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

Finished reading this book several weeks ago. Having grown up in the area of Captain Hinson’s range I found it to be particularly interesting. It gave great insight into the lives of civilians who lived “Tween the Rivers” as they dealt with guerillas.the Union army,thieves and murderers.But most of all it tells the story of a man driven by grief and his desire for retribution for the murder and mutilation of his two Sons. Jack Hinson waged a one man war against the Union Army for their atrocities against his family and friends in a war he initially opposed and never wanted. If you grew up in this area and even if you didn’t but love history I recommend that you read this book.

This book shows what the cool level headed determination of one man can accomplish. Also what a bad decision of one officer can have on an entire army. Those Union officers paid a terrible price for that bad decision.

Jack Hinson prevailed and outmaneuvered his opponents.

Written like a 1st hand account of a crazy but amazing civil war story. A neutral slave owner in a border state, who even hosts U.S. Grant in his home ends up having his two sons (suspected of being rebel guerrillas) executed by union officers while out hunting for deer. Jack freed his slaves and gave them the farm and house to live in before emancipation. Jack spends the rest of his life seeking and taking his vengeance. It blurs the line between "good" and "evil" during the war and offers true perspective.

The U.S. soldiers on patrol caught the two young men with rifles. In the culture of the two young men, carrying rifles was a normal part of life. It did not mean anything necessarily bad in a country where survival meant being armed. The lieutenant however, did not understand the culture; knew that guerillas populated the area; and had no patience to determine the facts. The two armed men were immediately assumed to be guerillas that had been attacking the lieutenant's men. They were disarmed, lined-up and then shot. In an almost unimaginable turn of events, the two young men were decapitated by the patrol.In this true story of man's inhumanity to man, this war crime has had second and third order effects no one might have thought possible. The lieutenant knew who the parents of the two young men were so he took the decapitated heads, placed them in sacks and took them to the parents' home. Unceremoniously placing them at the gate to the home as an admonition to the family as well as others, the lieutenant gave a stern warning to the parents about supporting guerillas before departing with his patrol.This event took place over 145 years ago during a time that ripped the country apart. The residual consequences are still felt today. Sadly, this true story has strong application to our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, insurgency and counter-insurgency, guerilla war, and cultural understanding.The Hinson family was largely pro-Union. Although they owned slaves, this was common in the border states of Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland. Lincoln was so concerned about not alienating these residents that he wrote the Emancipation Proclamation carefully, excluded freeing the slaves belonging to these pro-Unionists in areas captured and occupied by the Federal forces. These slaves would not be officially freed until after the war ended. This is the situation the Hinson family found itself in when the war came to them. Jack Hinson, a plantation owner, befriended General Grant during the battles for Forts Henry and Donelson. Grant was invited to stay with the Hinson family during the battle for Donelson which he did. The complexity of the war is encapsulated in the story of the Hinsons.Jack Hinson just wanted to be left alone but the U.S. Army changed that. When his sons were arbitrarily executed without a trial and due process, the war changed for the Hinsons. Decapitating Jack Hinson's two sons changed the entire complexion of the events. Murdering the boys was one thing, mutilating them was another. In the culture of the rural South, this was an affront to the decency and morality of the people. Jack Hinson's feelings turned from apathy to rage.The author turns a true story into an amazing odessey of Jack Hinson who became a one-man army. Commissioning the manufacture of a special sniper rifle, Hinson wreaked havoc on Federal forces between the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. While author McKenney never claims the book to be a historical account, he skillfully weaves the story together using extant historical records, a superb knowledge of the culture and times, and the experience of a seasoned Marine veteran to bring Hinson's story to life.Amazingly, McKenney has managed through his years of research, to actually locate Jack Hinson's sniper rifle bringing an additional measure of credibility to this incredible story. For those who wish to gain an appreciation for the military's new counter-insurgency doctrine used in Iraq and Afghanistan and why we do not condone war crimes against the populaces in which we operate, this book is an excellent beginning.

It was a decent book but one sided to say the least. Yes, the Yankees did do some atrocities but so did the Rebels. He makes Nathan Bedford Forest to be a saint of some kind when it is documented him and his soldiers killing over 200 black soldiers who were captured prisoners. They were simply “executed” instead of being treated as regular prisoners of war. He was “rumored” to be the first leader of the newly formed ku klux clan so even though I give him respect as a calvaryman and tactician, I don’t consider him someone to be admired to say the least. You can clearly see why Jack Hinson was angry and vengeful for how they executed his two sons. War is a terrible thing and terrible things happened on both sides. It is a story of one man’s war and why and how he got involved. In the end, it didn’t bring back his sons and didn’t bring happiness to his family. Many lives were changed after that war and I had relatives who fought on both sides of that conflict that affected their lives afterwards. I enjoyed the book but was a bit taken back by the definite one sided slant by the author. I have been a student of the civil war and saw mistakes on both sides. But it is a book that needed to be written about how war can change a person and pull a person into it even though they try very hard to stay neutral. He was quite the marksman and even at an age where he would be “too old” by today’s standards, he was a lethal, feared and effective opponent. Most likely killing over a hundred enemy soldiers in the few years he was involved in the conflict. That is phenomenal even by today’s standards as a sniper. Just like the master sniper Chris Kyle stated, “There were better marksmen than me and better stalkers too. But what a sniper needs to have the high number of “kills” is opportunity. And I had opportunity!” He had several tours overseas and Jack Hinson likewise had opportunity and knew the area better than his enemies and took every opportunity with the terrain and every other thing he could think of. Overall, I would recommend this book but keep in mind he is slanted on the south’s cause when you read it.

Well written. I could envision the places as described. Lived in the area briefly. Mr. McKenney was a teacher in my high school. Saw him briefly during Veitnam.

Having studied over forty books on the Civil War this was a very personal thought provoking insight and emotional account of the Hinson family and others whose lives were irrevocably changed by events beyond their control and Jack Hinson's reaction to his families destruction. I couldn't put this book down.

Nothing to dis-like, fantastic book and a great story of the early ACW and one man and his fight for justice in his own way.Cannot put this down.If your interest is in American Civil War, its history and later, and the life and times of the great Jack Hinson, this is definitely for you and all students of the American conflict.

This book cannot be recommended enough. The author has a masterful writing technique that makes you feel like you are actually there at that time in history. I never wanted this book to end. Superb.

The is a well written and extremely well researched book! I was sad when I finished it.It contains excellent descriptions of farm life and how it is connected to the flow of the seasons. It also contains a refreshing look at the way slavery really worked - which is often at odds from the highly stylized way it is usually presented.Readers who have not previously read or seen accounts of the U.S. civil War will be shocked at the savage brutality citizens of the same nation are capable of inflicting on each other.If I have one criticism it a minor one - the author's repeated use of foreshadowing became a little overdone.This is a great book that made me want to read more Civil War history!

An adjective heavy portrayal of a singular event. I have to thank the author for shedding light on this story, but I find there is too much background information. As a narrative of Jack Hinsons war goes, I think the page was in the 170's [?] before anyone was shot in revenge. Having said that, this book could be invaluable for people interested in the civil war or the history of that area.