Download The Mule Soldiers: A Novel of the American Civil War AudioBook Free
Over a balmy day in Apr 1863, Union Colonel Abel D. Streight, at the head of any brigade of national infantry, set out on the 220-mile trip to destroy the European and Atlantic railroad at Rome, Georgia. By far the most amazing thing about the raid is the fact Streight's brigade of four infantry regiments, almost 1,800 troops, was attached to mules, a huge problem in itself; few of his men experienced ever ridden a horse, let alone a mule. However, not only did Streight have almost 1,600 obstinate and wily pets or animals to cope with, he soon found himself being relentlessly pursued by the inimitable Confederate cavalry commander, Basic Nathan Bedford Forrest. The raid soon converted into a running challenge between Streight's raiders and Forrest's cavalry. For Streight, it was an extended and tortuous voyage across North Alabama. For Forrest, it was one defeat after another at the hands of the "able" Abel Streight, even though he, Forrest, experienced the benefit of home place and the sympathy and aid of the neighborhood populace. There are a few wildly hilarious occasions involving the mules and their new experts; or could it be the other way around? There's plenty of action and suspense and an remarkable cast of character types, real and fictional, animal and man; some you should come to love, some...not so much. They say that the fact is stranger than fiction. This phenomenal story proves the point, for the end of the storyplot is...well, incredible. The Mule Soldiers is the real account - fictionalized - of Colonel Abel Streight's raid into North Alabama that took place from Apr 19th to May 3rd of 1863. It is an enthralling and bittersweet account that will stay along with you long after you have you have done hearing it.
