Blue and gray on the border : the Rio Grande Valley Civil War trail / Christopher L. Miller, Russell K. Skowronek, Roseann Bacha-Garza ; foreword by John L. Nau III.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Miller, Christopher L., 1950- author.

Skowronek, Russell K., author.

Bacha-Garza, Roseann, author.

Contributor:

Nau, John L., III, writer of foreword.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Historic sites--Texas--Lower Rio Grande Valley--Guidebooks.

Historic sites.

Military archaeology--Texas--Lower Rio Grande Valley--Guidebooks.

Military archaeology.

Lower Rio Grande Valley (Tex.)--History, Military--19th century.

Lower Rio Grande Valley (Tex.).

Texas--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Guidebooks.

Texas.

Lower Rio Grande Valley (Tex.)--Guidebooks.

Genre:

Guidebooks.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxiv, 200 pages) : illustrations, maps

Place of Publication:

College Station : Texas A&M University Press, 2018.

Summary:

Runner-up, 2019 Texas Old Missions and Forts Restoration Book Award, sponsored by the Texas Old Missions and Forts Restoration Association (TOMFRA) Most general histories of the Civil War pay scant attention to the many important military events that took place in the Lower Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border. It was here, for example, that many of the South's cotton exports, all-important to its funding for the war effort, were shuttled across the Rio Grande into Mexico for shipment to markets across the Atlantic. It was here that the Union blockade was felt perhaps most keenly. And it was here where longstanding cross-border rivalries and shifting political fortunes on both sides of the river made for a constant undercurrent of intrigue. And yet, most accounts of this long and bloody conflict give short shrift to the complexities of the ethnic tensions, political maneuvering, and international diplomacy that vividly colored the Civil War in this region. Now, Christopher L. Miller, Russell K. Skowronek, and Roseann Bacha-Garza have woven together the history and archaeology of the Lower Rio Grande Valley into a densely illustrated travel guide featuring important historical and military sites of the Civil War period. Blue and Gray on the Border integrates the sites, colorful personalities, cross-border conflicts, and intriguing historical vignettes that outline the story of the Civil War along the Texas-Mexico border. This resource-packed book will aid heritage travelers, students, and history buffs in their discovery of the rich history of the Civil War in the Rio Grande Valley.

Contents:

Introduction: how to use this book

The contested history of the Rio Grande Valley: framing the Civil War era

Cameron County sites and events

Hidalgo County sites and events

Starr County sites and events

Zapata County sites and events

Webb County sites and events

US colored troops

Beyond the Rio Grande Valley Civil War Trail: exploring the American Civil War in Texas and Mexico

Epilogue.

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-62349-684-5