Tuesday, April 05, 2011

New and Noteworthy: Battles and Campaigns in Mississippi

The Civil War in Mississippi: Major Campaigns and Battles, Michael B. Ballard, University Press of Mississippi, hardback, $40.00

The Civil War in Mississippi : Major Campaigns and Battles from the University Press of Mississippi is the first volume ever published that is dedicated exclusively to the story of major Civil War campaigns and battles in Mississippi. Author Michael Ballard takes readers on a chronological journey through Mississippi ’s Civil War. From the first Union attack on Vicksburg in the spring of 1862 through Benjamin Grierson’s second and last raid through Mississippi in late 1864 and on through early 1865, this book traces the campaigns, fighting, and causes and effects of Mississippi ’s Civil War.

The Civil War in Mississippi begins with a prologue covering military and other events in the state leading up to the first military action within the state’s borders. The book then covers in detail all of the major military operations that took place in Mississippi , including the campaign for and siege of Vicksburg , and battles at Iuka and Corinth , Meridian , Brice’s Crossroads, and Tupelo .

The colorful cast of characters present here includes such household names as Sherman, Grant, Pemberton, and Forrest, as well as a host of other commanders and soldiers. Minority troops and others generally forgotten in studies of the Mississippi military during the war are also discussed at length.

The Civil War in Mississippi will delight any Mississippian or Civil War buff who wants the complete story of the military history of the Civil War in Mississippi. Michael B. Ballard is author of Civil War Mississippi: A Guide and many other books. He is a professor and University Archivist and Coordinator of the Congressional and Political Research Center at Mississippi State University Libraries. He is also associate editor of the Grant Papers from the Ulysses S. Grant Association. He lives in Ackerman, Mississippi.

Text Source: book's webpage University of Mississippi Press

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