Colonel Grenfell's Wars: The Life of a Soldier of Fortune - Softcover

Stephen Z. Starr (Author)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807120340 ISBN 13: 9780807120347

Publisher: LSU Press, 1995

Synopsis

In the predawn hours of March 7, 1868, four prisoners aided by a guard escaped from Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas and headed a small, open fishing boat into a violent storm in the Gulf of Mexico. The men were never seen again.

One of them, Colonel George St. Leger Grenfell, was a British soldier of fortune who had come to America in 1862 and earned himself a unique place in the Confederate Valhalla. In this biography Stephen Z. Starr recounts the fascinating story of this romantic and neglected character.

Grenfell was a talented cavalry officer who served with John H. Morgan, Braxton Bragg, and J. E. B. Stuart. Yet his congenital restlessness hampered his effectiveness. In one of his most fantastic adventures, Grenfell plotted to help northern Copperheads take over the governments of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois and establish a Northwestern Confederacy. When the plan--the "Chicago Conspiracy" as it became known--to attack Camp Douglas, free Confederate prisoners, and capture Chicago was discovered, Grenfell, along with 150 cohorts, was arrested. He and six of the principal collaborators were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Grenfell and three fellow prisoners planned the escape that apparently ended in tragedy, although rumors that the legendary soldier of fortune was still alive persisted for many years.

About this title

Review:

Starr has produced an admirable, objective biography of this mysterious British soldier of fortune.--Journal of American History

All Grenfell has lacked is a biographer and now he has found one. Stephen Starr is obviously fascinated with his subject and he transmits his fascination to the reader.--Virginia Quarterly Review

From the Back Cover:

In the predawn hours of March 7, 1868, four prisoners aided by a guard escaped from Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas and steered a small, open fishing boat into a violent storm in the Gulf of Mexico. The men were never seen again. One of them, Colonel George St. Leger Grenfell, was a British soldier of fortune who had come to America in 1862 and earned a unique place in the Confederate Valhalla. Grenfell, a talented cavalry officer who served with John H. Morgan, Braxton Bragg, and J. E. B. Stuart, plotted to help northern Copperheads overthrow the governments of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois and establish a Northwestern Confederacy. When the plan - the "Chicago Conspiracy" as it became known - was discovered, Grenfell, along with 150 cohorts, was arrested. He and six others were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Although Grenfell's escape from Fort Jefferson apparently ended in tragedy, rumors that the legendary soldier of fortune was still alive persisted for many years. Stephen Z. Starr vividly recounts here the fascinating story of this romantic and neglected character.

About this edition

• Publisher: LSU Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0807120340
• ISBN 13: 9780807120347
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 250