Arthur W. Bergeron Jr

Until relatively recently, conventional wisdom held that the Trans-Mississippi Theater was a backwater of the American Civil War. Scholarship in recent decades has corrected this oversight, and a growing number of historians agree that the events west of the Mississippi River proved integral to the outcome of the war. Nevertheless, generals in the Trans-Mississippi have received little attention compared to their eastern counterparts, and many remain mere footnotes to Civil War history. This welcome volume features cutting-edge analyses of eight Southern generals in this most neglected theatre—Thomas Hindman, Theophilus Holmes, Edmund Kirby Smith, Mosby Monroe Parsons, John Marmaduke, Thomas James Churchill, Thomas Green, and Joseph Orville Shelby—providing an enlightening new perspective on the Confederate high command.Although the Trans-Mississippi has long been considered a dumping ground for failed generals from other regions, the essays presented here demolish that myth, showing instead that, with a few notable exceptions, Confederate commanders west of the Mississippi were homegrown, not imported, and compared well with their more celebrated peers elsewhere. With its virtually nonexistent infrastructure, wildly unpredictable weather, and few opportunities for scavenging, the Trans-Mississippi proved a challenge for commanders on both sides of the conflict. As the contributors to this volume demonstrate, only the most creative minds could operate successfully in such an unforgiving environment.While some of these generals have been the subjects of larger studies, others, including Generals Holmes, Parsons, and Churchill, receive their first serious scholarly attention in these pages. Clearly demonstrating the independence of the Trans-Mississippi and the nuances of the military struggle there, while placing both the generals and the theatre in the wider scope of the war, these eight essays offer valuable new insight into Confederate military leadership and the ever-vexing questions of how and why the South lost this most defining of American conflicts.

In most standard texts on the Civil War, Mobile appears only in reference to the famous Battle of Mobile Bay. It is thus refreshing to find a work that illuminates the complete war years of this major southern city. . . . Confederate Mobile will prove an invaluable guide to anyone wishing to understand wartime Mobile and the military maneuvers involved in defending the important southern port.""- Florida Historical Quarterly""Bergeron's study, as his title indicates, is more than a chronicle of defensive efforts. His well-researched and well-presented work also discusses such topics as the different Rebel military commanders who appeared in Mobile as the war progressed, the role of black people in Mobile's defense, and, in one of the most interesting chapters, civilian life in the city during the war. . . . A worthwhile book to complement one's Civil War library.""- Journal of Mississippi History

Bergeron has produced a book. . . essential to the serious Confederate scholar. - Journal of American HistoryIn Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units, Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr., examines the 111 artillery, cavalry, and infantry units that Louisiana furnished to the Confederate armies. No other reference has the complete and accurate record of Louisiana's contribution to the war. For each unit, Bergeron provides a brief account of its war activities, including battles, losses, and dates of important events. He also lists the units' field officers, the companies in each regiment or battalion, and the names of company commanders.""This book should serve as a model for studies of other states in the Civil War."" - Military History of the Southwest