Confederate King Of Battle

This thesis compares and contrasts the field artillery corps of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee. The purpose is to determine which field artillery corps was more effective on the battlefield and why. To answer this question several areas will be examined. The foundation of each army and its field artillery corps is one of these areas. The foundation includes militia forces, strength, recruiting, and governmental roles in the foundation of each army. The senior leadership of each army and its relationship with the Confederate government will be reviewed. Ordnance, equipment, logistics, and training of each army’s field artillery corps are other areas that will be addressed. Finally, artillery leadership, organization, and tactics of each field artillery corps will be examined.

In the early 1800s a beautiful, rebellious American teenager was seduced and later abandoned by the spoiled, ambitious youngest brother of Napoleon I. Little did anyone realize at the time that the scandal, one of the most highly publicized of the 19th Century, would set in motion a chain of events that a half-century later would threaten to change the future of the world. "King of America" tells the forgotten story of how this scorned woman and her offspring were pulled into a plot to turn the tide of the bloody American Civil War. It posits how two sons of American privilege, Henry Adams, the grandson of Presidents, and Cassius Clay, one of the most hated of Southern anti-slavery abolitionists, join forces to foil the scheme. The novel combines the "coming of age" story of a 19th Century beauty's painful lessons in love and seduction, with the violent "buddy" adventure of two diametrically different American patriots, who learn mutual respect while trying to foil the evil plot. It deals with the earliest days of the Civil War, when the brain trust behind the Confederate government realize their only chance of winning secession is to secure the military support of a foreign ally. France and its Emperor, Napoleon III, emerge as the best hope to extend aid and recognition, which is how a family of American Bonapartes are brought into the intrigue. "King of America" provides a believable, well-researched scenario for how the Confederate offer was made and how it was foiled. Americans know the details of the Civil War, but "King of America" tells the story they don't know, the foreign intrigue and diplomacy that had as much to do with the outcome of that war as any battle.

Much has been written about the Confederate armies during the American Civil War. General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia has gotten most of the attention of historians and writers over the years. There are several reasons for this. The Army of Northern Virginia has been identified with the Confederacy's effort for independence. Lee's army was much more successful on the battlefield than any other Confederate force. Its battles were fought near the capitals of both the North and the South, thus getting most of the attention and writing of both sides during the war. Much of the manuscript source materials on the Army of Tennessee were lost or destroyed over the years. One could also infer that writers prefer a winner over a loser. However, especially in the relatively recent past, there has been work focused on the Army of Tennessee. One such book, Two Great Rebel Armies by Richard McMurry, compares and contrasts the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee. In this work McMurry cites reasons he believed caused the difference in effectiveness and performance between the two armies. Additionally, there have been numerous books written about the field artillery corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. The artillerymen in the Army of Tennessee have received less attention. One recent and notable book on the subject is Cannoneers in Gray by Larry J. Daniel. However, unlike Two Great Rebel Armies, there has been no book written comparing the field artillery corps of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee. Was there a difference in the effectiveness and performance of the respective field artillery corps as there was with the armies in general? If so, what were the reasons? This thesis will attempt to answer these questions. To answer these questions a look at the foundation of each army and its field artillery corps will be examined. Topics addressed in the foundation include state militia strength, equipment, and experience levels, as well as, recruiting, governmental relationships with each army, and other areas. In addition to the foundation of each force, the senior leadership of each army will be examined to determine its effect on the performance of the army and its field artillery corps. Quantity and quality of ordnance, equipment levels, logistics, and training are all important components of each armies artillery that must be examined. The effectiveness of each field artillery corps is also going to be highly influenced by its leadership, organization, and tactical use. Each of these areas will be thoroughly examined to answer the question which field artillery corps was the most productive for the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

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-dayroutine, 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.

Excerpt from Memoirs of the Confederate War for Independence The kind interest with, which the public received the Memoirs as they appeared in 'Blackwood's Magazine' induced me to think of republishing them. When they were on the point of republication, the news reached me that my King had called his people to arms against Austria and her allies. I offered at once my sword to my native country, and had the proud satisfaction of fighting, in the army of Prince Frederick Charles, in the great battle of Konigsgraetz, and of taking part in the victorious advance through Bohemia, Moravia, and the Duchy of Austria. A new great war has turned the interest of the public to new matters, - many months have passed away since the termination of the great American struggle, - and many may have forgotten that the splendid Army of Virginia was ever in existence; but I do not hesitate to publish my account of battles lost and won, trusting that there are many still left who will read with some interest the simple narrative of a soldier who is proud to have shared the sufferings and the glory of the unfortunate people of the late Confederacy. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.