Civil War and Revolution on the Rio Grande Frontier

The Civil War on the Rio Grande frontier began in Zapata County only days after the first shots of the bloody conflict were fired at Fort Sumter, and the conflict ended at Palmetto Hill more than a month after Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House. Far from Washington and Richmond and the killing fields of the east, this dark corner of the Confederacy has a rich history of Civil War photography. One of the superbly talented photographic artists operating in Matamoros and Brownsville during this epic era was a Prussian named Louis De Planque. With his lens, De Planque skillfully captured the leading personalities of the era, including Servando Canales, Juan Nepomuceno Cortina, Mariano Esobedo, Tomas Mejia, Richard King, Mifflin Kenedy, and John S. "Rip" Ford. A richly illustrated history, Civil War and Revolution on the Rio Grande Frontier contains more than 125 of the best images taken by De Planque and other photographers, the vast majority having never been published.
From numerous archives and private collections, these images include everything from the destruction following the killer hurricane of 1867 to gripping views of the heart-wrenching hanging of an American army deserter and three unfortunate followers of Cortina, who happened to get caught on the wrong side of the river. Also included are rare scenes of Brownsville, Matamoros, and vice-ridden Bagdad, as well as Juaristas, Imperialistas, Cortinistas, Confederates, Federals, Unionists, cotton traders, journalists, merchants, socialites, De Planque himself, and more than one bandit. Accompanying these striking images is a sweeping and comprehensive narrative that superbly chronicles the historic events that engulfed this raw and vast frontier during this tumultuous era. Representing a significant historical achievement, the book is prodigiously researched, wonderfully detailed, lively, and evocative. Written with insight, balance, and objectivity, Civil War and Revolution on the Rio Grande Frontier is certain to delight academic and general readers alike.