In Deadly Earnest: The History of the First Missouri Brigade

by Phil Gottschalk

This book presents a comprehensive history of Cockrell's Missouri Brigade, using the testimony of Federal soldiers, Confederates from other states and 35 members of the Missouri Brigade.

Genres: Civil War, American Civil War, History

562 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Ceira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stirring history; not aiming at an emotional high over intense battle sequences, or wailing over the woes of camp life, nor even bashing the opposing side over all their errors, but recounting with as much accuracy as possible the events that surrounded this noble fighting force.

The story of this brigade illuminates the necessity of wise and trusted leadership, a rigorous obedience to orders, as well as the raw courage so often praised in good soldiers. They fought with a unified valor: a treasure when found in a single person, nearly unstoppable when possessed by so many men. And they fought for a cause that could not be forsaken, so they stayed even when hope had abandoned them, to remain faithful to the freedoms and rights they had so long enjoyed.

[Mark Harden · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was no better combat brigade than the Missouri Brigade, and Gottschalk does a masterful job of telling their story. His combat accounts, in particular, are compelling and dramatic. He uses participant accounts to good effect and makes the reader empathize with the soldiers in battle and on the march.

In unit histories, the tricky part is balancing the unit's personal story with the context needed to understand what is going on in the larger war. This is where Gottschalk loses one star in the rating. He goes into so much detail on campaigns and battles beyond the purview of the Missouri Brigade that it becomes almost a history of the war in the western theater. And, writing in 1991, he is still under the influence of the pro-Joe Johnston historiography of Connelly, Horn and Sword. As a result, he repeats the unfair aspersions cast on Pemberton in the Vicksburg Campaign, and his treatment of Hood is downright calumnious. I'm sure he was also influenced by the bitterness of the accounts of Missouri Brigade veterans who felt that Hood had sacrificed them needlessly, but his constant and unfair denunciation of Hood grew tiresome.

A well written classic unit history, a must read specially for those interested in the combat experience of the western theater Confederates.

[Heinz Reinhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in the late 80's and published in the early 90's, this was one of the first, hyper detailed, unit histories of a Confederate unit that wasn't from the Army of Northern Virginia. Raised in Missouri, at the beginning of the War Between the States, these Missourians rapidly established themselves as amongst the very best soldiers in American history.
At numerous fields these Missourians would trounce forces much larger than themselves, either turning defeat into victory upon their arrival, or mauling their opponents so badly that pursuit was no longer an option.
Covering their entire wartime, and postwar, careers, this is a fascinating, extremely well written work that set the standard for Civil War unit histories from then on.
Very highly recommended.

[Sean Chick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gottschalk's unit history is impressive in detail, although hobbled by uneven prose and occasional slides into Lost Cause rhetoric. It is the book of an eager amateur, not to be dismissed, but not a true classic of the genre.