Wilson's Cavalry Corps

<p> The famed fighting force of Union General William T. Sherman was plagued by a lack of first-rate cavalry--mostly because of Sherman's belief after some bad experiences that the cavalry was largely a waste of good horses. The man Grant sent to change Sherman's mind was James Harrison Wilson a bright ambitious and outspoken young officer with a penchant for organization.</p><p> Wilson proved the perfect man for the job transforming a collection of independent regiments and brigades into a fiercely effective mounted unit. Wilson's Cavalry as it came to be known played a major role in thwarting Confederate General Hood's 1864 invasion of Tennessee then moved south for the celebrated capture of Selma Montgomery and Columbus. Despite such success it is this book that is the first overall history of the Cavalry Corps. In addition to meticulous description of military actions the book affords particular attention to Wilson's outstanding achievement in creating an infrastructure for his corps even as he covered the Federal flanks in the withdrawal to Franklin and Nashville.</p>