In October 1864, in the mountains of southwest Virginia, one of the most brutal acts of the Civil War occurs. Brig. Gen. Stephen Burbridge launches a raid to capture Saltville. Included among his forces is the 5th U.S. Colored Cavalry. Repeated Federal attacks are repulsed by Confederate forces under the command of Gen. John S. Williams. As the sun begins to set, Burbridge pulls his troops from the field, leaving many wounded. In the morning, Confederate troops, including a company of ruffians under the command of Captain Champ Ferguson, advance over the battleground seeking out and killing...

The most revealing and touching passages written during the American Civil War are found in letters exchanged by loved ones. The letters of South Carolina Cavalryman James Michael Barr to his wife Rebecca offer an excellent example. Barr enlisted as a private in the 5th S.C. Cavalry Regiment in January 1863, just as the fortunes of war began to turn against the South. After serving more than a year in its native state--away from the great battles farther north--the 5th S.C. Cavalry was called to the killing fields of Virginia.
All the while James Barr sent letters home. According to...

By the end of the Civil War, Champ Ferguson had become a notorious criminal whose likeness covered the front pages of Harper s Weekly, Leslie s Illustrated, and other newspapers across the country. His crime? Using the war as an excuse to steal, plunder, and murder Union civilians and soldiers.

Cumberland Blood: Champ Ferguson s Civil War offers insights into Ferguson's lawless brutality and a lesser-known aspect of the Civil War, the bitter guerrilla conflict in the Appalachian highlands, extending from the Carolinas through Tennessee, Kentucky,...