"We Gave Them Thunder": Marmaduke’s Raid and the Civil War in Missouri and Arkansas

"Piston and Rutherford have produced an impressive account of an important Civil War military action in the Ozarks. If Gen. John S. Marmaduke’s forces had captured Springfield, the ramifications would have influenced Union and Confederate operations far beyond the loss of the largest and most important U.S. supply base in the region. It would have affected Union morale and operations throughout southwest Missouri, into Northwest Arkansas, up through Rolla, and to St. Louis. For the Confederates, beyond providing them a wealth of rations, forage, horses, weapons, and other military items, it would have reinforced their stature in Missouri, Arkansas and the Indian Territory (Oklahoma)."
—Richard W. Hatcher III, Historian (ret.), Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, coauthor, The First Shot
 
"Combining extensive research with astute analysis, Piston and Rutherford’s excellent study rescues General John S. Marmaduke’s “First Missouri Raid” from obscurity.  Their even-handed narrative pays tribute to both the long-suffering Confederate raiders and to their tenacious Union opponents.  This work should prompt students of the Civil War to turn their attention to the Trans-Mississippi West, where they will discover stories as compelling as the celebrated raids of Confederate commanders John Hunt Morgan and Jeb Stuart."
—Jeffrey L. Patrick, Museum Curator, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, author, Campaign for Wilson’s Creek
 

William Garrett Piston is professor emeritus of history at Missouri State University.

John C. Rutherford is a local history associate at Springfield-Greene County Library.