Homegrown Yankees: Tennessee's Union Cavalry in the Civil War

Preface

PREFACE M y interest in writing about the Civil War in Tennessee originated with my discovering its indelible impact upon the whole war in the West. To a lesser degree I am fascinated with the struggle there being “a true civil war” of neighbor against neighbor and occasionally brother against brother. Finally, I already had some familiarity with the state’s three grand divisions, since my wife, Lillian, and I resided in that beautiful state for more than two decades. I soon found that I could do more than write army headquarters’ history and have fun doing it by describing the lives of the eyes and ears of the infantry , the cavalry (whose war continued between the battles)—in this instance , Tennessee’s Union cavalry. Eventually I learned that these homegrown Yankees had a good story to tell, one all their own, an ever-changing tale that holds together based on the strategy of the opposing armies and regimental assignments . Like other often neglected groups of the recorded past, these once despised but now forgotten Tennesseans deserve a place in Civil War history. When I began researching the subject that I eventually decided to write about, I needed encouragement. Some of that encouragement came from a new friend named David Evans, whose scholarly, entertaining, and voluminous Sherman’s Horsemen stands as a model for describing Civil War cavalry. I appreciate the assistance provided early on by the staff at the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville. Senior archivist Marylin Bell Hughes and Darla Brock patiently guided me through the primary resources available there on my topic. At the McClung Historical Collection of the Knox County Public Library, director Steve Cotham and Sally Polhernus located some photographs included in my book. Around my home base of Metro Atlanta, Kathy Shoemaker of the Special Collections Department of the Robert W. Woodruff Library, Emory Univer- xii Preface sity, provided me with some rare regimental histories. Wendy Giminski of Research Media at the University of Georgia drew maps for the book, and Clay Proffitt of Buford assisted me with the work’s photographs. Others deserving my thanks include Judith Levy, interlibrary loan supervisor of the Gwinnett County Public Library System, who found difficult-to-locate regimental and county histories. Betty Shumard of the Sugar Hill Family History Center introduced me to multiple military records on microfilm. Adrian Mixson, director of the Hall County Public Library, and his staff at the Sybil Wood McRay Genealogy and Local History Collection in Gainesville facilitated my use of genealogical resources, which proved most valuable. Louisiana State University Press provided me with both in-house and out-ofhouse professionals. Senior Acquisitions Editor Rand Dotson guided me during the months of the manuscript’s consideration and Senior Editor George Roupe accompanied me on the route to publication. Along the way Todd Groce offered significant suggestions, and Kevin Brock edited the entire text, enhancing its clarity. My family, as always, encouraged me to dream. Jonathan Waller, more like a son to me than a nephew, rescued me when computer problems arose. My wife, Lillian Faulkner Baggett, as usual—this time while writing a novel of her own, Out of Eden: A Saga of the South—supported me as coresearcher, guardian of grammar and punctuation, lover, and best friend. ...