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Cavalry Raids of the Civil War (Stackpole Military History Series)

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The author defines a raid "as a hostile or predatory inroad, a sudden and rapid incursion. The purpose is not to hold ground, but to confuse, disrupt, capture, destroy, or free, and the force will withdraw after its mission." Thus many actions in the Civil War were raids by definition. These include Stonewall Jackson's 20,000 man incursion to Manassas immediately prior to Second Bull Run and Sherman's famous 50,000 man March to the Sea.

But for the most part we think of raids as mounted actions where more speed is required than can be provided by infantry. There were 64 such raids during the Civil War where men on horseback stunned their opponents with speed and mobility. Jeb Stuart's reconnaissance around McClellan's Army of the Potomac during the peninsula campaign and James Wilson's crushing raids in Alabama and Georgia during 1865 are two excellent examples of these sustained cavalry operations.

This book is an all too short listing, a series of vignettes really, of 24 of the well known, and some much lesser known, raids, executed by both the Union and Confederate armies. A former Army Ranger, the author seems wrapped up in the glory of the raid and unfortunately presents short thumbnails of each movement's action. He seems to forget that even with his definition above, raids are part of a much greater strategy and unfortunately, for the most part, he omits why these raids occurred, what movements they masked and how they came to be necessary.

This is a short primer on certain actions executed during the Civil War. Far too much detail is omitted to make this either a serious or a particularly useful work. At 208 pages, the author barely spends 15 pages per raid and some, like Sheridan's raid which was stopped at Trevilian Station, one of the most celebrated cavalry engagements in the war, is allocated only 4 pages. If you are looking for a primer, an initial listing of cavalry raids for much further research and understanding, you may find this work useful. However, do not expect much else.

The author, retired Colonel Black, wrote that fighting pitched battles is not the purpose of a raid, and notes that raids are "A sudden and often surprising attack. The purpose of a raid was not to gain or hold ground, but to confuse, disrupt, destroy, capture or free, and the force withdrew after the mission is accomplished." The text is organized in two main sections: Chapters 1 thru 3, Confederate Raids; Chapters 4 thru 7 Union Raids. These chapters review major Civil War raids and their accomplishments.

The first raid narrated was Confederate Cavalry General Jeb Stuart's June 1862 ride around Union General McClellan. The author states "This was the first major raid of the war, and Jeb Stuart's reputation soared." "....Stuart's ride around McClellan caused Union leadership to take men needed for the battle line to guard Washington D.C., and the Confederate success lowered morale in the North and raised it in the South." Confederate General Wheeler's October 1963 raid on Union General Rosecrans's wagons was said to have had mixed results; however, Rosecrans lost 500 critically needed wagons which was the largest lost of its kind in the war. Wade Hampton's cattle raid in September 1864 netted 2,468 cattle; and Union General Grants jokingly said "I have the best commissary in the army, he not only feeds my army, but that of the enemy also." The text covers ten (10) Confederate raids from June 1862 through November 1864.

Regarding Union cavalry Col. Black observes "In the first two years of the war, the Union cavalry was largely ineffective as a result of poor leadership and organization, and given assignments that did not hone cavalry skills." In addition the U.S. Cavalry began with better armament, but here again misjudgments were made." It wasn't until February 1863 when General Hooker recognized cavalry as an excellent tool, and organized Union cavalry into a corps of three cavalry division under Maj. Gen. Stoneman that an effective/capable organization was available.

The book gives an excellent narrative of the April-May 1863 raid by Col. Grierson in support of General Grant's Vicksburg campaign. Grant wanted to divert Confederate attention from Vicksburg, and keep their forces scattered. Grierson and his raiders "created a furor in the Confederate rear that greatly assisted Grant in taking his army across the Mississippi." By March-April 1865, when Stoneman raided Virginia and North Carolina and Wilson raided Selma both Union and Confederate soldiers knew the war was over. The text covers fourteen (14) Union cavalry raids from November 1862 through April 1865.

The text contains brief biographies of the principal characters. Most interesting was that Confederate cavalry generals Joe Wheeler and Thomas Rosser served in the American Army after the war serving in the Spanish-American War. Most interesting, Samuel Carter who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy was made a Union brigadier general of volunteers in May 1862 and was promoted to major general in 1865. Amazingly, while he was an army general, the navy promoted him to commander. After the war he served in the navy from which he retired in 1881.

The book contains several proof reading errors. For example, on page 47 the book erroneously lists Washington College (later Washington and Lee College) in Staunton later correctly listing it in Lexington; on page 156 the text reads "Stuart mad certain" instead of "made certain", etc. In addition, some readers may disagree with Col. Black calling General Joseph Eggleston a "superb Confederate strategist."

Finally, the book contains an excellent section titled Soldiers Talk: Civil War Terms and Expressions. The reader will find this book interesting; it is an informative narration of major Civil War cavalry raids.