Rebel Raiders of the West 1863-1864

Abstract

General William Tecumseh Sherman, when he made his famous statement concerning the nature of war, did not recognize the element of enchantment and glamor, now strengthened by the passage of time, that appeared when the dashing Confederate cavalry sallied forth. Although not emphasized in this paper, rebel cavalrymen would commence a raid glamorously, exhausted, overworked, dirty, cursing, and usually, under-equipped. General Forrest on several occasions started out with an almost unarmed command and returned fully equipped. Their glamor at the time was apparent since on many excursions these rebel cavalrymen returned in stronger numbers than they had when they left, through the addition of recruits. Messages containing pertinent orders, communications, and demands for surrender appear in Appendix A. Maps of the territory through which the rebel cavalry traveled are presented in Appendix B.