Customer Reviews

Tennessee's Forgotten Warriors: Frank Cheatham and His Confederate Division

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

 

 

A much needed book about the Western Theatre of the Civil War. It's a well written, thoughtfully reseached, and fascinating account of the men and officers,warts and all, of the Army of the Tennessee. Though full of details, the book keeps the reader enthralled by sweeping briskly over the Southern landscape. Highly recommended.

Losson has written a book about a military leader and his division of the War Between the States, both of whom were nearly forgotten in the wealth of books about that war. Both a biography and a history, the author stays focused on his subjects, not letting the broader picture of the war distract him.

Benjamin Franklin Cheatham, a career soldier who served in the War with Mexico, commanded Hood's corps for a while. His entire career in the war was served in the western theater, most of it in and around Tennessee. The war wasn't just with the Yankees when Braxton Bragg commanded the corps, for the two men despised each other.

Cheatham was a man who found the going rough between the two wars, but made his mark in the later conflict, in spite of accusations against his character. After the war, he was more successful as a citizen than before, heading the Tennessee State Penitentiary system for time. However, over the years, with most interest in Lee, Grant, and the eastern theater, he was nearly forgotten

This book is well written and an easy read, but could have used the skill of a good proofreader. Typos and other errors are sometimes distracting. Readers interested in the Civil War, particularly the western theater, will find this an interesting account. They might also enjoy "Five Tragic Hours" by McDonough and Connelly, and "Shiloh: In Hell before Night" by McDonough.

This is an excellent book about a little-written about general. Although Frank Cheatham rose to the rank of major general, was active in Tennessee after the war, was one of the Western Theater's more colorful and controversial figures, and his division was considered one of best in the West, he and his division have not received much attention from writers. Losson has changed this and has written both an excellent bio of Cheatham and a good look at the men that made up his division. Another good thing about this book is that Losson focuses on Cheatham and his division, rather than straying to other generals or divisions. The book takes a good look at the battles, both military and political, that Cheatham fought. Overall, the book is excellent, reads well, has tons of diaries and letters, and is entertaining. However, I gave 4 stars rather than 5 because the text has many errors, whether it be spelling or grammatical. There are many of them and it gets annoying after a while. Other than that, a great read.

This book has given us a lot of valubable information concering the time period. we would strongly recommened this book to any one who wanted to learn more on the subject. 5 stars!