November 2023 MBR The Civil War Shelf

The Civil War Shelf

Outwitting Forrest: The Tupelo Campaign in Mississippi, June 22 - July 23, 1864
Edwin C. Bearss, author
David A. Powell, editor
Savas Beatie LLC
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216707, $29.95, HC, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Outwitting-Forrest-Campaign-Mississippi-Battles/dp/1611216702

Synopsis: Few students of the Civil War know that legendary historian Edwin C. Bearss produced a classic study on the little-known but significant Tupelo Campaign. The fighting in Mississippi was overshadowed by Nathan Bedford Forrest's more spectacular victory at Brice's Crossroads a month earlier. Bearss performed the research and writing for the Department of the Interior in 1969, and only a handful of softcover copies were circulated. It is published here for the first time, with the posthumous assistance of author David A. Powell, as "Outwitting Forrest: The Tupelo Campaign in Mississippi, June 22 - July 23, 1864".

The engagement came about when Maj. Gen. A. J. Smith marched a Federal expeditionary force (his XVI Army Corps) into northern Mississippi in early July 1864. The thrust forced a response, the largest of which was delivered by the combined Confederate cavalry of Stephen D. Lee (who was in general command) and Forrest.

The tactical result was a Union defensive success. The larger Confederate strategic play, however - one that might have impacted the course of the war in the Western Theater - would have been to unleash Forrest on a raid into Middle Tennessee to destroy the single line of railroad track feeding and supplying the Union armies of William T. Sherman in his ongoing operations around Atlanta. Instead, his troopers were contained within the Magnolia State, where his combat effectiveness was severely curtailed.

As an editor, Powell has left Bearss's prose and notes intact, while adding additional sources and commentary of his own. The result is an exceptional study that has finally been made available to the general reading public as part of the Savas Beatie Battles & Leaders Series.

Critique: Simply stated, no personal, professional, community, college, or university library American Civil War History collection can be considered current and comprehensive without the inclusion of "Outwitting Forrest: The Tupelo Campaign in Mississippi, June 22 - July 23, 1864" Fascinating, informative, and with occasional B/W illustrations, this is a Civil War study as only the late and now becoming legendary Edwin C. Bearss could produce. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all American Civil War students, scholars, and dedicated non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Outwitting Forrest: The Tupelo Campaign in Mississippi, June 22 - July 23, 1864" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49).

Editorial Note #1: Edwin C. Bearss (26 June 1923 - 15 September 2020) was an author, preservationist, and tour guide best known for his work on the Civil War. The grievously wounded World War II Marine served as the Chief Historian for both Vicksburg National Military Park and the National Park Service, authored dozens of books and articles, and led scores of tours each year. Ed helped discover and raise the Union gunboat USS Cairo from the Yazoo River, now on display at Vicksburg National Military Park. Ed passed away at the age of 97. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Bearss)

Editorial Note #2: David A. Powell is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute (1983) with a BA in history. He has written dozens of books, articles, and historical simulations, including the award-winning Chickamauga Campaign trilogy, The Maps of Chickamauga, and Failure in the Saddle. He is currently finishing the first of what promises to be a five-volume history of the Atlanta Campaign. (https://emergingcivilwar.com/contributor/david-a-powell)

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