Book Review : The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln's Special Forces, the Manhunt

Cover for The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln's Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby's Rangers, and the Shadow War That Forged America's Special Operations

Military History |

Author: Patrick K. O'Donnell

| Reviewed by Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, US Army War College class of 2010

The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln’s Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby’s Rangers, and the Shadow War That Forged America’s Special Operations, by Patrick K. O’Donnell and reviewed by Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, explores the Civil War–era precursors of today’s special operations forces. Broken into three sections, the book covers rival groups—the Jessie Scouts and Mosby’s Rangers, the Confederate Secret Service, and Sheridan’s Scouts and the retribution they wreaked upon their enemies. The reviewer calls it “. . . a strong reminder of the outsized impact that specialized units make upon military campaigns.”