Civil War Cavalry

“Boots and saddles, charges and countercharges, flashing sabers, bold young men commanding mighty and ever-faithful steeds, dashing romps through the countryside—this is usually what comes to mind when people think of mounted forces in the Civil War. There was, however, much, much more to the story. In Civil War Cavalry, Earl J. Hess once again offers a study that not only informs and entertains but offers fresh perspectives, insights, and analyses that are clearheaded, rooted in extensive research, and refreshingly free of the romanticism that often characterizes the treatment of cavalry. A splendid addition to Civil War scholarship.” ~Ethan S. Rafuse, author of From the Mountains to the Bay: The War in Virginia, January–May 1862

“Civil War Cavalry is superbly holistic: both an institutional and operational history, combining a synopsis of the use of cavalry from the ancient world to the nineteenth century with the American experience, especially ideas about how cavalry should fight prior to the Civil War. Nuanced but comprehensive, with remarkable attention to how horse soldiers thought about cavalry’s purpose and tactics, Civil War Cavalry is the best analysis of any nineteenth-century cavalry forces, perhaps the best on any post-medieval mounted forces.” ~Samuel J. Watson, author of Peacekeepers and Conquerors: The Army Officer Corps on the American Frontier, 1821–1846