Customer Reviews

The 2nd North Carolina Cavalry

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have read (and reviewed on Amazon) quite a number of the McFarland regimental histories, and have found just about all of them fascinating pieces of detailed historical scholarship. Without disparaging the best of them for a moment, this book on the "Two Horse" brings the series to another level: the depth of scholarship and the comprehensiveness of the material brought forth for the reader are beyond just about anything I'm familiar with in this field. Not only does Roger Harrell relate every major and minor action the unit was involved in (even those they didn't actively participate in, like Fredericksburg), he's also placed the 2nd in context to events around them. He's consulted all the different source materials available, and has included many excerpts from cavalrymen's letters and diaries. The book is a wonderful achievement.

Interestingly, just about all the authors in this series have expressed a personal interest in the regiments they wrote about when they learned that a relative had fought with the unit. Harrell is no exception. The 2nd Carolina Cavalry got off to a disastrous beginning. Formed in the summer of 1861, trained at Camp Clark near Kittrell Springs, it saw it's first major action at New Bern, NC, in March 1862. After a disorderly retreat from there and what was perceived as cowardly behavior a month later at Gillett's Farm, some thought the regiment so incompetent that they wanted it disbanded. Instead, it regrouped and began a gradual ascension to respectability and finally very high regard. How the regiment achieved this hard-won acclaim is Harrell's major concern in the book.

Most cavalry units in the Civil War were involved in small skirmishes or in shielding the movement of the army entering or leaving a large battle. Often they did not participate in these larger battles. Harrell is concerned, however, with the small fights and details them with care, trying to illustrate how they fit into the larger scheme of things. He is also interested in the day-to-day trials and tribulations of the common soldier, his worries about food, the weather, death and disease, and boredom, too, and, of course, the loneliness of being away from home and family. Harrell does a magnificent job of dealing with all of this. My only concern is that some might find the amount of detailed information presented by Harrell overbearing, which would be a shame. There IS a lot of minutiae here, but anyone truly interested in not only the 2nd North Carolina Cavalry but of cavalry units in general and their role in the eastern theatre of the Civil War, will find much to appreciate in this excellent book.

Well researched, excellent book. I wish however it contained more information on the recruitment process and the Conscription Act. I am exceedingly satisfied with the book.