The unvanquished : the untold story of Lincoln's special forces, the manhunt for Mosby's Rangers, and the shadow war that forged America's special operations /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	O'Donnell, Patrick K., 1969- author.
Edition:	First edition. First Grove Atlantic hardcover edition.
Imprint:	New York : Atlantic Monthly Press, 2024. ©2024
Description:	xvi, 410 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 24 cm
Language:	English
Subject:	Confederate States of America. -- Army. -- Virginia Cavalry Battalion, 43rd. United States. -- Army. -- Jessie Scouts. Confederate States of America. -- Army. -- Virginia Cavalry Battalion, 43rd Guerrillas -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Commando troops Guerrillas Regimental histories Secret service United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Secret service. United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Scouts and scouting. United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Commando operations. United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental histories. United States History
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/13482919

Hidden Bibliographic Details
Varying Form of Title:	Untold story of Lincoln's special forces, the manhunt for Mosby's Rangers, and the shadow war that forged America's special operations
ISBN:	9780802162861 080216286X 9780802162878
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:	"From the bestselling author of The Indispensables, the unknown and dramatic story of irregular guerrilla warfare that altered the course of the Civil War and inspired the origins of America's modern special operations forces. The Civil War is most remembered for the grand battles that have come to define it: Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, among others. However, as bestselling author Patrick K. O'Donnell reveals in The Unvanquished, a vital shadow war raged amid and away from the major battlefields that was in many ways equally consequential to the conflict's outcome. At the heart of this groundbreaking narrative is the epic story of Lincoln's special forces, the Jessie Scouts, told in its entirety for the first time. In a contest fought between irregular units, the Scouts hunted John Singleton Mosby's Confederate Rangers from the middle of 1863 up to war's end at Appomattox. With both sides employing pioneering tradecraft, they engaged in dozens of raids and spy missions, often perilously wearing the other's uniform, risking penalty of death if captured. Clashing violently on horseback, the unconventional units attacked critical supply lines, often capturing or killing high-value targets. North and South deployed special operations that could have changed the war's direction in 1864, and crucially during the Appomattox Campaign, Jessie Scouts led the Union army to a final victory. They later engaged in a history-altering proxy war against France in Mexico, earning seven Medals of Honor; many Scouts mysteriously disappeared during that conflict, taking their stories to their graves. An expert on special operations, O'Donnell transports readers into the action, immersing them in vivid battle scenes from previously unpublished firsthand accounts. He introduces indelible characters such as Scout Archibald Rowand; Scout leader Richard Blazer; Mosby, the master of guerrilla warfare; and enslaved spy Thomas Laws. O'Donnell also brings to light the Confederate Secret Service's covert efforts to deliver the 1864 election to Peace Democrats through ballot fraud, election interference, and attempts to destabilize a population fatigued by a seemingly forever war. Most audaciously, the Secret Service and Mosby's Rangers planned to kidnap Abraham Lincoln in order to maintain the South's independence. The first full chronicle of the shadow war between North and South, rich in action and offering original perspective on history, The Unvanquished is a dynamic and essential addition to the literature of the Civil War"--
Other form:	Online version: O'Donnell, Patrick K., 1969- Unvanquished First edition. New York : Atlantic Monthly Press, 2024 9780802162878

Table of Contents:

Preface
Prologue
Part I: The Jessie Scouts and Mosby's Rangers, Virginia and West Virginia 1862-1863. The Jessie Scouts
Three winters and the rise of the irregulars
'I am Mosby'
Miskel Farm
The Grapewood Farm engagement
Back in the saddle
The legion of honor: Blazer's Scouts
Deliverance: The Thurmonds
Lewis Powell
'Lurk like wild creatures in the darkness'
The Salem Road: 'Life in one hand and seeming dishonor in the other'
Crimson snow
Riverboat gamblers and General Crook
Kill Jefferson Davis and burn Richmond: The Kilpatrick-Dahlgren raid
Part II: The Confederate Secret Service. The department of dirty tricks
Canada, the Confederate Secret Service, Election Interference, and the Northwest Conspiracy
U.S. Grant
The scout toward aldie
The Dublin raid
Into the valley: Staunton and Lexington
Shadow war and Canada: influencing the democracy
'To threaten Washington'
Mosby's Calico Raid and showdown at Mount Zion Church
'I don't think many people, North or South, realize how close Washington came to falling'
The high water mark: chambersburg burns
Moorefield
An embedded combat artist, General Sheridan, and Mosby's great Berryville Wagon Raid
Part III: Sheridan's scouts and 'come retribution'. 'I have 100 men who will take the contract to clean out Mosby's gang'
The most important election in American history
Takedown at Myer's Ford
Sheridan's scouts: The tide turns
Ranger Lewis Powell
Early strikes back Cedar Creek
The Greenback Raid
Artist and retribution
Dopplegangers
John Wilkes Booth and special operations that 'would make the world shudder'
Blazer strikes again: Battle in the Vineyard
Shootout at Kabletown
The road South and rising from the ashes
Henry Harrison Young: a man born for war
'The devil takes care of his own'
'A changed man'
Young's scouts and the journey
To catch a partisan chief
Sheridan's war
The plot to kidnap President Lincoln
Five forks
The road to Appomattox
Those infernal machines: aimed at the White House
Powell's mission
The last call of Mosby's rangers
The last scout: Mexico
Epilogue
Dramatis personae
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index.

The unvanquished : the untold story of Lincoln's special forces, the manhunt for Mosby's Rangers, and the shadow war that forged America's special operations /

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