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New from Camp Pope Publishing
Confederate “Tales of the War”
In the Trans-Mississippi
Part Three: 1863
Volume VII in our Series "Unwritten Chapters of the Civil War West of the River"
Edited by Michael Banasik
In 1885, the St. Louis Missouri Republican began a Saturday series of articles on the Civil War by the participants, from the lowliest private to the most exalted general. Recollections begat more recollections and sometimes rebuttals; small controversies raged, but all with the utmost civility, as the nameplate ("Exchanging Civilities") that appeared above most of the articles would proclaim.
The series ran for two years, comprising in all 94 articles, which dealt with all theaters of the war, including the high seas, from both the Northern and Southern perspectives. Being the home of most readers of the Republican, Missouri figures prominently in the series. Due to the number of pieces on Missouri and the Trans-Mississippi, editor Michael Banasik has grouped them by year. Part Three of Confederate "Tales of the War" contains only those articles
on the third year of the war, from the Confederate perspective.
Part Three covers the Van Buren, Arkansas, Raid (December 28, 1862) with the subsequent retreat to Little Rock, followed by the Battle of Arkansas Post (January 9–11, 1863). From Arkansas we travel briefly to northeast Louisiana for John G. Walker's efforts to relieve the pressure on Vicksburg, Mississippi, including several raids and skirmishes that took place from May–August 1863. Back in Arkansas, the Battle of Helena (July 4, 1863) and the 1863 Campaign for Little Rock are covered in detail, including the Marmaduke-Walker duel of September 6, 1863. The 1863 collection of the "Confederate Tales" is completed with the Battle of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on October 25, 1863. Included in this volume are several appendices, with a detailed Confederate Order of Battle for the Battle of Helena, as well as a lesser, though still significant, Confederate Order of Battle for the Battle of Pine Bluff. As before, selected, detailed biographies are presented, with an assortment of correspondence from the principle personalities of the book, and a detailed index for easy reference. New in this edition, readers will be introduced to an assortment of Confederate poems or songs that were produced during or immediately following the war, as mentioned by one of the authors contained within the Tales. Also included in this edition is the organizational information on Parsons's Missouri Brigade, including brief biographies of all the principle commanders of regiments, battalions, and independent companies, who served in the unit during the war.
244 pages, 6 x 9 paperback, illustrations, maps, notes, appendices, bibliography, index. (Published 2012; ISBN: 978-1-929919-45-1) $17.95.
From the reviews:"Volume VII is yet another groundbreaking addition to a mature series of great value to the historiography of the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi theater. Michael Banasik has outdone himself yet again with his skillful and generous editorial handiwork. Highly recommended."Civil War Books and Authors "Confederate "Tales of the War" In the Trans-Mississippi is a wonderfully edited work that follows the course of the war from the viewpoint of privates and generals alike...Allowing the original writers to speak for themselves, Banasik simply fills in holes for the 21st century reader. His expansive notes do not detract from the impact of the original authors and instead help make the work flow." Civil War News |