THE REAL HORSE SOLDIERS: Benjamin Grierson's Epic 1863 Civil War Raid Through Mississippi

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Covers Benjamin Grierson's Union cavalry thrust through Mississippi is one of the most well-known operations of the Civil War. For 16 days (April 17 to May 2), Grierson led Confederate pursuers on a high-stakes chase through the entire state of Mississippi, entering the northern border with Tennessee and exiting its southern border with Louisiana. The daily rides were long, the rest stops short, and the tension high. Ironically, the man who led the raid was a former music teacher who some say disliked horses. Throughout, he displayed outstanding leadership and cunning, destroyed railroad tracks, burned trestles and bridges, freed slaves, and created as much damage and chaos as possible. Includes 36 images and 13 maps.