An Uncompromising Secessionist: The Civil War of George Knox Miller, Eighth (Wade's) Confederate Cavalry

By Compiled, edited, and annotated by Richard M. McMurry
Illustrated, notes, index, 360 pp., 2007. The University of Alabama Press, Box 870380, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0380, $53.50 plus shipping.

Reviewer: John Deppen
John Deppen is past president of the Susquehanna CWRT, a member of General John F. Hartranft Camp #15 of the SUVCW and a living historian who portrays Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock. His articles and reviews have appeared in Military Heritage, Gettysburg Magazine, Civil War News and The Daily Item in central Pennsylvania.

Review:
Richard M. McMurry's newest book is a fine example of his unparalleled thoroughness as a researcher and historian.

His source material is as rich as gold and, in many instances, more romantic than any of Charles Frazier's fiction. What may doom An Uncompromising Secessionist to obscurity, however, is an aspect of publishing often overlooked or ignored by authors - marketing.

The letters of Confederate George Knox Miller are among the finest and most literate written by any line officer, and they shed light on the service of the Confederate cavalry in the west.

In letters to his beloved Cellie, who became his wife during the war, Miller confides his opinions of officers and comrades. Miller often mocks Joseph Wheeler, longs to serve with Nathan Bedford Forrest, and even makes mention of Jeb Stuart's troubles after the battle of Brandy Station.

Miller talks most often of his daily existence and responsibilities within his cavalry company, providing a remarkable record for future students of the conflict.

McMurry edits and annotates the entire book with extraordinary diligence. Even readers unfamiliar with the Civil War will find concise descriptions of personalities and events in the notes that will guide them through any unfamiliar territory.

Many authors writing for Civil War readers often take a great deal of knowledge and understanding for granted, with the result that their work never reaches a wider audience.

If An Uncompromising Secessionist fails to reach a wider audience, it's because its title is stunning in its dullness and in no way reflects the passionate, articulate, courageous warrior who was George Knox Miller.

The cover art is similarly dull and misleading - one is likely to assume that the book is a biography of a lesser-known Confederate political figure rather than a look inside the heart of and mind of a soldier.

Whoever chose to market such a fine book in this manner either misunderstood - or did not read - the book itself.

For readers who were entranced by the fictional love affair of Cold Mountain, I recommend that they open the pages of An Uncompromising Secessionist and read the real words of a man who actually lived and loved with a passion and devotion that easily rivaled that of Inman.

Richard McMurry deserves accolades for his tremendous accomplishment in bringing Miller's letters to the public eye.