Hope Never to See It: A Graphic History of Guerrilla Violence during the American Civil War

by Andrew Fialka, Anderson Carman (Illustrator)

Hope Never to See It illustrates two exceptional incidents of occupational and guerrilla violence in Missouri during the American Civil War. The first is a Union spy’s two-week-long murder spree targeting civilians, and the second is a pro-Confederate guerrillas’ mutilation of almost 150 U.S. troops.

The men leading the atrocities (Jacob Terman, alias Harry Truman, and “Bloody” Bill Anderson) weren’t so different. Both the Union spy and the infamous Confederate guerrilla claimed to be avenging the deaths of their families, operated under orders from military officials, and were hard drinkers. Their acts outline the terror inflicted on both sides of the struggle.

This book’s use of sequential art displays these grisly realities to mute the war’s glorification and to help prompt a modern, meaningful reconciliation with the war. The moral ambiguities contained within this story call into question our understanding of the laws of war and the ways in which wars end.

Genres: History, Comics, Civil War, War

216 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2025

Reviews

[Rosa Angelone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic use of the form. Doesn't sacrifice any of the scholarship (lots of footnotes and a great bibliography) Not only is it a telling of an interesting incident in MO during the Civil War you get a discussion of how we talk about violence.

I was happy to see that a book I read last year was cited ( After Appomattox:
Military Occupation and the Ends of War by Gregory P. Downs) puting this squarely in the camp talking about the cost of occupation and guerilla violence and the untidy "ends" of war.

The Graphic History uses a short story to talk about a larger point without being didactic or closing interrogation of any of the player's motives and actions.

The art is excellent. Not just simple frames. The book truly uses the way a comic book can play with images and the frame of the page to excellent effect. The book LOOKS great!

anyone even remotely interested in American history should read it.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting in that it is a peer-reviewed historical graphic novel. This was well done and very well researched, as the end notes indicate the incredible volume of sources used, as well as the choices around those sources, really lends this work to being historically legit. It was a good story around an intriguing and very unreliable and violent figure.
The art work is graphic, stark, and really fits with the subject and time period.
If you are interested in the nature of the border states during the American Civil War , then you should pick this up. It definitely plays into the occupation aspect of the Civil War that usually gets sidelined by our own collective memories of the war.
Well done, and I hope to see more projects like this in the future

[Samuel Otten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this telling of the Civil War guerilla warfare in Missouri. Lots of carefully researched history and also some compelling artwork.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fialka and Carman make great use of art and historical writing to tell Civil War history that often goes unnoticed or under-appreciated.

The illustrations here add much verve to Fialka's story about Jacob Terman/Harry Truman and what he represents about the Civil War and the guerrilla conflicted that raged in regions such as Missouri. The creators excel in using the graphic novel to elevate this part of the Civil War to stark and explicit reality. No punches pulled.

The historical commentary will guide the reader through Carman's great illustrations, and challenge how we think about the role of violence among civilians and in military occupied areas.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a feeling this worked better in its original text more than in comic book form. There's so many different military figures mentioned in this, especially during the trial that I couldn't keep them straight. It's a neat idea, detailing some of the events of the Civil War that occurred in Missouri. It was just a chore to keep it all straight in my head.

[Bryan Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written story. the illustrations are gory, but done very well. I enjoyed this graphic novel and learned quite a bit.

[Hugh Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a scholarly work told in graphic form with realistic and at times horrifying depictions of the war in Missouri in 1864. Pro-Confederate guerrillas massacred 150 Union Soldiers at Centralia, MO, and an irregular spy and agent for the Union committed a series of murders. What we call irregular warfare, as opposed to conventional warfare in all its horrors is vividly portrayed here. I recommend this book to any Civil War buff and historian desiring to learn more about the war as they fought it in Missouri.