The Third Battalion Mississippi Infantry and the 45th Mississippi Regiment: A Civil War History [Hardcover]

David Williamson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786416491 | ISBN-13: 978-0786416493 | Publication Date: December 2003

This is the story of the soldiers of Hardcastle’s 3rd Battalion Mississippi Infantry from enlistment to the end of the war. It includes their mid-war incarnation as the 45th Mississippi Regiment and the role they played in Cleburne’s fabled division during almost every major engagement of the Army of Tennessee.

Told as much as possible from the point of view of the private soldier, the book attempts to understand not only the causes of the Civil War, but the social and political factors that motivated the original volunteers to join and continue fighting to the end. The battles are discussed and analyzed in their strategic context with emphasis on the battalion’s role in the outcome, including the specific Federal units they fought against and first person accounts from both sides about what happened. Twenty battles and skirmishes are covered in detail, highlighted by excerpts from personal diaries. Appendices include an annotated roster, the diary of Lieutenant Samuel Asbury, the story of Captain John Sloan, and the stories of the 3rd Mississippi Battalion’s battle flag and the flag of the Duncan Riflemen. An extensive bibliography completes the work.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Freelance writer David Williamson is a graduate of the University of Akron (B.A.) and Tulane University (Ph.D.). He lives in Mississippi. --North & South

"A labor of love...valuable" --The Civil War News

"An exhaustive study that cannot fail to impress the reader with the amount of research involved, mostly based on primary source material...detailed accounts of the battles and skirmishes...important...Williamson is to be congratulated...very complete" --Civil War Courier. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Freelance writer David Williamson lives in Mississippi.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 445 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786416491
• ISBN-13: 978-0786416493
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,080,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete and detailed as one could ask for, February 4, 2006

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Third Battalion Mississippi Infantry and the 45th Mississippi Regiment: A Civil War History (Hardcover)

What started off as a family history project, ended up being an extremely detailed and informative account of the 3rd Mississippi Battalion ("Hardcastle's Battalion"). Formed at the end of 1861, it was renamed the 45th Mississippi Regiment in December 1862 because another unit, commanded by D.W. Hurst, had the same identification. The book relates everything there is to know about the battalion/regiment, including minute explication of their battles and movements, who they faced on the field, what other actions were going on around them, and, through letters and diaries, the responses of the soldiers.

Initially with the Army of the Mississippi and then the Army of Tennessee, their first major engagement was at Shiloh; they also were at Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Atlanta, Franklin, Nashville, and, finally, Bentonville, NC. Included as an appendix is the prison diary of Lt. Samuel Asbury, who was wounded and captured at Murfreesboro, TN, and spent a good part of 1864 at the Union prison at Fort Delaware. His diary indicates he had a pretty good time of it ("have been treated very well, had plenty to eat, & etc."). Also included is a complete annotated roster of everyone who served in the battalion, a major achievement in itself.

The book is a tremendous research source and covers a lot of ground in great detail; it also is entertaining (if accounts of men in war can ever truly be that) as Williamson quotes frequently from soldiers' letters and diaries relating the human touch ("Warm. Came out to Jim's for dinner, go back directly. Rec'd 4 letters from my Sallie.") An excellent regimental history.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, thorough march with the 3 Battalion, February 28, 2006

By 

John Rakestraw - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Third Battalion Mississippi Infantry and the 45th Mississippi Regiment: A Civil War History (Hardcover)

Super read. Thorough and acurate. I followed my great,great grandfather's foot steps in 1862. Awesome expirence! Great study of a MS Battalion in our Civil War.