Colorfully known as the Greyhound Division for its lean and speedy marches across thousands of miles in three states, Major General John G. Walker's infantry division in the Confederate army was the largest body of Texans -- about 12,000 men at its formation -- to serve in the American Civil War. From its creation in 1862 until its disbandment at the war's end, Walker's unit remained, uniquely for either side in the conflict, a stable group of soldiers from a single state. Richard Lowe's compelling saga shows how this collection of farm boys, store clerks, carpenters, and lawyers became the trans-Mississippi's most potent Confederate fighting unit, from the vain attack at Milliken's Bend, Louisiana, in 1863 during Grant's Vicksburg Campaign to stellar performances at the battles of Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry that helped repel Nathaniel P. Banks's Red River Campaign of 1864. Lowe's skillful blending of narrative drive and demographic profiling represents an innovative history of the period that is sure to set a new benchmark.

Richard Lowe is the author or editor of five previous books, including A Texas Cavalry Officer's Civil War: The Diary and Letters of James C. Bates. He is Regents Professor of History at the University of North Texas, where he has taught since 1968.

ISBN: 9780807131534

Paperback

356 pages

Maps, Illustrated, Bibliography, Index, Table of Contents, Annotated

LSU Press, 2006