Editor’s Note: Civil War Book Acquisitions is an ongoing series which allows me to highlight new books I’ve recently acquired and give readers an idea of upcoming Civil War books.
Harvest of Death: The Battle of Jenkins’ Ferry, Arkansas
by Joe Walker
978-1461021902
158 pages, 9 maps, illustrations, bibliography, footnotes, order of battle appendix, index. $20 paperback.
Publisher: Joe Walker (self-published)
Publication Date: 2011
TOCWOC’s Take: This is the only recent study of the Battle of Jenkins’ Ferry, a battle which occurred during the lesser-known Arkansas leg of the 1864 Red River Campaign. The author has a web site at 1864arkansas.com and a pretty active blog as well (blog.1864arkansas.com). He grew up near Jenkins’ Ferry and so he knows the area well. While I liked the number of maps, they seemed to render slightly blurry, making it a little difficult to make out regimental numbers. That said, this looks like a gem of a book on a little known battle, a perfect purchase for anyone interested in Steele’s 1864 Camden Expedition or the Trans-Mississippi in general.
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The Indiana Jackass Regiment in the Civil War: A History of the 21st Infantry / 1st Heavy Artillery Regiment, with a Roster
by Phillip E. Faller
978-0-7864-7046-4
375 pages, 39 photos, 23 maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. $45 softcover (7 x 10)
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc. (www.mcfarlandpub.com) (To order call 800-253-2187)
Publication Date: 2013
TOCWOC’s Take: A history of the 21st Indiana Infantry / 1st Indiana Heavy Artillery, a regiment which fought mainly in Louisiana and surrounding areas during the war. This larger softcover appears to be a nice look at some of the battles which occurred in this backwater of the war, including the Battle of Baton Rouge, the Siege of Port Hudson, expeditions in the Lousiana Teche area, the Red River Campaign and the actions around Mobile to end the war.
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Ruined by This Miserable War: The Dispatches of Charles Prosper Fauconnet, a French Diplomat in New Orleans, 1863-1868
by Fauconnet, Charles Prosper
edited by Brasseaux, Carl A.
edited by Mooney, Katherine C.
978-1-57233-859-3
272 pages, $37.95 (cloth)
Publisher: The University of Tennessee Press
Publication Date: January 30, 2013
TOCWOC’s Take: Charles Prosper Fauconnet, a French diplomat in New Orleans, wrote home to his government explaining how the Civil War was affecting the former French colony. This book collects those writings and looks at the Civil War from an outsiders’ perspective.
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