The Reminiscences of Major General Zenas R. Bliss, 1854-1876: From the Texas Frontier to the Civil War and Back Again

I came across Bliss's memoirs 20 years ago when volunteering at the Military History Institute in Carlisle PA and I have never forgotten how much I enjoyed reading them. How wonderful that this team of editors has made the reminiscences available to everyone, including the added research to provide footnotes and an intro. Bliss is engaging, humorous, and provides detailed observations and insights. I only wish that I could have met the man!

I’m halfway through this book. The level of detail on the Texas frontier, the Mexican border, wildlife, social life, interactions with other well known officers, etc. is priceless.

The reminiscences of Zenas R. Bliss is a rare and valuable addition to any person who has a serious interest of Texas or the Army of the Southwest United States in the years before and after the Civil War. This is an engrossing account of frontier life that provides the reader with a window into the U.S. Army, the political, the cultural and the geography of life along the Texas Mexico Border and the civil war.The book documents Major General Bliss's recollections and memories of his experiences as a young Lieutenant along the Texas Mexican border, his service in the civil war, the reconstruction period primarily in the southern states of Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina and finally his return to the Texas Frontier. The best and most interesting parts of the book surround Bliss's service in Texas both as a young officer and later as a senior officer returning to Western Texas and serving as a regimental commander. Bliss's descriptions of living in the frontier, the interaction between the Mexican peoples and the newly arrived Anglos, and conflict and meshing of the cultures is truly fascinating. Bliss expertly describes the novelty that was bull fighting at FT Duncan in 1854-1855. From his descriptions you still see many of the same customs and ceremonies now played out in the bull fighting rings of Mexico. Bliss also expertly details the conflicts with the Indians on the frontier and what is remarkable is the fact that Bliss recalls the names of the soldiers with such detail it is a testament to his memory that he could recall many of these individuals and actions long after he began writing his reminiscences beginning in 1882.Bliss is not shy in detailing the violence that was ever present in the frontier. The theft of a horse or a mule was considered the greatest crime a man could commit in Texas and always ended with the punishment of death. Yet, Bliss points out that numerous shooting matches erupted between men, but if the fight was viewed as fair there was no need for a trial.About half of the book covers Bliss service in the civil war and the antebellum period of the south. Bliss goes into great detail about his capture in Texas early in the civil war, his trials and tribulations as a prisoner of war and release back to the north in 1862. Bliss clearly details how he comes to command a Rhode Island Regiment and his descriptions of the battles for Fredericksburg are especially gripping. Again, Bliss is able to articulate such graphic details about the fields he fought on, the people he knew, and the actions around him that the reader is left engrossed with his words.The editors of the book have done a masterful job of filling in historical details and placing context into many of the events Bliss describes. The footnotes are indispensible to the reader and demonstrate the editor's scholarly attention to detail and expertise of this period of American History.This book is a must read for anyone interested in the historical period surrounding the civil war. Zenas Bliss's reminisces contributes an important primary source to the historical legacy of frontier Texas, the frontier army of pre and post civil war, and the civil war.