Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West (Civil War America) - Hardcover

Shea, William L.; Hess, Earl J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807820423 ISBN 13: 9780807820421

Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press, 1992

Synopsis

The 1862 battle of Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas was one of the largest Civil War engagements fought on the western frontier, and it dramatically altered the balance of power in the Trans-Mississippi. This study of the battle is based on research in archives from Connecticut to California and includes a pioneering study of the terrain of the sprawling battlefield, as well as an examination of soldiers' personal experiences, the use of Native American troops, and the role of Pea Ridge in regional folklore.

“A model campaign history that merits recognition as a major contribution to the literature on Civil War military operations.” — Journal of Military History

“Shines welcome light on the war’s largest battle west of the Mississippi.” — USA Today

“With its exhaustive research and lively prose style, this military study is virtually a model work of its kind.” — Publishers Weekly

“A thoroughly researched and well-told account of an important but often neglected Civil War encounter.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Offers the rich tactical detail, maps, and order of battle that military scholars love but retains a very readable style combined with liberal use of recollections of the troops and leaders involved.” — Library Journal

“This book is assured of a place among the best of all studies that have been published on Civil War campaigns.” — American Historical Review

“Destined to become a Civil War classic and a model for writing military history.” — Civil War History

“A campaign study of a caliber that all should strive for and few will equal.” — Journal of American History

“An excellent and detailed book in all accounts, scholarly and readable, with both clear writing and excellent analysis. . . . Utterly essential . . . for any serious student of the Civil War.” — Civil War News

About this title

About the Authors

William L. Shea, professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, is author of The Virginia Militia in the Seventeenth Century.

Earl J. Hess is Stewart W. McClelland Chair in history at Lincoln Memorial University. He is author of several books, including Lee’s Tar Heels: The Pettigrew-Kirkland-MacRae Brigade and Pickett’s Charge — The Last Attack at Gettysburg.

Reviews

With its exhaustive research and lively prose style, this military study is virtually a model work of its kind. Shea and Hess, who teach history at the University of Arkansas at Monticello and Lincoln Memorial University (Tenn.), respectively, convincingly argue that the 1862 campaign for Pea Ridge (Ark.) decisively changed the balance of power in the West, with the Union gaining effective control of Missouri. Samuel Curtis, commander of the Federal Army of the Southwest, understood the strategic requirements of his theater, according to the authors, and elicited the best performance from his troops, even though they were beset by internal tensions. The Southern commander, Earl van Dorn, the authors maintain, was a swashbuckler out of his depth--particularly in light of the administrative weaknesses of the trans-Mississippi Confederacy. Their detailed analysis of the climactic battle impressively conveys the difficulties of the improvised armies that groped for and grappled with each other in the Civil War West. Illustrations not seen by PW. BOMC and History Book Club selections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The battle of Pea Ridge, fought in northwestern Arkansas in March 1862, was probably the most important trans-Mississippi battle of the Civil War. It was unusual in the use of Indian troops and in the Confederates' numerical superiority, better supplies, and inferior leadership. The battle ended any serious Confederate threat to Missouri and opened the Union's path into Arkansas. The book offers the rich tactical detail, maps, and order of battle that military scholars love but retains a very readable style combined with liberal use of recollections of the troops and leaders involved. Shea (history, Univ. of Arkansas) and Hess (history, Lincoln Memorial Univ.) do, however, suffer from a touch of logorrhea; the narrative rumbles along for nearly 100 pages after the battle ends. Nonetheless, this is an important book for academic libraries and for public libraries in the region. BOMC and History Book Club selections.
- Fritz Buckallew, Univ. of Central Oklahoma Lib., Edmond
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807820423
• ISBN 13: 9780807820421
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 432