The Maltby Brothers' Civil War - Hardcover

Delaney, Norman C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1623490251 ISBN 13: 9781623490256

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press, 2013

Synopsis

On December 11, 1863, a US brigadier general and a Confederate artillery captain met on board the packet steamer Diligent on the Mississippi River below Vicksburg. The Confederate officer had not come on board on official business; he was a paroled prisoner of war. The brigadier general was his older brother, who had learned of the younger man’s capture three weeks earlier at Confederate Fort Semmes, on the Texas coast, and had arranged to have him brought from New Orleans to Vicksburg to be given medical care at the Federal garrison.

The American Civil War has rightly been called a war of brothers; Henry, Jasper, and William Maltby were three such brothers. The scene recounted above was between Jasper and William, who had not seen each other in several years since Jasper had left their birth home in Ohio, but who met frequently over the months following their reunion, their familial bond overriding their political allegiances.

The three brothers’ lives cover the critical years of Civil War and Reconstruction, a time when Jasper devotedly served the Union cause, while Henry and William became outspoken secessionists, operating Confederate newspapers in Corpus Christi, Matamoros, and Brownsville, eventually as a thorn in the side of Reconstruction officials. Despite their own Southern sympathies, the two Confederates cherished their Yankee brother, whose bravery at Fort Donelson and Vicksburg took a heavy toll on his health and eventually cost him his life. Both Rebels named a son in honor of their hero brother.

Combining detailed research in William Maltby’s personal papers with contemporary accounts, military and court records, and the editorials of the two who became newspapermen, veteran scholar and educator Norman Delaney has created a vibrant story of how war can affect a family and a community.

About this title

About the Author

NORMAN C. DELANEY of Corpus Christi, an authority on Civil War naval history, was the US Naval Institute’s Author of the Year for 2011. He taught history at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi for forty years before his retirement in 2006.

Review

"This is an impressively well-researched book that presents rich historical evidence on a fascinating subject. Every serious student of the border and Civil War Texas will want this thoroughly enjoyable work of astounding depth and objectivity.  The lives of the brothers Maltby makes for down-right fascinating reading. Delaney will keep you turning the pages."--Jerry Thompson, Regents Professor of History, Texas A&M International University

(Jerry Thompson 2013-05-15)

"The Maltby Brothers' Civil War makes an invaluable contribution to the history of South Texas and is highly elevated local history based on extensive primary sources. The lively style will be appreciated by the general audience, and the careful scholarship will appeal to historians with a special interest in nineteenth century Texas, antebellum Texas politics, early Texas newspapers, and the Civil War and Reconstruction."--COL (Ret.) Thomas Ty Smith, author, The Old Army in Texas and The U.S. Army & the Texas Frontier Economy
(COL (Ret.) Thomas Ty Smith 2013-05-20)

“Loosely organized around the lives of Henry, Jasper, and William Maltby, this impeccably-researched book, in addition to serving as an outstanding regional history of Corpus Christi and South Texas, shows how overweening personal ambitions, complex familial relationships, and divided loyalties tore Americans apart during the Civil War era.”—Robert Wooster, Regents Professor of History, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

(Robert Wooster 2013-05-22)

"This epic story, told in a concise and engaging style, would make an excellent basis for a movie or a TV serial. The book provides a glimpse into the personal side of South Texas during such events as the founding of Corpus Christi, the Civil War, and Reconstruction by following the colorful exploits of the talented and adventuresome Maltby brothers. Besides one or the other of them wearing such hats as that of circus owner, sketch artist, military officer, and mayor, the two younger brothers were also, for many years, influential newspaper publishers. The brothers’ cutting and humorous remarks, like their flaws and strengths, add spice to the story."--Milo Kearney, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Texas at Brownsville

(Milo Kearney 2013-06-02)

"This book... is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the Civil War and Reconstruction in South Texas, framed by the unique and colorful story of the Maltby family. It is also a very good read." --Murphy Givens (Caller-Times 2013-11-26)

"Norman Delaney's expansive The Maltby Brother's Civil War has clear value as both join biography and historical record of rarely studied Civil War era events in South Texas... Highly recommended as one of the best Trans-Mississippi Civil War titles published this year." --CWBA (CWBA)

"...solid piece of regional history that revives the long-neglected story of the men and movements that helped shape the state of Texas through both war and peace."--Jonathan Newell (Jonathan Newell Civil War Book Review 2014-03-24)

“Delaney is at his best when describing the intricacies of local development and personalities and the war’s effect on the region. In particular, his portrayal of the contested aspect of the war in coastal South Texas offers new insight into shifting loyalties and the nature and impact of Union occupation on civilian populations. . . an important contribution to the study of the Civil War in local communities and in the West, and it will also have appeal for scholars of the South Texas region.”—Journal of Southern History (Journal of Southern History)

Edition details

• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1623490251
• ISBN 13: 9781623490256
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 256