The Real Horse Soldiers

“This epic account is as thrilling and fast-paced as the raid itself and will quickly rival, if not surpass, Dee Brown’s Grierson’s Raid as the standard.” —Terrence J. Winschel, historian (ret.), Vicksburg National Military Park Winner, Operational/Battle History, Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Book Award Winner, Fletcher Pratt Literary Award, Civil War Round Table of New York There were other simultaneous operations to distract Confederate attention from the real threat posed by U. S. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee. Benjamin Grierson’s operation, however, mainly conducted with two Illinois cavalry regiments, has become the most famous, and for good reason: For 16 days (April 17 to May 2) Grierson led Confederate pursuers on a high-stakes chase through the entire state of Mississippi, entering the northern border with Tennessee and exiting its southern border with Louisiana. Throughout, he displayed outstanding leadership and cunning, destroyed railroad tracks, burned trestles and bridges, freed slaves, and created as much damage and chaos as possible. Grierson’s Raid broke a vital Confederate rail line at Newton Station that supplied Vicksburg and, perhaps most importantly, consumed the attention of the Confederate high command. While Confederate Lt. Gen. John Pemberton at Vicksburg and other Southern leaders looked in the wrong directions, Grant moved his entire Army of the Tennessee across the Mississippi River below Vicksburg, spelling the doom of that city, the Confederate chances of holding the river, and perhaps the Confederacy itself. Based upon years of research and presented in gripping, fast-paced prose, Timothy B. Smith’s The Real Horse Soldiers captures the high drama and tension of the 1863 horse soldiers in a modern, comprehensive, academic study. Readers will find it fills a wide void in Civil War literature.

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Many accounts of the Civil War battles, armies, and key figures have been written over the years, but none have looked at the bloodiest war in our nation's history through the eyes of the cavalry. The horse soldiers in the Civil War are often referred to as the last of the cavaliers, men who valued their honor as much as their cause. In this sweeping saga George Walsh brings to life anew the gallant horse soldiers of the North and South, showing in dramatic detail how their raids and expeditions affected the outcome of the war and how their fortunes waxed and waned. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Now a major motion picture from Jerry Bruckheimer and Lionsgate! The New York Times bestselling “spellbinding true-life story” (USA TODAY) of a United States Special Forces team deployed to the war-ravaged Afghanistan mountains in the weeks immediately following 9/11, overcoming great odds to become heroes of our era. In the weeks following the attacks of September 11, a small band of Special Forces soldiers secretly entered Afghanistan. Riding on horseback, they pursued the Taliban over the stark and mountainous Afghanistan terrain. After a series of intense battles, they captured the strategically essential city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators as they rode into the city, and the streets thronged with Afghans overjoyed that the Taliban regime had been overthrown. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn. During a surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, the Horse Soldiers were ambushed by the would-be POWs. Dangerously overpowered, they fought for their lives in the city’s immense fortress, Qala-i-Jangi, or the House of War. At risk were the military gains of the entire campaign: if the soldiers perished or were captured, the entire effort to outmaneuver the Taliban was likely doomed. Previously published as Horse Soldiers, 12 Strong “is not just a battle story—it’s also about the home front. An important book” (the TODAY show). A thrilling, inspiring tale of a group of men on horses who did the impossible and an incredible account of real life bravery and heroism in the face of insurmountable odds.

"A thorough examination of this famous military action through three genres--Dee Brown's historical account, Grierson's Raid; Harold Sinclair's 1956 novel, The Horse Soldiers; and John Ford's 1959 film, The Horse Soldiers ... demonstrates how historical "truths" are often omitted, fragmented, and altered before being assimilated into popular culture and how the events of our past are often molded to fit the contraints of the present"--Cover.

Examines the role played by cavalry, or horse soldiers, in both the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War.

"Many people don't realize it, but up until America's entry into World War II, the U.S. Army still had regiments of horse cavalry. This story begins with one young man's entry into the U.S. Army in 1929 as a private assigned to the 8th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Bliss, Texas. This man was Edward G. Krebs. His story continues through his training as a cavalryman and advancement to first sergeant at Ft. Myer, Virginia, with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. The story continues as he graduates from Cavalry Officer Candidate School at Ft. Riley, Kansas, after the start of World War II on to where the now Capt. Krebs commands an assault gun troop through France, Luxombourg, Germany and Austria with the 106th Cavalry Group finally defeating Nazi Germany on their own soil"--

A young horse cavalry officer is rudely dismounted and transferred to the engineers. He then learns modern warfare in a hurry and is instrumental in preventing a catastrophe to American and British troops!