Inside War: The Guerrilla Conflict in Missouri During the American Civil War

by Michael Fellman

During the Civil War, the state of Missouri witnessed the most widespread, prolonged, and destructive guerrilla fighting in American history. With its horrific combination of robbery, arson, torture, murder, and swift and bloody raids on farms and settlements, the conflict approached total war, engulfing the whole populace and challenging any notion of civility.

Michael Fellman's Inside War captures the conflict from "inside," drawing on a wealth of first-hand evidence, including letters, diaries, military reports, court-martial transcripts, depositions, and newspaper accounts. He gives us a clear picture of the ideological, social, and economic forces that divided the people and launched the conflict.

Along with depicting how both Confederate and Union officials used the guerrilla fighters and their tactics to their own advantage, Fellman describes how ordinary civilian men and women struggled to survive amidst the random terror perpetuated by both sides; what drove the combatants themselves to commit atrocities and vicious acts of vengeance; and how the legend of Jesse James arose from this brutal episode in the American Civil War.

Genres: Civil War

Paperback

Published April 19, 1990

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is plenty of guerrilla discussion in this book although it's even handed in my opinion of both the typical bushwhacker guerrilla as well as guerrilla activities by pro-Union forces. The real discussion is about the impact on a civilian population having to live through Civil War without knowing who their friends/enemies were. The setting is Missouri which although technically in the Union had a population that was heavily pro-Southern. A lot of the state of was occupied by Union forces who assumed that most were automatically Southern-leaning. Clues are gathered through letters, diaries, and other writings that although representing individual views, give some perspective into what the times were like. I found his idea of 'survival lying' interesting and worth the read. Sometimes it's just about trying to survive. What's interesting is how human many managed to be while others did not fare so well. My rating is 4 stars.