How Did Texas Survive The Civil War?

More specifically, how did Texas manage to repulse invading Union armies? And why were there no major battles like Antietam, Shiloh or Gettysburg fought in Texas?

Answers include that Texas was too far, too large and that Texans (over 80,000 fought in that terrible struggle) were too feisty. The Civil War in Texas and the Southwest answers the above while shedding new light on Texan audacity, bravery and just plain luck. Part one of the book provides a chronology of the tragically unsuccessful 1861-1862 invading expedition of Confederate General Sibley’s Texas volunteers into New Mexico and Arizona. Sibley grandiously called his brigade the “Confederate Army of New Mexico.” Of the 3,700 Texans who left San Antonio on this campaign, only 2,000 stumbled back the next year.

Part two contains little-known stories about failed Union efforts to conquer southern and eastern Texas between 1863-1865. For example, Galveston was occupied by Union forces in 1862, then recaptured during a six hour battle on New Years’ Day 1863. Further up the Texas coast at Sabine Pass, a Union flotilla of four warships, twenty-two troop transports loaded with 5,000 invasion troops was defeated by a young red-headed Irish Texan lieutenant and his 40 immigrant cannoneers from Eire.

And who knows that 300 Texans repulsed 500 better-armed and provisioned Union troops at Palmito ranch in the southern tip of Texas? Palmito was the last battle of the war and was actually fought after Lee’s surrender.

Author Sullivan’s previous, acclaimed book, Scattered Graves: The Civil War Campaigns of Confederate General and Cherokee Chief Stand Waitie, depicts Watie’s leadership and hit-and-run tactics. He was the only Indian to be promoted to general on either side and was also the last Confederate general to surrender.

Both books are available through Authorhouse.

Armed with only his rifled musket, Kimber M. Snyder was credited with leading the charge to release Civil War prisoners. One of four fighting sons of a young widow from the hills of Pennsylvania, Kimber decided it was time to go and rescue his fellow soldiers. Tied to trees in the middle of winter, Snyder led a group of men out of their tents to commit this daring deed. However, what made this action so remarkable was that this rescue was not aimed at the Confederates, but at his Union officers! And the prisoners were not southern Rebels, but rather boys from back home, who had refused to forage for food in the middle of winter without shoes and coats. The armed confrontation between the enlisted men and the officers led to Kimber’s arrest. The court martial trial that followed was a mixture of truth, lies and conveniently forgotten testimony that led to his acquittal and later, a promotion.

This book follows the history of Kimber M. Snyder from his family’s early years in colonial Pennsylvania to his service in the Civil War with the 78th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Included are vivid descriptions of the 78th’s military service and their involvement at such major battles as Stone’s River, Chickamauga and Pickett’s Mill. In addition, there are new insights and interpretations of the regiment’s role at the latter two battles, where they have been criticized by some for their performance. By using casualty figures and Union and Confederate records, a new light is shed on the 78th’s fighting record.

While this book is a story of Snyder’s life and those of his wife and children, it is also the tale of Henderson and Union Counties in western Kentucky and Posey County in southern Indiana, where the veteran tried to eek out a living, while raising his family. Court transcripts, battle reports, census returns, diaries, family lore and years of old newspaper articles are used to illustrate the last half of the 19th century. The Gilded Age excesses of this era escaped the Snyder’s grasp, as it did with so many others in the lower Ohio River Valley. Presidential and local politics, high profile trials, the weather, farm prices and the everyday happenings of the region are detailed as the Snyders along with many others, blended into the rural landscape, but more importantly contributed to the building of the country we know today.

Each year over 7,000,000 visitors come to Branson, Missouri. 

The town is home to over 100 shows and attractions ranging from country to pop, big band to magic.

This book takes a look at a cross section of people who make Branson's entertainment community unique, from its pioneer entertainers to the superstars who've made the town their home to the performers who delight visitors day and night in theaters, restaurants and theme parks.

It tells the story of a fruit truck driver who turned a vacant piece of land into a multi-million dollar entertainment mecca, a truck stop waitress from South Dakota who found the perfect place to wait tables while pursuing a singing and recording career, a country music superstar who tried to avoid Branson but eventually opened his own theater on the city's 76 Country Boulevard and others who have helped make the music show capital unique in all the world.

Their stories are seen through the eyes of a veteran broadcaster who has spent thousands of hours over three decades interviewing hundreds of artists, business leaders and fans.  His unique insights give an intimate account of the lives of these fascinating personalities.   

Each year over 7,000,000 visitors come to Branson, Missouri. 

The town is home to over 100 shows and attractions ranging from country to pop, big band to magic.

This book takes a look at a cross section of people who make Branson's entertainment community unique, from its pioneer entertainers to the superstars who've made the town their home to the performers who delight visitors day and night in theaters, restaurants and theme parks.

It tells the story of a fruit truck driver who turned a vacant piece of land into a multi-million dollar entertainment mecca, a truck stop waitress from South Dakota who found the perfect place to wait tables while pursuing a singing and recording career, a country music superstar who tried to avoid Branson but eventually opened his own theater on the city's 76 Country Boulevard and others who have helped make the music show capital unique in all the world.

Their stories are seen through the eyes of a veteran broadcaster who has spent thousands of hours over three decades interviewing hundreds of artists, business leaders and fans.  His unique insights give an intimate account of the lives of these fascinating personalities.   

P.A.T.C.O. AND REAGAN: AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY - The Air Traffic Controllers' Strike of 1981 - documents those ominous days leading up to, including, and after the fateful strike and consequent firing of over 11,000 federal employees by the President of the United States in August, 1981. Relying on primary White House research materials available in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library archives, the book concludes that both the strike and the dismissal were not only predictable, but inescapable scenarios, given the resolute and tenacious personalities of the leaders involved. It discusses in length, the compounding effects that the strike had on its members, society at large, and the White House.

P.A.T.C.O. AND REAGAN explores the motivations behind the strikers’ controversial actions and the corresponding rationales of their opponents, which included just about everybody else. It highlights the heightened emotions that fueled the union’s expectations before the strike and drove its fervent quest for redemption after the strike. The union’s inability to comprehend how the strike would be perceived ultimately doomed its efforts and condemned it to a collision course with the Reagan Administration, the general public, and even its own membership . As a consequence, organized labor in the United States would never be the same.