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.
"...this volume is an expertly done presentation of Arkansas in the
war and is heartily recommended for historian and buff alike."
--William L. Richter, Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Winter
2007
"Bailey's memoirs offer insight into the relationship of guerilla
warfare with military, gender, and social history. His work
demonstrates that while these men were sometimes ruthless
murderers, they maintained a level of normalcy and sought to defend
their homes from what they observed as a foreign intrusion.
Bailey's memoir, most likely written in 1920, is subject to a
degree of embellishment, yet it provides an accurate portrayal of
the bitter conflict that took place on Arkansas' home front. Editor
T. Lindsay Baker, a Trans-Mississippi scholar, corroborates events
using other manuscript sources, which reflect similar occurrences
and recollections. He also does a good job of placing the memoir in
the larger context of the Civil War with a number of references to
surrounding events and participants. Ultimately, Bailey's memoir
describes the Civil War not as a conventional conflict taking place
on traditional battlefields, but a bitter struggle between
neighbors that engulfed both civilians and soldiers. This memoir,
with its references to both the battlefield and the home front, is
recommended for those interested in the social and military history
of the civil war."
--Meredith Grant, Military History of the West
"Bailey's story of atrocities, revenge, adventure, escape, and
surrender thrilling to read. Civil War buffs, collectors of
memoirs, reenactment units, round tables, and Civil War historians
interested in guerrilla warfare or the department of the
Trans-Mississippi (which included Texas) will find this work useful
and informative."
--James S. Baugess, The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, July
2008
"Civil War scholars will find Bailey's memoir valuable, because it
is one of the few first-hand accounts of guerrilla activities
during the war. Most irregular troops refused to write an account
of their wartime experiences because they feared that their brutal
actions during the war would lead to retribution. T. Lindsey Baker
is to b commended for his editing of the original typescript. The
memoir is easy to read and follow. Baker also deserves praise for
documenting the events mentioned in Bailey's account with over
fifty pages of comprehensive notes."
--Kenneth W. Howell, The East Texas Historical Journal, July 2008
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