The Civil War in the Western Territories: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah by Ray Charles Colton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Civil War in the Far West--New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah--is the least studied theater of the war. Having lived there I find that strange because those years redefined the borders of all the states and created Arizona. Colton's classic study has been around since 1959 and it still makes useful reading today.
Colton gives a relatively brief (209 page) description of the conflict in this region, focusing on the military aspects. A long final chapter goes into politics, but those seeking in-depth political coverage will have to seek elsewhere. Same goes with the economic and social aspects. These are covered, but take a back seat to military operations.
It's here that Colton is at his best. the descriptions of battles are clear and full of color, and even the tiniest skirmish gets its due.
A few criticisms: the maps are a bit simple and the map of the Battle of Glorieta is reproduced so small that it is almost illegible. Also, there is little coverage of the motivations behind the Native Americans. They are seen as simply another combatant with little context as to why they did what they did. The Native Americans are shown in a somewhat sympathetic light (rare for work from the 1950s) yet they remain voiceless.
I would recommend this book as a starting point for those looking to study the war in the Far West, or as a basic coverage for those who only want to read one book on this aspect of the war.
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Home to author Sean McLachlan and the House Divided series of Civil War horror novels. A Fine Likeness, the first in the series, is available now. This blog is dedicated to the Trans-Mississippi Civil War and historical fiction, and occasionally veers off into adventure travel when I go somewhere interesting.
Looking for more from Sean McLachlan? He also hangs out on the Midlist Writer blog, where he talks about writing, adventure travel, caving, and everything else he gets up to. He also reproduces all the posts from Civil War Horror, so drop on by!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Book review: The Civil War in the Western Territories by Ray Colton
Labels:
book review,
book reviews,
Civil War,
history,
military history,
Trans-Miss,
Trans-Mississippi Theater,
war
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Considering where you live, I'm amazed how much you know about this subject matter!
ReplyDeleteYes, Spain had its own Civil War that was equally nasty. But back in the day I was an Arizonan. Lived in Tucson for 12 years. I still live part time in Missouri.
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