Rebel Correspondent
REBEL CORRESPONDENT is the true story of a young man who joined the Confederate army days after his eighteenth birthday and served bravely until the war ended. Wounded twice, he emerged a changed person. But he wasn't just a returning veteran; he was also a writer.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Arba F. Shaw was a fifty-seven-year-old farmer. On a chilly December day in 1901, he put pen to paper to write his memories of being a Rebel private in the 4th Georgia Cavalry (Avery), CSA. He completed writing his account in February 1902. His local newspaper, the Walker County Messenger, in Lafayette, Georgia, published his account in a series of over 50 articles from 1901 to 1903.
Then it was all but forgotten. Until now.
Earn by promoting books
Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.
Become an affiliate
Steve Procko has uncovered a real treasure! Then, in addition, he has turned it into an even richer treasure! It is amazing how much he has expanded on Arba's writings with information about the people, places and events Arba covered, the result of meticulous research. Between Arba's writings and Steve Procko's writings, we can all see there is still so very much to learn about people and events in our history.
Ruth Hill Fulton McAllister
Samuel Watkins' Great-Granddaughter
Editor of the 2011 '2nd Edition' of Company Aytch
Private Arba Shaw's reminiscences are colorful and full of interesting and important details about his wartime experiences. Steve Procko, in assembling Shaw's reminiscences into a complete book, has done students of the American Civil War and Georgia history a favor. A gifted researcher, Procko chased down names and events mentioned by Shaw, adding additional context and detail to the already-rich narrative. The result is a book that any history buff will savor.
Dan Roper
Editor
Georgia Backroads
Having the opportunity to read an advance copy of Rebel Correspondent was a privilege. Reading through the newspaper articles Private Arba Shaw wrote some years after the war gives one a rare moment in the experience of a young Georgia cavalryman during the Civil War. Author Steve Procko, through his excellent narrative, takes the reader on a rare journey, as recounted by the young soldier's memoirs, with his cavalry unit through many campaigns and skirmishes throughout the South. Also included is much ancillary information by the editor, Mr. Procko, including local historical events and a genealogy of the many persons mentioned by Private Shaw that gives one a virtual playbook of the experience of a private Georgia soldier.
Gerald W. Flinchum-History Instructor
Kennesaw State University & Emory University
OLLI Adult Education Programs
Private Arba Shaw's account of his experiences with the 4th Georgia Cavalry is a treasure that only grows more precious with the passage of time. Steve Procko does a masterful job of weaving this private soldier's reminiscences into the larger experience of his regiment. Rebel Correspondent is a well researched and engaging look at this pivotal event in our nation's history through the eyes of one who lived it.
John Randolph Poole
Author, Cracker Cavaliers - The 2nd Georgia Cavalry Under Wheeler and Forrest
![The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans, from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen [A Cookbook]](https://images-us.bookshop.org/ingram/9781984860002.jpg?height=250&v=v2-7400cb3badc696c5c26291bab7b06b47)
