The son of a North Carolina governor, Theophilus Hunter Holmes graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1829 and served on the frontier during the Trail of Tears. He fought in the Second Seminole War and in the U.S.-Mexican War. In 1859, he became the U.S. Army's chief recruiting officer and was assigned to Governors Island at New York City. Only days before resigning from the U.S. Army, he helped organize the naval expedition sent to relieve Fort Sumter from the Confederacy's blockade. But then casting his lot with his native state, Holmes led a Confederate brigade at First Manassas and a division during the Peninsular Campaign, commanded armies in the Trans-Mississippi, and organized North Carolina's young boys and old men into the Confederate Reserves. Holmes served with some of America's most notable historic figures: Zachary Taylor, Winfield Scott, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis. In modern times, however, he is virtually unknown. The man and the soldier possessed traits of both triumph and tragedy, as demonstrated in this biography.

The son of a North Carolina governor, Theophilus Hunter Holmes graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1829 and served on the frontier during the Trail of Tears. He fought in the Second Seminole War and in the U.S.-Mexican War. In 1859, he became the U.S. Army's chief recruiting officer and was assigned to Governors Island at New York City. Only days before resigning from the U.S. Army, he helped organize the naval expedition sent to relieve Fort Sumter from the Confederacy's blockade. But then casting his lot with his native state, Holmes led a Confederate brigade at First Manassas and a division during the Peninsular Campaign, commanded armies in the Trans-Mississippi, and organized North Carolina's young boys and old men into the Confederate Reserves. Holmes served with some of America's most notable historic figures: Zachary Taylor, Winfield Scott, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis. In modern times, however, he is virtually unknown. The man and the soldier possessed traits of both triumph and tragedy, as demonstrated in this biography.

Through diaries, letters, memoirs, family papers, and government and military documents, as well as a host of secondary sources, this dissertation examines the life of Theophilus Hunter Holmes (1804-1880), one of the highest ranking generals of the Confederate Army. Despite his high rank as lieutenant general and his involvement in significant Civil War events, he has largely been ignored in the historiography. This, in large part, is due to his being deemed incompetent, undeserving of his rank, and a crony of his long-time friend, Jefferson Davis. This study goes beyond the parameters of the Civil War and takes into consideration the impact of his aristocratic background, life as a husband and father, and more than thirty years of service in the United States Army prior to the Civil War. It examines his decades on the western frontier and his service in the Second Seminole and Mexican Wars. By 1861, as the nation descended into civil war, he was experienced, respected by many of his peers, and serving as Superintendent of Recruiting for the nation's army. Despite those circumstances and achievements, Holmes chose to fight for the Confederacy. Holmes' life provides a prism of early nineteenth-century expansion, Indian Removal, and rigors of frontier life. Through him we see growth and professionalization of the military and the critical role it played in achieving expansionist goals and maintaining order. By the time the Civil War erupted, Holmes was fifty-six years old, and the harsh decades of frontier service and war showed. Contemporary accounts suggest he was haggard, cantankerous, and deaf. As a result, he was often cautious and defensive, demonstrated mediocre ability, and was placed in commands that required more energy and skill than he was qualified to provide at that point in his life. Despite Holmes' shortcomings, Jefferson Davis continued to place much trust in his experience and professionalism. For that, both men were ridiculed during and after the war. While Davis remains at the forefront of Civil War history, Holmes slipped into obscurity. This dissertation seeks to eliminate that obscurity and provide a better understanding of the life of one of the Confederacy's least recognized and understood generals.

The number and variety of forts and posts, together with changes of location, name, and designation, have posed perplexing problems for students of western history. Now Robert W. Frazer has prepared a systematic listing of all presidios and military forts, which were ever, at any time and in any sense, so designated. The lists of posts are arranged alphabetically within the boundaries of present states. Pertinent information is included for each fort: date of establishment, location, and reason for establishment; name, rank, and military unit of the person establishing the post; origin of the post name and changes in name and location; present status or date of abandonment; and disposition of any existing military reservation. A map for each state shows the location of the posts discussed. A prime reference for historians, Forts of the West will prove useful to readers of western history as well.

This expansive, multivolume reference work provides a broad, multidisciplinary examination of the Civil War period ranging from pre-Civil War developments and catalysts such as the Mexican-American War to the rebuilding of the war-torn nation during Reconstruction. The Civil War was undoubtedly the most important and seminal event in 19th-century American history. Students who understand the Civil War have a better grasp of the central dilemmas in the American historical narrative: states rights versus federalism, freedom versus slavery, the role of the military establishment, the extent of presidential powers, and individual rights versus collective rights. Many of these dilemmas continue to shape modern society and politics. This comprehensive work facilitates both detailed reading and quick referencing for readers from the high school level to senior scholars in the field. The exhaustive coverage of this encyclopedia includes all significant battles and skirmishes; important figures, both civilian and military; weapons; government relations with Native Americans; and a plethora of social, political, cultural, military, and economic developments. The entries also address the many events that led to the conflict, the international diplomacy of the war, the rise of the Republican Party and the growing crisis and stalemate in American politics, slavery and its impact on the nation as a whole, the secession crisis, the emergence of the "total war" concept, and the complex challenges of the aftermath of the conflict.