All Afire to Fight: The Untold Tale of the Civil War's Ninth Texas Cavalry

In October 1861, the young men of the Confederacy's newly formed Ninth Texas Cavalry forded the Red River between Texas and what is now eastern Oklahoma. They would remain on active duty throughout the entire Civil War, moving from skirmish with little rest and no furloughs, distinguishing themselves in several major campaigns across the South. Their casualties would be tremendous--three-quarters of the unit would be wounded or killed in battle, die of disease or in Indian attacks, or be mustered out because of physical unfitness for service. And those who survived would not see their Texas homes again for four long years. But despite it all, they remained...

ALL AFIRE TO FIGHT

Drawing on letters, journal entries, family stories, and official war records, Martha Crabb re-creates the remarkable Civil War odyssey of the Ninth Texas Cavalry--a thousand or so fearless, hell-raising western boys who endured unspeakable hardships, yet didn't lose their devil-may-care spirit or raw determination to win. You'll meet teenager Newt Keen, who marched and fought for more than three years, then spent nine hellish months in a Union prison, yet still was "not half whipped"; Tom Berry, respected and honored by all, who perished during the battle of Atlanta with the regret on his lips that he could do no more; dedicated soldier A.W. Sparks who was even more dedicated to his brother, so much so that he stole into a Union hospital in order to stay with his wounded sibling for twenty-four hours; and Sul Ross, a Texan Ranger whose courage and integrity no man could doubt, who became the Ninth's brigadier general later in the war and a Texas legend after it. Through their stories, you'll get to know the human face of warfare--and experience a soldier's-eye-view of the drama, exhilaration, and horror of bloody conflict--made palpable and immediate through evocative descriptions and scrupulous research.

In October 1861, the young men of the Confederacy's newly formed Ninth Texas Cavalry forded the Red River between Texas and what is now eastern Oklahoma. They would remain on active duty throughout the entire Civil War, moving from skirmish with little rest and no furloughs, distinguishing themselves in several major campaigns across the South. Their casualties would be tremendous--three-quarters of the unit would be wounded or killed in battle, die of disease or in Indian attacks, or be mustered out because of physical unfitness for service. And those who survived would not see their Texas homes again for four long years. But despite it all, they remained...ALL AFIRE TO FIGHT

Drawing on letters, journal entries, family stories, and official war records, Martha Crabb re-creates the remarkable Civil War odyssey of the Ninth Texas Cavalry--a thousand or so fearless, hell-raising western boys who endured unspeakable hardships, yet didn't lose their devil-may-care spirit or raw determination to win. You'll meet teenager Newt Keen, who marched and fought for more than three years, then spent nine hellish months in a Union prison, yet still was "not half whipped"; Tom Berry, respected and honored by all, who perished during the battle of Atlanta with the regret on his lips that he could do no more; dedicated soldier A.W. Sparks who was even more dedicated to his brother, so much so that he stole into a Union hospital in order to stay with his wounded sibling for twenty-four hours; and Sul Ross, a Texan Ranger whose courage and integrity no man could doubt, who became the Ninth's brigadier general later in the war and a Texas legend after it. Through their stories, you'll get to know the human face of warfare--and experience a soldier's-eye-view of the drama, exhilaration, and horror of bloody conflict--made palpable and immediate through evocative descriptions and scrupulous research.

MARTHA CRABB is the archivist at the Moore County Historical Museum. A student of the Western theater of the Civil War for thirty years, she has previously been active in and continues to support the H.B. Simpson History Complex (formerly, the Confederate Research Center), the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, the Panhandle Archaeological Society, and the Texas Archaeological Society. She has written chapters for two local history books and has edited and contributed material for two more. Two of the Civil War soldiers profiled in ALL AFIRE TO FIGHT were her great-uncles. Mr. Crabb lives in Dumas, Texas.