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.
Currently the author and editor of 100 scholarly books, 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!
