by Stephen B. Oates (Author)
Another Confederate cavalry raid impends. You hear the snort of an impatient horse, the leathery squeaking of saddles, the low-voiced commands of officers, the muffled cluck of guns cocked in preparation--then the sudden rush of motion, the din of another attack.
This classic story seeks to illuminate a little-known theater of the Civil War--the cavalry battles of the Trans-Mississippi West, a region that included Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, the Indian Territory, and part of Louisiana. Stephen B. Oates traces the successes and defeats of the cavalry; its brief reinvigoration under John S. "Rip" Ford, who fought and won the last battle of the war at Palmetto Ranch; and finally, the disintegration of this once-proud fighting force.
Back Jacket
This classic story told in narrative form seeks to illuminate a little-known theater of the Civil War-the cavalry of the Trans-Mississippi West-a region that included Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, the Indian Territory, and part of Louisana. Stephen Oates examines the Trans-Mississippi cavalry, acknowledged to have been one of the best ever mounted, and describes its organization and recruitment of troops (mostly cowboys and farmers).