When one thinks of the American Civil War, such names as Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and Chancellorsville come immediately to mind. Few recall the battles in the Trans-Mississippi theater.
Rugged and Sublime goes a long way toward filling regrettable blanks in our memory of Arkansas’s role in Civil War. It explore the major clashes and locales of the war, including the state secession convention, seizure of the Little Rock Arsenal, the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, the Pea Ridge campaign, Marmaduke’s invasion of Missouri, the Battle of Helena, and the fall of Little Rock, as well as other actions. Rounding out this new and very readable account are studies of the devolution of Arkansas society when bands of guerillas and jayhawkers menaced the state, the surrender of the Confederate armies, and an assessment of losses.
“…the book is a successful marriage between academic concerns and popular desires. The book is gracefully written, informative in most areas of concerns to scholars, and competently researched and documented. It will be welcomed by both the general public and by Civil War historians.”
—James L. Huston, Civil War History, June 1996
“Rugged and Sublime is an excellent introduction to the Civil War in Arkansas, and the accompanying maps and appendix should assist anyone in touring the important historic sites connected with the war in the state. The editor and writers have produced a readable narrative and a balanced account of the impact of the war in Arkansas. one cannot read this volume without sensing the terrible duality of a war where unflinching courage and sacrifice exist alongside ineptitude, greed, and evil.”
—Bobby Roberts, Arkansas Historical Quarterly
“Civil War books in these days . . . clutter the market, and one must be discriminating. Among welcomed new titles is Rugged and Sublime: The Civil War in Arkansas, edited by Mark K. Christ. Featuring an introduction and essays by five of Arkansas’s distinguished historians, this book provides an overview of Arkansans and Arkansas in the Civil War in the period b 1860-1865 second to none. Rugged and Sublime will be the standard for excellence against which future books of this character will be measured.”
—Edwin C. Bears, Former Chief Historian, National Park Service
