Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
While tales of Confederate guerilla-outlaws abound, there are few scholarly accounts of the Union men who battled them. This edition of John R. Kelso s Civil War memoir presents a firsthand account of an ordinary man s extraordinary battlefield experiences along with his evolving interpretation of what the bloody struggle meant.
A former Methodist preacher and Missouri schoolteacher, Kelso served as a Union Army foot soldier, cavalry officer, guerilla fighter, and spy. Initially shaped by a belief in the Founding Fathers republic and a disdain for the slave-holding aristocracy, Kelso became driven by revenge after pro-Southern neighbors stole his property, burned down his house, and drove his family and friends from their homes. Interweaving Kelso s compelling voice with historian Christopher Grasso s insightful commentary, this fascinating work charts the transformation of an everyday citizen into a man the Union hailed as a hero and Confederate sympathizers called a monster."
Synopsis
The first edited edition of a Union soldier s remarkable memoir, offering a rare perspective on guerrilla warfare and on the larger meanings of the Civil War
While tales of Confederate guerilla-outlaws abound, there are few scholarly accounts of the Union men who battled them. This edition of John R. Kelso s Civil War memoir presents a firsthand account of an ordinary man s extraordinary battlefield experiences along with his evolving interpretation of what the bloody struggle meant.
A former Methodist preacher and Missouri schoolteacher, Kelso served as a Union Army foot soldier, cavalry officer, guerilla fighter, and spy. Initially shaped by a belief in the Founding Fathers republic and a disdain for the slave-holding aristocracy, Kelso became driven by revenge after pro-Southern neighbors stole his property, burned down his house, and drove his family and friends from their homes. Interweaving Kelso s compelling voice with historian Christopher Grasso s insightful commentary, this fascinating work charts the transformation of an everyday citizen into a man the Union hailed as a hero and Confederate sympathizers called a monster."