General David S. Stanley, USA

Medical student turned professional soldier David S. Stanley offered forty years of service to his country on the western frontier and during the Civil War. He participated in some of most important Civil War battles, including the Battle of Iuka, the Battle of Corinth, the Battle of Stones Rivers, the Battle of Resaca, the Battle of Spring Hill, and the Battle of Franklin. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Franklin where he was shot while rallying his troops.
Stanley was a complex individual who showed concern for his soldiers and ferocity in battle. As Rosecrans’ chief of cavalry, he deserves much credit for making the Union cavalry an important and daunting power in the Western Theater. He also commanded the IV Army Corps at the end of the war. Stanley was a formidable adversary of his enemies and he clashed with William T. Sherman, Jacob Cox and William B. Hazen. This biography covers not only his military career but also his personal life, including his conversion to Roman Catholicism and problem with alcohol.

Dennis W. Belcher has edited or authored nine books on the Civil War and has published in the North & South magazine. He lives in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Dennis W. Belcher
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 284
Bibliographic Info: 52 photos, 12 maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7645-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1624-7
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix
Foreword by Michael R. Bradley 1
Preface 5
1. Early Life and the Wilson’s Creek Campaign 7
2. New Madrid and Island No. 10 30
3. The Siege of Corinth 45
4. The Battle of Iuka 62
5. The Battle of Corinth 75
6. The Battle of Stones River 92
7. Middle Tennessee and Tullahoma 124
8. The Advance on Chattanooga and the Battle of Chickamauga 142
9. The Atlanta Campaign 169
10. Spring Hill and Franklin 196
11. Post–Civil War 217
Conclusion 243
Chapter Notes 251
Bibliography 262
Index 267

“this biography…has been overdue…a well-documented history…. Belcher has performed a needed service by highlighting the important role the unsung Stanley played in a number of Western campaigns. This book is highly recommended”—Civil War News; “insightful…a very useful addition to the literature of the war”—The NYMAS Review.