Nick Hardeman, Confederate Cavalryman

Major Benjamin Hord, CSA wrote this novel sometime between 1865 and 1922 when he died. Since then his book lay unpublished among his family’s records until this year of publication. In it, he develops a fascinating and curious tale of a young cavalryman’s service during the Civil War, mostly in Missouri. It is a rare eyewitness depiction of the battles and skirmishes in which he fought. Hord uses his family’s experiences during the war and those of his friend Nick Hardeman, as the setting for the story. Because he wrote his book over one hundred and twenty years ago, his engaging Victorian style lends unusual authenticity to the cavalry actions, as it does to the whole tale.