New Review for Horses in Gray

I received a new editorial review for my nonfiction book, Horses in Gray: Famous Confederate Warhorses. As the title gives away, the book is about famous horses that served for the Confederacy, including Traveller, Little Sorrel, King Philip, and more. This editorial is very flattering, and I appreciate it very much. Thank you, Elise Morgan, for your outstanding review!

“A Cinematic and Heart-Wrenching Masterwork of Equine History.”

In the vast sea of Civil War literature, rarely does a book emerge that fundamentally changes how we perceive the conflict’s most loyal participants. J.D.R. Hawkins, a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, has achieved exactly that with Horses in Gray: Famous Confederate Warhorses. This isn’t just a history book; it is a vivid, breathtaking resurrection of the silent spirits that galloped through the smoke of the 1860s.

Hawkins, uniquely positioned as one of the few female voices expertly navigating the Confederate perspective, brings her award-winning narrative flair to this definitive non-fiction study. She moves beyond the cold statistics of war to explore the “second self” of the soldier—the horse. This long-awaited volume offers a staggering level of detail that will captivate historians and animal lovers alike.

Inside this comprehensive legacy, Hawkins unveils:

• The Legendary Portraits: Deeply researched biographical sketches of immortalized mounts such as Lee’s Traveller, Jackson’s Little Sorrel, and the thirty horses of Nathan Bedford Forrest, bringing their individual personalities and courage to light.
• The Science of the Cavalry: A fascinating deep dive into the 19th-century equine husbandry and the strategic logic behind choosing specific breeds, temperaments, and colors for the rigors of the front lines.
• The Grit of the Campaign: A sobering and necessary look at the harrowing realities of wartime veterinary care, the logistics of forage, and the heartbreaking life expectancy of these noble creatures under fire.
• A Cultural Immortalization: An exploration of how these horses were acquired, how they were named, and the ways in which they have been etched into the American sociopolitical landscape.

Documented with impeccable academic rigor and written with the emotional depth of a world-class novelist, Horses in Gray is a triumph of historical preservation. Hawkins has crafted a mind-blowing, eye-catching tribute that ensures these brave animals are never forgotten. This is, without question, the gold standard for equine military history.

– Review by Elisa Morgan

Horses in Gray: Famous Confederate Warhorses: Hawkins, J. D. R.: 9781455623273: Amazon.com: Books