A Texas Cavalry Officer S Civil War

A volunteer officer with the 9th Texas Cavalry Regiment from 1861 to 1865, James Campbell Bates saw some of the most important and dramatic clashes in the Civil War's western and trans-Mississippi theaters. Bates rode thousands of miles, fighting in the Indian Territory; at Elkhorn Tavern in Arkansas; at Corinth, Holly Springs, and Jackson, Mississippi; at Thompson's Station, Tennessee; and at the crossing of the Etowah River during Sherman's Atlanta campaign. In a detailed diary and dozens of long letters to his family, he recorded his impressions, confirming the image of the Texas cavalrymen as a hard-riding bunch -- long on aggression and short on discipline. Bates's writings, which remain in the possession of his descendants, treat scholars to a documentary treasure trove and all readers to an enthralling, first-person dose of American history.

Much of the Civil War west of the Mississippi was a war of waiting for action, of foraging already stripped land for an army that supposedly could provision itself, and of disease in camp, while trying to hold out against Union pressure. There were none of the major engagements that characterized the conflict farther east. Instead, small units of Confederate cavalry and infantry skirmished with Federal forces in Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana, trying to hold the western Confederacy together. The many units of Texans who joined this fight had a second objective—to keep the enemy out of their home state by placing themselves “between the enemy and Texas.” Historian Anne J. Bailey studies one Texas unit, Parsons's Cavalry Brigade, to show how the war west of the Mississippi was fought. Historian Norman D. Brown calls this “the definitive study of Parsons's Cavalry Brigade; the story will not need to be told again.” Exhaustively researched and written with literary grace, Between the Enemy and Texas is a “must” book for anyone interested in the role of mounted troops in the Trans-Mississippi Department.

The 1st Texas Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 1st Texas Mounted Rifles, was the first Confederate unit organized in Texas and the longest to serve, participating in Indian skirmishes on the frontier as well as in full battles against the Union.

Annotation A comprehensive study of the East Texas unit that served as a part of Walker's Texas division in the Trans-Mississippi Department.

"'Suffeing to Silence' is a regimental history of the 29th Texas Calvary Regiment, CSA, a major addition to Texas and Oklahoma history. The material, which has never appeared in print before, has been compiled by John C. Grady, whose great-grandfather served in the 29th. More than four years have been required for the compilation of the material. Bradford K. Felmly, a long-time Civil War enthusiast and free-lance writer, molded his material into the final narrative. The 29th was organized by Colonel Charles DeMorse, the famed pioneer editor and statesman of Clarksville, Texas. It fought at the battles of Elk Creek, Perryville, Poison Springs, Cab in Creek, at the siege of Fort Gibson, and in other smaller skirmishes. It was one of the major forces which protected the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) from Union invasion. " -- front dust jacket flap.

The Third Texas Cavalry Regiment, recruited from twenty-six counties of northeastern Texas, was one of the most famous Confederate units from the Lone Star State. Douglas Hale narrates troop movements and battle actions, sensitively portraying the sufferings and private thoughts of individual cavalrymen and their commanders as they marched back and forth across the Southern landscape.

Both cavalry and artillery were regarded as elite units during the Civil War, and this is reflected in their uniforms and flags. 84 color plates depict 250 cavalry and artillery uniforms for both North and South, along with flags and equipment.

The most complete history of Texas in the Civil War to appear since 1900.