This volume is Civil War military history at its very best….[An] engagingly crafted narrative….The author is well known for his exciting books on World War II. Here he shows himself as a master of military history from an earlier century.
James H. Nottage Blue and Gray magazine
Distant Bugles, Distant Drums is an absorbing and thoroughly researched work that sheds light on an oft forgotten yet important campaign of our Civil War.
Col. Rob Dalessandro, Director,
U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center
By focusing on the officers and men who fought for the Union in the westernmost campaign of the Civil War and turned back the Confederate invasion of the Southwest, Flint Whitlock has contributed immensely to the literature of that important military operation. Distant Bugles, Distant Drums is not only a great read but also an indispensable reference for understanding the 1861-1862 New Mexico Campaign.
Don Alberts, Author of Rebels on the Rio Grande and The Battle of Glorieta: Union Victory in the West
This well-written, solidly researched history of Colorado’s Union troops is
eye-opening.
Tom Noel, The Rocky Mountain News (Denver)
Anyone interested in the Civil War in the Southwest will enjoy this well-written account of the New Mexico campaign with its numerous photographs and outstanding maps.
Greg Lennes, Las Cruces Sun-News
Flint Whitlock’s well-researched, well-written book provides fresh perspectives on the Civil War’s New Mexico battles.
Dallas Morning News
Worthwhile reading just for its cast of characters, many of whom merge the spirit of the Civil War with the Wild West…. Highly recommended.
Jon Guttman, Civil War Times
Whitlock is especially effective in capturing the fears, beliefs, prejudices, and heroism of average soldiers and in dramatizing the remarkable late-winter, 18-day, 400-mile march of the Colorado regiment from Denver City to Fort Union, New Mexico.
By focusing explicitly on the North’s reaction to Confederate dreams of empire in the West, Flint Whitlock adds several new insights to historical knowledge of this increasingly well-publicized theater of the Civil War.
Robert Wooster, The Journal of Southern History
A valuable, well-researched, cogently presented account of a much-neglected event in Southwest history and culture…. As an addition to the annals of Civil War history, this text is more than worthy.
Whitlock’s treatment of this much-neglected segment of Civil War history is laudable for any number of reasons, not the least of which is his fully comprehensive understanding and depiction of what might be best described as a comic opera with tragic overtones.
Clay Reynolds, Texas Books in Review
[Whitlock] is an exceptionally good writer and anyone interested in the Civil War will enjoy what he has to say.
Jerry Thompson, Western Historical Quarterly
It is frequently the case that accurate historical accounts and lively writing style are not to be found in the same work. This is decidedly not the case in Flint Whitlock’s “Distant Bugles, Distant Drums.” Whitlock has written a meticulously documented and entertaining account of a battle that has been described as “the Gettysburg of the West.”….The description of the “exploding mules” is laugh-out-loud funny. I particularly enjoyed the post-battle follow-up on the fates of the major actors in this largely unknown Civil War encounter. Additionally, for those historians looking for opportunitIes to visit the sites associated with the Battle of Glorieta, Whitlock provides updated descriptions of all the different forts and locations that played a role in the “Gettysburg of the West.” This is one terrific read.
Philip McDonald, amazon.com review
… [N]icely illustrated with fifty-three photographs, many of them never before published. [Whitlock] is an exceptionally good writer and anyone interested in the Civil War will enjoy what he has to say.
Western Historical Quarterly
Many thanks to you for giving the superb program last night to our very happy audience. It was a wonderful event, and all who attended were delighted at the depth and breadth of your knowledge, your passion, and your great slides. I always enjoy working with you and hope to do so again.
Robyn Jacobs, Events Coordinator, Colorado History Museum