A Civil War Sniper, Jack Hinson's One-Man War

Simply put, I really enjoyed this book. The author had done a ton of research and I was glad he brought this story to life. He was a little heavy on the foreshadowing but I'm willing to forgive him because the story was so fantastic. I also admit, that as a Southern boy it was nice to have the South (during the Civil War) painted in a kinder light than I have been used to reading or seeing.

McKinney's research coupled with his uncanny ability to bring 19th century America alive--making his characters' experiences almost palpable--results in a tragic yet sensory experience that is worth every moment you invest in this book. We get both a national and a personal scope to the experiences of soldiers and civilians. This story leaves an unforgettable emotion in the reader. . . somewhere between admiration and inexpressible grief. At last this lost account can be brought to light and added to the annals of Civil War history.

The research done by the author and the time spent doing it, the travels invovled most certainly authenticate this true life event and how a quiet, well governed family can be so disasterously destroyed by out side forces which they had no control and cost the lives of so many of the family. Mr. Henson most deservedly did what his God-given right to do by protecting his family and country. Tragedy is everywhere, especially today.

The author did a great job and made this historical event come alive, it was very hard to lay down the book even for lights out call.

Well written book but a little dry, this mans sons were falsely arrested and beheaded by a union officer and he avenged his sons deaths hundred fold but it was described just "matter of fact" there was no emotion what so ever given to Jack Hinson in this book, you would think a man driven to kill over one hundred men would have felt anger, rage, hatred, pain, grief, something but he might as well have been a robot. Jack had zero emotion in this book. I should be fair though, it was a well written book and a good read, just a little dry!!!

Very good book that was very well researched. I found it informative and enlightening about what the "Home Folks" went through and had to endure during the Civil War when their land and possessions were occupied and taken by whom ever came along. It is a wonder that Jack Hinson and his family survived when faced with such oppression. Some did not survive. I would have done the same as Jack Hinson had I suffered the loss he did in the manner in which it occurred. Good Book.

Everyone loves this book. We live in the area where this actually took place, so makes it even more interesting. After my husband read it, I had to wait to read it because every time I wanted to read it, it was loaned out. LOL Everyone wanted to read it!

A very interesting look into the personal life of a man unwillingly forced into the Civil War. The book could have used some editorial oversight, as the author had the habit of repeating himself several times. But a good read about an interesting man in interesting times!

This is an excellent, little known insight into the Civil War. It focuses on individuals and not the armies. Some of the atrocities, occurring on both sides, will make you take a different perspective on the events of the time.

Very interesting and well documented historical account of a man wronged and his particular form of revenge in Tennesee during the civil war. Good insights into the battles for forts Henry and Donaldson. my only criticism is that the author sees this violent struggle only from the confederate point of view. Slavery for this author was only an inconvience for black people and his narrative was filled with Uncle Toms.I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to any student of the civil war.

Having visited the Land between the lakes made this book even better for me. I think that one really gets the violence and that took place during those years. The author did an awesome job of research on the subject.
It was interesting to know what has happened to the family through the years and to see the rifle Hinson used in his revenge .

Belle, (female CW living historian)

I recommend this book to gain a much better understanding of the overarching reasons that served to promulgate the Civil War. It magnifies the horrific nature of a war that pitched neighbor against neighbor and the bloody events that transpired. Hopefully the lesson will be remembered forever that we must use all the tools of a Democratic Republic to avoid the terror of a Civil War. This book is especially interesting to people that currently live in the areas of West Tenn. and Ky. described in the book.

Jack Hinson's One Man War is a revealing examination of guerrilla warfare. This type of combat involves assassination, ambush, surprise and covert activities. Civil War historians are mostly able to chronicle larger scale activities of this sort. Cavalry raids led by Confederates John Singleton Mosby and Nathan Bedford Forrest as well was the Union's Benjamin Grierson left significant paper trails for subsequent non combatants to follow: Order books, operational plans and later, diaries and reminisces of those who participated in the field operations.

But smaller unit activities have left the historian almost no record with which to trace strategy, activities or results. Thus this book by Tom McKenny is a true rarity. It is the story of a single man's vengeance for the death of his sons at the hands of Union occupying troops after the fall of Fort Donelson in Kentucky. It would appear the Jack Hinson was a one man wrecking machine, a lone sniper that killed between 30 - 100 Union officers and men.

According to the author, it does not appear that Jack Hinson was ever formally in the Confederate Army, although he collaborates with Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest on several occasions. What makes this book so very surprising is that after the passage of 150 years, Tom McKenny is able to recreate something of an outline of this man's singlehanded activities.

Jack Hinson's One Man War is not a particularly well written book and the author's justification of Jack's activities while vilifying Union participants for exactly the same behavior is a silly waste of type. But this is a thought provoking work about a man who left no real trace of his activities and the author really is to be commended for his efforts.

Just how many Jack Hinsons were there in the Civil War? No one will ever know. If you are a buff, you want to spend some time here. It will make you reconsider guerrilla contributions in the defense of the Confederacy.

As a former resident of the area of Western Kentucky and Tennessee in which this book is set, I came to it with a heightened interest. Also, I have read enough history about the Civil War to have a reasonably good sense of what may actually have happened.

With that background and interest, I found this to be a very interesting and enjoyable read which provided insights into the constant state of conflict that likely prevailed in border areas or other places where a significant portion of the populace opposed the Union occupying forces. I recall a comment of at least one critic that I read prior to purchasing the book who questioned whether the details of this book could be accurate. My assessment is that, while some of the minute details may be conjecture, it is well-based conjecture and likely more right than wrong. This kind of fact-based novel probably conveys a good general sense of the portion of the Civil War it addresses.

I highly recommend this book to persons with an interest in Civil War history and a desire to move a bit beyond the more standard accounts, and to those with a particular interest in Western Kentucky and Northern Tennessee, which is the region where the significant early Union victories in the capture of Forts Henry and Donaldson on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers are thought by some to have foretold the ultimate Union victory.

This is definitely a book (truthful history) that should be in everyone's library these days. This book will expose a lot of myths concerning the reasons for the war, as well as a lot of facts that todays historians leave out. The chapters are well choreographed, and the facts are documented. I was particularly impressed with the authors' clarity in projecting Mr. Hinson's various surroundings and terrain, seasons as well as probable scenarios, regarding the era he was living in, and the turbulent times that he, his family, and his workers endured....at the hands of many narcissistic invaders from the Northern states. I can well understand what Mr. Hinson must have felt inside himself. He was not a soldier. If the war would not have occurred, he realized early on, that the Southern states would have eliminated the very problems we see today. The Northern aggressors were not about to let that happen, so they sped things up and the result is that we are all now 'slaves' under a Babylonian type bondage system.

Thanks to Tom for introducing to us another Southern hero. I have read a lot of history about the uncivil war but this book was excellent reading. Some authors can just reach out and grab you and pull you right into the story. This was one of those books. I was able to ride along with Captain Jack throughout his life. I hated to see the end as I now have to open the next book and hope it is as exciting.

The author spent some fourteen years researching this work, before writing it, and it shows. Anyone who wants to know the truth about the "Civil" War should read this to see how "civil" the Yankees actually were toward local civilians, versus how many slave owners actually treated their slaves, and the socio-economic differences between the abusive owners and the kind owners, the latter of whom were actually ahead of the Emancipation Proclamation in freeing their own slaves. This is a real-life version of Mel Gibson's "The Patriot", and I would recommend that Mr. Gibson read this book as inspiration for his next Oscar-winning movie. The brutal, unprovoked murder of his young sons and the abuse of their bodies by "civilized" Union troops provides the catalyst for this Union-loyalist father to become the terror of Yankee Army and Navy officers. Jack Hinson, with his percussion Kentucky rifle, goes on a vendetta that puts him in the history books, including a record in US Navy history that is unmatched to this day! He also sets a sniper record that remained unmatched for almost a hundred years. Anyone who wants to see the truth behind the UNCIVIL War from the home front should read this book. It may very well change your attitude about the Confederacy...and the Union!

Author did a great job of piecing together a historical story all but lost to a history written by the "Victors", ie. The Yankees.
A fine example of the old quote of "Old Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill."

You've heard this before, but one really will not be able to put this book aside until finished! The realism is unsurpassed and it allows a view of the civil war as it really must have been, explaining things you have likely wondered about. In my particular instance I have hunted and walked over a vast amount of the terrain in the book and had a feeling I "had been there before".

Mr. McKenney did a wonderful job of describing what Jack Hinson's life was like during that period. His description of his family life and way of life came to life in Mr. Mckenney's words. It is a great book on the life and times during that period and what the South had to endure from the invaders. I highly recommend this book.

Great book about the extraordinary events of one man's life. The bonus that I was not expecting is the insight of how it was for a family and community living through the days of the civil war. I've read lots of books about battles and the "headline" events, but this book takes you down to ground level of what civilian life was like as the war raged in their own back yard.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.. It is full of history. Most of the book talks about the war and surrounding events, and what led up to Jacks decision to take the course of action he did. It is an amazing story! A must read!