The Army of Tennessee was officially designated November 20, 1862. But that was not the beginning of the Confederate main fighting force in the Civil War’s Western Theater. Before that date it was known as the Army of Mississippi (or the Army of the West), a command organized on March 5, with its area of operations between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountains.

That army was formed of the Army of Central Kentucky, the Army of Louisiana and elements of the Army of Pensacola, following the Confederate disaster at Fort Donelson. The force was led by a succession of commoners-P.G.T. Beauregard, Albert Sydney Johnston and Braxton Bragg-and suffered a series of defeats, from Shiloh to Corinth to Perryville, before winning a spectacular victory at Chickamauga. Based on the Official Records, this book details the often neglected army’s organization, strength and casualties during its three year history.