Another Confederate cavalry raid impends. You hear the snort of an impatient horse, the leathery squeaking of saddles, the low-voiced commands of officers, the muffled cluck of guns cocked in preparation—then the sudden rush of motion, the din of another attack.

This classic story seeks to illuminate a little-known theater of the Civil War—the cavalry battles of the Trans-Mississippi West, a region that included Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, the Indian Territory, and part of Louisiana. Stephen B. Oates traces the successes and defeats of the cavalry; its brief reinvigoration under John S. "Rip" Ford, who fought and won the last battle of the war at Palmetto Ranch; and finally, the disintegration of this once-proud fighting force.

Preface
Introduction
1. Recruiting the Volunteers, 1861
2. The Organization of the Cavalry, 1862
3. Food and Clothing
4. Arms and Mounts
5. Campaigning: Cane Hill and Prairie Grove
6. Raiding Federal Missouri
7. Closing Scenes
Appendices
Appendix A. List of Confederate Cavalry Regiments and Battalions from the Trans-Mississippi
Appendix B. Total Strength of Cavalry Units Raised in the Trans-Mississippi
Appendix C. Organization of Price's Cavalry Corps
Bibliography
Index