Black Flag: Guerrilla Warfare Western Border 1861-1865 - Hardcover

Thomas Goodrich

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0253325994 ISBN 13: 9780253325990

Publisher: Indiana University Press, 1995

Synopsis

"[A] thorough and comprehensive study of this tragic, almost forgotten episode of American history." —History

"What Sherman did in Georgia and Sheridan in the Valley pales in comparison. This study truly shows the horrible cost inherent in any civil war." —Civil War Courier

"[A] well written and compelling account of an aspect of the Civil War which has not received sufficient attention." —Southern Historian

"Compelling..." —Publishers Weekly

"[A] fast-paced.. .absorbing discourse... Black Flag is a highly recommended book that transports the reader to the towns and dusty highways of Kansas and Missouri during the Civil War." —Kansas History

From 1861 to 1865, the region along the Missouri-Kansas border was the scene of unbelievable death and destruction. Thousands died, millions of dollars of property was lost, entire populations were violently uprooted. It was here also that some of the greatest atrocities in American history occurred. Yet in the great national tragedy of the Civil War, this savage warfare has seemed a minor episode.
Drawing from a wide array of contemporary documents—including diaries, letters, and first-hand newspaper accounts—Thomas Goodrich presents a hair-raising report of life in this merciless guerrilla war. Filled with dramatic detail, Black Flag reveals war at its very worst, told in the words of the participants themselves. Bushwhackers and Jayhawkers, soldiers and civilians, scouts, spies, runaway slaves, the generals and the guerrillas—all step forward to tell of their terrifying ordeals.
From the shocking, sensational massacres at Lawrence, Baxter Springs, and Centralia to the silent terror of a woman at home alone in the Aburnt district, Black Flag is a horrifying day-by-day account of life, death and war, told with unforgettable immediacy.

About this title

About the Author

THOMAS GOODRICH is a professional writer with a focus on the American Civil War. His previous book, Bloody Dawn: The Story of the Lawrence Massacre, was a selection of the History Book Club.

From the Back Cover

From 1861 to 1865, the region along the Missouri-Kansas border was the scene of unbelievable death and destruction. It was here also that some of the greatest atrocities in American history occurred. Yet in the great national tragedy of the Civil War, this savage warfare has seemed a minor episode. Black Flag is a horrifying day-by-day account of life, death, and war, told with unforgettable immediacy.

Reviews

One of history's most bitter irregular conflicts was waged in Kansas and Missouri before and during the Civil War. Goodrich (Bloody Dawn) reconstructs its horror through extensive quotation from letters, diaries and reports. He depicts a situation wherein a conflict's original causes gave way to young men who kept fighting because they knew no other way of life. Whether Union or Confederate, they turned the concepts of mercy and honor into grisly jokes as reciprocal massacre, destruction of property and victimization of noncombatants reduced life on the Trans-Mississippi frontier to a Hobbesian state for all. This compelling work highlights the wisdom of the Confederacy's leaders in surrendering in 1865 rather than continuing what would now be called a low-intensity conflict and whose results would have been incalculably disastrous. Photos.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Civil War on the Kansas-Missouri border was initially fought by Bushwhackers and Jayhawkers, guerrillas from Missouri and Kansas, respectively. Union troops mostly displaced the Jayhawkers by 1862, but the Bushwhackers remained active until Lee's surrender. Historian Goodrich describes the death and destruction the guerrilla war wrought on this region through excerpts from diaries, letters, local news accounts, and published articles, letting the victims do most of the talking. Citing cases that graphically underscore the terrorism, Goodrich captures the fear of the populace. He indulges in a few overly dramatic statements, and a book so dependent on excerpts should have endnotes. Still, a number of recent regional publications on this topic do not achieve Goodrich's scope. This title should be considered for public libraries with strong Civil War collections.
Robert C. Moore, DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Co. Information Svcs., North Billerica, Mass.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0253325994
• ISBN 13: 9780253325990
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 196