In Bayonets in the Wilderness; Alan D. Gaff explores a long-neglected period in American history to tell the complete story of how the U.S. Army conquered the first American frontier; the Northwest Territory. Wayne’s successful campaign led to the creation of a standing army for the country and set the standard for future conflicts and treaties with American Indians. Countering the popular impression of Wayne as “mad;†Gaff depicts him as a thoughtful; resolute; and diplomatic officer whose masterfully organized campaign brought an end in 1794 to forty years of border fighting.Gaff’s account brings to light alliances between Indian forces and the British military; demonstrating that British troops still conducted operations on American soil long after the supposed end of the American Revolution.
#2207999 in Books University of Oklahoma Press 1993-09-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.25 x 6.00l; 1.62 #File Name: 0806125659524 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A Good Place to StartBy 5/0"The Army of Tennessee" by Stanley F. Horn This work; first published in 1941; seems to be the first recognized as a thorough treatment of the Confederate Army of Tennessee. It is written in the "top-down" format which concentrates on the army's leaders with little about the "rank and file" soldiers. It has a few flaws due to the scarcity and disorganization of source materials that Horn could access. It also suffered from less-than-stellar editorial work and the fact that Horn was more of an historian than a writer. Regardless of any shortcomings; it is still rightly considered a worthy read. Casual readers and even bona fide "Civil War buffs" are likely to find a couple particular spots cumbersome. Chapter XII; titled "Mississippi Interlude" seems to be an "orphan chapter" that muddies the timeline of the main narrative without providing much of real value. In Chapter XIV; "Chickamauga"; the author succumbs to the temptation to drown the reader in organizational and maneuver minutia. A significant general deficiency is the lack of maps/diagrams that would have eliminated a lot of tedious prose. Tangent to that error is the inclusion of odds and ends of documents that the publisher printed without bothering to make them legible. On the plus side; Horn tried hard to present the Confederate leaders; even the controversial and widely disliked Braxton Bragg; in a fair and objective light. That is a major accomplishment in itself given that much of the available source material was personal letters and writings with the usual bias of personal view. This work is a good place for anyone interested in the Confederate Army of Tennessee to start. But don't stop there.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Dated; but highly readable history of AOTBy Thomas W. RobinsonStanley F. Horn's book was first published in 1941; but it still remains a key tool on learning about the Confederacy's tragic; "other" army. Although Lee's Army of Northern Virginia gets most of the press; the stories involving the Confederacy's other major army are just as compelling. And that is the key feature of Horn's book. His writing style is very compelling in its own right and will keep you turning the pages. And; surprisingly; as another reviewer pointed out; despite being a Nashville native; Horn's book is not full of Lost Cause mythology and excuses like some other books of this time period. What you get from Horn is the facts and certainly his opinion. If you are a fan of Braxton Bragg or John Bell Hood you might want to skip this book because Horn is not afraid on heaping blame on them. To his credit; though; Horn praises Bragg and Hood when he feels it is due (mostly for ideas they had as opposed to their execution of said plans). While Thomas Lawrence Connelly's two volume work on the AOT from the 1970s has surpassed Horn's for an academic; scholarly look at the Army; Horn's book still deserves a place on your shelf for its readability and stories from the command tent down to the privates.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A Little Long; But Good for Military HistoriansBy Nowhere ManThe Army of Tennessee; By Stanley F.Horn. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press; 1952.This book is a look at the Army of Tennessee; known by some as the Confederacy's "other Army"; the first Army being the Army of Northern Virginia. Horn gives a detailed examination about the army that operated between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. The army fought until the end of the war in 1865; participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater. The book focuses mostly on the army's campaigns throughout the war with emphasis on the leadership changes and the problems that the army faced throughout the course of the war. The army was formed on November 20; 1862; renaming the Army of Mississippi. Its first commander was General Braxton Bragg; followed by Joseph E. Johnston and John Bell Hood. Horn demonstrates that it was these Changes in leadership along with lack of supplies that affected the army's performances in battle.The sources that Horn uses are mostly primary such as; Jefferson Davis' own personal accounts; Ulysses S. Grant's letters and several newspaper articles just to name a few. These sources are helpful in understanding the hardships that the Army of Tennessee went through as well as giving more insight into military strategies of the day. This book is written chronological order from the beginning of the war to the end. Each battle is given its own chapter; which provides great detail. While there is much detail in the chapters; they are short and easy to read and understand. There are not a lot of photos or maps; but the ones that are provided; are given with purpose. They provide examples to the reader of what it is that Horn is attempting to convey. The topics in this book are not controversial at all and are quite the opposite. The book was originally written in 1941 and the material is well established. In the notes; Horn provides information that adds to his original thoughts in the book. The notes section can almost be used as an additional source or chapter filled with information that did not fit anywhere else in the book.The Army of Tennessee's first commander was General Braxton Bragg; who fought Union Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans's Army of the Cumberland to a draw at the Battle of Stones River on December 31; 1862. However; Bragg was forced to withdraw from Murfreesboro and fall back on Tullahoma. In the summer of 1863; Rosecrans began an offensive; known as the Tullahoma Campaign. Union forces gradually forced Bragg to fall back into northern Georgia; abandoning the important railroad hub of Chattanooga. Chattanooga was important because it provided supplies to the Confederacy and ensured that they could hold the West. Reinforced by Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's First Corps from the Army of Northern Virginia; the Army of Tennessee was able to inflict a significant defeat on Rosecrans at Chickamauga in September 1863.After Chickamauga the Army of Tennessee besieged the Union army in Chattanooga;. The Army of the Cumberland was reinforced by the troops of Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee; along with two corps from the Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker; and Grant replaced Rosecrans in command. Bragg then sent Longstreet's forces to Knoxville and nearly all of his cavalry away; reducing his army's strength. The combined Union army was able to inflict a significant defeat on Bragg at the Battle of Missionary Ridge on November 25; forcing Bragg to abandon the siege of Chattanooga and withdraw again into northern Georgia. Horn says this about Bragg; "Bragg could be trusted to bungle."(293) Horn maintains that Bragg was an incompetent leader. Shortly thereafter; Bragg was replaced as by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston.In the 1864 Atlanta Campaign; Johnston faced the combined Northern armies of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman; whose orders were to destroy the Army of Tennessee; with the capture of Atlanta as the secondary objective. Johnston; who felt the continued existence of his army was more important than protecting territory; tended to avoid battle with Sherman; executing a skillful withdrawal; which caused impatience among the Confederate leadership in Richmond; particularly Confederate President Jefferson Davis; who had never gotten on well with Johnston. Following Sherman's outflanking of Johnston at the Chattahoochee River; Johnston was replaced by Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood. Hood's tenure as commander proved disastrous. After several unsuccessful attempts to force Sherman's withdrawal from Atlanta; the city fell to Union troops on September 2; 1864. Hood turned west and headed back north into Tennessee; allowing Sherman to turn south unopposed for the March to the Sea. On November 30; 1864; Hood lost almost a quarter of his troops; but continued to advance north into central Tennessee; where he attempted to besiege Nashville. Hood failed to take back Nashville and in 1865 he handed command back to Johnston. The Army of Tennessee was surrendered at Bennett Place near Durham Station; North Carolina on April 26; 1865. The men furled their flags; stacked their arms; and received their paroles; and then headed home.This book is a well organized in depth look at the Army of Tennessee. Horn knows the history and the military aspect well. Even though this book is older; it is still a useful source for anyone who studies military history. It is not a light read however; I would not recommend it to anyone who is a casual reader of history. It is a long book and one should be aware of this.
