During the
Civil War, attacks by
bands of raiders often had a far greater impact on the war than the
numbers
involved-and history's attention-would suggest. The psychological
effect
on the civilian population was often very severe, and the raids
distracted
large numbers of troops who had to withdraw from combat to cope with
the
raiders.
The raids, on land and on water,
were early manifestations of guerrilla warfare, carried out to cause
maximum
disruption to the enemy's railroads and other lines of communication,
to
rescue prisoners of war, to terrorize civilians and military alike, to
rob banks to pay for the war effort, and to kill or capture political
leaders.
The raiders struck from Florida to the Canadian border and included the
famous-and the infamous-men from both sides, like Stuart, Sheridan,
Dahlgren,
Quantrill, Bloody Bill Andersen, Cushing, and Mosby.
In Raiders of the Civil War,
authentic accounts of famous escapades are combined with untold stories
of rescue and sabotage behind enemy lines. Focusing on a Civil War
subject
that has rarely been explored, this is an exciting, well-researched
look
into a little-known side of America's most important conflict |
Raiders of the
Civil War
Untold Stories of
Actions Behind the Lines
by Russ A. Pritchard
Jr.
Lyons Press, 2005
Order
a copy
Also
available
The
Uncivil War
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