num_pages: 202
description: Packed with factual detail, 'Three Little Battles' is a readable history of some little known actions that raged in the latter part of the Civil War--starting with the bloodbath that occurred at the battle of Olustee in early 1864 in North Florida. Olustee is probably the best known and most completely documented of the three engagements covered in this book. The poignant and costly Battle of Griswoldville took place in Georgia in late 1864, during Sherman's 'March to the Sea'. Though it was the only significant infantry battle in that famous campaign, it is virtually unknown to the general public. It is also less well documented than Olustee. The final engagement involved the last stand of the famous 'Wizard of the Saddle', Nathan Bedford Forest. It was the Battle of Selma which took place deep in the heart of the South in Alabama in April, 1865, just 7 days before Lee's surrender in Virginia. Although these three engagements are not generally familiar to most outside certain circles of Civil War buffs and historians, each battle, when examined closely, is historically illustrative of the times. All three battles individually involved less than 15,000 combatants, but each was, in its own way, important beyond just numbers. Though the actions themselves were not famous many of the participants were. They included names such as Pierre Gustav Toutant Beauregard and James H. Wilson, among many others, including some founding fathers of the Confederacy. This book deals with some controversial material and is not for the overly sensitive. Because of the extensive use of primary sources (not cited), this popular history could be used as a beginning point for research. However, it is mostly intended to be an 'easy read' for anyone who enjoys exploring un-blinkered accounts of American history.
language: English
title: Three Little Battles of the American Civil War
publisher: Stephen Webb