Dark and Bloody Ground: the Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana

Thomas Ayres, Taylor Trade Publishing, Dallas, TX, 2001, 273 pages, $24.95.

Thomas Ayres, in his latest history, Dark and Bloody Ground." The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana, talks from a Southern perspective that is somewhat subjective, but highly readable. The hero of the story is Confederate General Richard Taylor, son of President Zachary Taylor.

One problem with Acres' book is his extensive use of subjective sources although he does rely heavily on Taylor's memoirs. However, Taylor was prone to embellish his tale. Also, Ayres' attention to detail is sometimes suspect. For example, he relates that the Confederates surrendered "Fort Donaldson" in Tennessee "on high ground overlooking the Cumberland River near it[s] junction with the Mississippi." The correct spelling is "Donelson," and the Cumberland River does not form a junction with the Mississippi River, but with the Ohio River. These small details are not important to Ayres' story, but it makes the reader wonder if Ayres got other details wrong. Finally, the book suffers from a lack of footnotes and good maps of the Louisiana theater. Overall, however, this book is entertaining and tells of a little-known theater of the American Civil War.

LTC D. Jon White, USA, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

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