Customer Reviews

Dark and Bloody Ground: The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First: This is one great book. For someone not wanting to spend lots of money and time reading the WBTS in Louisiana, this book is one stop shopping. Second: two problems. Where are the maps! No maps, no battlefield dispositions, nada. The Battle of Sabine Crossroads (a.k.a.Mansfield) is covered in one chapter. I thought this was what the book was to be about. Still waiting for the one great book about this little explored battle. BUT, I loved the book. The author's style is excellent, his anecdotes were wonderful. BUY THIS BOOK.

I enjoyed the book very much and would highly recommend it. As another reviewer suggested, however, the book's subtitle is misleading. The focus of the book is one the Civil War in Louisiana generally and on the military career of Dick Taylor. Both subjects are very interesting. I have a peculiar interest in the Battle of Mansfield. The treatment of that battle is relatively brief and not entirely clear, to me at least, perhaps because of the absence of maps. If you're not disappointed by what the book isn't, you'll probably enjoy what it is.

I grew up in Louisiana and grew up on stories of the War Between the States. Over the years I've read just about any book or article concerning Louisiana's Civil War soldiers and battles, which I could get my hands on. "Dark & Bloody Ground" is by far the best, in my opinion! Author, Thomas Ayres has done his homework and presents a well researched story of the Civil War in Louisiana...but it is his writing that raises "Dark and Bloody Ground above the rest. Here is the story of General Dick Taylor and the men of a out-numbered little Rebel army, told as only a talented writer could tell it. I had already read his book, "That's Not in My American History Book and found it extremely entertaining...so I was eager to read his new Civil War book....Even Better! To often classroom "historians" lose the real story in their obsession to cram a book with every possible fact and stat, forgetting it is the people who fought the Civil War that hold a reader's interest...at least mine. Thomas Ayres brings the men and women of that time to life and allows you so see them,laugh and cry with them. That's the best thing about "Dark and Bloody Ground."
I hope this author is busy writing another one, because the first two are winners!

Thomas Ayres has an interesting and readable writing style. But a book subtitled "The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana" should spend a lot more time on the Battle of Mansfield than this one does. The book is 270 pages long, and discussion of the Battle of Mansfield does not start until page 220, and basically ends by page 242! The book is actually more about Richard Taylor's Civil War than it is about the Civil War in Louisiana. But even worse than the misleading title is the fact that the book is shot through with factual errors. New Orleans is not on the east side of the Mississippi River, there is no part of the Natchez Trace in Louisiana, there was no ice on the ground the night that the Queen of the West was captured, Admiral Porter did not witness the capture of Fort DeRussy, etc, etc, etc, ad infinitum. Also, Ayres' addition of undocumented dialogue may make the book more readable, but in doing so he again sacrifices accuracy. And that is something that there is little enough of in this book. The book would be infinitely better had the author had someone knowledgable about the Civil War, or even basic Louisiana history, proofread it before publishing. The book reads well, but was a serious disappointment.

Thomas Ayres has included all the details
of the Union army's Red River advance and all
the battle details of the Battle of Mansfield
BUT he has accomplished this in a wonderful
storytelling style. You don't feel you're
getting a history lesson, but rather feel like
you're getting a close-up look at the men (and
women)and events that shaped this last Confed-
erate victory. A very well written book!

This is one of the best books I have read on the Civil War in Louisiana. By focusing on the character and motivation of the individuals involved, it sheds new light on this often ignored part of the Civil War. Of interest to me, it explains the political reasons why some events happened the way they did. This book also reveals some unsavory aspects of the war that are sometimes glossed over by historians--like trading with the enemy and atrocities commited by both North and South. Although short on detail in some areas, the book does cover a lot of territory in a style that is fast moving and easy to read. If I had criticism, it would be the absence of maps to illusrate troop movements and the various battles. Everything considered, I liked it and would recommend it to anyone interested in the war west of the Mississippi.

Thomas Ayres has opened the eyes of history buffs everywhere who study the Civil War. His directness and full fledged content of all applicable events are superb and challenging. His style draws you to the next page with anticipation to see what happens next. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read more about the Civil War in Louisiana and ultimately realizing that this battle was not just a footnote in history as so many historians have relegated it to.

The book was an easy and interesting read that keeps you turning the pages and not wanting to put the book down. Though the title can be misleading, as the majority of the book focuses on the war in Louisiana, the Battle of Mansfield is the climax of the book. I would definately recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a good historical read on the impact of the Civil War on Louisniana. After finishing the book I became a Gen. Richard Taylor fan. Good reading!

I found this book a terrible disappointment. The author jumps back and forth through time to the point of complete confusion. It is also poorly researched and inaccurate. Imagine my surprise when the author states that Fort Donnelson was positioned near the point where the Cumberland River empties into the Mississippi River. The Cumberland river empties into the Ohio River and no where near where Fort Donnelson was located. The author, a southerner, wants the reader to believe that the Civil War was caused by social discord between Puritans and Celts. Slavery, in his view, slavery was not a cause at all.

Thomas Ayers treated the subject matter as if he were raised in the south. It's refreshing to know that reseach has been done and facts published proving that many of those yankee produced history textbooks were more proproganda than factual. Charles Anderson, Abilene, TX, wrote a great book (with maps) on the Mansfield battle.