Classes started at Rogers State University on 13 August, and I’ve had a busy time since then. Our enrollment has increased significantly, and this is quite evident in three of my four classes. Perhaps the start of school has caused me to take a trip down memory lane and recall some of the first Civil War books that I read. The very first Civil War book that I remember reading with any seriousness was The How and Why Wonder Book of The Civil War. It is a slender volume with few references to the Trans-Mississippi; among those is mention of the German population in St. Louis, “bloody Kansas,” gold mining in Colorado and Nevada, and the uprising by the Sioux Indians in Minnesota. I suppose that is not too bad for a 48 page book!
After reading The How and Why Book of the Civil War, I recall reading some books about the eastern theater aimed at young adults. After a heavy dose of reading books about Gettysburg and Robert E. Lee, imagine my surprise when I found a historical novel about the war in the Trans-Mississippi sitting on the bookshelves at home. Acquired by my older brothers, Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith was a revelation to me. Winner of the 1958 Newbery Award for children’s literature, Keith’s book traces the adventures of Jeff Bussey, a teenage soldier from Kansas. Private Bussey is involved in the Wilson’s Creek campaign and the battle of Prairie Grove. He travels through the Indian Territory and as a spy rides with Stand Watie’s men for a time. Not only was the plot exciting to me as a child, but I also learned that significant Civil War actions occurred in the Trans-Mississippi.
Born in Oklahoma Territory in 1903, Harold Verne Keith earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. To research the background for this book he read standards accounts about the war in the Trans-Mississippi; he also used interviews from an earlier research project of 22 Confederate veterans who lived in Arkansas and Oklahoma. In addition to writing a number of books mostly for young adults, Mr. Keith also worked as the Sports Publicity Director for the University of Oklahoma from 1930-1969. He died in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1998. Was there a particular book that triggered your interest in the Trans-Mississippi?
Two books--first, _Gone With the Wind_, which I read in the 7th or 8th grade before the movie was re-released out to the theatres during the summer of 1968. (Yes, I'm dating myself.) I boo-hooed through the big pull back scene at the railyard in Atlanta. That led me straight into an honors history class led by a true Civil War enthusiast at (where else) Robert E. Lee High School here in Tyler. The second book was _Brokenburn: The Journal of Kate Stone, 1861-1865_, edited by John Q. Anderson. Louisiana State University Press, 1955, and since reprinted at least twice. For part of the war Kate lived in "Bonnie Castle," now the Goodman Museum, right here in Tyler. This tied together a number of related interests--Civil War, local history, homefront history, women's history, and primary sources. I've been working in these areas steadily ever since.
ReplyDeleteVicki Betts
Like most people, I started reading about the eastern theater early on. It was not until about 1963 that I read Jay Monaghan's Civil War on the Western Border that I was "hooked" on the Trans-Mississippi Theater. It was a good read and the bibliography provided a treasure trove of reading more about the war west of the Mississippi.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it was a visit to Wilson's Creek, where I picked up a copy of Ed Bearss's battle history at the bookstore. It also inspired my ongoing interest in the Missouri State Guard.
ReplyDeleteWhat a memory opener. I also was given the How and Why Wonder book by my parents, about the same time I was busy with my Marx Civil War Playset. The Wonder Book eventually fell to pieces for the number of times I read it.
ReplyDeleteMy first Civil War book was one written by James M. McCaffrey,"Band of Heroes--Granbury's Texas Brigade,C.S.A." and I was hooked on war west of the Mississippi River. My next 3 were by Anne J. Bailey,"Between the Enemy and Texaqs","In the Saddle With The Texans",and "Texans in the Confederate Cavalry". The ones written by Anne J. Bailey are my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember a particular book about the Trans-Mississippi that sparked my seemingly undying interest in that theater, but that interest was was greatly enhanced by a visit to Pea Ridge after my parents moved to the Ozarks. Back then, this interest was necessarily fed more by articles in periodicals (Blue & Gray, for example) than by book-length studies. Happily, that's begun to change.
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