Raiding Winter, The
In the spring of 1862, Confederate troop morale was low. Union forces continued to move farther into Southern territory, and Confederate commanders were forced to make a bold strategic change to defend themselves from the Yankees. In the process, they created a new style of warfare; they expanded the role of Confederate horsemen to include making tactical strikes behind enemy lines. In this focused, day-by-day account of Confederate raids on Union forces from December 12, 1862, through January 3, 1863, historian Michael R. Bradley recounts how Southern commanders were able to use their limited resources and complete the most successful mounted operation of the Civil War. The revolutionary raids of 1862 and 1863 were led by Gens. Nathan Bedford Forrest, John Hunt Morgan, Earl Van Dorn, and Joseph Wheeler. Under their leadership, Confederate horsemen accomplished the unthinkable and stopped the Union advance for five months while cutting off supply and communication lines. Using a collection of secondary sources and excerpts from first-hand accounts of the events, Bradley narrates the significance of each commander and battle. His research conveys how these four men of diverse backgrounds and military experience came to lead the South to many strategic victories using mobile warfare.  In compelling detail, Bradley relates the battles, strategy, and daring military pursuits that ultimately earned these four Confederate commanders a place in Civil War history.  Michael R. Bradley is an established Civil War expert and author of many books on the Civil War and Tennessee, including They Rode with Forrest and Nathan Bedford Forrest's Escort and Staff, both published by Pelican. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, his bachelor of divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and both his master's degree and doctorate from Vanderbilt University.  Bradley taught US history at Motlow State Community College in Tennessee for thirty-six years before retiring in 2006. In 1994, he was awarded the Jefferson Davis Medal in Southern History. He is a member of the Southern Historical Association, the American Society of Church History, the Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, and the Society for Military History. In 2010, Gov. Phil Bredesen appointed Bradley to serve on the Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. Along with other historians, state legislators, and tourism professionals, Bradley works to engage and educate the public on Tennessee's complex involvement with the Civil War.  Born in Huntsville, Alabama, Bradley now lives in Tullahoma, Tennessee, with his wife, Martha.