Confederate cavalry operating in the Trans-Mississippi during the 
Civil War has received little scholarly attention, partially because 
of the paucity of written resources that survived the conflict.

    While there are a few published letter collections and a 
handful of memoirs, little is known of the troopers' daily activities.
With the publication of the order book of Parsons's Brigade, a 
compilation of the original daily orders preserved by members of 
the brigade following the Civil War, the story of these horsemen 
comes to light.

    The Texans were on the move daily, skirmishing or scouting 
with Union cavalry from the time they arrived in Arkansas in 1862 
until the time they returned to Texas in 1865. As cavalrymen, they 
endured a life of privation and hardship, sleeping in the muddy 
bayous of northeastern Louisiana or along the banks of the 
Mississippi and Arkansas rivers.

    For the first time the reader can follow the everyday life of a 
Texas cavalryman as he served the Confederacy faithfully in a 
losing cause. 

_________________________________________________________

ANNE J. BAILEY is the author of six books on the Civil War, 
including Texans in the Confederate Cavalry, (McWhiney Foundation 
Press) and Between the Enemy and Texas: Parsons' Texas Cavalry 
in the Civil War. She serves as the editor of the Georgia Historical 
Quarterly and the SCWH Newsletter, and is a professor of history at 
Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, Georgia.



What people are saying about this book

"this collection of correspondence offers a vivid picture of the daily
rituals and responsibilities of a Confederate cavalry."—Civil War 
Book Review 

". . . a treasure trove of valuable information. . . . Recommended for 
serious students of the Civil War in the West."—Military Trader

"a different kind of insight into the cavalrymen's lives than one gets 
from letters or diaries, insight that reflects the experience of the unit 
as a whole. . . . Bailey's careful annotations add substantial value to 
the orders book. The extra details about individuals and locations in 
the text, clarifications from relevant primary sources, and explanatory 
material gleaned from a comprehensive understanding of the 
secondary literature allow the reader to make connections that might 
otherwise be missed. . . . an important source for those interested in 
Confederate cavalry, specific military operations in Arkansas and 
Louisiana, or the pace of the war in the Trans-Mississippi theater. In 
rescuing the Parsons' Brigade Order Book from relative obscurity, 
Bailey has given serious students of the war yet another tool with 
which to work."—Louisiana History

"The combination of Bailey's text and the extracts of the order book 
provides an accurate picture of the true nature of the war."—The 
Journal of America's Military Past

"Naturally the book is designed for the 'Civil War buff' . . . [but] even 
the casual Civil War aficionado can appreciate this work."—Chuck 
Parsons, NOLA Quarterly

"The editor has done an excellent job . . . the Trans-Mississippi has 
not received much attention, this book helps to fill that void."—The 
Civil War Courier

"McWhiney has become the leading publisher of military history in 
Texas and Bailey one of the rising historians of America's fratricidal 
conflict."—East Texas Historical Journal

". . . an important reference source. Those with an interest in Parsons's 
brigade will find much of value in this volume as will scholars with a 
more general interest in the Confederate Trans-Mississippi and 
Confederate cavalry. It is sources like this order book of Parsons's 
Texas cavalry brigade that add richly to our understanding of the "real" 
war."—M. Jane Johansson, H-Net Book Review

"A welcome contribution to primary source references concerning the 
American Civil War, offering an up-close and personal look at Texas 
cavalry life."—Midwest Book Review


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