Synopses & Reviews
California Sabers
The Second Massachusetts Cavalry in the CivilWar
James McLean
The saga of a little-known group ofCalifornia calvary in the Civil War.
California Sabers is thestory of the California Battalion and Hundred, a group of 500 select men who werethe only organized group of Californians to fight in the East during the Civil War.They volunteered their enlistment bounty to pay their passage across Panama and onto
Massachusetts, where they became the cadre of the Second MassachusettsCavalry.
From mid-1863 to July 1864, the Second Massachusettsfought a bloody guerilla war in northern Virginia against John S. Mosby, theconfederacy's Gray Ghost. In July 1864 the regiment became part of Sheridan's Armyof the Shenandoah, and that fall it played a major role in the decisive battles ofWinchester, Toms Run, and Cedar Creek.
In early 1865 the regimentwas in the column that marched across Virginia destroying the vital railroad andcanal that carried supplies from the Shenandoah Valley to the besieged Army ofNorthern Virginia. In late March, the Second Massachusetts was in the forefront ofthe battles at Dinwiddie Courthouse and Five Forks, the two actions that finallybroke the stalemate at Petersburg and forced Lee to retreat to the west. In theensuing chase, the regiment was the part of the cavalry spearhead that finallyblocked Lee's army at Appomattox Courthouse.
This work, based onextensive research, is the first comprehensive history of this relatively unknowngroup and will be of great interest to Civil War enthusiasts andhistorians.
James McLean is a descendent of a pioneer family thatcame to San Francisco in 1848. During his service in the Korean War, he becameinterested in the Civil War when a Navy librarian suggested he read Bruce Catton'strilogy on the Army of the Potomac. That led to his collecting books on the war, andwhen his brother told him they had a great-great-uncle who fought in the Civil War, McClean discovered the California Battalion and Hundred in the Official Records.This book is a culmination of his 20-year effort to recover theirstory.
Contents
List of Maps
Join theCavalry
Gone For A Soldier
Gettysburg andGuerrillas
Inglorious Warfare
The Killing Ground
Old JubeInvades
Hard Marching
Sheridan Takes Command
OpequonCreek and Fisher's Hill
A Crow Will Have to Carry His OwnProvisions
The Woodstock Races
Sabers at CedarCreek
Burning Mosby's Confederacy
Virginia Mud
DinwiddieCourthouse
The Five Forks Shad Bake
Road Block atAppomattox
Appendix -- Casualties
Review
"California and its citizens stood far removed from the great military events that unfolded during the Civil War. Just one substantial group of Californians journeyed eastward to serve in the conflict—approximately 500 men who eventually made up a significant part of the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment. Commanded initially by Boston aristocrat Charles Russell Lowell, the 2nd Massachusetts fought in major operations from Gettysburg through Appomattox, waged a hard-fought campaign against John S. Mosby's Confederate partisans in northern Virginia, and played a particularly noteworthy role in the 1864 Shenandoah Valley campaign. California Sabers presents a straightforward, quite traditional military history of the regiment with a special focus on the West Coast troopers in its ranks. Little concerned with the social, demographic, and ideological questions that interest practitioners of the 'new military history,' McLean follows his subjects chronologically, progressing from one campaign to the next and devoting nearly half of his narrative to events in the Shenandoah Valley between July and November 1864. It is an often gripping story that should appeal to readers drawn to military action in the Virginia theater." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Synopsis
California Sabers is the story of the California Battalion and Hundred, a group of 500 select men who were the only organized group of Californians to fight in the East during the Civil War. They volunteered their enlistment bounty to pay their passage across Panama and on to
Massachusetts, where they became the cadre of the Second Massachusetts Cavalry.
From mid-1863 to July 1864, the Second Massachusetts fought a bloody guerilla war in northern Virginia against John S. Mosby, the confederacy's "Gray Ghost." In July 1864 the regiment became part of Sheridan's Army of the Shenandoah, and that fall it played a major role in the decisive battles of Winchester, Toms Run, and Cedar Creek.
In early 1865 the regiment was in the column that marched across Virginia destroying the vital railroad and canal that carried supplies from the Shenandoah Valley to the besieged Army of Northern Virginia. In late March, the Second Massachusetts was in the forefront of the battles at Dinwiddie Courthouse and Five Forks, the two actions that finally broke the stalemate at Petersburg and forced Lee to retreat to the west. In the ensuing chase, the regiment was the part of the cavalry spearhead that finally blocked Lee's army at Appomattox Courthouse.
This work, based on extensive research, is the first comprehensive history of this relatively unknown group and will be of great interest to Civil War enthusiasts and historians.
Synopsis
California SabersThe Second Massachusetts Cavalry in the Civil WarJamesMcLean
The saga of a little-known group of California calvary inthe Civil War.
California Sabers is the story of the CaliforniaBattalion and Hundred, a group of 500 select men who were the only organized groupof Californians to fight in the East during the Civil War. They volunteered theirenlistment bounty to pay their passage across Panama and on toMassachusetts, wherethey became the cadre of the Second Massachusetts Cavalry.
Frommid-1863 to July 1864, the Second Massachusetts fought a bloody guerilla war innorthern Virginia against John S. Mosby, the confederacy's Gray Ghost. In July1864 the regiment became part of Sheridan's Army of the Shenandoah, and that fall itplayed a major role in the decisive battles of Winchester, Toms Run, and CedarCreek.
In early 1865 the regiment was in the column that marchedacross Virginia destroying the vital railroad and canal that carried supplies fromthe Shenandoah Valley to the besieged Army of Northern Virginia. In late March, theSecond Massachusetts was in the forefront of the battles at Dinwiddie Courthouse andFive Forks, the two actions that finally broke the stalemate at Petersburg andforced Lee to retreat to the west. In the ensuing chase, the regiment was the partof the cavalry spearhead that finally blocked Lee's army at AppomattoxCourthouse.
This work, based on extensive research, is the firstcomprehensive history of this relatively unknown group and will be of great interestto Civil War enthusiasts and historians.
James McLean is adescendent of a pioneer family that came to San Francisco in 1848. During hisservice in the Korean War, he became interested in the Civil War when a Navylibrarian suggested he read Bruce Catton's trilogy on the Army of the Potomac. Thatled to his collecting books on the war, and when his brother told him they had agreat-great-uncle who fought in the Civil War, McClean discovered the CaliforniaBattalion and Hundred in the Official Records. This book is a culmination of his20-year effort to recover their story.
ContentsList of MapsJointhe Cavalry Gone For A SoldierGettysburg and GuerrillasInglorious WarfareThe KillingGroundOld Jube InvadesHard MarchingSheridan Takes CommandOpequon Creek and Fisher'sHillA Crow Will Have to Carry His Own ProvisionsThe Woodstock RacesSabers at CedarCreekBurning Mosby's ConfederacyVirginia MudDinwiddie CourthouseThe Five Forks ShadBakeRoad Block at AppomattoxAppendix -- Casualties
About the Author
A descendent of a pioneer family that came to San Francisco in 1848, McLean graduated from the University of California in 1956. During his service in the Korean War, he became interested in the Civil War when a Navy Librarian suggested he read Bruce Catton's trilogy on the Army of the Potomac. McLean started collecting volumes of the Official Records and any other books he could find relating to the Civil War. When his brother, the family genealogist, told him they had a great-great uncle who fought in the Civil War, he discovered the California Battalion and Hundred in the Official Records. In 1993 he retired to devote more time to the writing of the history of the Battalion and Hundred. This book is a culmination of this twenty-year effort.
Table of Contents
Preliminary Table of Contents
List of Maps
Acknowledgments
1. Join the Cavalry
2. Gone For A Soldier
3. Gettysburg and Guerrillas
4. Inglorious Warfare
5. The Killing Ground
6. Old Jube Invades
7. Hard Marching
8. Sheridan Takes Command
9. Opequon Creek and Fisher's Hill
10. A Crow Will Have to Carry His Own Provisions
11. The Woodstock Races
12. Sabers at Cedar Creek
13. Burning Mosby's Confederacy
14. Virginia Mud
15. Dinwiddie Courthouse
16. The Five Forks Shad Bake
17. Road Block at Appomattox
Appendix - Casualties
Notes
Bibliography
Index