Civil War in the American West
by Alvin M. Josephy, Jr.
ISBN: 0-679-74003-1

ABOUT THIS BOOK
As most Americans of the 1860s fixed their attention on the battlefields of Shiloh and Manassas, another war raged on the largely unsettled Western frontier. This splendid work by the author of The Patriot Chiefs restores this "other" Civil War to its true, epic proportions. With formidable scholarship and irresistible narrative ease, Alvin M. Josephy, Jr., tells of the Yankee armada that foundered in the Louisiana bayous; of the bloody fighting on the ridges and prairies of the border states. where a Cherokee guerrilla leader was the last Confederate general to surrender -- two months after Appomattox: and of the U.S. Army's brutal campaigns against the Plains Indians in theaters as far apart as Minnesota and Colorado.

REVIEW QUOTES
"Marvelous, original...that great, adventurous, little-known side of the Civil War...is all here for the first time: the clash of North and South set in the immense space of the West and peopled with some of the most vivid characters of that vivid time." -- David McCullough" Only occasionally does one find such a felicitous pairing of author and subject as in this important new book.... Mr. Josephy again serves justice with his clear-eyed, even-handed scholarship.... The entire era is cast into a different light by this powerfully wrought narrative."
-- The New York Times Book Review

"A sweeping and often surprising account of the untold stories of the war between the states."
-- Los Angeles Times

http://www.literacyconnections.com/0_0736625151.html

Editorial Review:
Book Description:
The Civil War was fought not only in the East but also from the western fringes of the Mississippi Valley to the Pacific Ocean. This extraordinary book portrays that theatre, violent in its day, but until now virtually ignored.

Josephy shows a Confederate army penetrating as far west as Tucson and Santa Fe before being stopped by Union troops on a fast march from Colorado. He recounts the bloody fighting on the ridges and prairies of the border states of Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, and in the Indian Territory, where a Cherokee guerrilla leader was the last Confederate general to surrender- two months after Appomattox.

'Alvin Josephy tells the story no one has been able to before. . .and he does it with his usual insight and art.' --Ken Burns

Rating: - Essential for anyone interested in the history of the West
This is so well-done, deep analysis blended with suspense, characters, scene-setting, motivations, terrain, it's exemplary history. While it covers a generally ignored portion of the Civil War, as other reviewers point out it really explains so much of the next 20+ years West of the Mississippi from the Sioux Wars, the Western Railroads, the Denver Mint, the odd hybrid culture of former Confederates that influences the West still, and more. What surprised me is that there haven't been far more books, movies, and television stories based on the adventures Josephy recounts...it's a lot more riveting stuff than most.

Rating: - Best Book on the Civil war in the West
An excellent history of the fascinating and little published campaigns of the American West during the Civil War. Includes activities the Union had with the Sioux in the great Minnesota uprising and along with Kit Carson with the Apache at the Battle of Adobe Wells, Colorado troops and the Shoshone and the Cheyenne and the horrid Colonel Chivington at the massacre of Sand Creek. You'll find out that there were actually confederate prisoners fighting Indians in the Norhwest that were referred to as Galvanized Yankees and you'll find out what happened to General Pope after 2nd Manasass.Besides these fascinating and unique situations, the author covers Banks' failed Red River campaign against Taylor but the high point to me is the description of Sibley's attempt to conquer the western states particularly New Mexico and the Battle of Glorietta Pass. Referred by the author as the Gettysburg of the West, the Confederates make notable gains against Union forces until that later day when Chivington literally does an end run around Sibley's confederates flank virtually over a cliff resulting in a total loss of his supply train. Once that happens, it's over and the Confederates collapse back to Texas. Literally, a knockout in round two that preserves the southwest as Union.

Also covers those forgotten battles at the end of the war, Jeb Magruder from the 7 days battles comes out on top; however, the overall impact is too late to matter. This book covers the other sides of the Civil War universe.

Rating: - Wish There Were 6 Stars!
This is an unusually good work. Focusing on the Civil War west of the Mississippi, the author covers not only the major North-South actions, but also the Indian actions which were necessary as well. There is full coverage of the Bayou Teche campaign in Louisiana, Pea Ridge, New Mexico, the Red River Campaign, the Minnesota Sioux uprising, Sabine Pass, the War on the western migration routes, the Mormons, etc, etc.

This is as good as it gets. The writing is clear and concise, the events sequential. This history is written so well that at times you will think you are reading a suspense novel. This is a very excellent work by a good historian who just also happens to be a gifted writer.

Rating: - admirably fills a serious void
As a lifetime Westerner and Civil War buff, I can't say enough good about this book. It covers the major issues and events of a war that stretched over great distances. While there weren't that many people living in the West at that time, Josephy shows us how the events of the Civil War shaped what the West would become.

This is a good reference for the participation of many then-territories (now states), for just about all battles in the Trans-Mississippi theatre, for the participation of Native tribes on both sides, and for the social impact of the war in areas where there was little or no actual fighting. It is rounded out by well-done maps with an elegant feel.

A definite for your Civil War library, particularly if the Western view is of interest.

Rating: - A Broad Overview of the Western Civil War
Josephy does an excellent job of giving the broad overview of the Civil War in the American West. From paroled Confederates fighting Native Americans in the upper Mid West to a Confederate attempt to take California to the many battles in the bayous of Louisiana, Josephy tells in a riveting fashion the story of those men who fought so far from the better-known battlefields of the East.

The biggest flaw with the book -- and some might consider it a feature -- is that the reader is likely to be left wanting more information. In tackling as large a swath of time and geography as Josephy has, it is inevitable that readers will find them looking for additional sources of information on the U.S. West in the 1860s.