A battlefield narrative of the Confederacy's attempt to win the West, an integral part of the Confederacy's broader goals and the strategy for achieving them. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Long before secession, southern politicians dreamed of a slave empire reaching deep into Latin America. Frazier's superbly written work examines how that dream played out in the cauldron of the Civil War. Here there were no great set-piece battles with huge foraging armies slaughtering each other, as in the East. Rather, relatively small numbers of men stalked each other over huge expanses of virtually uninhabited land, where marauding Apaches often posed as great a threat as the opposing army. To some historians, the campaigns in Arizona and New Mexico were a minor sideshow. Yet, as Frazier illustrates, the stakes were enormous; in particular, a Confederate victory in this theater could have put all of the Pacific Coast at the Confederacy's disposal. Frazier has done an outstanding job of illuminating a relatively obscure aspect of the Civil War, and his work should appeal to both the history buff and those general readers who appreciate epic but futile adventures. --Jay Freeman From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Combining solid research and readable prose, Frazier (McMurry Univ.) relates the important story of the Confederacy's attempt to conquer New Mexico and Arizona in 1862. Frazier's book is more thorough than any previous account, especially in his explanations of why the Confederacy in general and Texas in particular wanted to create a Confederate Empire in the Southwest. The roles of Manifest Destiny and the Knights of the Golden Circle are well analyzed. Frazier has a solid grasp of Texas politics, but is less sure of the California politics of 1860-61. John Baylor and Henry H. Sibley, the Confederate officers who directed the drive into the Southwest in search of an empire, are portrayed fairly, and commentary by ordinary soldiers enlivens the narrative. Readers wanting a briefer account of this interesting military history of the Southwest should consult Alvin M. Josephy Jr.'s The Civil War in the American West (1991). Both will please specialists and generalists. G. T. Edwards Whitman College From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.