A compelling look at the illustrious U.S. Second CavalryHailed as the unit that contributed more general officers to the Civil War than any other, the U.S. Second Cavalry served as a training ground for such esteemed soldiers as Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Edmund Kirby Smith, and John Bell Hood. Now, an acclaimed military historian presents the first history of this celebrated cavalry. Established in the 1850s specifically for frontier service, the Second Cavalry became a proving ground for men who demonstrated their bravery and skill fighting Indians in the Texas desert and the western plains. Jeff Davis's Own depicts how Robert E. Lee developed his leadership style, how the regiment's new kind of mounted service set the groundwork for later cavalry operations, and examines the brutal Comanche style of warfare, showing how American soldiers were able to rationalize killing women and children.James R. Arnold (Lexington, VA), a military historian, is the author of Grant Wins the War, Presidents Under Fire, and The First Domino.

Table of Contents

"Jeff Davis's Own". To the Staked Plain. War without Scruple. "Tell Robert I Cannot Advise Him to Enter the Army". Hood's Epic. The Reputation of the Regiment. Chastising the Indians. "Near to Death's Door". Crisis on the Rio Grande. Twiggs's Treachery. Cradle of Leadership. Appendix. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

Author Biography

JAMES R. ARNOLD, a military historian, is the author of fifteen books, including Grant Wins the War (Wiley), Presidents Under Fire, and Marengo and Hohenlinden: Napoleon's Rise to Power.