Few 19th-century Americans were as adventurous as Henry Baxter. Best known for his Civil War exploits—from leading the 7th Michigan Volunteer Infantry across the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg in the first daylight amphibious assault in American history, to his defense of the Union line on day one of Gettysburg—he accomplished these despite having no prewar military training. His heroism and leadership propelled him from officer of volunteers to major general in the Army of the Potomac.
A New York emigrant from a prominent family, Baxter was involved in developing Michigan’s political, business and educational foundations. He excelled at enterprise, leading a group of adventurers to California during the Gold Rush, co-founding what would become the Republican Party and eventually becoming President Grant’s diplomat to Honduras during one of the most dynamic periods of Central American history.

Jay C. Martin is an associate professor of history and director of museum studies at Central Michigan University. He has published articles in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, the International Journal of Maritime History, and The Public Historian. He lives in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

Jay C. Martin
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 216
Bibliographic Info: 11 photos & illustrations, 5 maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6339-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2386-3
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments   ix
Introduction   1
1. Along the Old Chicago Road   5
2. Rush for Gold, 1849–1852   16
3. Building Family and Community, 1853–1860   33
4. Off to War, 1861   42
5. Action at Last, Early 1862   57
6. An Authentic Piece of Human Heroism, Late 1862   76
7. Stalemate, 1863   96
8. Pushing South, 1864   115
9. Traitors Defeated, Home Regained, 1865–1868   124
10. Mission to Honduras, 1869–1873   145
11. Ended All Too Soon   171
Chapter Notes   177
Bibliography   191
Index   197

“A truly extraordinary biography…a work of impressive scholarship and a major contribution to the growing library of American Civil War literature”—Midwest Book Review; “Martin has given us more than a Civil War book; he has elucidated how individuals responded to the cultural imperatives of their times”—The Journal of Southern History.