Memoirs Of The Stuart Horse Artillery Battalion

"Until recently, it has been difficult for anyone with an interest in the Army of Northern Virginia's horse artillery, which served under legendary cavalry commander J. E. B. Stuart, to envision what the men of the battalion endured. With the publication in 2002 of Robert Trout's seminal book, Galloping Thunder: The Stuart Horse Artillery Battalion, the endeavors of the unit were rescued from obscurity." "In Memoirs of the Stuart Horse Artillery Battalion, Trout provides readers with complete versions of three important primary documents written by soldiers of the battalion. Lt. Lewis T. Nunnelee's history of Moorman's Battery is based on a seven-volume diary that Nunnelee kept during the war and features near daily entries of the battery's actions." "The "History of Hart's Battery," as told by Maj. James F. Hart, Dr. Levi C. Stephens, Louis Sherfesee, and Charles H. Schwing, is, as Trout puts it, "a cannon of a different caliber." It recounts in broader terms the battery's history from its inception before the war to its surrender as the last horse artillery in the field. The authors offer rare glimpses into the development of tactics learned from the "school of the battlefield."" "Finally, Louis Sherfesee's "Reminiscences of A Color-Bearer" fleshes out many of the stories in the history that he co-wrote with Hart and his fellow soldiers. Filled with short vignettes, it offers a behind-the-scenes look at the battery in action." "Together, these rich documents provide welcome insights into the day-to-day experiences of the often overlooked Confederate horse artillery, which played an important role in cementing Stuart's reputation as one of the most outstanding cavalry commanders in the Civil War." --Book Jacket.

"The "History of Hart's Battery," as told by Maj. James F. Hart, Dr. Levi C. Stephens, Louis Sherfesee, and Charles H. Schwing, is, as Trout puts it, "a cannon of a different caliber." It recounts in broader terms the battery's history from its inception before the war to its surrender as the last horse artillery in the field. The authors offer rare glimpses into the development of tactics learned from the "school of the battlefield.""

Once again, the soldiers, officers, and commanders tell the story in this third volume of Kevin Campbell’s comprehensive work on the Gettysburg Campaign, Journey to Armageddon. The hardships, comradery, short rations, and the dance with the enemy’s bullets and shells are all here. Blistering sun, drenching rains, chocking dust, sticky mud, played out horses and men, and the high-level, often inharmoniousness communications between army commanders and their governments are presented in these pages. Fortunately, not all is despair and doom. Included are the sometimes-humorous interactions with the civilians met along their journey and the acrimony that frequently filled encounters between hungry soldiers and the administrators of the villages and towns they passed through. The tales told by these hardy men about the events of their existence are significant elements within the story of the Gettysburg Campaign, which author Kevin Campbell tells in a clear and concise prose. Most historians who write of the great crusade gloss over these events in favor of the more prominent proceedings in and around Gettysburg. These often-ignored events and much more are incorporated into his complete treatment of the Union and Confederate armies on their journey to Armageddon.

Includes Civil War Map and Illustrations Pack – 224 battle plans, campaign maps and detailed analyses of actions spanning the entire period of hostilities. Coming all the way from Prussia, Colonel Heros von Borcke travelled further than many soldiers to join the Confederate cause, and was assigned to J.E.B. Stuart with whom he became firm friends. Stuart was to write of his giant Prussian companion in arms: “Capt. Heros von Borcke, a Prussian cavalry officer, who lately ran the blockade, assigned me by the honorable Secretary of War, joined in the charge of the First Squadron in gallant style, and subsequently, by his energy, skill, and activity, won the praise and admiration of all.” After much gallantry during the campaigns in Northern Virginia and Maryland, he was incapacitated early on during the Gettysburg campaign. Having recovered, he fought on at Stuart’s side until his commander’s death at the battle of Yellow Tavern. After the Civil War he retired back to his native lands in Germany where he flew the Confederate flag from the battlements. His memoirs of his adventures with the Confederate army are filled with exciting battle scenes, witty anecdotes of the personalities of the army and flavoured with an expert’s eye for military detail. Author — Colonel Heros von Borcke, 1835-1895. Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1867. Original Page Count – viii and 438 pages.

June 1863. The American Civil War was two years old, and the U.S. Army in Virginia was in chaos. Reeling after the recent defeat at Chancellorsville, the Federals, especially the Cavalry Corps, scrambled to regroup. Confederate general Robert E. Lee seized the moment to launch a second invasion of the North. As Lee slipped away, frantic Federal leaders asked, "Where are the Rebels?" At this critical moment, the much-maligned Federal cavalry stepped to center stage. Small but Important Riots is a tactical study of fighting from June 17 to 22, 1863, at Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville, placed within the strategic context of the Gettysburg campaign. It is based on Robert O'Neill's thirty years of research and access to previously unpublished documents, which reveal startling new information. Since the fighting in Loudoun Valley of Virginia ended in June 1863, one perspective has prevailed--that Brigadier General Alfred Pleasonton, who commanded the Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac, disobeyed orders. According to published records, Pleasonton's superiors, including President Abraham Lincoln, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, and army commander Joseph Hooker, ordered Pleasonton to search for General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during a critical stage of the Gettysburg campaign, and Pleasonton ignored their orders. Recently discovered documents--discussed in this book--prove otherwise.

Cavalry operations during the Gettysburg campaign have been well covered, but never like this. Most cavalry treatments of the campaign and battle have focused on strategy, operations, and tactics and zoomed in on particular episodes: the Battle of Brandy Station in June 1863 (the largest cavalry engagement on American soil), Jeb Stuart’s controversial ride-for-glory that deprived Lee of important intelligence for days, Union cavalry general John Buford’s role in the start of the battle on July 1, and the cavalry battle involving not only Stuart but also George Armstrong Custer east of Gettysburg on July 3. Daniel Murphy’s book covers the grand sweep of cavalry in the Gettysburg campaign, from Lee’s crossing of the Rappahannock in early June 1863, through the epic three-day clash in Pennsylvania, to the conclusion of Lee’s retreat in July 1863. But more than that, in a book blending strategy and tactics and campaign narrative with deep research in primary sources and an equestrian’s sense for what it’s like to ride and manage horses, Daniel Murphy brings a horseman’s eye to the story of the campaign: how individual cavalrymen experienced the campaign from the saddle and how horses—with special needs for care and maintenance—were in fact weapons that helped shape battles. In this new narrative of Civil War cavalry, author Daniel Murphy gets into the saddle and explores what it was like to be a cavalryman during the Gettysburg campaign. Horse-soldiering was a unique way of doing battle, and Murphy gives it more justice and nuanced description than any author has yet given it.