A director with the state's Historic Preservation Program and member of its Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, Christ examines the struggle for the Arkansas River Valley in 1863, which at great cost led to the return of Unionist state government and US control of everything north of the river. He draws from letters and diaries of men who campaigned in Arkansas and of civilians and politicians who were affected, to narrate such aspects as the Battle of Arkansas Post, Holmes moves to the offensive, the campaign to capture Little Rock, the Western Arkansas River Valley, and the Battle of Pine Bluff. A few photographs and maps are included. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)