Raiders of the Civil War: Untold Stories of Actions Behind the Lines - Tapa dura

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 effecton 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 Raidersof the Civil War, authentic accounts of famous escapades arecombined 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.

Russ A. Pritchard Jr. was executive director of The Civil War Library and Museum. He contributed to The Civil War Reenactor’s Encyclopedia, and is the author of Civil War Weapons and Equipment. He divides his time between Tennessee and Mississippi.