Joseph M. Bailey’s memoir; Confederate Guerrilla; provides a unique perspective on the fighting that took place behind Union lines in Federal-occupied northwest Arkansas during and after the Civil War. This story—now published for the first time—will appeal to modern readers interested in the grassroots history of the Trans-Mississippi war. Bailey participated in the Battle of Pea Ridge and the siege of Port Hudson; eventually escaping to northwest Arkansas where he fought as a guerrilla against Federal troops and civilian unionists. After Federal forces gained control of the area; Bailey rejoined the Confederate army and continued in regular service in northeast Texas until the end of the war. Historians will find the descriptions of military campaigns and the observations on guerrilla war especially valuable. According to Bailey; Southern guerrillas were motivated less by a sense of loyalty to either the Confederate or Union side than by a determination to protect their families and neighbors from the “Mountain Federals.†This partisan war waged between the rebel guerrillas and Southern Unionists was essentially a “struggle for supremacy and revenge.†Comprehensive annotations are provided by editor T. Lindsay Baker to illuminate the clarity and reliability of Bailey’s late-life memoir.
#3262710 in Books Fulcrum Publishing 2007-11-01Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.10 x 6.00l; 1.35 #File Name: 1555916104304 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Little Known Aspect of the Civil WarBy Brian F. RedmanI had earlier found out about the Great Northwest Conspiracy (a plot for the "Northwest" - Illinois; Iowa; Wisconsin; Indiana; Michigan - to secede from the Union during the Civil War) by reading a book from the latter 19th-century entitled The Great Northwest Conspiracy. But Frank van der Linden does a superb job in fleshing out the details as well as introducing new evidence on the subject.An earlier reviewer here claims this Northwest Conspiracy event has been supposedly long-since "disproved." Yet he cites no sources for the claim. On the contrary; after reading van der Linden's book I am more convinced than ever that yes; there indeed was a Northwest conspiracy; on top of all the other troubles faced by President Abraham Lincoln.My one criticism of van der Linden's book is he unduly stresses; at the close; that supposedly "no party can survive an opposition to a war" - William Seward's "sage advice." This was true of the Democrat "peace" party in 1864; which did not get a man in the White House until Grover Cleveland; but van der Linden implies Seward's axiom is to be written in stone and to apply for all time.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. and found it very useful in that regardBy Howard G. Anders JrRead this in preparation for writing a research paper on the "Northwest Conspiracy" of the Civil War; and found it very useful in that regard. Many modern historians; such as Dr. Frank L. Klement; dismiss or minimize the 1864 cabal between Northern Peace Democrats - Copperheads - and Confederate agents based in Canada. Mr. van der Linden takes the opposite view; and uses the letters of Confederate "commissioner" C. C. Clay to help prove his point. His research was exhaustive; and the book is very well written; the text is complemented by an extensive bibliography. Unfortunately; Mr. van der Linden chose not to include an index with the work; which limits its usefulness somewhat.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Important bookBy Gerald R. HibbsThis book by Linden combined with Weber's book; Copperheads:The Rise and Fall of Lincoln's Opponents" will give the reader a definiitive outlook on the war the took place behind Lincoln's back.There were two wars going on 1861-1865 - the military war and the political war. They are bound together in a conspiracy which nearly won the war for the Confederacy. To get a comprehensive view of the Civil War; marching through the streets as well as tramping through the feilds; both books must be read carefully. There was something else going on besides Gettysburg and Vicksburg and to undertand what that something was and to appreciate what it meant; the reader must glide through the pages of both of these books. Both are easy to read making the investment of time and attention worhtwhile.
