Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
1. Beginnings
2. Mexico
3. Engineering
4. Business and Politics
5. General
6. Ozarkia
7. Pea Ridge
8. March to the Mississippi
9. Missouri
10. Inquisition and Interlude
11. Fort Leavenworth
12. Westport
13. Race to the Arkansas
14. Peacemaking
15. Union Pacific
16. Memory
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

William L. Shea is author and coauthor of numerous books on the Civil War, including Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West, Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign, and Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle for the Mississippi River (Nebraska, 2005).
 

Reviews

"Deeply researched and extremely well written, Union General is an excellent biography that should appeal to all readers who are interested in the Civil War."—Roger D. Cunningham, Journal of America's Military Past

"Highly celebratory while remaining judicious, William Shea's Union General is a fine biography that should go a long way toward fostering a wider recognition and appreciation of Samuel Ryan Curtis's substantial historical legacy."—Civil War Books and Authors

"Those interested in the Civil War, the West, or the nineteenth-century United States generally will find Union General informative and worthwhile."—Michael A. Hill, Western Historical Quarterly

"Samuel Ryan Curtis was a Civil War officer who never received the recognition that he deserved. After authoring campaign studies of Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, and Vicksburg, William L. Shea delivers a full-length study that appraises the military actions of Curtis, the most successful Union general west of the Mississippi River."—Brad D. Lookingbill, Nebraska History

"Union General, Samuel Ryan Curtis and Victory in the West is a well-researched book that provides readers with a thorough examination of Curtis's life. Shea offers convincing evidence to prove his argument that Curtis played a critical role in Union success in the Trans-Mississippi Theater while also writing a study that enthusiasts will enjoy reading. Thanks to Shea, Curtis is able to reclaim at least a measure of deserved attention previously so long denied."—Phill Greenwalt, Emerging Civil War blog

"Shea has successfully restored Samuel R. Curtis to a well-deserved place in the study of the Civil War."—James R. Jewell, Journal of Southern History

"Shea's writing style makes Union General an excellent read. The narrative and quotes Shea provides gives the reader a real sense of Curtis's character and moments of pride and disappointment. . . . Union General is an obvious good choice for military and Civil War historians and anyone who enjoys a good book."—In CONGRESS - Brief

"This book, a well-written study of one man's life,  is both meticulously researched and a fascinating story, written in an engaging way."—Ricochet

"Samuel Curtis lived a truly remarkable life and deserves Shea's remarkable biography."—Ethan S. Rafuse, Missouri Historical Review

"Union General is a worthy addition to the scholarship on military leadership and will appeal to readers seeking a traditional military biography of an understudied but impactful commander."—Lindsey R. Peterson, thestrategybridge.org