Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign

by William L. Shea

Overview

William L. Shea offers a gripping narrative of the events surrounding fighting at Prairie Grove, Arkansas, one of the great unsung battles of the Civil War, which effectively ended Confederate offensive operations west of the Mississippi River. Fields of Blood provides a colorful account of a grueling campaign that lasted five months and covered hundreds of miles of rugged Ozark terrain. In a fascinating analysis of the personal, geographical, and strategic elements that led to the fateful clash in northwest Arkansas, Shea describes a campaign notable for rapid marching, bold movements, hard fighting, and the most remarkable raid of the Civil War.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807866023
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	11/01/2010
Series:	Civil War America
Edition description:	Large Print
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.80(d)
Lexile:	1340L (what's this?)

About the Author

William L. Shea is professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He is coauthor of several books, including Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West (UNC Press) and Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle for the Mississippi River.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Fields of Blood is the definitive study of an important campaign that heretofore has not received the scholarly attention its significance merits. Shea's research is thorough and professional, his narrative clear, and his analysis judicious. This is a first-rate example of the historian's craft.—William Garrett Piston, coauthor of Wilson's Creek: The Second Battle of the Civil War and the Men Who Fought It

Editorial Reviews

Making ample use of firsthand accounts to describe the battle's various stages, Shea leaves his audience feeling cold, hungry, exhausted, scared, and lucky to be alive, all without sacrificing the narrative's flow—an impressive feat for a scholarly study. . . . Fields of Blood stands as a model for future studies.—The Journal of Southern History

Fields of Blood is impressive.—Journal of the Civil War Era

A great read and . . . very informative about a lesser-known battle that had major consequences.—The Oklahoman

Thoroughly researched and engagingly written. . . . Shea's ability to illuminate the interconnections among strategy, logistics, and geography is especially noteworthy. . . . An excellent study of an important but often overlooked campaign.—Annals of Iowa

A fine addition to the growing body of literature on the long-neglected Trans-Mississippi Theater of the Civil War. . . . A model campaign study, and it will become the standard work on the subject.—North Carolina Historical Review

Combined with excellent maps, Shea's description of the operational maneuvers and his detailing of the tactical actions are masterful. . . . A superb account of a signature campaign of the theater.—Journal of Military History

A first rate history of this remote part of the Civil War.—Blue & Gray Magazine

This is a sound and thorough study. It should stand as the benchmark work on Prairie Grove for at least the next generation.—H-Net Reviews

From the Publisher