Product Description

In the spring of 1864, as the armies of Grant and Lee waged a highly scrutinized and celebrated battle for the state of Virginia, a no- less important, but historically obscured engagement was being conducted in the pine barrens of northern Louisiana. In a year of stellar triumphs by Union armies across the South, the Red River Campaign stands out as a colossal failure. General William Tecumseh Sherman’s scathing summation describes it best, "One damn blunder from beginning to end."

Taking its title from Sherman’s blunt description, One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End: The Red River Campaign of 1864 is a fresh inspection of what was the Civil War’s largest operation between the Union Army and Navy west of the Mississippi River. In a bold, but poorly managed effort to wrest Louisiana and Texas from Confederate control, a combined force of 40,000 Union troops and 60 naval vessels traveled up the twisting Red River in an attempt to capture the capital city of Shreveport.

Gary D. Joiner provides not a recycled telling of the campaign, but a strategic and tactical overview based on a stunning new array of facts gleaned from recently discovered documents. This never-before-published information reveals that the Confederate army had laid a clever trap by engineering a drop in the water level of the Red River to try to maroon the Union naval flotilla. Only the equally amazing ingenuity of the Union troops saved the fleet from certain destruction, despite a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Mansfield.

The Red River campaign had lasting implications. One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End magnifies just how devastating the diversion of so many men and so much material to this failed campaign was to the Union effort in the pivotal year of 1864. Because of the Union Army’s failures, Northern plans to capture Mobile were scrapped. Military careers were made and lost. And at time when the Confederacy was teetering on the brink of oblivion, Southern morale was bolstered.

Joiner puts together a compelling description of what was one of the most important military operations conducted west of the Mississippi. The fierce military action, the squabbling of the leaders on both sides, and most importantly, essential new knowledge of the Confederate defensive preparations are all contained in the pages of this new book.

Civil War buffs and military enthusiasts will revel in this in-depth look at this critical, but previously overlooked campaign.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1203588 in Books
• Published on: 2002-12-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 198 pages

Review
"A masterful narrative history of the 1864 Red River Campaign." -- Edwin Bearss, Chief Historian Emeritus, National Park Service

"Provides a detailed and long-needed modern analysis of this controversial and sadly neglected campaign. Military history at its best." -- Stacy D. Allen, Historian, Shiloh National Military Park

Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the trans-Mississippi theater and 1864 campaigns in general. -- North and South

About the Author
A professional cartographer, Gary D. Joiner is the geographic information systems coordinator at Louisiana State University in Shreveport where he also teaches Civil War and Louisiana history. He has served as a consultant to the Louisiana Department of Recreation and Tourism in identifying Red River Civil War sites.

Customer Reviews

Don't Mess With Texas!
This is an excellent companion to the classic study of the Red River Campaign- Red River Campaign, Politics and Cotton in the Civil war by Ludwell H. Johnson.
The book doesn't go into great details about the battles but keeps it informative and interesting. The author does an excellent job setting up the battles and defenses of the campaign. Readable maps are provided which aid understanding of the battles, routes and terrain. I especially appreciate locations and descriptions of the smaller actions. I plan to visit all sites connected to the campaign in Louisana and Arkansas.
Scholars will need to read Ludwell H. Johnson's Red River Campaign for a complete understanding of the campaign. One Damn Blunder will aid this understanding and entertain.
The Yankees found the road to Texas a hard one to travel.

A lot of knowledge in a short history
Want to learn a lot in a short period of time about one of the most under-publicized campaigns of the Civil War? Read "One Damn Blunder From Beginning to End - The Red River Campaign of 1864", by Gary D. Joiner. In this volume, Joiner combines his knowledge of the Civil War and his home of Louisiana, his talents as a cartographer, and his experience as an educator to create a very readable history of this event. Whether you are a long term Civil War buff, or just beginning your odyssey into this period of American history, or somewhere in between, you
will gain an understanding of what happened, why it happened, and, in some ways most important, why the history books devote so little print to this Union disaster.

Excellent Campaign History
This book proves that silly ideas, misunderstandings, stupidity and political expediency are not limited to our times. Mixing in a good deal of greed, a chance to capture large amounts of cotton, called white gold, can move along just about anything along. The Red River Campaign of 1864 qualifies for one of the best examples of this. The idea was to deal the CSA in the Trans-Mississippi a deathblow and drive them from northern Louisiana. 40,000 Union soldiers and 60 ships are to converge of the CSA forces at Shreveport. Lack of cooperation between the army and navy, poor communications and worse leadership resulted in a resounding defeat for the Union. The book shows that a resolute leader can succeed over odds, even if his superiors are not helpful.

This is a well-written book with maps in the right places. The author expects the reader to know nothing about the campaign and keeps us fully in the picture. This is an excellent campaign history and a good addition to your library.