Why are the military movements of the Battle of Spring Hill, November
29, 1864, the most discussed of any conflict in the American Civil War?
Discover the astounding answer from those who were there in The Battle
of Spring Hill: Recollections of Confederate and Union Soldiers, the
brief but impactful book by award-winning author, historian, and Civil
War scholar Colonel Lochlainn Seabrook - some of whose Confederate
cousins were present on the field of action that fall morning.
Though this is not meant to be a detailed history, the events leading up
to and resulting from the battle are discussed, as are the many odd
blunders committed by the Union and Confederate armies. In particular
Col. Seabrook focuses in on the South's "lost opportunity," also known
as the Spring Hill Affair. In doing so he and his Victorian contributors
address two important questions: Why did Confederate General John Bell
Hood and his subordinate officers squander their best chance of
destroying Union power in the Western Theater, and why did Yankee Major
General John M. Schofield unnecessarily risk his troops by marching them
through the midst of one of the largest Confederate encampments of the
War?
Mainstream writers like to downplay the Battle of Spring Hill as "one of
the most controversial non-fighting events of the entire war," but this
is wrong. There was plenty of fighting and bloodshed, with hundreds of
men on both sides injured, killed, or MIA. For what? Why did the
Confederate soldiers draw arms at Spring Hill that November day? As Col.
Seabrook explains, it was not to "preserve slavery" or to "destroy the
Union," as we have been falsely taught. If you are not familiar with
authentic Southern history, the truth will surprise you!
Col. Seabrook's thirty-two eyewitness accounts relay the amazing story
of the Battle of Spring Hill (and the subsequent Confederate disasters
at Franklin and Nashville) in a gripping you-are-there manner, while its
many photos (most taken by the author) help convey the incredible drama
which transpired. His Introduction and Summary round out the work,
providing background and context for the modern reader. The Battle of
Spring Hill includes notes, a bibliography, maps, and a list of notable
Confederate and Union officers who were present. This book is part of
Col. Seabrook's trilogy, "Hood's Tennessee Campaign" series, which
includes his popular companion books The Battle of Franklin and The
Battle of Nashville. All three are available in paperback and
hardcover.
The author and editor of nearly 100 books (currently), Col. Seabrook's
other titles include: Abraham Lincoln Was a Liberal, Jefferson Davis
Was a Conservative; Lincoln's War: The Real Cause, the Real Winner, the
Real Loser; Confederate Monuments: Why Every American Should Honor
Confederate Soldiers and Their Memorials; Abraham Lincoln: The Southern
View, The Great Yankee Coverup: What the North Doesn't Want You to Know
About Lincoln's War; The Bittersweet Bond: Race Relations in the Old
South as Described by White and Black Southerners; and the
international blockbuster Everything You Were Taught About the Civil
War is Wrong, Ask a Southerner!
