Basically, in the early days, months and first few years of the war, the Federal cavalry were trodden upon, ridden over, around, beaten and flanked by their southern counterparts on numerous occasions. Was it because of poor supplies, poor drill and training, lack of communication, poor horse flesh, inferior equipment and arms, lack of military knowledge, courage, proper utilization by the Union high command? What was it that caused the Confederate cavalry to be superior to the Union cavaliers?
By realizing what happened in these early years and the reasons how the "Union Cavalry Comes of Age", the reader will better understand, how in the mid to late war, from 1863 onward, the Union cavalry was used to great effect and was critical in the outcomes to victories at Gettysburg, Yellow Tavern, Old Church, Tom's Brook, Third Winchester, Cedar Creek, Five Forks, Sayler's Creek and Appomattox Court House.
Ultimately, the Union horse and the Union horse soldier seriously crippled and helped bring Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia to it's knees and ultimate defeat.
Rider for rider, soldier for soldier, horseman to horseman, the Union cavalry did come of age. It wasn't easy and their was allot to learn and overcome, but Eric Wittenberg covers it all in this book. You are taken to the Virginia Peninsula and to the Central Virginia Piedmont where the horsemen gained their renown, honor and acclaim to match that of J.E.B Stuarts troopers.
I think this is one of his best books, along with the several he has written on the Gettysburg Campaign (including Protecting the Flank at Gettysburg: The Battles for Brinkerhoff's Ridge and East Cavalry Field, July 2 - 3, 1863 and Gettysburg's Forgotten Cavalry Actions: Farnsworth's Charge, South Cavalry Field, and the Battle of Fairfield, July 3, 1863 to be specific).
This book is titled correctly and does fill a void, a much needed block of information that gathers together the learning process and transformation of this arm of the military in the Eastern Theater of American Civil War. Federal Horsemanship 101 was learned and passed! Good book, good read!
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