Larry J. Daniel – författare

How did politicians, bureaucrats, reporters, and civilians in Richmond understand a war being fought a thousand miles away? Expert Civil War historian Larry Daniel shows for the first time how poor intelligence, fierce politics, and cultural prejudice affected Confederate strategy in the Western Theater.

In his novel approach to understanding the Western Theater of the U.S. Civil War, Larry Daniel brings new insight and understanding to the war without ever setting foot in the West. Rather, he takes readers to Richmond, Virginia, to see how the war was understood in the Confederate Capitol. We see in real time how the Jefferson Davis administration received, understood, and reacted to reports from the front, which often arrived in Richmond days after they were written. Daniel gives voice to cabinet members, War Department clerks, congressmen, capitol reporters, and even civilians, all watching the war unfold hundreds of miles away.

Although most of their attention was given to the enemies at their doorstep, Richmond was still rocked by the disastrous losses across the Appalachians, especially Fort Donelson, New Orleans, Vicksburg, and Atlanta. Still, incomplete information and biased press reports deified certain western generals in the public imagination, including P. G. T. Beauregard, Sterling Price, and Joseph E. Johnston, whose performance did not justify such public adoration. Richmonders’ “Virginia-first” military strategy and their aristocratic sense of cultural superiority over the diverse regions and cultures of the West blurred their view and damaged their ability to make strong strategic decisions. The Davis administration’s preference for territorial and static defense, influenced by their strategic and political (mis)understanding of the region, set the war in the West on a spiraling downward trend from which it never recovered.

Students of the Civil War cannot fully understand the battles that took place in the woods of south-central Tennessee, along the banks of the Tennessee River, across the bluffs and backwaters of the Mississippi Delta, or in the red clay and thickets of North Georgia without understanding what was happening a world away in Richmond. This is that story.

“Useful to historians of the Civil War . . .  and Civil War buffs will want it in their libraries.” —James M. McPherson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom

Island No. 10: Struggle for the Mississippi Valley is a deeply researched, narrative-driven history of the Civil War New Madrid–Island No. 10 campaign in 1862—an episode overshadowed by Fort Donelson and Shiloh yet vital to Union mastery of the Mississippi River. The authors argue that the campaign was far more consequential than its marginalization in traditional Civil War histories suggests, demonstrating that the fall of Island No. 10 consolidated Union control of the upper Mississippi, accelerated the collapse of Confederate fortunes in the West, and highlighted the transformative power of joint Army–Navy operations. 

The book’s strengths lie in its rich use of diaries, letters, official military records, and contemporary press accounts, weaving together strategy, engineering, naval innovation, politics, and the lived experience of soldiers. Vivid descriptions of fortification design, the ironclad flotilla, the dramatic night battery runs, and the grueling canal‑cutting operation offer readers a ground‑level and command‑level view of the campaign. Larry J. Daniel, an acclaimed Civil War historian and award‑winning author of Cannoneers in Gray and Soldiering in the Army of Tennessee, together with Lynn N. Bock, a historian, attorney, and longtime steward of New Madrid’s local history, bring scholarly authority and regional expertise to the subject. 

This book will captivate readers interested in Civil War military history, riverine warfare, engineering feats, and the Western theater. It is especially valuable for scholars, buffs seeking a fresh perspective on neglected campaigns, students of joint operations, and anyone exploring how geography, logistics, and technology shaped the course of the war.