history that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Detzer’s style is informal and a bit eccentric but very effective and unfailingly entertaining. How many academic historians would describe Stonewall Jackson as a “twit” or quote boxer Mike Tyson in a chapter head? Another passage, related to Israel Richardson’s new marriage, amusingly stated that “though his loins may have been more relaxed, his fighting instinct remained”. Granted, the style isn’t for everybody, but the substance cannot be discounted. Although there is no bibliography to compare with previous works, detailed endnotes are included that make it abundantly clear that the author did his homework. Detzer uncovered a vast number of primary accounts and skillfully weaved them into the text.

Even the most jaded Bull Run specialist will enjoy reading this book. In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of Donnybrook is the author’s unabashed challenging of the battle’s many myths and interpretations. There are far too many to list here but they include perhaps history’s least condemning review of Robert Patterson’s generalship (ed. 3/12/06 - Russel Beatie is similarly corrective in volume one of his Army of the Potomac series). The author’s assessment of the campaign’s heroes and villains is certainly unconventional. Detzer additionally holds the actions of Jackson and his Virginians to be unexceptional and he is never afraid to confront previous historians’s conclusions about specific events that took place during the fighting on Henry House Hill.

However, the book is not without flaws, some serious. The absence of even a single map is really unacceptable. Considering how inviting most of the book is to the novice reader, how that person will begin to understand the confused fighting without maps is beyond me. Though the depiction of events up to and including the action on Matthew’s Hill is excellent, the previously smoothly flowing narrative breaks down on Henry House Hill. Mythbusting tangents and conflicting sources notwithstanding, the author fails to construct a likely sequence of events from the sources available that is comprehensive enough to give the reader a reasonable impression of what happened there. The previous works of Hennessy, Davis, and most recently Rafuse were much more successful in this regard. Finally, the ending was rushed. Though organized into three books, the action on Matthew’s Hill does not begin in earnest until Book Three and the battle’s aftermath takes up only a dozen pages or so in a book containing over 400 pages of text. This wasn’t enough space to convincingly lay out the author’s thesis minimizing the negative consequences of the Union defeat.

Nevertheless, everyone interested in the Battle of Bull Run should read this book. Detzer’s narrative style is extremely entertaining, accessible, and can draw the general reader in in the vein of a Foote or a McPherson and the multitude of new interpretations of persons and events should spark a lively debate among the specialists.

(P.S.--3/12/06-- I should say that, although maps were absent in the review galley proof, a single rather poorly presented period map was included in the published edition. I also got a kick out of the magazine advertisement the publisher created for the book, which cherry-picked choice phrases from my N&S review, connecting them with "...", making it appear as if I had given it a rave review.)

(Reprinted with Permission from North & South Magazine. Originally published in Vol. 7 #7, pg. 90, reviewed by Andrew Wagenhoffer)

David Detzer's Dissonance

I was wondering when the third volume (well, actually the second, as the author did them out of chronological order) of David Detzer's trilogy detailing the first three months of the Civil War was going to be released. Looks like Dissonance : The Turbulent Days Between Fort Sumter and Bull Run will be out in May of this year.

I think I take the minority view of the overall quality and level of importance of Detzer's earlier volumes, Donnybrookand Allegiance, but they are certainly worth reading. Aside from a lack of alliterative consistency with the other two titles, I found Detzer's Allegiance to be a decidedly inferior 'Fort Sumter book' to Maury Klein's excellent Days of Defiance. If nothing else, Detzer has a free swinging style and an entertaining take on the leading personalities of the period.

Nevertheless, I am looking forward to reading Dissonance. At least the ground covered here is a little less trampled.

"Mr. Lincoln Goes to War"

Thanks to Brian Dirck for mentioning an upcoming Lincoln book (Mr. Lincoln Goes to War) by William Marvel in his blog. Although I have only a limited familiarity with the entire range of Marvel's work, I think it's safe to say that Dirck need not worry that Marvel's level of scholarship or depth of thought will bear any resemblence to that of DiLorenzo, Bennett, or Tripp. Even so, the book's description sounds provocative to put it mildly.

While reading the Publisher's Weekly summary on Amazon, the following passage from it caught my eye:

"Focusing on the North's road to war in 1861, he (Marvel) argues that Abraham Lincoln made armed force a first choice, rather than a last resort, in addressing the Union's breakup. While conceding the complex problems Lincoln faced, and the corresponding limitations on his options, Marvel describes the president's course of action as "destructive and unimaginative.""

It is a subject worthy of close examination (and one you won't find treated seriously in any respectable Lincoln study that I know of). I am interested in seeing the development of Marvel's argument, but I guess it will have to wait until May.

Review: "Spartan Band: Burnett’s 13th Texas Cavalry in the Civil War"

(Reprinted with the permission of North and South Magazine, originally appeared in vol. 8 #7, pg. 84 , reviewed by Andrew Wagenhoffer)

Spartan Band: Burnett’s 13th Texas Cavalry in the Civil War, by Thomas Reid. (Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press, 2005). Pp. 220, $29.95, Hardback, photos, 8 maps, notes, rosters, appendices. ISBN 1-57441-189-6)

In recent years, students of the Trans-Mississippi theater of the Civil War have been treated with several fine Texas unit histories. The best known of these is probably Richard Lowe’s excellent book Walker’s Texas Division, C.S.A: Greyhounds of the Trans-Mississippi. This outfit, commanded during most of its active history by John G. Walker, marched and fought all over southern Arkansas and western Louisiana from 1862 to 1865 before ending up back in Texas at war’s end. The “greyhounds” sobriquet was a result of the incredible marching distances covered by the division during the war. The 13th Texas Cavalry, organized by Mexican War veteran John H. Burnett, was one of the greyhound regiments and participated in all of the division’s major campaigns and movements.

Spartan Band is a well-researched and engagingly written social and political history of the 13th Texas Cavalry regiment. In his discussion of the unit’s organization, author Thomas Reid surveys in detail the demographics of the regiment and confirms Lowe’s findings. Following assembly and training, the Texas cavalrymen were sent to Arkansas where they were promptly dismounted, forcing the men to fight on foot for the rest of the war. One very interesting subject that Reid covers is the effect of the Conscription Act on units already organized. The legislation had a profoundly negative impact on the 13th Texas, which lost over one-fourth of its strength, including many men with military experience.

Up until its operations against Federal conclaves west of the Mississippi during the Vicksburg Campaign, the regiment’s service was largely confined to interminable and seemingly pointless marching and countermarching across the theater. Exhaustion and constant exposure in the wet woods and swamps of Arkansas and Louisiana took a terrible toll on the Texans’s health. Over the length of its service, disease killed almost ten times as many men in the 13th as enemy bullets did.

Although one participant commented that Walker’s Texas division marched more and fought less than any other Confederate division, the Texans did see significant action at the battles of Mansfield, Pleasant Hill and Jenkins’s Ferry during the 1864 Red River Campaign. In the book, the role of the 13th Texas in these battles is portrayed adequately enough for most readers, but some may find the level of tactical detail in the maps and text to be wanting in places. Overall though, Spartan Band is a very solid regimental history that interested parties of all stripes will find well worth reading.

Holt's "The Fate of Their Country"

Every once in a while I feel the need to grab a refresher on the national politics leading up to the Civil War. Michael F. Holt's The Fate of Their Country : Politicians, Slavery Extension, and the Coming of the Civil War is my latest effort in this regard. From what I gather, this slim volume is basically an unannotated distillation of Professor Holt's Political Crisis of the 1850s and The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party : Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War. Running at only 127 pages of text, Holt provides a wonderful summary of the territorial debates in Congress, beginning with the Missouri Compromise and moving on through the Compromise of 1850 and ending with the disastrous Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854).

Holt places partisan politics over mere sectional differences as the primary lead-in to Civil War. When the two can be separated, Whig-Democrat maneuvering for short term political gain at the expense of the fate of the nation is at least as damaging as the increasing split between North and South. His outline of the Janus-faced (Holt's term) political stances of Southern Whigs during much of this period is fascinating. He makes a powerful case. His argument that the Kansas-Nebraska Act was "arguably the most consequential piece of legislation ever passed by the U.S. Congress" is compelling. Nicole Etcheson makes much the same argument in her book Bleeding Kansas.

I was unaware of the level of Congressional discord and length of debate over the final demarcation of the western border of Texas. Holt's discussion of the Southerners' primary need to salvage honor/save face over any realistic expectation of the extension of slavery into the territories (a view certainly shared by others) is interesting as well. Overall, I think this book is a great introduction to politics at a national level for the 40 years preceding secession. It makes me wish to want to read Holt's "The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party" (alas, like Joyce's Ulysses, it would likely remain on the shelf as something simply to point at, something you would dearly love to say you have read but are extremely unlikely to actually do so).

Ed Bearss' Trans-Mississippi work

After finishing listening to yesterday's Civil War Talk Radio interview with Edwin Cole Bearss, I lamented to myself how few (if any) interviewers ask him about his considerable work on the war in the Trans-Mississippi theater. Mr. Bearss is largely responsible for my primary interest in this front. His writings, in the form of numerous books and journal articles, are prodigious and, although much of it was written around the Centennial period, large stretches have not been revisited since that time. Many of his journal articles have a book study level of detail along with more (and better) maps than you find in most current CW histories.

I've provided a selected book and article list below organized by state:

Missouri:
Bearss, Edwin C. The Battle of Wilson's Creek. Fourth edition. Springfield: Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Foundation, 1992. 170p.

Bearss, Edwin C. "Army of the Frontier's First Campaign: The Confederates Win at Newtonia." Missouri Historical Review 60 (April 1966): 283-319.

Arkansas:
Bearss, Edwin C. “The Battle of Helena, July 4, 1863.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly, XX (Autumn 1961), 25 6-297.

Bearss, Edwin C. “The Battle of the Post of Arkansas.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly, XVIII (Autumn 1959), 237-279.

Bearss, Edwin C. "Confederate Action Against Fort Smith Post: Early 1864.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly, XXIX (Autumn 1970), 226-252.

Bearss, Edwin C. “The Confederate Attempt to Regain Fort Smith, 1863.” Arkansas Historical Quarter4’, XXVIII (Winter 1969), 342-380.

Bearss, Edwin C. “Federal Generals Squabble Over Fort Smith Post, 1863- 1864.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly, XXIX (Summer 1970), 119-15.1.

Bearss, Edwin C. “The Federals Capture Fort Smith, 1863.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly, XXVIII (Summer 1969), 156-190.

Bearss, Edwin C. “The Federals Raid Van Buren and Threaten Fort Smith.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly, XXVI (Summer 1967), 123-142.

Bearss, Edwin C. “The Federals Struggle to Hold on to Fort Smith.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly, XXIV (Summer 1965), 149-179.

Bearss, Edwin C. “Fort Smith Serves General McCulloch as a Supply Depot.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly, XXIV (Winter 1965), 315-347.

Bearss, Edwin C. “From Rolla to Fayetteville with General Curtis.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly XIX (Autumn 1960), 225-259.

Bearss, Edwin C. “General Bussey Takes Over at Fort Smith.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly’, XXIV (Autumn 1965), 220-240.

Bearss, Edwin C. “General Cooper’s CSA Indians Threaten Fort Smith.” Arkansas Historical Quarterb’, XXVI (Autumn 1967), 257-284.

Bearss, Edwin C. “General William Steele Fights to Hold onto Northwest Arkansas.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly, XXV (Spring 1966), 36-93.

Bearss, Edwin C. “Marmaduke Attacks Pine Bluff.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly, XXIII (Winter 1964), 291-313.

Bearss, Edwin C., Steele’s Retreat from Camden and the Battle of Jenkins’ Ferry. Little Rock: Arkansas Civil War Centennial Commission, 1967.

Bearss, Edwin C., “The White River Expedition June l0-July 15, 1862.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly XXI (Winter 1962), 305-362.

Louisiana:
Bearss, Edwin C., "The Seizure of the Forts and Public Property in Louisiana"

Bearss, Edwin C.,"The Battle of Baton Rouge", Louisiana History (Vol III, No. 3, Spring 1962)

Bearss, Edwin C., "The Civil War Comes to the Lafourche"

More CW in the Southwest this year

Looks like this year will see some more interesting titles dealing with the Civil War in the desert southwest. The Civil War in Arizona: The Story of the California Volunteers, 1861-1865 (June 2006) and Distant Bugles, Distant Drums: The Union Response to the Confederate Invasion of New Mexico (May 2006).

I am not familiar with the work of either author, but both books above join the upcoming Grant at Cairo book as Big 12 university press publications (Tigers, Sooners, and Buffaloes) so they can't be all bad.

More on "The Texas Overland Expedition of 1863"

Those readers that would prefer a 'Cliff Notes' version of the 1863 Texas Overland Expedition story to David C. Edmonds's lengthy and definitive volume, will not find anything better than Richard Lowe's The Texas Overland Expedition of 1863. Lowe, who you might recall as the the author of Walker's Texas Division, C.S.A: Greyhounds of the Trans-Mississippi, is well qualified to write about this campaign and does a masterful job of condensing its history into a brief yet highly detailed treatment.

This book is definitely one of the better McWhiney Foundation Press overviews that I have read. With this particular volume, Lowe's crisp writing is combined with helpful photos, maps, and drawings to give the reader an excellent introduction to this comparatively obscure campaign.

Richey: "The Battle of Baton Rouge"

Ed Bearss's lengthy Louisiana History (Vol III, No. 3, Spring 1962) article has long been the standard account of the Battle of Baton Rouge. What Thomas Richey's new book The Battle of Baton Rouge does is increase our understanding of the battle by expanding around the edges of Bearss's work. Richey adds depth by providing background into the city's role in the war up to the August 5, 1862 battle. Capsule histories of each regiment and battery that participated in the battle are included along with numbers and armaments information when available. Brief portraits of the officers leading these units are provided as well.

Thomas Williams, the Union commander at Baton Rouge, is given rather rough treatment. I was unaware that he had invented a new formation called the "Order of Combat". He drilled his men incessantly on this although it appears to have been universally reviled by his fellow officers. Curiously, when the battle actually occurred, Williams abandoned his cherished tactical project and deployed his men conventionally. His death during the fight ended the experiment. The text descriptions of the Order of Combat in the book are a bit confusing and I wish a diagram of the drill had been provided.

The book has a large number of maps depicting troops movements at the regiment and battery level, but the author made the unfortunate choice of overlaying these units over a modern map of the city. Undoubtedly, this helps visitors and current residents find where the action occurred but it doesn't further the reader's understanding. Fortunately, a good period map is provided for reference. This solves the problem but I would have wished the author had switched the two instead.

The level of research is adequate and Richey does attempt some revision of current thought on the battle. As an example, he asserts that there was no significant diminution of Confederate strength prior to the battle and instead proposes that Breckinridge had up to 4,000 men at the battle rather than the conventional figure of 2,600. Richey claims to have found no accounts that depict the approach march as anything but a normal journey with no evidence of extensive straggling or other kinds of march attrition. It isn't an entirely convincing case but worth contemplating.

For me, one of the most interesting aspects of the battle is the terrain. It was certainly unusual to find a Civil War urban battlefield composed equally of city buildings and densely wooded areas. Some call it the only truly urban battle of the Civil War but I'm not sure how accurate that is. Like most things, it probably comes down to a question of degree.

In the end, the Battle of Baton Rouge was a wasteful, inconclusive battle. The major lasting result, in my mind, is the loss of the C.S.S. Arkansas, which due to engine trouble could not participate in the battle and was soon after blown up by its crew to avoid capture. It was a critical loss of a powerful ironclad. Overall, this inexpensive volume is a cut above the usual quality of a POD book and is well worth buying for those interested in this battle.

Ray: "Shock Troops of the Confederacy"

Although a few books from or about the officers and men of Confederate sharpshooter battalions have been published, none approach the comprehensive coverage and depth of research of Fred Ray's upcoming book Shock Troops of the Confederacy: The Sharpshooter Battalions of the Army of Northern Virginia (CSF Press). Ray also takes a wider view of the subject than previous writers, tracing the development of light infantry and their tactics from the late 1700s through WW1 and the development of the German Stosstruppen. Of course, the emphasis is on American military changes during the Civil War, and here much of the credit is given to Robert Rodes and his subordinates Eugene Blackford and Bristor Gayle. Clearly, support from the higher command echelons is essential for the success of any new tactical innovation and Rodes's brigade and divisional leadership in this regard was singularly unwavering.

Ray skillfully demonstrates the evolution of the Confederate sharpshooter units from the open order drills and marksmanship training of the individual battalions to the creation of a hardhitting divisional organization composed of a sharpshooter battalion drawn from each brigade. Aside from regular screening, scouting, and reconnaissance duties, by 1864, the battalions evolved into specialized units with considerable offensive punch. The transformation into shock troops is clearly demonstrated during the 1864 Valley Campaign and the assault on Fort Stedman in 1865. The Fort Stedman attack is recreated in the book in minute detail with the aid of many highly detailed maps. In fact, the book contains a large number of maps (43). The quality is a bit inconsistent but the overall effort is impressive.

The maps and text are also used to illustrate certain tactical improvements that sprung from the minds of innovative junior officers. The capture of an enemy picket line by use of a brilliant movement they called "seine-hauling" was particularly interesting. Other officers developed variations on this tactic and the Confederate sharpshooters became an absolute terror on the Union picket line.

The author also includes several chapters on the development and use of Federal sharpshooter units, comparing the strengths and weaknesses of each side. A brief chapter introducing western theater Confederate sharpshooter battalions is provided as well. Additionally, Union and Confederate sharpshooter uniforms and weapons are discussed and a useful chapter summarizing modern testing results of various period weaponry is placed in the appendix. In my opinion, what's missing from the main text or the appendices is a concentrated and highly detailed description of the battalion skirmisher/open order drills. I may be nitpicking here, and you do get a good idea of the tactical evolutions from a complete reading of the text, but I would have preferred a more formalized presentation at some point.

In terms of production values and visual presentation issues, Shock Troops is well-written and well-edited, not something commonly seen with POD books. Maps, drawings, photos, and illustrations are numerous and well chosen. All in all, it is a quality production. I would recommend this highly original and truly groundbreaking study to anyone interested in Civil War military history, specialists and generalists alike.

(addendum 2/10/06: author Fred Ray wrote me with a correction. The sale version of the book will be higher quality via a regular press run, only the advance/review copies were POD.)

Edmonds: "Yankee Autumn in Acadiana: A Narrative of the Great Texas Overland Expedition Through Southwestern Louisiana, October - December 1863"

(Reprinted with the permission of North and South Magazine, originally appeared in vol. 8 #7, pp. 85-86 , reviewed by Andrew Wagenhoffer)

[Yankee Autumn in Acadiana: A Narrative of the Great Texas Overland Expedition Through Southwestern Louisiana, October - December 1863 by David C. Edmonds. (Lafayette, LA: Center for Louisiana Studies, 2005). Pp. 464, $24.95 (shipping included), Softcover, photos, maps, illustrations, notes, appendices. ISBN 1-887366-62-8)]

Although it was one of the largest operations conducted in the Trans-Mississippi theater during the Civil War, the 1863 Texas Overland Expedition remained an obscure subject for study until relatively recent times. Sandwiched between the more celebrated battle at Sabine Pass and the Red River campaign, the autumn expedition lacks the signature battle or the compelling figures that serve to burn events into historical memory. Beyond Richard Lowe’s brief but excellent introductory monograph, the only book length study available was David Edmonds’ exhaustive but rare and long out-of-print book Yankee Autumn in Acadiana. Fortunately, Edmonds’ work has now been reprinted in paperback and is available to a wider audience. The breadth and scope of research for Yankee Autumn, the vast majority of which is unpublished primary sources, is impressive, providing the reader with a comprehensive examination of the campaign and its dire consequences for the local civilian population.

The large federal force participating in the Texas Overland Expedition (XIII and XIX Corps, augmented by an ad-hoc cavalry division) was under the overall leadership of General Nathaniel Banks but under the operational command of General William Franklin. The opposing Confederate army under General Richard Taylor was vastly outnumbered and fought a delaying action over the bayous and prairies of southwest Louisiana. Franklin, with only vague instruction from Banks, advanced his army up the Teche region in fits and starts, fighting numerous skirmishes with Taylor’s cavalry under Tom Green. The Union army’s forward progress ended in Louisiana at Opelousas and Barre’s Landing. Still lacking clear orders from above, Franklin chose to withdraw closer to his base, effectively ending the campaign without ever seriously threatening Texas. A sharp rear guard action at Bayou Bourbeaux occurred during this time and was the campaign’s only conflict large enough to be really considered a battle. The fight resulted in a clear Confederate victory, although wins in several minor skirmishes subsequently helped the Union forces to restore the balance to some degree.

Beyond harassing the civilian population with undisciplined looting and foraging, the Union expedition accomplished little if anything. It is these social and economic aspects of the campaign that comprise much of the focus of the book. The author mined vast numbers of domestic and foreign claims commission documents and numerous newspaper, church, and courthouse records in order to provide for the reader an incredibly detailed account of the campaign’s ruinous effects on the local, multi-ethnic population.

The military features of the campaign are fully examined as well and are supplemented by numerous and highly detailed maps of both march routes and battlefields. My only complaint in this regard is that many of the maps are poorly copied and so shrunken as to make it difficult and sometimes impossible to read the labels. This, combined with the numerous misspellings, makes the reader wish for a stronger editing hand. Issues of presentation aside, however, this lengthy and definitive work admirably fills a historical void and is highly recommended for readers interested in Civil War Louisiana and its people and Trans-Mississippi operations in general.

"River Run Red"

Andrew Ward's River Run Red : The Fort Pillow Massacre in the American Civil War is a bottom up narrative history of the events surrounding CSA General Nathan Bedford Forrest's 1864 assault and capture of Fort Pillow and its sanguinary aftermath. Ward's history is wide in scope (the battle ends only halfway through a lengthy book) and he has amassed an impressive number of soldier and civilian first-person accounts from both sides--although predominantly Union--in order to tell his tale. The common soldiers (both black and white) are the focus here. Unfortunately, Ward seems to have succumbed to the somewhat understandable temptation to include in his narrative seemingly every anecdote he encountered in his research, regardless of relevance.

Other problems occur in the author's construction of military events. Granted, battle is confusion itself, but if your combat narrative is simply narrow individual accounts strung together with little attempt at a higher organization the reader is left with quite a mess to untangle on his own. Ward never takes the time to place the individual regiments of either side on the battlefield at the different stages of the fight and only provides a vague description of the locations of the Confederate brigades. This situation is compounded by the lack of any useful maps. In addition, the kinds of errors that creep into the text (although general readers would probably consider them minor) indicate the lack by the author of a deep understanding of Civil War military operations.

Ward, although certainly no Forrest apologist, does attempt an evenhanded approach in many places. The brutality and extreme corruption of the Federal occupation of West Tennessee is detailed over several chapters. This context is not used to excuse Confederate behavior during the aftermath of the Fort Pillow battle, but rather to provide insight into the mutual hatred Confederate and pro-Union Tennesseans had for each other.

The heart of Ward's narrative is clearly the experience of black soldiers before, during, and after the battle. It is remarkable how many stories and writings from these men the author was able to find. A viewing of the bibliography reveals work that is adequately researched, although I do wish Ward had categorized his source material. In the end, River Run Red, although interesting in places, cannot lay claim to definitive status. Expectations will probably rule here. Readers searching for a highly structured, well-argued, and thesis driven examination of Fort Pillow will instead find a rather loosely organized popular style narrative history.