JEFF DAVIS’S OWN: CAVALRY, COMANCHES, AND THE BATTLE FOR THE TEXAS FRONTIER, by James R. Arnold, Simon & Schuster, 290 pages, $26.00.
The years immediately preceding the Civil War were frustrating for officers in the U.S. Army. Battles were few, and opportunities for advancement fewer. Officers eager for promotion too often languished at make-work tasks, their talents lying dormant and their enthusiasm flagging.
Then, in 1855, after much prodding by Secretary of War (and future president of the Confederacy) Jefferson Davis, Congress authorized the formation of a new and important unit to fight the Comanche Indians on the Texas frontier: the Second Cavalry. Adept horsemen and skilled warriors, the Comanches had a long history of attacking encroaching settlers and destroying their homes, and white Texans applauded the unit’s formation. So did military men, who viewed the new cavalry unit as an opportunity to rise in the ranks. Most of them made good use of this chance. As Arnold explains, 16 Second Cavalry officers eventually became generals in the Civil War.
Jeff Davis’s Own tells the story of the Second Cavalry from its inception to its demise at the start of the Civil War, with a focus on the officers who led the cavalry. The Second is best known today for its Civil War connections, not only did Jefferson Davis spearhead its creation, but John Bell Hood, George Thomas, and Edmund Kirby Smith were among the many officers who served in the Second and later for the Union or the Confederacy. But as Arnold makes clear, the unit’s officers deserve to be remembered for more than just their Civil War service; their life in the Second was not easy. Bad weather, isolation, and the frustrations of fighting a guerrilla force all took their toll on the cavalry’s leaders. Most men, however, adapted to the situation by implementing new battle tactics and adjusting mentally and physically to the hardships of frontier life. Arnold uses personal letters, war department records, and other primary documents to explain the worries, dreams, and frustrations of the men who led the Second.
The book is long and thorough, although the level of detail occasionally seems excessive. Arnold describes many expeditions and battles, for example, not all of which are of equal importance or interest. When Arnold sticks to the stories of the officers themselves, however, the text is rarely dull or trivial.
STEPHEN CURRIE is a writer and teacher who lives in New York State.
