audiobook Temperance Creek: A Memoir by Pamela Royes in History

Description

In contrast to Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia; the armies and events of the Civil War’s Trans-Mississippi Theater have received scant historical attention; to the detriment of our understanding not only of individuals and events west of the Mississippi River; but also to the east of it. In Confederate Generals in the Trans-Mississippi; Volume 2; noted Civil War historians offer fresh scholarship on eight generals who made names for themselves in the region; providing intriguing insight into important wartime issues in the Trans-Mississippi and beyond.Contrary to popular belief; the Trans-Mississippi did not serve as a dumping ground for generals who had failed in Virginia. Instead; the majority of generals who served in the region were homegrown and faced challenges unknown to their counterparts in the East—expansive territory; few men; and limited transportation for the meager supplies available. Superior Union numbers in the West; however; did not guarantee Union victory. As these essays show; southern generals often beat themselves because of personal failings or an inability to work together. Sterling Price and Ben McCulloch refused to cooperate; Henry Sibley combined alcoholism with cowardice; and the able French-born Prince de Polignac faced language barriers. The war ended before Joseph Brent; a visionary regarding tank warfare; could make his name as a brigadier; and “Prince John” Magruder’s achievements in Texas remain overshadowed by his earlier career in Virginia. The Cajun Alfred Mouton; a superior leader; died on a battlefield in his native Louisiana; while Mosby Parsons survived the war only to be murdered by Mexican cavalry. While some of these generals breathed life into the Confederacy; others hastened its downfall.By chronicling the lives and careers of these eight generals; this welcome volume integrates the Trans-Mississippi more fully with the Western Theater and illuminates critical issues vital to understanding the South’s ultimate defeat.