The 22nd Maine Regiment joined General Nathaniel Banks' campaign in Louisiana; fighting at Irish Bend in two attacks on Port Hudson. Drawing on first-person accounts from soldiers; a company commander; and colonel; this military history follows the Civil War regiment from formation in 1862 to muster out in 1863.
#2059227 in Books 2007-11-14Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.95 x .53 x 7.02l; .89 #File Name: 0786437359222 pages
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A Very Good Treatment of this ExpeditionBy Jeffery StewartThis study of the Camden Expedition by Michael J. Forsyth goes a long way in filling the gap in the study of the war in Arkansas and the Trans-Mississippi Theatre and is much needed. The only other book-length treatment of this event is the one by Edwin C. Bearss; "Steele's Retreat from Camden and the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry" published in the 1960s; which itself is still a worthwhile read.By way of comparison; one of the improvements of Forsyth's study of this expedition over the work by Bearss' is that Forsyth covers the entire expedition from the time Steele's army left Little Rock until their return; whereas Bearss begins his work with Steele's army already at Camden; thus skipping over nearly a third of the story. Forsyth also does a very good job of demonstrating the importance of the campaign in the Trans-Mississippi Theatre and how the commanders personalities and personal motives influenced the course of the campaign. Bearss' work; however; is much better than Forsyth's in area: the maps. The maps in Bearss' study are detailed and make following the course of the major battles and troop movements easy to follow. Forsyth's maps seem more crude and try to use modern military map symbols to reperents units and movements. I do not believe this works very well with Civil War battles.The maps notwithstanding; I fully recommend this book as an excellent treatment on this event of the Civil War in Arkansas. It is nice to have a contemporary study avaiable on this event and I hope that the author will continue to produce more such works on the war in the Trans-Mississippi Theatre. I enjoyed reading it.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Good Book; needs editing.By CustomerHe covered the subject well and I learned a lot about this failed expedition. However; the author repeats himself over and over about how the Union Men who survived went on to join Sherman's march to the sea and ended the war. He may have a point; but it only needed to state it once or twice. It felt like he was padding the book or forcing his opinion on the reader. Otherwise; he handled the subject with decorum and balance.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. great bookBy C. Fullerthis is a good book. My family is from Camden so having a book that deals directly with where we come from is great.
