Customer Reviews

Headquarters In The Brush: Blazer'S Independent Union Scouts

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

 

 

Covering a little known, outside of historians, side of the battle between the Union and Confederate cavalry for supremacy in Virginia's bread basket, this well written book explores the history behind Blazer's Scouts and how their little appreciated aspect of the Civil War contributed to the successful defense of the Union and defeat of the more widely popularized Confederate cavalry operations. Well worth a look...

An account of Robert Blazer and his special forces operating in West Virginia and the Shenandoah valley against William and Philip Thurmond, and Mosby, the great rebel guerrillas. One of the few accounts of the feared Thurmond's Partisan Rangers, and the men who fought them. A must read for any 43rd Virginia Cavalry fan. First-hand soldier stories unveal the men behind the legends and untangle fact from myth.

While the writer isn't as smooth as some of the better known Civil War historians he makes up for it and then some with an enormous amount of detail and research. He makes a special effort to puncture (effectively in my opinion) the rather fanciful legion of Mosby and contributes important insights into Union scouting operations, bushwackers in WV, and interesting personalities like Crook and Sheridan.

Darl not only wrote this book but since we live in the same area, Northern Virginia, he responded to my inquiry about his reference to the 1865 sinking of the General Lyon, a steamship carrying mostly Union soldiers back to the North from Willington, NC. My great uncle was one of less than 30 survivors out of greater than 600 passengers when this ship went down after catching fire 60 miles from shore.

He also took me to the National Achieves in Washingto, D.C. He actually trained me on how to use this national treasure and helped me identify and get the complete original pension file of my ancestor. The National Achieves staff was then able to deliver these documents to me within one hour. This was an amazing experience.

I also learned from him and his book that my relative had been captured and imprisoned by the Confederates and finally sent to Salisbury prison, in Salisbury NC where thousands died from lack of shelter and food. However, my ancestor escaped in early 1865 and made his way to Willington, NC. Included is details on each soldier in this famous and all volunteer unit expected to approximate the famous Confederate raider, Mosby.

You can't expect a author to do this for everyone but I will be forever indebted for what Mr Stephenson did for me.

Mike Losey
Alexandria, VA

When I purchase non-fiction material and too often the statements are not upheld with facts I become defensive. I do not find the mixture of fact and fiction helpfull in withstanding a historical debate. The author seems all too ready to reach his hand in the information grab bag and discard information that doesn't support his opinion and hold fast to that which does. I was not entertained and saying "wow that was interesting", instead I found myself saying (why is the word "probably" used excessively in a book that is trying to spout off facts? To me this sounds like someone trying to slip into a popular and high profile subject and say "I bet you never heard this before!" History may be forgotten but it never changes. A good example to the author would be Mosby's own book defending Stuart in the days leading up to Gettysburg with actual letters and dates. (what a concept!) This is another book of "eat the chicken and throw out the bones"