Yank and Rebel Rangers (Kindle)
Special Operations in the American Civil War
American History Military 19th Century
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
File Size: 5.6 MB (.mobi)
Illustrations: 8 black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781526744463
eBook Released: 10th June 2019
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The American internal war of 1861-65 was not civil. Those fighting for the Union called it the “War of the Rebellion” while the Confederacy viewed it as the “War of Yankee Aggression” or the “Second War of Independence”. Armies fought great, sweeping battles over vast distances and are well recorded – Antietam, Shiloh, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg - but in the seams of the battlefield another, and much less known or publicized war raged. Both the Union and the Confederacy employed small forces of bold and highly motivated soldiers for special operations behind enemy lines. Skilled in infiltration – sometimes disguising themselves as rural mail carriers - these warriors deftly scouted deep into enemy territory, captured important personnel, disrupted lines of communication and logistics, and sowed confusion and fear. Often wearing the uniform of the enemy, they faced execution as spies if captured. Despite these risks, and in part because of them, these warriors fought and died as American rangers.
Overall, the book is an excellent overview, and in many instances entertaining, of the evolution of the Rangers during the American Civil War. Readers having a special operations background or interest, as well as Civil War buffs, will be rewarded by reading this book.
Battles and Book Reviews
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As featured by
America's Civil War magazine, January 2020
This book details an aspect of the Civil War that is often neglected. It engages the reader with numerous anecdotal accounts, some quite humorous, in addition to the large-scale narrative of Ranger activity during the Civil War.
The Journal of America’s Military Past
Reveals the wideranging use of rangers by both sides. It is exhaustively researched and well written. The author presents gripping accounts of the various exploits of these unusual soldiers
Military Heritage
As featured on Civil War Books and Authors
Civil War Books and Authors
As featured by
VaeVictis - n° 144 - mars/avril 2019
Black (The Battalion), a veteran of the U.S. Army Rangers, extrapolates a lineage of the special forces group back to the American Civil War in this accessible history. The book focuses primarily on those who led Confederate units that performed missions behind the lines of conventional armies, harassing and impeding operations, such as Confederate cavalry commander Turner Ashby, whose forces stopped trains and blew up a canal dam. Black describes how these operations were organized, planned, and executed, and how they caused problems for more conventional commanders. The author stretches the term “ranger” further than most historians would condone (including both conventional cavalry, on the one hand, and guerilla fighters, on the other—and even the Blackhawk service of future president Abraham Lincoln). But this entertaining book’s tales of unconventional Civil War adventure will appeal to the general reader.
Publisher Weekly
The term Special Forces has come to encompass all highly trained special operations units from the British Commandos in 1940, but Special Forces go back through history to the ancient civilizations and were an important element during the American Civil War. – Very Highly Recommended
Firetrench
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It would be expected that given the sometimes informal territorial boundaries and the absence of a language barrier, the American Civil War would be fertile ground for covert operations. This book describes the talented men who dared to go behind enemy lines for reconnaissance and disruption. It is a thoroughly good read.
Michael McCarthy
Michael McCarthy. Battlefield Guide
About Colonel Robert W Black
Colonel Robert W. Black is a decorated US Army Ranger who fought in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Originally assigned to the 82nd Airborne, Black volunteered for the 8th Airborne Ranger Company and served as a Browning Automatic Rifle gunner in Korea.
In 1966 he was assigned to Military Advisory Command, Vietnam (MACV). Together with his Korean War experience Colonel Black saw combat actions in eight campaigns. Twice awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, he holds the Silver Star, three Bronze Stars (two for valor), the Legion of Merit, the Air Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, and the Vietnam Cross of Honor.
Colonel Black has written several books on Rangers including - The Battalion: The Dramatic Story of the 2nd Ranger Battalion in WWII; The Ranger Force: Darby's Rangers in World War II; Rangers in World War II; Rangers in Korea