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From Selma to Appomattox: The History of the Jeff Davis Artillery
404
by Lawrence R. Laboda
Lawrence R. Laboda
From Selma to Appomattox: The History of the Jeff Davis Artillery
404
by Lawrence R. Laboda
Lawrence R. Laboda
Paperback
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Overview
The history of the Jeff Davis Artillery is the story of a company of Alabamians who fought with valor and distinction for the Confederacy during more than three and a half years of active service. As part of the Army of Northern Virginia, these soldiers played an integral part in most of the major campaigns of the Eastern Theatre, participating in the crucial battles at Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, and Spotsylvania, among others. Here, Lawrence Laboda tells the story of an artillery unit relatively unknown to Civil War enthusiasts, but whose performance on the fields of battle more than justified the honor of being named after the President of the Confederacy. After their recruitment in Selma, Alabama, we learn that the men of the Jeff Davis Artillery found themselves under many different commanders. It was only when First Lieutenant Robert F. Beckham, Captain James W. Bondurant, and Captain William J. Reese took command that the unit matured as a military organization, and provided its most efficient service on the field of battle. Even though unfortunate circumstances later in the war caused the company to be divided between two commands, the Alabama Battery's skill and determination carried through in all of the engagements that followed. On more than one occassion, the Jeff Davis Artillery received praise from the Confederate high command, including General Robert E. Lee himself. Within the Confederate Army, the reputation of the unit was no doubt one of the best, but after the fighting was done, the war record of this particular company, except for a rare article or mention in an obituary, never received proper recognition. It is only fitting, therefore, that the entire story of the gallant Alabamians finally be told.
From Selma to Appomattox goes beyond the unit's combat record to explore its day to day challenges. Conditions on and off the battlefield were less than ideal at times, and from the beginning, the company as a whole fell victim to the horrors of disease. One glance down the roster list shows the extreme seriousness of the situation. Even disease was not their most immediate concern, however, as Laboda describes the unit's difficulties in finding food, horses, and even recruits while enduring the reorganizations of an army at war. With the assistance of numerous detailed maps, he follows the ever-proud Alabamians into their first fight at Seven Pines, through the major battles of the Peninsula, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, and Cedar Creek, and ultimately to their surrender at Appomattox.
From Selma to Appomattox goes beyond the unit's combat record to explore its day to day challenges. Conditions on and off the battlefield were less than ideal at times, and from the beginning, the company as a whole fell victim to the horrors of disease. One glance down the roster list shows the extreme seriousness of the situation. Even disease was not their most immediate concern, however, as Laboda describes the unit's difficulties in finding food, horses, and even recruits while enduring the reorganizations of an army at war. With the assistance of numerous detailed maps, he follows the ever-proud Alabamians into their first fight at Seven Pines, through the major battles of the Peninsula, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, and Cedar Creek, and ultimately to their surrender at Appomattox.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780195109979 |
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Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Publication date: | 12/12/1996 |
Series: | Oxford Paperbacks |
Pages: | 404 |
Product dimensions: | 6.13(w) x 9.19(h) x 1.06(d) |
About the Author
Lawrence Laboda, a graduate of Southampton College (Long Island, New York), has been a serious student of the Civil War for over twenty years. He currently resides in Mineola, New York.
Table of Contents
List of Photographs | iv | |
List of Maps | v | |
Introduction | xi | |
I | An Artillery Company is Born | 1 |
II | A Difficult Winter | 9 |
III | Finally, the Battery Meets the Yankees | 17 |
IV | A New Commander, a New Army, A Taste of Hell! | 28 |
V | Crisis in Maryland | |
Part I | A Close Call On The Mountain | 41 |
Part II | Another Desperate Fight For Bondurant's Men | 53 |
VI | Gunboats and Artillery | 63 |
VII | A Winter of Change | 80 |
VIII | The Chancellorsville Campaign | |
Part I | Maneuvering Along The Rappahannock | 95 |
Part II | The Battle Nears And The Artillery Moves North | 99 |
Part III | The Confederates Take To The Offensive | 105 |
IX | Once Again, the Southern Army Pushes North | |
Part I | Reorganization And The Start Of A New Campaign | 121 |
Part II | The Opposing Forces Collide | 132 |
Part III | Two More Days of Battle: The Alabamians Wait...Then Fight | 141 |
Part IV | The Retreat | 152 |
X | Attempting to Beat the Odds | 163 |
XI | More Changes Within the Organization | 181 |
XII | Two Major Battles; Two Different Roles | |
Part I | Much Waiting In The Wilderness | 193 |
Part II | An Urgent Appeal, Then Catastrophe And Nearly The End Of An Organization | 203 |
XIII | Another Transfer as the Battle Lines Move South | 224 |
XIV | From One Theater of Operations to Another | |
Part I | Much Action On The Northside | 238 |
Part II | A Month Spent Protecting 'The Valley' | 247 |
Part III | Yet Another Transfer Following More Action In The East And To The West | 251 |
XV | News, Both Bad and Good | |
Part I | A Bold Design, Fine Execution, But Then...Catastrophe | 256 |
Part II | The Grand Exodus From Elmira | 266 |
XVI | The Final Campaigns of 1864 and New Attempts at Reorganization | |
Part I | Continuing to Combat The Enemy On Two Fronts | 275 |
Part II | A Most Difficult And Frustrating Winter | 280 |
XVII | The Final Campaign | 292 |
Appendix A | The Story of "Mollie Glass" | 318 |
Appendix B | Documents, Letters, Misc. Articles, Etc. | 320 |
Appendix C | Roster of the Jeff Davis Alabama Artillery | 321 |
Endnotes | 350 | |
Bibliography | 367 | |
Index | 371 |
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