btw, I am looking forward to your McFarland press book on the 1862 guerrilla war in Mo. Do you think it will make the Fall 2003 projected release?

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Replying to:

Drew,

I have not read the other three books you mentioned, so I cannot give meaningful reply about them. Perhaps someone else will reply about the Fredericktown and Chalk Bluff books. I have read other of Mr. Ponder's works and I sympathize with your assessment of his obvious bias. Nevertheless, Ponder's history of the 15th stands above this tendency, and I hope some of the other ones do too. Try them first via interlibrary loan, if you like, to preview them before you invest. Besides, Jim McGhee writes about the bootheel war and others cannot be far behind him.

Bruce Nichols

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Replying to:

I read with great interested Mr. Nicholls's review of Ponder's book on the 15th Mo Cav. I am always wanting to read more about the CW in the Bootheel region and Mr. Ponder seems to be one of the few that concentrate there. Way back, I bought Ponder's book on Price's Raid and marvelled about how bad it was. It was only around 120 pages and the first half was just a vitriolic litany of Federal abuses that left me wondering if he forgot what the subject was Anyway, I threw it away rather than return it to Clark and resolved never to buy another Ponder book. So then Bruce gives the 15th Mo book a positive review and I am thinking there is hope for the Fredericktown and Chalk Bluff books (subjects I find of great interest). Bruce (or anyone else) have you read these two books and the Price's Raid book and find them of the same tone and quality? thanks. drew