The Civil War in the American West

by Alvin M. Josephy Jr.

Book Overview

As most Americans of the 1860s fixed their attention on the battlefields of Shiloh and Manassas, another war raged on the largely unsettled Western frontier. This splendid work by the author of The Patriot Chiefs restores this "other" Civil War to its true, epic proportions. With formidable scholarship and irresistible narrative ease, Alvin M. Josephy, Jr., tells of the Yankee armada that foundered in the Louisiana bayous; of the bloody fighting on...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394564820
• ISBN13: 9780394564821
• Release Date: October 1991
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.6" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A Fabulous Civil War History

If you can get hold of this book - do so! This is one of the best Civil War books you can read, and covers an often neglected topic - the War west of the Mississippi. The author highlights those seldom covered campaigns, such as Sibley's Confederate invasion of New Mexico,the Union attempts at invading Texas and Bank's failed Red River campaign, among others. The real gem in the book is how Josephy relates the effect of the Civil War and the withdrawal of regular army troops out of the west, to be replaced by sometimes less than stellar volunteers, on the American Indians and the setting of the stage for twenty years of endless conflict. There is even a chapter covering the civil war among the Indian tribes in present-day Oklahoma as they took sides and fought each other and Union and Confederate troops. The book flows so well, you'll almost forget you're reading history!

Best Book on the Civil war in the West

An excellent history of the fascinating and little published campaigns of the American West during the Civil War. Includes activities the Union had with the Sioux in the great Minnesota uprising and along with Kit Carson with the Apache at the Battle of Adobe Wells, Colorado troops and the Shoshone and the Cheyenne and the horrid Colonel Chivington at the massacre of Sand Creek. You'll find out that there were actually confederate prisoners fighting Indians in the Norhwest that were referred to as Galvanized Yankees and you'll find out what happened to General Pope after 2nd Manasass.Besides these fascinating and unique situations, the author covers Banks' failed Red River campaign against Taylor but the high point to me is the description of Sibley's attempt to conquer the western states particularly New Mexico and the Battle of Glorietta Pass. Referred by the author as the Gettysburg of the West, the Confederates make notable gains against Union forces until that later day when Chivington literally does an end run around Sibley's confederates flank virtually over a cliff resulting in a total loss of his supply train. Once that happens, it's over and the Confederates collapse back to Texas. Literally, a knockout in round two that preserves the southwest as Union. Also covers those forgotten battles at the end of the war, Jeb Magruder from the 7 days battles comes out on top; however, the overall impact is too late to matter. This book covers the other sides of the Civil War universe.

Wish There Were 6 Stars!

This is an unusually good work. Focusing on the Civil War west of the Mississippi, the author covers not only the major North-South actions, but also the Indian actions which were necessary as well. There is full coverage of the Bayou Teche campaign in Louisiana, Pea Ridge, New Mexico, the Red River Campaign, the Minnesota Sioux uprising, Sabine Pass, the War on the western migration routes, the Mormons, etc, etc.This is as good as it gets. The writing is clear and concise, the events sequential. This history is written so well that at times you will think you are reading a suspense novel. This is a very excellent work by a good historian who just also happens to be a gifted writer.

admirably fills a serious void

As a lifetime Westerner and Civil War buff, I can't say enough good about this book. It covers the major issues and events of a war that stretched over great distances. While there weren't that many people living in the West at that time, Josephy shows us how the events of the Civil War shaped what the West would become.This is a good reference for the participation of many then-territories (now states), for just about all battles in the Trans-Mississippi theatre, for the participation of Native tribes on both sides, and for the social impact of the war in areas where there was little or no actual fighting. It is rounded out by well-done maps with an elegant feel.A definite for your Civil War library, particularly if the Western view is of interest.

A Broad Overview of the Western Civil War

Josephy does an excellent job of giving the broad overview of the Civil War in the American West. From paroled Confederates fighting Native Americans in the upper Mid West to a Confederate attempt to take California to the many battles in the bayous of Louisiana, Josephy tells in a riveting fashion the story of those men who fought so far from the better-known battlefields of the East.The biggest flaw with the book -- and some might consider it a feature -- is that the reader is likely to be left wanting more information. In tackling as large a swath of time and geography as Josephy has, it is inevitable that readers will find them looking for additional sources of information on the U.S. West in the 1860s.