War brings out the best and the worst in humanity—and from these times arise some of the most compelling human stories. Kentucky Raider is the account of one such time.
Commodore Perry “CP” Snell is a Confederate cavalryman during the Civil War, serving with the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry regiment known as John Hunt Morgan’s Guerrilla Band—Morgan’s Raiders for short. This group of soldiers conducts the war’s longest, most northerly invasion of Union territory, and on their last raid capture Union General Edward Henry Hobson at Cynthiana, Kentucky. Snell keeps General Hobson’s order book as a memento, and it has remained unpublished for 150 years. Now, this order book provides new insight into General Hobson’s strategies to stop the rebel raiders.
The story begins with Snell’s indictment for conspiracy and follows his entire Civil War experience. Wrought with violence, passion, and vanished Yankee gold, Snell’s life is one of a common man caught up in an extraordinary time.
Complete with detailed military maps, photographs, and legal documents, this fresh look at one of the most controversial men in the Civil War also speaks to our forefathers’ fears of a strong, centralized government—fears still held by many US citizens today.
