Edited By Richard
Lowe
While a political refugee in London, former Confederate
general John G. Walker wrote a history of the Civil War west of the Mississippi
River. Walker’s account, composed shortly after the war and unpublished until
now, remains one of only two memoirs by high-ranking Confederate officials who
fought in the Trans-Mississippi theater. Edited and expertly annotated by
Richard Lowe — author of the definitive history of Walker’s Texas division — the
general’s insightful narrative describes firsthand his experience and many
other military events west of the great river. Before assuming command of a
division of Texas infantry in early 1863, Walker earned the approval of Robert
E. Lee for his leadership at the Battle of Antietam. Indeed, Lee later
expressed regret at the transfer of Walker from the Army of Northern Virginia
to the Trans-Mississippi Department. As the leader of the Texas Division (known
later as the Greyhound Division for its long, rapid marches across Louisiana
and Arkansas), Walker led an attempt to relieve the great Confederate fortress
at Vicksburg during the siege by the Federal army in the spring and summer of
1863. Ordered to attack Ulysses Grant’s forces on the west bank of the Mississippi
River near Vicksburg, Walker unleashed a furious assault on black and white
Union troops stationed at Milliken’s Bend, Louisiana. The encounter was only
the second time in American history that organized regiments of African
American troops fought in a pitched battle. After the engagement, Walker
realized the great potential of black regiments for the Union cause.
Walker’s Texans later fought at the battle of Bayou Bourbeau
in south Louisiana, where they helped to turn back a Federal attempt to attack
Texas via an overland route from New Orleans. In the winter of 1863–1864,
Walker’s infantry and artillery disrupted Union shipping on the Mississippi
River. According to Lowe, the Greyhound Division’s crucial role in throwing
back the Union’s 1864 Red River Campaign remains its greatest accomplishment.
Walker led his men on a marathon operation in which they marched about nine
hundred miles and fought three large battles in ten weeks, a feat unmatched by
any other division — Union or Confederate — in the war. Expertly edited by
Richard Lowe, General Walker’s history stands as a testament to his skilled
leadership and provides an engaging primary source document for scholars,
students, and others interested in Civil War history.
ISBN 978-0807152508, Louisiana State Univ Press, © 2013,
Hardcover, 135 Pages, Maps, Footnotes, Bibliography & Index. $3600. To
Purchase the book click HERE.
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