Here is the adventurous, eloquent, true story of David Carey Nance—a young, Northern-born Texas farmer who opposed slavery but got caught up in the carnage of the Civil War as a soldier in a Texas Cavalry. After enlisting against his father's will, Nance initially reveled in the camaraderie and excitement of military life, but his romantic concepts were quickly dashed by the grim realities of deprivation, sickness, and the horrors of armed combat.
Fourteen years in preparation, The Ragged Rebel is a delightfully written, well-documented narrative, often in Nance's own words, about a sensitive and deeply religious farm boy's fight for survival amid wartime conditions in the frontier regions of the western Confederacy. It not only reveals the day-to-day experiences of a common soldier in the core regiment of perhaps the most famous brigade in the Trans-Mississippi West, but also provides valuable insights into the military operations of mounted troops west of the river.
Combining thorough, peer-reviewed research with a flair for narrative, Gallaway has crafted a volume that is sure to entertain while it educates.
This revised edition features a new introduction from the author, several historic photos, and a beautiful cover with original art by Southwestern artist Jodie Boren.
". . . a small jewel of Civil War history well worth reading."
—Frank H. Smyrl, in Journal of American History
"David Nance's personality animates this volume . . . . Gallaway has provided an important source in nineteenth-century social history.
—Anne J. Bailey, in Southwestern Historical Quarterly
"Gallaway is a professional historian who brings a scholar's touch to The Ragged Rebel. Readers get a 'bird's eye' view of an autobiography, yet also get the analytical overview of a master biographer."
—James Smallwood, in Civil War History
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