While a political refugee in London, former Confederate general
John G. Walker wrote a history of the Civil War west of the
Mississippi River. Walker's account, composed shortly after the war
and unpublished until now, remains one of only two memoirs by
high-ranking Confederate officials who fought in the
Trans-Mississippi theater. Edited and expertly annotated by Richard
Lowe -- author of the definitive history of Walker's Texas division
-- the general's insightful narrative describes firsthand his
experience and many other military events west of the great
river.
Before assuming command of a division of Texas infantry in early
1863, Walker earned the approval of Robert E. Lee for his
leadership at the Battle of Antietam. Indeed, Lee later expressed
regret at the transfer of Walker from the Army of Northern Virginia
to the Trans-Mississippi Department. As the leader of the Texas
Division (known later as the Greyhound Division for its long, rapid
marches across Louisiana and Arkansas), Walker led an attempt to
relieve the great Confederate fortress at Vicksburg during the
siege by the Federal army in the spring and summer of 1863. Ordered
to attack Ulysses Grant's forces on the west bank of the
Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Walker unleashed a furious
assault on black and white Union troops stationed at Milliken's
Bend, Louisiana. The encounter was only the second time in American
history that organized regiments of African American troops fought
in a pitched battle. After the engagement, Walker realized the
great potential of black regiments for the Union cause.
Walker's Texans later fought at the battle of Bayou Bourbeau in
south Louisiana, where they helped to turn back a Federal attempt
to attack Texas via an overland route from New Orleans. In the
winter of 1863--1864, Walker's infantry and artillery disrupted
Union shipping on the Mississippi River. According to Lowe, the
Greyhound Division's crucial role in throwing back the Union's 1864
Red River Campaign remains its greatest accomplishment. Walker led
his men on a marathon operation in which they marched about nine
hundred miles and fought three large battles in ten weeks, a feat
unmatched by any other division -- Union or Confederate -- in the
war. General Walker's history stands as a testament to his skilled
leadership and provides an engaging primary source document for
scholars, students, and others interested in Civil War history.
General
Imprint: |
Louisiana State University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
September 2013 |
First published: |
September 2013 |
Editors: |
Richard Lowe
|
Dimensions: |
216 x 140 x 18mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards / With dust jacket
|
Pages: |
152 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8071-5250-8 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
0-8071-5250-1 |
Barcode: |
9780807152508 |
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