Confederate Guerrilla: The Civil War Memoir of Joseph M. Bailey (The Civil War in the West)

Joseph M. Bailey s memoir, Confederate Guerrilla, provides a unique perspective on the fighting that took place behind Union lines in Federal-occupied northwest Arkansas during and after the Civil War. This story now published for the first time will appeal to modern readers interested in the grassroots history of the Trans-Mississippi war. Bailey participated in the Battle of Pea Ridge and the siege of Port Hudson, eventually escaping to northwest Arkansas where he fought as a guerrilla against Federal troops and civilian unionists. After Federal forces gained control of the area, Bailey rejoined the Confederate army and continued in regular service in northeast Texas until the end of the war. Historians will find the descriptions of military campaigns and the observations on guerrilla war especially valuable. According to Bailey, Southern guerrillas were motivated less by a sense of loyalty to either the Confederate or Union side than by a determination to protect their families and neighbors from the Mountain Federals. This partisan war waged between the rebel guerrillas and Southern Unionists was essentially a struggle for supremacy and revenge. Comprehensive annotations are provided by editor T. Lindsay Baker to illuminate the clarity and reliability of Bailey s late-life memoir." "An ordinary Confederate soldier turned Southern guerrilla, Joseph M. Bailey in his memoir, Confederate Guerrilla, provides a perspective on the fighting that took place behind Union lines in Federal-occupied northwest Arkansas during the American Civil War. Bailey's story, written in 1920 and now published for the first time, will appeal to modern readers' interest in the grassroots history of the Trans-Mississippi war. He participated in such engagements as the Battle of Pea Ridge and the siege of Port Hudson. After the surrender of Port Hudson, he escaped to northwest Arkansas where he fought as a guerrilla against Federal troops and civilian unionists. After Federal forces gained control of the area, Bailey rejoined the Confederate Army and continued in regular service in northeast Texas until the end of the war." "Historians will find the descriptions of military campaigns useful and Bailey's observations on the causes and nature of the guerrilla war valuable. According to Bailey, Southern guerrillas were motivated less by a sense of loyalty to either the Confederate or Union side than by a determination to protect their families and neighbors from the "Mountain Federals" of northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri. This partisan war waged between the rebel guerrillas and Southern unionists was essentially, as Bailey puts it, a "struggle for supremacy and revenge."" "Comprehensive annotations are provided by editor T. Lindsay Baker, who has verified the facts relating to almost every person, incident, and location mentioned by Bailey."--BOOK JACKET T. Lindsay Baker is the W.K. Gordon Endowed Chair in Texas Industrial History and the director of the W.K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas, Tarleton State University. He is the author and editor of numerous books, including the award-winning Lighthouses of Texas and the forthcoming American Windmills: An Album of Historic Photographs The story begins -- Becoming a soldier : Wilson's Creek and Pea Ridge -- Fighting in Mississippi -- Siege of Port Hudson and escape -- Life as a guerrilla in Arkansas -- Collapse of the Confederacy