Fire in the Cane Field by Donald S. Frazier has been selected as the 2010 A. M. Pate, Jr. Award Winner. The book is the first in a planned 4-volume series on the history of the Civil War in Louisiana and parts of Texas.
“Fire in the Cane Field” focuses on the first two years of the War including the fall of New Orleans in April of 1862. It includes a great deal of background information on the political and military situation in Louisiana and Texas and gives the reader a clear picture of this era. It also covers, in detail, the military activities in the 9 months following the fall of New Orleans and ends with the recapture of Galveston by the forces under General John Magruder.
This is a well-researched, beautifully written history. Numerous, well-designed and presented maps make the action easy to follow. It is a must addition to any Civil War book collection.
Donald S. Frazier is a Professor of History at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. He is the author of several books of the Trans-Mississippi sector of the Civil War – including “Blood and Treasure: Confederate Empire in the Southwest.” He received the first Pate Award presented in 2004 for this book.
In addition to his teaching and writing Frazier has been very involved in a variety of heritage and cultural tourism projects, including consulting on the development of three museums, two research centers, a Mexican War battlefield, work on Civil War and frontier heritage trails in Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana, and work on historical projects in Europe and Mexico. He is also the President and Chief Executive Officer of the McWhiney Foundation.