The uncivil war : irregular warfare in the upper South, 1861-1865 / Robert R. Mackey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mackey, Robert Russell.

Series:

Campaigns and commanders ; v. 5.

Campaigns and commanders ; v. 5

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Confederate States of America. Army--History.

Confederate States of America.

United States. Army--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.

United States.

United States. Army.

Confederate States of America. Army.

History.

Guerrillas--Southern States--History--19th century.

Guerrillas.

Guerrilla warfare--Southern States--History--19th century.

Guerrilla warfare.

Raids (Military science)--History--19th century.

Raids (Military science).

Ambushes and surprises--History--19th century.

Ambushes and surprises.

Counterinsurgency--United States--History--19th century.

Counterinsurgency.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Underground movements.

War--Underground movements.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Campaigns.

Southern States.

Physical Description:

xii, 288 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Norman : University of Oklahoma Press, [2004]

Summary:

The Upper South-Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia-was the scene of the most destructive war ever fought on American soil. Contending armies swept across the region from the outset of the Civil War until its end, marking their passage at Pea Ridge, Shiloh, Perryville, and Manassas. Alongside this much-studied conflict, the Confederacy also waged an irregular war, based on nineteenth-century principles of unconventional warfare. In The Uncivil War, Robert R. Mackey outlines the Southern strategy of waging war across an entire region, measures the Northern response, and explains the outcome. Complex military issues shaped both the Confederate irregular war and the Union response. Through detailed accounts of Rebel guerrilla, partisan, and raider activities, Mackey strips away romanticized notions of how the "shadow war" was fought, proving instead that irregular warfare was an integral part of Confederate strategy. Mackey's groundbreaking book demonstrates that the failure of the shadow war can be traced both to poor Confederate command, which allowed irregulars to prey on their own neighbors, and to effective Union countermeasures. As a result, by 1865, the Confederacy had collapsed on both conventional and unconventional fields of conflict.

Contents:

Introduction: Civil War Irregular Warfare in Theory and Practice 3

1 The Confederacy's Self-Inflicted Wound: The Guerrilla War in Arkansas, 1862-1865 24

2 Fire, Provosts, and Tories: The Federal Counterinsurgency Campaign in Arkansas 50

3 John Singleton Mosby and the Confederate Partisan War in Virginia 72

4 Misreading the Enemy: The Union Army's Failed Response to Partisan Warfare in Virginia 95

5 The Heyday of Raiding Warfare: Morgan and Forrest in Tennessee and Kentucky, 1862 123

6 Great Raids, Great Reforms, and Great Disasters: The 1863 Spring and Summer Raiding Campaign 164

Conclusion: The End of the Uncivil War 195

Appendix A The Partisan Ranger Act 205

Appendix B General Orders Number 17 207.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [209]-277) and index.

ISBN:

0806136243

OCLC:

54407500