Raiders of 1862

During 1862, a pivotal year in the War Between the States, Southern cavalry leaders Brig. Gen. Frank C. Armstrong, Brig. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest, and Brig. Gen. John H. Morgan conducted cavalry raids that had both an immediate tactical effect and a long-term strategic impact upon Federal offensive operations in the Mississippi Valley, central Kentucky, and western Tennessee. The Raiders of 1862 examines the tactics that made each raid more or less successful, as well as how the leadership style of each commander impacted the mission. Using detailed map studies, diary accounts, official records, memoirs, and even battlefield relic recoveries, this book presents new information—never before published—on each commander and how he executed his particular mission. By getting into the mind of the commanders, this book examines their decisions and actions in light of current and past operational terms, for example, decisive engagement, the approach march, and so forth.No other book covers the important battles and consequences of Armstrong's raid into west Tennessee, the Battle of Parker's Crossroads as it affected Forrest's first West Tennessee Raid, or the story of Morgan's Christmas Raid. Brewer has established that Armstrong fought to avoid defeat rather than to win; that Forrest used artillery well forward in his assault—a technique unheard of at the time; and that Morgan employed one of the first effective uses of electronic warfare. By examining the correspondence of Federal commanders, Brewer also demonstrates how the Confederate cavalry leaders were able to get into the decision cycle of their enemies, and thus influence the outcome on the batlefield. But the individual soldier's view of the war also comes through clearly as diary accounts and regimental histories describe the attitudes of privates and sergeants, both North and South, in the midst of these three history-making cavalry raids. Grant's offensive against Vicksburg was derailed, Federal garrisons in west Tennessee learned their very real vulnerability, and Rosecrans' supply lines were laid to waste—all during 1862—all by the daring Confederate Raiders described in this book.

"The most recent addition to Civil War military history is a masterpiece of effort. Exploring official Federal and Confederate records, diary accounts, newspapers, regimental histories, map studies, and recent battlefield relic discoveries, James D. Brewer tells an engrossing account of the impact of three critical Confederate cavalry raids slighted by military historians. Not only does he examine the immediate tactical effects of the 1862 raids, but the protracted strategic impact they had on the Union's offensive operations in the Mississippi Valley, central Kentucky, and western Tennessee. [The book] is exceedingly well written and researched and never at a loss for the author's lucid judgment in exploring the decisions, mobile tactics, and operational innovations of the three Confederate cavalry leaders. Brewer's history is a welcomed and important contribution to Civil War literature."-George F. Hofmann, Ph.D. Adjunct Professor of History University of Cincinnati, "Three Confederate raids into Tennessee and Kentucky in 1862 established the cavalry raid as an effective Civil War operation. In recounting the 1862 raids of Armstrong, Forrest, and Morgan, Brewer has combined a particular set of qualities. His 20 years of research was demonstrably thorough; he knows all there is to know factually of each raid. He is an excellent storyteller and the descriptions of the course of each raid, told from both sides, are clear and readable. Finally, and perhaps most valuable, based on his own military knowledge and experience, he has brought to analysis of each raid a clear explanation of the commander's actions and the reasons for them. This book is a valuable addition to the understanding of Civil War operations."-Brig. Gen. Philip L. Bolte U.S. Army, Ret., ?this superb and well-researched book presents new information never before published on each commander and how he executed his particular mission.?-Books in Print, ?For readers wanting the details on the big western cavalry raids of 1862, this is your book.?-The Civil War news, ?This well-written, highly documented study will appeal to everyone interested in the role of the cavalry in the Civil War.?-Library Journal

JAMES D. BREWER is a longtime Civil War researcher, speaker, teacher, site preservationist, and reenactor. A retired U.S. Army officer with experience in cavalry and mounted operations, Brewer brings both a soldier's and a historian's perspective to his work. A freelance journalist for the past fifteen years, Brewer has written widely about the Civil War.