Grierson's Raid: A Daring Cavalry Strike Through the Heart of the Confederacy [Hardcover]

Tom Lalicki (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

"The most brilliant expedition of the Civil War." --General William Tecumseh Sherman

In 1863 Union colonel Benjamin H. Grierson was chosen for a secret mission: to lead three regiments of horsemen and a battery of artillery -- seventeen hundred men in all -- on a slashing raid through the state of Mississippi. Their objective was to damage a major Confederate rail line, spreading alarm and destroying enemy supplies in the process. Union leaders were relying on Grierson to provide cover as they moved thousands of troops into position for a major and ultimately victorious assault on Vicksburg, the South's vital transportation hub on the Mississippi River. Owing to Grierson's shrewd tactics, as well as luck and the skilled soldiering of his men, the raid was wildly successful in every respect.

Here is an exciting day-by-day account of this grueling sixteen-day adventure, which weaves together several first-person accounts from Grierson and his soldiers themselves and is heavily illustrated with maps and period photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–Lalicki recounts an important Union raid into Confederate territory. In April 1863, as Grant's attempts to take the vital port of Vicksburg seemed doomed, he hatched a plan to attack the city on two fronts. However, it required the movement of a large number of troops, sure to be observed by the occupying force. In order to divert the enemy's attention, he turned to Colonel Benjamin H. Grierson, who was to lead 1700 men in the cavalry and artillery into Mississippi on a mission to destroy the Confederate rail line, to cut off supply routes, and to destroy any supplies found along the way. For 16 days, from LaGrange, TN, south to Baton Rouge, the raiders rode through Confederate territory, foraging for their meals and resupplying themselves from local farms. Lalicki follows the raid in minute detail, day by day along the route, interspersing background information on the various participants within the action scenes and including many of their firsthand accounts. The men are not painted as either heroes or villains; their less-than-honorable actions (like destruction of property) are related, as are stories of their decency. It's all told in an accessible style that reads more like an adventure story than a history text. Black-and-white photos, maps, and reproductions add to the presentation. Civil War buffs will be fascinated by this offering.–Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-12. In April 1863 Union colonel Benjamin Grierson, a daring, resourceful officer, led a series of wildly successful raids from LaGrange, Tennessee, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, damaging a major Confederate rail line, disrupting communications, and destroying enemy supply lines. It was a campaign that diverted the attention of Confederate commanders from the Union's successful attack on Vicksburg, a major defeat for the Confederacy. Lalicki recounts the raids in day-by-day detail, combining background information on the various participants with action scenes. The use of firsthand accounts brings the events vividly to life in a way that makes the book read more like an adventure story than a history text. Black-and-white photographs, maps, and reproductions of newspaper headlines will help readers visualize the story. Appendixes include a bibliography and a glossary. Accessibly written and scrupulously researched, this book will be particularly appealing to Civil War buffs and researchers. Ed Sullivan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (April 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374327874
• ISBN-13: 978-0374327873
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,296,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Lalicki is the author of the award-winning Spellbinder: The Life of Harry Houdini which inspired him to write three Houdini & Nate mysteries for young readers: Danger in the Dark, Shots at Sea and Frame-up on the Bowery.

He lives in Westchester county, New York with his best friend (and wife), Barbara, and three outstanding cats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars DWB, January 9, 2012

By 

David W. Berg "Leatherneck" (Auburn, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grierson's Raid: A Daring Cavalry Strike Through the Heart of the Confederacy (Hardcover)

I was excited when this book was reprinted. It was unavailable for quite awhile. I finished reading it and wasn't disappointed. I am amazed at how significant this raid was to the capture of Vicksburg, and yet a couple of large Civil War atlases that I own either make no mention of Grierson's raid or only show it as a squigly line on a map of the Vicksburg campaign. This raid even caught the attention of Hollywood who made a movie loosely based on the raid (Horse Soldiers, John Wayne).

Colonel Grierson's raid was nothing short of brilliant. Sort of a dress rehearsal for Sherman's march from Atlanta to the Atlantic Ocean and into North Carolina. In both the raid and during Sherman's "March to the Sea", head on attacks against fortified positions and large forces were avoided. Instead, like Sun Tsu's water following the path of least resistance, Grierson and Sherman avoided enemy strength and attacked weakness.

Like a fighter pilot, his speed was his armor. By foraging the countryside for food and horses, and using guile, deception and speed (including serious sleep deprivation for his men and horses), he avoided the disasters that befell other Union raids around the same time.

The book has a very good map at the beginning of the book and reads almost like a novel, using letters and memoirs of Grierson and some of his troops and officers to add situational awareness and authenticity.

Loved the book. Strongly recommend.

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and educational., March 7, 2011

By 

Paul Buckner (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grierson's Raid: A Daring Cavalry Strike Through the Heart of the Confederacy (Hardcover)

I bought this one on a whim, but am very glad I did. I knew very little about Grierson, or what he did for the war, and was very impressed, not only by the amount of research done by the author, but by the man himself. I would call Grierson the Patton of the Civil War.

Paul Buckner,

author of: "From Broke To Broker: Stories of Finding Financial Freedom"
and
"Gabriel Jennings and The Ferret Freedom Fighters."