Stackpole Books is proud to announce the June 2023 release of Horse Soldiers at Gettysburg by Daniel Murphy.
Cavalry operations of the Gettysburg campaign have been well covered, but never like this. Daniel Murphy’s new work covers the grand sweep of cavalry in the campaign and details the roles and actions of many mounted commanders including; Alfred Pleasonton, Jeb Stuart, John Buford, George Custer and John Mosby.
But more than that, the book blends strategy and tactics and a campaign narrative with an equestrian’s sense for what it’s like to ride and manage horses. Citing a wide array of first-hand accounts, Murphy brings a horseman’s eye to the story of the campaign: how individual cavalrymen experienced the campaign from the saddle and how horses - large animals needing specific care and maintenance - were in fact four legged weapons that helped shape battles and campaigns.
Horse-soldering was a unique way of doing battle, and Murphy gives it more justice and nuanced description than any author yet.
Reviews for Horse Soldiers at Gettysburg
“In Horse Soldiers at Gettysburg: The Cavalryman’s View of the Civil War’s Pivotal Campaign, author Daniel Murphy not only brings a wealth of new primary sources to his account, but he does so with the eye of a true cavalryman. A “classically trained fencer, equestrian, and living historian,” Murphy has portrayed cavalryman of several eras. He understands the manual of the trooper, mounted, and dismounted, the trials of cavalry combat, and the many other challenges the horse soldiers of 1863 faced and overcame. This new account rings with an authenticity few other cavalry historians could hope to achieve. Murphy’s experience informs his interpretation and adds brilliant color to his brisk narrative. Step into the saddle and enjoy the ride.”
Robert O’Neill, author of Small but Important Riots, The Cavalry Battles of Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville .
“Daniel Murphy brings a new and innovative look at mounted operations in the Civil War in the East with his Horse Soldiers At Gettysburg.
With the eye and knowledge of the true equestrian, the author in the very first chapter schools the reader on the fundamentals and importance of properly maintaining horses during war time such as acquisition, training, grooming, feeding and watering, and much more other mundane but vital activities associated with horse care…
Of course, the meat of the book are those sections dealing with the cavalry versus cavalry actions which occurred from start to finish during the Gettysburg operation…
All-in all Mr. Murphy succeeds in spinning a tail (no pun intended) that combines many general and personal accounts of cavalry warfare… topped-of with a never before slice of what it took to ride into and through battle. Highly recommended.”
Amazon Five Star Review by Arnold Blumberg, July 10, 2023.
“With his new book, Horse Soldiers at Gettysburg: The Cavalryman’s View of the Civil War’s Pivotal Campaign, Daniel Murphy puts readers right in the saddle alongside the mounted soldiers in Blue and Gray. Utilizing a wide array of primary and secondary sources, Murphy weaves together a unique, fast-paced, and highly readable narrative. While Murphy certainly covers well-studied personalities such as Stuart, John Buford, and George Armstrong Custer, he does not forget the experiences of the lowly “common troopers” riding in the ranks. Murphy does a masterful job of weaving Stuart’s famous ride seamlessly into the galloping narrative. Additionally, he thoroughly explains the cavalry tactics of the conflict, providing careful analysis that both the novice as well as those well-versed in cavalry operations will appreciate. This work is highly recommended for students of Civil War cavalry operations and the Gettysburg Campaign.”
Book review for Emerging Civil War by Daniel Davis, https://emergingcivilwar.com/2023/08/22/book-review-horse-soldiers-at-gettysburg-the-cavalrymans-view-of-the-civil-wars-pivotal-campaign/
Excerpts from Horse Soldiers at Gettysburg…
Chapter 5 The Attack at Beverly Ford
“The lines mixed, and the fight pitched back and forth through the clearing and over the guns. “It was warm work,” recalled a Virginia trooper, “hand to hand, shooting and cutting each other in desperate fury, all mixed through one another, killing, wounding and taking prisoners…” These fights were not the chivalrous fencing duels of the cavalry depicted in poems and paintings. Sabre fighting from the ground—true fencing—allowed for a whole series of foot feints, edge guards, sweeps, traps, and glides with the blade. But sabre fighting from the saddle made for an entirely different affair. A combatant’s mount became his feet, and a combatant first had to maneuver his blade past the head and neck of his own horse, then past his opponent’s animal before a blow could even land on his enemy. This negated all but the most basic cuts, thrusts, and guards. Therefore, mounted sabre melees were more akin to twenty-mile-an-hour knife fights, with men slashing, stabbing, and crashing off one another as they bowled in, struck a blow, and spurred clear. It was survival of the fittest, waged in packs of tens and twos, with troopers cleaving, cursing, and chopping one another from the saddle.
“[A] rebel made a dash at me,” wrote a Union lieutenant. “I cut at him twice and missed. . . . [A]s he passed, he [cut] his sabre at me. One of my men . . . thrust his carbine against the breast of the rebel and shot him dead.”
Glittering duels between chivalrous opponents were few and far between….
Chapter 13 Crossing the Potomac
“Stuart currently sat east of the mountains at Rector’s Crossroads in the Loudoun Valley. If Stuart were to cross the Potomac west of the mountains, he would first have to double back and cross over the mountains in Virginia, and then recross the mountains a second time in Maryland or Pennsylvania to gain Ewell’s flank at York, Pennsylvania. The western course would be inefficient, longer, and harder on Stuart’s horses. If Stuart stayed east of the mountains, he would have a more direct track to York, on what promised to be a much faster route.
General Lee was clearly concerned about time, and wrote Stuart about the possibility of Hooker stealing a march ahead of him. “I fear he will steal a march on us and get across the Potomac before we are aware.” Lee adds, “If you find that [Hooker] is moving northward, and that two brigades can guard the Blue Ridge and take care of your rear, you can move with the other three into Maryland and take position on General Ewell’s right.” Lee knew the clock was ticking, and he wrote a set of orders to General Ewell the same day informing him that Stuart might cross the Potomac east of the mountains, separate from the main army...
Gen. R.E. Lee to Lt. Gen. R.S. Ewell, 22 June, 1863 “… I also directed General Stuart, should the enemy so far have retired from his front as to permit the departure of a portion of the cavalry, to march with three brigades across the Potomac and place himself on your right and in communication with you, keep you advised of the movements of the enemy and assist in collecting supplies for the army.”
Chapter 21 Hagerstown and Williamsport
“Lieutenant Blue and his troopers rolled on, revolvers pointing skyward, bracing for the storm. “It appeared to me that I was riding on a line with, and looking straight into, the mouth of a twelve-pounder which protruded through the stone fence. It is surprising how rapid thoughts will follow each other when a person expects the next breath he draws may be his last.” At one hundred yards, the cannons erupted, and canister sprayed down the pike. Blue’s horse died on its feet, tumbling to the road and pinning Blue beneath as his comrades hurtled past. Rolling on, Lomax’s Confederates sprinted for the sharpshooters barring the pike and opened with their revolvers as they hit the enemy line. The Federals broke on contact, and the Rebels swept up a number of prisoners and enemy horses.
The Federal guns, however, remained behind the stone fence bordering the pike, and their drivers now sprinted forward to pull them out. As Lomax rallied his men, he spotted two squadrons of Union cavalry moving to support the guns in the same stone-ringed pasture. The turnpike fence provided excellent cover to the Federals, and the only way through was a gap in the fence along the road. Both parties bolted for the opening at the same time, the Virginians determined to take the gap and the guns beyond, and the Federals determined to cover their battery. The two sides met just inside the wall, where “the fight waxed hot and bloody.” Pistols flashed close and sabres thudded home in gritty collisions of men and horses. The Virginians managed to take the field, but the outnumbered Federals again won the time for Elder’s drivers to limber the guns and make their escape…
Vendors
Prior works by the author
William Washington, American Light Dragoon
William Washington, American Light Dragoon is a close study of George Washington’s second cousin, Lieutenant Colonel William Washington, whose career and combat record remain a controversial subject in the 21st Century.
William Washington began the war as a captain in the Virginia militia, proved his worth at the battle of Trenton and slowly rose to command the 3d Light Dragoons. Born the second cousin of the Continental Army’s commanding general, William naturally drew both notice and jealousy from fellow officers. Unlike George, William was most at home when in the field, and he didn’t always float above his rivals with the same grace and posture as his elder cousin. However, William’s forward nature made him an outstanding cavalry commander, and his record of frontline service is hard to match with no less than seventeen major engagements, and a countless string of scouts, skirmishes, reencounters and rear-guard postings as a heavy hitting officer of light dragoons.
In William Washington, American Light Dragoon, author Daniel Murphy examines Washington’s battle record with the eye of an equestrian, and combines his practical knowledge of 18th Century horse drill with a wide array of period accounts to deliver a unique saddle view of mounted combat. This combination not only puts the reader in the moment, it illustrates Washington’s many battle-winning blows and proves the younger Washington was a keen judge of timing and circumstance who held the respect and support of most all who fought beside him.
Reviews for William Washington, American Light Dragoon
“… what makes this book unique is “the view from the saddle.” Daniel Murphy is an experienced horseman with extensive knowledge. Facts such as the distance covered per second by a charging horseman gives the reader an insight into combat seen nowhere else.” - Hugh Herrington, Editor Journal of the American Revolution
“Murphy provides a detailed and engaging account of Washington’s life and battlefield exploits that restores this gifted commander to his rightful place among the outstanding military leaders of the Revolution.” - Jim Piecuch, author: Light Horse Harry Lee in the War for Independence
“Murphy has combined all currently known sources on William Washington with his experience as a horseman to produce a study of Nathanael Greene’s cavalryman. This is a very good read and sheds lights on a man who should be much better known.” - Lawrence E. Babits, author: A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens